like two blogging ships passing in the night....

or something like that.

Don't you love those moments in life when something happens that is timed and choreographed so utterly perfect that it just feels like God is saying "yup girl. Keep walking the direction you're going. It's the right way. Look--I'm gonna drop a little sum'pin your way just sos ya know I'm not talkin' smack" ?! (hope that wasn't sacrilegious. Sometimes, in my mind, God talks a little gangsta to me. We're tight-- He and I--but in a completely reverent way.)

Anyway--this is a little story about how my blogging life crossed paths with my real life today:

About 6 weeks ago, I got a new reader named Jenni. Her blog name came up on my bravenet counter as penofjenn, and I thought she was amongst my strangely large number of Norwegian readers whose name must be Pen Ofjenn. Nope. Not male or Norsk. She is actually a real friend of my blog friend Shannon. They both live in the Vancouver, WA area---about 9 hours from here. I think I teased her that we must have been separated at birth because we were an awful lot alike---from a love for decorating and photography, to the fact that we were once able to speak fluent German, and even a bizarre shared crush on the Kratt brothers from Zaboomafoo.

Well, on my last post Miss Jenni asked me if by some strange chance I might have been at the RC Willey (furniture store) on that (Thursday) afternoon. She was in town visiting family and thought she recognized me. Now--frankly I think I see my bloggy friends' faces everywhere too--usually the women who are taking pictures of stuff in Wal*Mart. (Is that you Debbie? Heather? Are you gonna do a post about the Wal*Mart? Is that why you're photographing those boxes of tampons?-**that was me thinking**) But, guess what? It just so happens that I WAS in RC Willey! And come to think of it, there was this cute blond girl who kept looking at me like she knew me, and the people she was with called her......Jenni! Oh, but it doesn't end there!!!.....

Jenni's husband also looks at me like he should know me. Yeah, that's 'cause he DOES--or did about 19 years ago when he and his buddies use to hang out with me and mine at the church dances. And when his little sister and I played the cello together in orchestra. And when he and I graduated from the same high school a year apart..... (of course I didn't say anything to him because most people are a little taken aback by my freaky elephant brain that never forgets a face or a story!--in other words, they usually don't remember and I go away feeling a little foolish for having spoke up! Wait, I think I'm off track again-----)

After a few e-mails, Jenni and I realize that we grew up just a town apart. That we share some more acquaintances beyond her husband. And that yesiree it is, indeed, a small world. Made ever smaller by the miracle of the blog.

The only sad thing---we realized one another's identities too late to have actually spoken. Like I said in the title, I guess we were just like two blogging ships passing in the night...... and by ships, I mean two women who blog.....and by night, I mean the RC Willey.....and by passing, I mean passing--------- Now is that cool or what?!

Nice to have "met" you Jenni! :)

to all the pyros out there:

Ah---fireworks season is upon us once again! Where all men, and some women too (Emily L. !) , suddenly turn into children......children playing with matches. Here's a little "fiery" poem to commemorate the occasion:

***FLAMES***

Smokey the Bear heads

into the autumn woods

with a red can of gasoline

and a box of wooden matches.

His ranger's hat is cocked

at a disturbing angle.

His brown fur gleams

under the high sun

as his paws, the size

of catcher's mitts,

crackle into the distance.

He is sick of dispensing

warnings to the careless,

the half-wit camper,

the dumbbell hiker.

He is going to show them

how a professional does it.

~Billy Collins

********

When I was younger, my brother and I had a big package of those spinning fireworks called "flowers" (they twirl around and change from red to green to gold in a few seconds). Being the genius children we were-- we figured out that we could light them in our hands, and have a few seconds before the fuse burned down in which to throw them, then watch with glee as they spun around in the air. Pretty cool backyard entertainment, right?! Until I threw one of them, and then everything. switched. into. slow. motion as I saw it take a sudden hook in the air and head right through my Mom's open bedroom window...... It burned a big hole in her pillow and comforter, and left an ugly black spot on her wooden headboard. To this day, I can still close my eyes and see that possessed firework changing direction mid-flight and feel that gripping dread of "oh crap! I think I just lit my mother's bed on fire!!!". Yeeeeeeah, that was pretty much the end of my adventures with fireworks....they stayed on the ground from that year on!

