Category Archives: Food/Drink

#FiveFaves: Things To Distract Me from the Suckiness of My Life At the Moment

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#5Faves

In the last 48 hours, the following things have happened: I’ve had to fight with Social Security only to discover that I’m being penalized for their screw-up, my parents’ Maine Coon passed away, I got a call from Cullen’s new mommy telling me that he would be having to be put to sleep today due to advanced cancer of the intestine, I took Cullen with his new mommy to his vet appointment where he crossed the Rainbow Bridge (so glad I did — he went peacefully within a minute and a half with his new mommy and I stroking him and scratching his ears), and I’m dealing with financial issues.

So… right now, I’m wanting anything and everything that can distract me from my desire to just pull the covers over my head and hide. Here are some things that are keeping me from losing my mind.

One

Crocheting. I’m sitting at $tarbux working on some amigurumi crocheting for a friend while catching up on some of my favorite shows.

Two

“All About That Bass” rendered by Straight No Chaser. Because tenors can be *SUCH* primadonnas!

Three

Inquirer’s Class. I’ve been attending an Episcopal Church since we moved down to southern California in June and I was invited to attend the Inquirer’s Class in preparation for the bishop’s visit in March to figure out what steps I would need to take to join. The answer is apparently Confirmation. So… I’m being confirmed on Sunday after 20 years of being Christian. (My mother-in-law’s response: “It’s about time you were confirmed!”)

Four

Tim Hawkins on going to a “hand-raising” church. If you’re familiar with megachurch worship, this will cause you to die of laughter. It’s one of YouTube videos I go to when I need a pick-me-up.

Five

Rice Krispies treats. They are my kryptonite.

Go love up Jenna and the others.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: February 23, 2015

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Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY February 23, 2015

Outside my window… sunny but a bit chilly still. It will probably be in the high 50’s today and we have a chance of more rain. Given how completely far behind we are, I say, “BRING IT!!!!” Despite the pain I get from all the weather changes, I really *did* enjoy the rain yesterday and the intermittent downpours last night. My beneficent mother-in-law (who quite graciously watches “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood” with my child so I can have a shower and who is also reading over my shoulder) took Daniel to play in the gutters yesterday. The way our cul-de-sac is, they turn into a pretty decent river when it rains and my wee bairn had a blast!

I am thinking… about the tax stuff I’m trying to do.

I am thankful… that Daniel has a 5-day school week again though we’re headed into vacation time and teacher-inservice days next month.

In the kitchen… not sure what I’ll do for lunch. Maybe chicken over quinoa?

I am wearing…my Run for the Little Flowers 5K shirt and jeans. (I also added my UCSC Alumni sweatshirt midway through typing this.)

I am praying for… the Social Security blunders that I’m having to spend time straightening out, a call for Jon, Daniel’s IEP next week, and a bunch of special intentions along with my Lenten prayer practices.

I am going… to call Social Security in a few minutes to yell at them.

I am wondering… if we’ll be getting any refund this year on our taxes.

I am reading… The Hen of the Baskervilles by Donna Andrews. I read and finished Landlines by Rainbow Rowell this past week.

I am hoping… for a good afternoon with Daniel.

I am looking forward to… Wednesday.

I am hearing… various machines and robots cleaning.

Around the house… machines going (dishwasher, washer/dryer, Roomba, Mints…).

A favorite quote for today… “God loves human beings. God loves the world. Not an ideal human, but human beings as they are; not an ideal world, but the real world. What we find repulsive in their opposition to God, what we shrink back from with pain and hostility, namely, real human beings, the real world, this is for God the ground of unfathomable love.” — Dietrich Bonhoeffer

One of my favorite things… mint and chocolate.

A few plans for the rest of the week: sort out taxes, Bible study/meeting with speech therapy/class/choir on Wednesday, date night on Friday, and whatever else comes up.

Hosted by The Simple Woman.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: February 15, 2015

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Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY February 15, 2015

Outside my window… warm. Weather.Com is saying it’s 75F outside at 5:22 p.m. and I believe them. I know everyone on the eastern seaboard is going to throw things at me (especially any readers around Boston) but I miss living in places with snow. I actually had to shave my legs last night!!!! (I don’t usually have to in the winter.)

I am thinking… about my camera that bit the dust just now. Oh well… it served me well for 12 years.

I am thankful… that Daniel can (usually) entertain himself while I shower.

In the kitchen… teryaki chicken and potatoes. (Eating a combination of leftovers.)

I am wearing… Run for the Little Flowers 5K shirt and khaki shorts.

