It's Looking At Me!

We were living in Twentynine Palms, CA on the Marine Corps base. We loved living on base. We had a cute 2 bedroom, 2 bath condo that was, maybe, 5 years old. Hubby was with the sniper unit in his company. I worked full-time at the physical therapy place just 3 miles out of the base gate. I worked with children who needed physical therapy and who had disabilities, all different types. We both worked all week and then come the weekends had all the time to ourselves (no babies, yet). Hubby's sniper unit (12 Marines) were all single except for him. Our house was the only place for them to come have a home cooked meal, a place to wash their cars, and just relax in front of the TV without being at the barracks. They weren't always at our place, just maybe a few times a week. I didn't mind. They were always grateful and well behaved!

I had come home from work one day in the summer (yep, it was hot... most likely at least 100 still at 5pm!) and walked into the kitchen to put my lunch bag away. Something in the corner of the kitchen ceiling by the sliding glass door caught my eye but I continued what I was doing. Pull out meat to defrost for dinner. Get a glass of water out of the fridge (no one drinks the base water... ick). Turn the air conditioner up, it's hot! Head upstairs to change out of my scrubs into shorts. Get back into kitchen to begin dinner, when, oh my land... what on God's green earth is in the corner of my kitchen???? It's black, it's the size of my fist, it's kinda hairy and, oh, dear, it's looking at me!!!!!!! Gulp... must get to the phone... must call Hubby right away!!! Is it watching me?? It's still looking at me! Does it jump????? Ugh... it's moving!!!! Oh, dial the phone quickly (fingers flying) someone had better be at their shop (what the platoon's work area was called) pick up, pick up, pick up! Hello? Get White!! We have something in our kitchen looking at me, tell him to hurry!!! Ten minutes later, the entire platoon shows up to help me with my very large desert tarantula!!!! In my kitchen!!!! Ugh!!!! (I wasn't the only one freaked out, it did take the entire platoon to get him out!) The thought still gives me heebie jeebies!!!

Fast forward to 1999 we were living in the same town we're in now but in a different area. Hubby was in law enforcement, working the night shift. He was upstairs asleep and I had just gotten home from work at the urgent care. I went to put my scrubs into the laundry. I opened the door to the laundry room and saw it! There was a medium-sized snake stretched out in my laundry room!!!!! OK, gross out, stay calm, put a towel from the bathroom under the door after it's shut so it can't escape! Now, scream for Hubby! I don't think his feet touched one step as he ran downstairs. He's asking me, what kind was it? Me: uh, I don't know. Him: well, did it have a triangular head? Me: I don't know, I didn't stick around long enough to examine his head! So, the fire department had to come and get my new laundry buddy from behind the dryer. He must have been hungry for mismatched socks.

I hope I never have another "critter-in-my-house story to tell you" but it is me and if something is going to happen, it will happen to me! Ugh. The above picture is the 'tarantula house' like, 17 years later! We got to go see it recently when we were in the area. When we lived there we had to rake the dirt and keep the yard looking pretty! We loved that house! We loved that time in our lives!

See A Movie, Change Your Life

There are days when I must think, think, think to come up with a decent blog. Then there are the days like today when I have a billion ideas just oozing from my pores! I can't get to my Apple quick enough! I'll fill you in on why:

The Women's Ministry began our new bible study today. I am part of this group at our large church. I get to do the announcements, keep the morning on track, emcee, etc... As they're learning, put a microphone in my hand and I may never give it back! So, this morning was exciting as God was doing great things! It was busy, though! Up at 6am and after getting Savannah to school Bethany and I get to church by 8am. We get home at noon! It makes for a rewarding yet exhausting morning!

Hubby took great pleasure in creating coveting in me last night. What was I coveting you ask? Well, it's so bizarre for me. I saw and fell in love with the new iPad! What an awesome gadget!!!! Hubby has an iPhone that is nice but the iPad? Now that's speaking my language!! It is a computer, it can dowload books and periodicals, it can download pictures, it just does everything but is not a phone! Ha ha, told you it was for me! I could take all my blog peeps with me everywhere (that's you) and blog wherever I wanted. My pictures would be right with me too! I can download and read (on an awesome screen I might add) all my favorite books and magazines! And it's not a phone!!!!! For those of you who know me, that's a great thing because I dislike being held hostage by my cell phone!!! (We're trying to get away from using the word "hate" in our house but you get the picture).

Now, the other thing that's got me oozing from my pores is that, after getting home this afternoon I had, waiting for me from Netflix, Julie and Julia! I finally got to sit down and watch it! Oh good golly gee! I am in love, love, love with this movie! I (gulp) think I like it even better than the book! I never feel that way! I am an avid believer that the movies never live up to the books, but not in this case! There were so many parts that just reached into my soul and spoke to me. I loved Meryl Streep's portrayal of Julia Child. I loved the relationship between she and her husband, Paul. I loved how she was just herself and let the 'chips fall where they may'. So refreshing. On the Julie-side of the movie I loved watching her as well! So much of myself I see in this movie. I was born to be a wife and a mom but had no other direction as far as I was concerned. I was/am satisfied being a wife and mommy. But this blog and that movie have stirred something inside of me... deep. Julie knew she was meant to be a writer. I say this with much hesitation and reservation. I am so afraid (to the bones, afraid) of rejection. But here goes, I think (no,no,no, that's too unsure) I know I am meant to be a writer. I have no book idea, not even an inkling of how to begin. Just a desire. Is that enough? I don't know, we'll see. So, please pray for me, for direction and God's will to be done! In the movie Julie has a moment when a lobster she plans to cook moves in the bag in the backseat of her car. There's a moment when he's sort of 'looking' at her. Tomorrow I will tell you a story about something similar happening to me! The above picture you've seen, but it goes with this blog! It's me in front of the Smithsonian's exhibit of Julia Child's kitchen from her Cambridge, Massachusettes home.