How 'bout ya'al----- any fireworks horror stories?

my favorite 4th of July photo of all! Doesn't Liam look thrilled?! : )

*****GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!*****

And wishing you all a fire-department free Independence Day!

i know famous people

I was just thinking the other day that for being born and raised in a boring, mid-sized Idaho town, I actually know a few semi-famous people! Of course I'm not on a talking face-to-face basis with A-listers like Mrs. R (are you ever going to divulge that woman's identity by the way?..... :) ), but this is WHO I "KNOW" (with google images... Yay google!)





*David Klein (the one in the glasses)

He was two grades ahead of me, and every "artsy" girl (me included!) had a crush on him. After graduation, he went to the Vancouver Film School.... at the same time as Kevin Smith, Ben Affleck (and I think Matt Damon). Following his first year there, he came back to talk to the TV/Video Production class I was in as a favor to our teacher. After his little speech was done and everyone was working on their projects, he came and sat by me. We knew each other through a mutual friend, and had talked enough that he was aware of my ambitions to be a writer one day. He said (in a very cool, I've-been-away-at-film-school-for-a-year kind of voice): "Hey,I remember reading some of your poetry. It was really good. I'd like to get your opinion on this script", then he slid a first-draft copy of the movie Clerks in front of me. Have any of you heard of it? It turned out to be a big underground hit with a cult following, and recently spawned a Clerks II. He ended up being the director of photography on it, Mallrats, and Chasing Amy. I believe he also did some kind of consulting work with Dogma. Yeah--one day his people are going to call my people and we're totally going to do lunch....


*Rob Morris

Rob was one of my good friend's boyfriends during junior high, and he broke her heart--so I never thought too highly of him. We did, however, finally call a truce my senior year of high school when we served on a church board together. He turned out to be a pretty cool guy who always stood up for what he knew was right. "Freight Train", as he's known, just helped the Indianapolis Colts win the '07 Superbowl. He's been injured a ton, but I still tune into Colts games just to watch him sitting on the bench and say "hey! I know him!".

*Steve Cardenas.
Steve was Rocky the red Power Ranger back in the mid-90's when Power Rangers were huge -- with their own live action "Turbo" movie and everything! Even without kids at the time, I watched it-- just to look at the guy who I use to call "Steve-Knock-It-Off" (since that's what I was always telling him....) who sat behind me in A.P. English, copied all of my book quiz answers, was always trying to write his name on the back of my neck with his pen (he called it "branding" me!), and told me almost daily that I needed to wear tighter jeans. Classy, eh? Funny thing was I never even realized he knew karate.....

this is just for my benefit----you don't have to watch it------unless you're really, really bored ------and I have to admit the kids and I have watched it like 12 times...... :).

*Jeran Dahlquist.

He's the mowhawked one up front. The same one from my "your old boyfriends" post. I always knew him as J.D. though--so that's who he'll forever be to me. Just to give you an idea of how much fun he was--during our dating years, he use to bring me bags of flour (I brought you flours!) instead of flowers. A LOT of bags of flour! That always cracked me up---and made my mom shake her head in confusion (and have to make many loaves of bread and batches of cookies to use up all that flour....).



Currently he's only famous locally, but after countless invites-- my friend Tina and I finally went to catch one of his shows on Friday night. And now I have to group him with these other fellas because he's going to go far. I always knew he would. The guy's got talent leaking out his ears--- and I think he's finally found the ambition to match it! His voice has this dreamy, talkative quality to it when he sings mellow stuff, and now--with the Naughties--he's belting out OK Go and Kaiser Chiefs and Dandy Warhols classics--and all with a thoroughly entertaining stage presence that is sooooooo "him". I admit I felt as giddy and giggly as my 15 year old self when he acknowledged me from the stage, then came to sit and chat with me during their breaks. Of course I was sitting next to and talking with his pregnant girlfriend (she was very sweet and I'm sure responsible for his newly-channeled ambition!), so my 15 year old self stayed fully aware that I was now 33 and had a mini-van waiting for me in the parking garage :). It will be fun one day though to say "I knew him when...."
**********************************

And finally my "honorable mentions" because I've just sat next to them on planes or in airports:

*"Macho Man" Randy Savage. It was the late 80's and I was 13--flying home from visiting my friend in Texas. Practically the whole WWF was on that plane with me. Hulk was up in first class of course, but ol' Macho Man sat on one side of me and some football player from the Miami Dolphins sat on the other. They both asked if they could have my cookie that came with lunch....