I am praying for… sanity (like that’s going to happen!), a good night’s sleep, a call for Jon, and a bunch of special intentions.

I am going… to be wearing flip-flops for the next few days until the top of my right foot stops hurting from the burns. (I burned it checking Daniel’s bathwater.)

I am wondering… what the 50 Shades of Grey junkies thought when they realized they were watching full-on pr0n.

I am reading… the Bible. I finished Murder with Puffins by Donna Andrews this morning during my pedicure.

I am hoping… Daniel goes down without too much of a fight tonight.

I am looking forward to… Daniel having normal school weeks and not having Mondays off for holidays.

I am hearing… Daniel playing with his tablet.

Around the house… laundry cycling and various cleaning robots working.

One of my favorite things… Coca Cola. It is disappearing for Lent though.

A few plans for the rest of the week: tea on Tuesday afternoon with a family friend, pancakes at church on Tuesday night, Ash Wednesday things on Wednesday, and whatever else the week holds for me.

Hosted by The Simple Woman.

7 Quick Takes: Things I’ll Be Doing This Weekend Instead of Going to See “50 Shades of Grey”

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7 Quick Takes

I’m pretty sure that dissing “50 Shades of Grey” is going to appear in most peoples’ Quick Takes this weekend. There are already some interesting posts on the subject here, here (warning: some swearing which makes it NSFW), here, and here.

— 1 —

Letting Kelly pick my Lenten discipline. I’ll be giving up Coke, doing some extra spiritual reading, doing some extra praying, and then one more thing that Kelly (our Quick Takes hostess-with-the-mostess) gets to pick. She has until 11:59 PST on the 17th to tell me what it is and get supplies for said discipline to me.

— 2 —

Trying to learn all the words to “Baba Yetu” (and how to pronouce them). The utterly amazing Peter Hollens and his friend Malukah covered Christopher Tin’s Grammy-winning composition “Baba Yetu” which is the theme to the computer game Civilization IV. It’s the Swahili translation of the Lord’s Prayer (or at least most of it). It’s amazing but I do have to work on how to pronounce some of the words. (I’ve learned from previous experience that Swahili is not a language that flows from my tongue well.)

— 3 —

Putting together valentine’s for Daniel’s class. I actually am almost done with these valentines from a free printable created by Amy of Living Locurto. (Go check her out. She is crazy talented!) My thanks go to Ann of House of Estrogen who featured them on her blog 4 years ago.

— 4 —

Reading Unvirtuous Abbey’s Twitter stream. If you haven’t read the Twitter stream of Unvirtuous Abbey, stop whatever you are doing and click on their name!!!! They are irreverent and funny in ways that only Canadians can be.

— 5 —

Listening to David Wesley. If you’re a fan of Peter Hollens, check out David Wesley. He does amazing acapella mixes of popular worship songs. My props to priest’s wife who introduced me to him.

— 6 —

Bonding with family. My sister-in-law Joanna, her son Patrick, and her mother-in-law Margie are coming up tomorrow to spend the afternoon with us for Valentine’s Day. I need to put together the Valentine’s Day present I have for Patrick — I’ve got some squeeze pouches of applesauce from Trader Joe’s and I’m going to put a wrap on them with his picture and some heart stickers. On his picture will be some text that says, “You are my main squeeze.”

— 7 —

Dreaming of the pedicure I’ll be getting with the present Jon gave me for Valentine’s Day. Jon has two weddings on Saturday (and probably turned down ten more) so we did “date tea” instead of doing a date night on Saturday. We went to $tarbux and Jon got lunch (a grilled cheese sandwich and passion tea lemonade) while I got my iced vanilla latté and some marshmallow dream bars. His present to me was a gift certificate for a mani-pedi which will probably be a pedicure with extras given that regular nail polish doesn’t stay on my fingers well. (My present to him was some special coffee and moscato from Trader Joe’s.) It will be nice to be able to have some pampering that isn’t usually in the budget these days.

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.

#FiveFaves: Miscellanea (XXVIII)

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#5Faves

One

This offering from Peter Hollens and Malukah. It’s the Lord’s Prayer in Swahili which is used in the game Civilization IV.

Two

The fact that a school bus picks Daniel up each morning and brings him home. I had to drop some paperwork off for one of his therapists at his school and I managed to forget that Wednesday is a “Compact Day” for everyone else so pick-up time is around 12:45 p.m. Oh vey… I keep forgetting how much of a pain in the rear it is to do “drop-off” or “pick-up” and how I’m so incredibly lucky not to have that be a part of my day. I had to park a decent walk away from the school (well… a decent walk for someone with a bum foot) and it was definitely a painful walk!