Aggression Cookies

Grandma and Bethany, Christmas

I made cookies this week. Not just any cookies but I made Grandpa and Grandma's Aggression cookies. I enjoyed them growing up at my grandparent's house. They regularly had my brother and I and my two cousins over for the weekends. I'm sure our parents put their free weekends to good use!

Grandma and Grandpa were good at spoiling us (still are!) and I remember hot chocolate and cookies as we all sat in their giant bean bag while they watched the Lawrence Welk Show! We had plenty to do at their house.

Grandpa collected trains that ran on a huge set of tracks and houses set up in the garage. Grandpa worked for Knudsen so their freezer was always stocked with novelty ice creams! Us grand kids would play all day, using our imaginations with the toys that were there. Behind their house was a track field that we would often go down to to burn off extra energy. Every New Year's my grandparents had a big, fancy party where we had to dress up and 'be on our best behavior'. Grandpa would spend hours cooking up his cherried pot roast, mashed potatoes and black eyed peas. Grandma would likewise, spend hours baking up her huge platter of cookies, chocolates, breads and desserts. And there would always be the Aggression cookies!

We lost my grandpa in '95 to lung cancer and he is missed. He had a way of 'dealing' with us grand kids that was all 'him'. He would bark and yell, and yet we always knew his bark was much worse than his bite. He was frugal beyond words yet would 'let' my grandma spoil us (it was him too), he would get aggravated with Grandma for her crazy ways yet had all he patience in the world for her when she was shopping. He would never say a word or complain and would hold her purse and packages.

When I make those cookies, I pull out his recipe. It's yellow and old. Grandma made a copy for me. His writing is all over it. He tells me to double the recipe. "Yes, sir". I always do. He tells me to use one full box of brown sugar. "Thanks, Grandpa it's helpful to not have to measure it out". He also tells me to "use the green bowl". This part I can't do but I know exactly which bowl he wants me to use and I know right where it is in their kitchen. It's avocado green. But, guess what? I have a green bowl roughly the same size. It's not avocado green (I can't travel back to the '70s to replicate that one) but I do use it every time I make these, because Grandpa says to.

Make these and think of my grandparents. I always do. I am grateful my grandma is such a big part of my life and that my girls know her so well also. She dotes on them the same way she doted on the four of us. They get spoiled and loved on. When she is here with us for a few days she is such a huge help bustling around the house tying up all my loose ends. I'm sure I hear her in the middle of the night up checking on the kids and putting more blankets on them (she's always cold!). After she goes home I can always count on a call from her checking on her great-granddaughters. She's incredibly loving! Also, if I age half as grateful as she has I'll be in pretty good shape!

So, remember your grandparents today, all their quirks and habits, love and sometimes yelling! Make these cookies and think of mine!

Grandma and Grandpa's Aggression Cookies- double it and mix in the green bowl!

1 cup light brown sugar (a full box if doubled!)

1 cup butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups quick cooking rolled oats

granulated sugar

Mix all ingredients like pie crust until soft. Flatten 1-inch balls of dough onto ungreased pan. Press flat with bottom of glass dipped once into a bit of butter and then granulated sugar. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven 10-12 minutes. Makes about 4 dozen.

A Follow Up

As a follow up to the last blog, I looked up my CA state legislators and want to share with you how I did this. I just googled 'CA State Legislators' and it took me to the official page where I entered my zip code and got my local legislators. It was easy. The phone number and address is on this page. Since you all hail from all over the US I can't list all legislators here! Help me in this. Not sure how you stand on the abortion issue, just peek at some pictures of my youngest, Bethany. We adopted her after her birth and not a day goes by that I am not grateful her birth mother chose life. I know she reads this and I want her to know how grateful we are and how we pray for blessings to flow into her life because of her courageous decision. Thank you. It's not enough to say but there are no words to express how grateful we are. Choose life.

Call to Action

I just heard this this morning on our local Christian radio station the girls and I listen to every morning on our way to taking Savannah to school. It has stuck with me and is turning my stomach. After 9/11 Planned Parenthood provided free abortions to NYC residents. They did this as their way of helping 'provide relief' after the attacks. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina they provided the morning-after pill. Today, in Haiti, they are 'helping' deal with the aftereffects of the earthquake by providing more abortions. Their answer to death and destruction is to provide more death and destruction. As Americans and Christians we should all be disgusted and ashamed of ourselves for not doing anything to stop Planned Parenthood. They go to Haiti representing Americans, us! No, I don't know what to do or where to begin but I am open for suggestions. There are times to silently wait on the Lord and there are times to move our feet while we pray. During this difficult time we should at the very least be making sure that not one cent of our tax money goes to Planned Parenthood. Contact legislation, stop the health-care bill from going through so that we do not fund abortions. We all seem to sit back and watch as America disintegrates into immorality. Do we expect someone else to handle the problems? I know I am guilty of this. But if enough of us stood up for values, morality and what this country was founded on we could get a movement going to begin to be a voice. We have all stood still long enough. If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything

forward this on to help get this message across

SNOW! 2010

What began as rain, rain, rain, ALL week has turned into... SNOW! We all love, love, love the snow. Even the doggies!

Nothing like coming home from school to snow!

Maybe an inch on the ground means it's time to go out and play! You never know how long it will last!

We just love snow! Last year (December 2008) we got a ton and school was cancelled for three days! It lasted for two weeks! But we made the best out of this time! Enjoy each and every season as God gives it!

Gum

The evidence

"What's in your mouth?"

(caught red-handed)

"Nothing, Mama. I didn't do it..."

(the "I'm innocent" stare)

"I just looking at it..."

uh, huh, sure I believe you.