Then, just this past October, I sat next to Hollywood Square's Bruce Valanche in the Las Vegas airport. He kept tying a straw into knots and flipping a book cover open and shut repeatedly. We thought he might have just been a mentally challenged person, but then we spied his name on his tickets. And--hey!-- we had the same pink cell phone!

Wonder why I don't know any famous women?.... yet.

And now I want to know: Do YOU know or have you seen any famous people?!?! DO TELL!!!

calling all computer people

I am computer stupid. Yeah--I can blog like nobody's business, but I don't know much about this blogging machine that is my computer outside that. WELL tonight I was checking my Bravenet Counter Referrers list when I noticed a weird url address. I clicked on it and SHUT. THE. BACK. DOOR.......it was my email account. Except entered into via MSN hotmail. Which I never, never, never do. So I've got McAfee and Norton and a few other spam/ firewall thingies that do their jobs really well---but what can I do to make sure that there aren't crazy people hacking into my private mail?!?! Could they even have read anything while they were there?! How could they have gotten there without my password?! I have decided in the past not to change my name, or the name of my blog, or even my children's names (going into the "blogger witness protection program" as I like to call it), but I am about THIS CLOSE to packing up my blog and going private. You guys have never let me down before, so I have only one plea: HHHHHEEEEEEELLLLLLLPPPPP MMMMMMMEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

***footnoting once again: Just spent an hour on the phone with Indian tech support. Lots of changing user names and passwords on EVERYTHING---we'll see what that does. Though keep giving me advice if you have it!

on the subject of children

In the half hour between when my kids got up and when I drug my sorry carcus out of bed--they apparently inhaled 1200 calories.....
Those were kind of MINE guys.....but I guess if it's not hidden in my dresser, it's fair game, right?!
****************
At the end of the day when I empty my pants pockets, they're always full of stuff like this:

Little boy "treasures" dumped here and there in the carpeting throughout the day. I'm too lazy to take it to the garbage can or put it away right then, so I just stick it all in my pocket. (and yes--that is a PINK binky. My youngest son is not above using binkies abandoned here by his girl cousin....)

*******************************

Finally, a few late nights ago I was simply TOO exhausted to pick up the family room which had been left in this condition:

So I decided to try a little experiment: I thought for sure my children would wake up and-- being accustomed to always having things neat and tidy every morning-- make an effort to pick up just a bit. So I just closed the door and went to bed. Here's what I found at 7 am:

It does appear that they at least moved things around a little....

I'm just happy I can laugh at all this because I'm certain that if I couldn't, I would turn into one of those weepy, crazy mothers living in the family tree house holding a "MOM ON STRIKE" sign and waiting for the news station to come and do a story about me and my ungrateful offspring......

and now a little serious:

It seems I have become quite the sounding board for people I know, and people I don't so much know, experiencing problems in their marriages. I'm happy to help when I can--what else is experience gained good for if not to be able to reach out to others in similar circumstances---but I do have to keep reminding everyone that I'm not even quite 3 months into this separation/ divorce stuff and I NEVER saw it coming so it's hard for me to give much advice on the "we've been struggling for years" part. However, the friend I talked with today wanted to know what I've told my children to make this whole thing a little easier for them.

I couldn't offer any magic words. I don't think there are any.