Three

Marshmallow Dream Bars. These are the $tarbux equivalent of a Rice Krispies treat. In any case, it’s like kryptonite for me.

Four

Bible studies with my church ladies. The other woman at the Wednesday morning Bible study (with the exception of my priest) are old enough to be my mother or even my grandmother in some cases… but they are absolutely delightful and act happy to see me even if I’m sitting there crocheting through all of it. They tell me how wonderful it is to see me and when we had a combined service for the annual meeting, they complimented me on the choir music. (They’re all attenders of the 8:00 service and I’m at 10:00 with the choir.)

Five

Dave Barry. Dave Barry, whose writing I have loved for 25+ years, took on 50 Shades of Grey. It’s worth reading — go to it!

Go love up Jenna and the others.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: February 8, 2015

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Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY February 8, 2015

Outside my window… dark. It was lovely and in the 70’s today though I kind of wish we could have had the storm that hit my parents’ house in the Bay Area.

I am thinking… about my friend Katie who is 38 weeks pregnant with her daughter and a pre-e survivor like me. I’m hoping she can carry to term and have a successful VBAC.

I am thankful… for my church community and for our leadership who really try to foster a family atmosphere.

In the kitchen… sitting here in darkness. I had some teryaki chicken and potatoes from Trader Joe’s earlier.

I am wearing… my Online Debate Team shirt and capri-length sweats.

I am praying for… the right call for Jon to come up, for some of my friends who are due this month, for healing of the flare-up of my foot injury, and for help in discerning various aspects of my life.

I am going… to bed soon. It’s 10:30 already.

I am wondering… whether I should do the virtual walk for the Promise Walk this year or do it in the Bay Area with my mom or head down to San Diego. The one in San Diego is over my birthday weekend so it might be kind of fun to spend the weekend down there with just Jon.

I am reading… Murder with Puffins by Donna Andrews. I’m also doing this Bible-reading program. Right now, I’m just finishing Exodus in the Old Testament and starting Mark in the New Testament.

I am hoping… to get my Lenten discipline nailed down soon.

I am looking forward to… Wednesday when I have some church things. Yippee!

I am hearing… the fan on my laptop. The house is silent otherwise.

Around the house… stillness.

One of my favorite things… sleep.

A few plans for the rest of the week: taking my mother-in-law to allergy shots tomorrow, doing all my church stuff on Wednesday, and whatever comes up in the course of the week.

Hosted by The Simple Woman.

New Year’s Questions!

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Beth Anne tagged me for this meme (that she procrastinated in filling out). I have no desire to tag anyone so I’m just doing this for fun and to have something to do while icing a swollen foot.

Four names that people call me:

1. Jen

2. Jenni

3. Lepicat (college email address)

4. Jenni-fur (mother-in-law)

Four jobs I have had:

1. Camp counselor

2. Library Assistant

3. Bookseller (Barnes & Noble)

4. Administrative assistant for an import brokerage owned by UPS

Four movies I have seen more than once:

1. Forrest Gump

2. The Princess Bride

3. Monty Python and the Holy Grail

4. The Birdcage

Four books I’d recommend:

1. Surprised by Joy

2. What’s So Amazing about Grace?

3. A Year of Biblical Womanhood

4. The Chronicles of Narnia

Four Places I’ve Lived:

1. Santa Cruz, CA

2. Bexley, OH

3. Madison, MN

4. Galata, MT

Four Places I Have Been:

1. Dublin, Ireland

2. Lethbridge, Alberta

3. London, England

4. Salt Lake City, UT (Not Mormon but I seriously love SLC!)

Four Places I Would Rather Be Right Now:

1. A redwood forest

2. Asleep

3. Seattle

4. Not staring at laundry to be put away

Four Things I Don’t Eat:

1. Broccoli

2. Spam

3. Thai food

4. Mexican food

Four of My Favorite Foods:

1. Sushi

2. Lamb gyros

3. Lamb kebab

4. My mother-in-law’s chocolate peppermint vegan cupcakes

Four Things I’m Looking Forward to This Year:

1. Making healthier choices

2. Possibly getting my mid-life crisis tattoo

3. Seeing what God has in store for me 🙂

4. Daniel hopefully starting to talk more.

Four Things I’m Saying:

1. “Seriously?!?!?!?!?”

2. “Yeah… no.”

3. “What the fur?!?!?!?!?” (I live in a house of cat-punsters.)

4. “Gentle hands!”

Four People I’m tagging:

Nobody. 🙂