So the party ended and it was lovely. We had 18 people at the house for dinner and it was kind of funny. I was sitting at the table with my twin brother, his wife, my friend Chad, and grandma… and all of a sudden people descended on the house and the volume in the downstairs exploded! Grandma was very much with it yesterday and talking to people one-on-one. We think she really enjoyed being the belle of the ball.
Food was goulash, spaetzle, cabbage, beans, salad, and cake with two kinds of ice cream for dessert. We had half of a sheet cake and we managed to knock almost all of it out. (We did send home pieces with people.)
All in all, it was a wonderful gathering and I’m glad we could have that many people under one roof again for the first time in a few years.
Looking out my window… dark. It was in the low 60’s F this afternoon when we were sitting out and talking before Sunday dinner. It was really mostly in the 50’s F today with the exception of that time.
I am thinking… about the assignments I have due this week. It’s not a bad load but I do need to get it done. Mostly, I need to do Skype stuff with one of my Electronic Communications teammates before Saturday.
I am thankful… for my nap this afternoon. It was heavenly, even if it meant my PE reading didn’t get done before Sunday dinner.
One of my favorite things… sleep. I’m wishing I was asleep instead of up with the kiddo getting a late night snack.
I am wearing… jammies. Church clothes were a long-sleeved charcoal heather shirt, black slacks, my black flats, and my grey hoodie because it ended up being cold in the church.
I am creating… discussion posts for PE, this entry, and reports for my Sage class.
I am listening to… the sound of the Cheerios scraping against Daniel’s bowl.
I am hoping… for a productive day tomorrow.
I am learning… best practices for Skype and video-conferencing.
In my kitchen… Dad made pasta, sauce, meatballs, and salad tonight. Mom contributed an apple pie with apples from the family orchard in Burlington.
In the school room… Daniel’s class gets to go to the pumpkin patch next week!
Shared Quote… “Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.” – Oscar Wilde
So, I’ve made fun of the whole pumpkin spice latté thing forever, especially the stupidity published by Food Babe about how it didn’t contain any pumpkin (it’s about the flavoring and spices, not the pumpkin, you idiot!) and I finally decided to try the frappucino version.
Verdict: OK but not worth the hype. I liked the spices they sprinkled on the whipped cream (which I forgot to ask them not to put on — oops!) and the frappucino tasted kind of like brown sugar. I guess they actually started putting pumpkin in the syrup after Fear Food Babe complained?
Looking out my window… dark. It started out chilly today and got up to 63F around noon. It’s now down in the low 40’s.
I am thinking… about the publicity stunt the Vice-President pulled today. He needs to reimburse taxpayers for the money he wasted. My friends who are vets (Iraq and Afghanistan) think he and 45 are both tools and point out every freaking time they are asked that they served and fought to protect the athletes’ right to protest so THEY DON’T CARE.
I am thankful… for everything going well with worship today.
One of my favorite things… being warm. I haven’t been lately. For some odd reason, I can’t deal with the drop in temperatures — I don’t know if the house is just colder or what.
I am wearing… jammies. Church clothes were a berry-colored long-sleeved shirt from Old Navy, black slacks, and black flats. I switched out the slacks for jeans after church and spent the rest of the day usually barefoot.
Shared Quote… “When God created each of us, he tucked a little bit of his divine imagination into our souls. He did this, I think, so that we can conceive of the fact that our world contains so much more than we can see, feel, and touch.” — Hallie Lord
Looking out my window… sunny now though it was raining earlier and we’ve had a few days of good rain. Weather.Com says it’s 50F and I believe them.
I am thinking… about my Doodle assignment this week.
I am thankful… for classes I like this quarter.
One of my favorite things… when my sports teams win. My Giants beat San Diego and I’m hoping my Niners can beat Arizona.
I am wearing… a grey heather long-sleeved shirt and jeans. Church clothes this morning were a blue-grey long-sleeved shirt, black slacks, and black flats.
I am listening to… classical music on a DISH Network channel
I am hoping… Daniel’s appointment with the Autism Center at Seattle Children’s Hospital this week goes well. We’ve been waiting for this appointment for a very long time. (The waiting list for an appointment is over a year long.)
I am learning… about email best practices.
In my kitchen… coq au vin is cooking.
In the school room… Daniel continues to love school.
Looking out my window… sunny and in the low 60’s. We will probably have rain tonight which is lovely.
I am thinking… about money and faith for my CDSP class on church finance.
I am thankful… for my amazing parish and how they welcomed Daniel this morning when he came to church with me for the first time in 3 years. (I was one of the readers and had choir duties so I had to be there.) I brought his tablet and headphones and he largely chilled while I was up front. Everyone was also really respectful of whether or not he could handle crowds and greeted him warmly.
On his part, he didn’t have any meltdowns, didn’t race up and down the aisles, and was reasonably quiet. It was such a nice change from 3 years ago when I wanted to be anywhere with him EXCEPT church.
One of my favorite things… a calm Sunday afternoon.
I am wearing… a black fitted tee and jeans capris. Church clothes were a long-sleeved black shirt, jeans, and my running shoes. (I didn’t know whether my kiddo would need a walk during the sermon or not ad my black flats are not conducive to that.)
I am creating… discussion board posts for my classes.
I am listening to… various High Kings songs on YouTube.
I am hoping… to stay caught up on everything this week.
I am learning… some of the national and diocesan canons that have to do with money and finances.
Shared Quote… “When God created each of us, he tucked a little bit of his divine imagination into our souls. He did this, I think, so that we can conceive of the fact that our world contains so much more than we can see, feel, and touch.” — Hallie Lord, On the Other Side of Fear
A bootylicious bone broth recipe. Because I completely spaced on it being Thursday and had nothing better to do tonight before this than download accounting software or talk on the phone to boys, my Quick Takes are late and I saw what Kelly posted beforehand… which means I can *TOTALLY* share her recipe for bone broth. Apparently, it’s guaranteed to make my loser liver into one that’s bootylicious. Score!
Oh… a memo to my liver: remember our deal! I don’t drink alcohol and you don’t crap out on me before I turn 40. You better not die before May 19, 2020! I don’t want to have to depend on the Evil Twin to keep his liver pristine enough to give a piece!!!
Back to school again. In case you missed my *AWESOME* daybook post this week with a fabulous photo of me with freshly-washed hair, I started school again on Monday and I’m all online this quarter. I’m taking a class on electronic communication (basically Outlook/Skype/business apps), a class on Sage’s accounting software, an online PE class, and a church finance class through CDSP.
Wait, Jen. Online PE??? Yep… online PE. I have a book to read, a discussion board post weekly, and a report to send to my instructor weekly of my exercise logged (30 minutes of something physical x 5 days/week). In theory, I could lie through my teeth about getting all that exercise but I would end up screwing myself over because my aim this quarter is to incorporate some movement into my day.
Geeky linguistic fun.Here’s a map of the most common surnames in Europe by country. Why is it geeky linguistic fun? Well, the blogger follows it with an explanation of what each name means and mentions that in Iceland, there is still a patronomic system in place. Duuuuude…
Prerequisite baseball take. My Giants are unfortunately at the bottom of the National League. 🙁 (Can we say bad trade decisions?) Even worse news: the Dodgers clinched a playoff spot. At least the Cubs are in and if I have to root for the American league, I can root for Boston.
The match-up that would guarantee me boycotting the Word Series: Dodgers vs. Indians. Because Cleveland teams are horrible (other examples: the loser Cavs and the Browns who are consistently at the bottom of the NFL *EVERY* year) and the Dodgers are the archnemesis of my Giants.