I could only tell about the attitude I was holding onto concerning them. It is so terrifying for me to think about the future right now and the way all this mess might effect my precious children. I feel simply helpless to stop any of it. But luckily "it" doesn't have to happen. I'm taking full advantage of TODAY and focusing all my attention on the here and now. It doesn't mean that I'm doing everything perfectly, but the present is the only place I feel I have any power. I give lots of hugs and lots of praise and talk with them even when it seems they're "fine"--because they're usually not. Most of all I try and keep in mind that they haven't somehow been "ruined". Is the deck stacked a little more against them now than it was before? You bet. I wish, oh! how I WISH things could be better for them. But, at the same time, I know things could be a lot worse too...

Brad grew up in a wonderful home with two amazing parents and six siblings who all doted on him. He was financially, emotionally, and spiritually more than well provided for. I, on the other hand, grew up in a widowed home in a latch-key situation where order and stability were just about unheard of. And yet here I am now---firm in my faith, strong in my convictions, determined to continue forth and with every fiber of my being fight to make a good and peaceful life for my kiddos. And my husband--coming from his "ideal" situation-- is just lost and more lost. My boys will have their own struggles--all kids, no matter where they come from, do--and I'm sure dealing with divorced parents is going to be a BIG one for them. But I know they are strong enough little spirits to come out on the other side triumphant-- with some inspired guidance, a bunch of faith, and a lot of love. And THAT I KNOW I can give them.

(and now I have to laugh a little because that was pretty serious stuff to be reading while listening to "Beat on the Brat", wasn't it :)?!)............

Hoping you go make the best of your today!

***Footnote, Thursday 12:51 pm----what often seems HILARIOUS to me at 1 or 2 am when I'm writing these posts, seems not quite as funny when the sobering light of day hits. So I just want to CLARIFY that I do NOT think my children are brats or want to beat on them with a baseball bat or anything else for that matter.... Our taste in music around here runs the gamut from The Ramones to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir--and this was just a song that both my kids and I find hilarious. That's why it's up. No underlying message. Please don't call CPS on me :).

even more morbidly curious....

On her blog yesterday, Tiffany asked: If you could sing like anyone, who would it be? That's why I put up this Evanessence song on my playlist. Man! This chick can holler! AND she plays the piano at the same time. If I were her--forget talking, I would just go around singing all the time. Maybe I would even carry around one of those little Casio keyboards so I could accompany myself while I walked around the grocery store or waited in the doctor's office. And I would SO be rockin' the hymns at church!... Anyway--she was my answer. But, of course, Tiffany's question got the morbidly curious side of me thinking and wondering about ya'al again. So I'm sorry to bother everyone again so soon, but could you please answer me a few more questions? Your medicine cabinets are all safe as promised, but there's still your purse I could snoop in while you went to use the restroom during our lunch together ;) .......

1. If you could have any super power, what would it be?

2. What's the first thing you would buy for yourself if you won a million dollars?

3. If you woke to find that you were 6 years old again, what's the first thing you would do?

4. What did you REALLY want to be when you grew up?

*****Hope you all felt like you were famous and being interviewed for Teen Beat!*****

so how many of you would have left with this guy.....

I needed something to make me laugh out loud. This did it! ENJOY :)!!!

enquiring minds want to know

Like a few other bloggers, I'm stealing this idea from Debbie. WHY?! Because I care about ya'al. I really do.... Also, I'm just plain morbidly curious about friends and strangers in general. Yeah. Never let me use the bathroom at your house 'cause I'm totally going to look in your medicine cabinet.

Moving on....

Tell me friends:

*texting or no texting?

*early bird or night owl?

*fast food or fancy restaurant?

*cats or dogs?

*Hawaii or Europe?

*is the glass half-full or half-empty?

*do you pre-wash or just throw it all in?

* favorite kind of chocolate?

*Nietzche or C.S. Lewis?

*can you tell me who the Secretary of the Interior of the United States is without Googling it or copying off your fellow commenters :)?

I promise you if you answer these, I'll leave your medicine cabinet alone :)......... THANKS FOR PLAYING!

another journal flashback....bear with me!

I had so much fun reading back through my whole summer of '93 journal, that I just had to share another entry. This one was from June 10th--my 18th birthday. It was my second time in Germany as an exchange student, but I'd only been there 4 days at this point. I think the whole entry was a good read "as is", but I did a little editing again--mostly the places where I erupted into a paragraph or two of broken German....

Thursday June 10, 1993

I'm laying here in my German bed and watching the sun come up over the tiny village of Berg. The birds are singing beautifully. Even "chirp-chirp" sounds kind of foreign here. About an hour ago the church bells were ringing. It feels good to be back. I really missed this place! Two years was a long time to be away! I'm not sure when I'll be back again, so I'm going to (try!) to enjoy every moment of my stay.

Well, it's my birthday today--the big 18!!! WOW! I feel SO old! I'm even getting a wrinkle.

(entry finished that night:)

At breakfast, there were all these presents surrounding my plate. I think this is a German tradition (?). Miriam gave me "Beauty and the Beast" in German (Die Schoene und das Beist). Her brother gave me chocolate. Her grandparents gave me roses. And her mom gave me perfume and is paying my way to Paris. Pretty cool, eh? Breakfast was eaten in silence though. Miriam's mom and brother know some English--but not a whole lot. Dang!--I wish I knew this language better. The Germans always ask these deep, probing questions about sexism and racism and politics and I have NO IDEA how to even begin to tell them what's in my head and do it "auf Deutsch". I can tell them things like :Wie viel ist eine Luftpost Briefmarke fuer diesen Brief? (How much is an airmail stamp for this letter?) and Schau mal! Die vielen Zebras! (Look at all the Zebras!). That's helpful, right?

After breakfast, I called my American friends Stoney and Heidi and invited them to my party at 4:00. The party was a lot of fun. I got to meet all of Miriam's friends and her boyfriend, Rolf. He kind of gave me the heebie-jeebies. He gives those low-waisted hugs where it seems like he's trying to touch your tushie. Everyone brought me presents. Mostly gummis and chocolate. I'm going to get so fat!

When Stoney and Heidi arrived, we all sat out on the indoor porch and attempted a game of German Scrabble. Then everyone walked to the Berg Eisdiele and got some ice cream. From there, we went to the most dangerous place in any German city : THE PARK! Seriously, the things they pass off as playground equipment here are like suicide toys. No wonder there are never any actual children in the parks! Heidi and I played on the teeter-totter LAYING DOWN--and then the two of us got on one side and made Stoney get on the other and nearly LAUNCHED him! HA! HA! Next, the three of us got on a wooden bridge and were jumping up and down and hollering (like this: aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!). Some old, cranky guy on the bike path came and yelled at us. He said we were annoying him and for us to come down. We just pretended we didn't understand a word he was saying (though we did. Angry German people are surprisingly easy to understand!). We started jumping again as soon as he left! TOO FUNNY!

On our way back from the park, it started to rain--light at first and then coming down in buckets. We all linked arms and danced around singing the "Brady Bunch" theme song and then made a conga line down the street, splashing in every puddle we could find. My poor Doc Martens! Bettina actually sat down in one of the puddles and pretended to swim. We were all just living in the moment! When we decided to finally go inside , we were soaking wet, but laughing our heads off. It wasn't exactly what I pictured my 18th birthday party would be like, but it was fun nonetheless. Better get to sleep now. I have German Chemistry class in the morning. Yeah--like I'm gonna understand any of that.....

brothers day

I bet you didn't know that today was a major holiday, did you?

Well, at least it is around here.

My kids love to make up reasons to have fun(!)---from birthday parties for their stuffed animals to celebration dinners for any old thing and all sorts of made up holidays. Two years ago they deemed June 19 to officially be Brothers Day. I thought it was a cute idea-- so I wrote it down on the calendar...and it has been celebrated ever since!

If you want to celebrate "Brothers Day" at your house---here's how my boys say to do it:

*First, make sure you have brothers.

*Next, make sure that you treat all your brothers really nice and give them lots of hugs.

*Extra computer time and no chores (I told them it was one or the other....)

* You have to dance to the brothers' favorite song (playing now).

*Brothers pick what to have for dinner (tonight it was tacos)

*You have to have dessert!

*The big brothers get to stay up and watch a movie with Mom (this time we saw Seven Brides for Seven Brothers---guess who picked that :) ).

***I think next year we'll add "airing of grievances" and "feats of strength".....

Everybody make a wish!

HAPPY BROTHERS DAY!!!

this is seriously what i was doing 15 years ago....

I have always been a faithful journal keeper. Since I was 8, there have been very few stretches of my life that I haven't kept some kind of record of. I have boxes and boxes filled with all kinds of journals. I think that's why I took to blogging so quickly--though I still keep a journal cuz I can't have you guys knowin' ALL my bidness!... :)

Well, in the search for some insurance papers in the deep, dark recesses of my garage last night, I ran across this:




My journal from the summer of 1993. I had just turned 18. And I was in Paris with my German friends. My oh my! What a difference 15 years has made! You HAVE to read this!.......
(slightly edited for the sake of time!)


Saturday, June 19, 1993



We were so tired this morning that we skipped going to Versailles and slept instead. When we were finally up and around, we went back to the Pompideau and spent hours looking for the Baskin-Robbins we'd seen the day before. Couldn't find it. Dang!--I sure wanted some American ice cream!



I started to feel really homesick about 10:00, and so even though it had to be like barely 5:00 am in Idaho, I called. It's strange how much I've been thinking about home lately. Last time I was here (in Europe), I never wanted to leave--and now I can't wait to get home and see everyone again. Loved hearing my mother's voice, tired as it sounded! She told me she's been helping Troy and Mark with their business (getting them cards made) and so she sees Troy nearly every day. Says that he misses me a lot and is moping around the place waiting for me to come back. You can imagine the smile that brought to my face!



Later this afternoon, we finally made it to the Louvre. We walked for what seemed like FOREVER to see the Mona Lisa. I guess I'm not too sure why millions of people go to see an ugly woman's face trapped in a bullet proof glass box--but, now I can at least say that I've SEEN the Mona Lisa! I really enjoyed the Roman and Egyptian stuff more than all the 'tourist paintings'.



After the Louvre, we wandered around a park for a while and watched old men play petanque. Then we took the bus to the newer part of Paris. Looked more like L.A. or Boston than Paris. We shopped at Toys R Us, browsed a car exhibit, and saw a half hour movie about space in the Imax dome. Funny that it was about space because the little frenchie man we bought our tickets from told us it was going to be about beavers!



We ate lunch at some Hollywood themed diner. The waiter looked at me really weird when I ordered Root Beer and brought me out a can that had to be at least 4 years old. No ice. The food was awful. Still spent $24.00 on it!



We also had a lot of fun just looking out our window today. There were two little boys in the apartment across from us that would come to their window and laugh as Miriam and I made faces at them. Then they'd hold up the ice cream they were eating to show us. In another apartment, there was a little old lady who fed the pigeons out her window and sat tending her dog. We got her to wave to us. Another apartment had a guy we nicknamed "Discoman" because he likes to play his music REALLY loud at all times of the day and night. We didn't see him today though--just heard him. Above us was Klaus and Achim's room. They kept leaning out and singing "Hip Hop Hooray" and "Pretty Woman" to us. It was a lot of fun!



Since it was our last night in Paris, we wanted it to be memorable. We agreed to go to a disco with Klaus, Achim and some of their friends from school. First we stopped by a cafe' so the guys could play pool. I paid 21 Francs for a small Coke. That's $5.00!!! I bet I've spent at least $50.00 just drinking pop here.



When the game was through, we headed down the St. Michael in search of a disco. "La Lokomotiv" was it! 100 Francs (about $35.00) got us in. We decided to make it worth our money. We danced nearly non-stop from 11:30 until 5:30 the next morning. That's a LOT of dancing! I have never been hit on by more guys in my life! Young guys, old guys, tall guys, short guys, a guy from Mexico, guys in suits, guys in leather (you getting the picture?)---all of them were after women, and I guess I'm a woman now. They never seemed to take "no" for an answer either. I'd tell them I didn't speak French, and they'd keep right on talking in some strange half-French, half-English language. Yeah I should have known--every European knows enough English to get by. I finally caught on and told them "Alamagne" which is French for "German". Only one guy immediately switched over and started to speak German to me. Glad we had our guy friends to keep rescuing us!



When 5:30 finally rolled around, 8 tired people (one Spaniard, 3 Germans, me the lone American, a Croatian, a Yugoslavian, and a Turk) came dragging out and back onto the Metro to catch an hour of sleep before the bus left to take us back to Germany. WHAT A NIGHT!


*******


All I want to know is: How the flip did I do all that in ONE day when today I could barely manage to take a shower, put away my laundry, return a shirt to Old Navy, and write this post?!?!



We'll have to drag out my old journals when I get blog stall again soon.....



Thanks for reading :) !

asparagus season

I wonder what person first looked at asparagus and thought: "hey--I wonder if I can eat this". (And I REALLY wonder about the guy who dug up the first potato and decided to stick it in his mouth.....)



Anyway, I'm glad someone tried it and gave it the thumbs up, because I LOVE IT!



It use to grow wild behind our house in the country. Some years I would even beat the "unknown, early-morning asparagus robbers" who usually pilfered all of it--- and get some for myself!





The Germans would eat white asparagus ("spago") --picked before it came out of the ground. It was really tender, but didn't have nearly as much flavor. I suppose that was alright since they always drowned it in a vat of butter and served it with schnitzel anyway :) .......





Here's what I made with my bunch of fresh asparagus tonight:





ASPARAGUS AND PROSCIUTTO PIZZA



2 T. olive oil

1 pound store-bought pizza dough (or go to your favorite pizza place and see if they'll sell you a pound)

1 1/4 cups ricotta cheese

1/2 cup grated parmesan

Salt and pepper

1 pound thin asparagus, trimmed and halved

6 ounces (2 cups) grated gruyere

3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into strips.


*Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Brush a baking sheet with olive oil. Place the pizza dough on the pan and stretch to fit. Spread the ricotta on the dough. Sprinkle the parmesan on top and season with salt and pepper. Nestle the asparagus pieces in the cheese and sprinkle the gruyere on top (I like to get as much on the outer rim of the crust as I can).

*Bake until the crust is brown and cheese is bubbling---about 20-25 minutes. Scatter the prosciutto over the top and cut into squares.
And see---it looks totally yum-o even sitting on my nasty old cookie sheet :)!


For Debbie: I'm sure you'll have to strain your poor eyes to see this---but here is asparagus growing wild :)

And a little blog love from Laura. Thank you :)!!!.....

look who came for a visit....

Yeah...... those belong to the infamous Mr. New Boots.

Boots has been the sweetest friend to me during this difficult, transitional time. Two years ago, he was in the same position as I am--so he's been able to tell me from first-hand experience about all the walls I'm bound to run into and the detours still ahead. He understands perfectly what I'm feeling. And that has been such a blessing. My jokes about him being my second, unpaid therapist are true-- this poor man has listened to me ramble on and on and on.... and never once told me "I'm really tired now and can't possibly listen to another word come out of your mouth".....though he may have thought it :). He's also proven himself very handy for moving heavy pieces of furniture and offering to catch any scary moths that get into my house!!!

Of course New Boots and I have also had a couple of talks about becoming more than friends when the time was right. It just seemed natural. And he knows a good woman when he sees one ;). But, alas, Bootsie and I have two very different kinds of personalities. We're both members of the same church and share an affinity for laughter and cake (mmmmmm.....cake)---but NB is a free-spirited, outdoorsy, 'grab life by the horns and just go with it' kind of guy. While I, on the other hand, am a cautious, goody two-shoes homebody who overthinks and overplans everything. Sorry, Debbie--I know you were kind of rooting for us :). But--I suppose it wouldn't have mattered if we were custom made for each other anyway, cause Boots came to deliver me some terrible, horrible, no good, very bad news......

He's moving away....

way away.....

to California away....

I should have guessed. That's where all the cool, buttoned-down, medical office manager by day/ mysterious, suave biker guy by night kind of men end up eventually.

And I'm just feeling a little sad about the whole situation because I'm gonna lose my buddy :(. But happy for him at the same time :). He's got some great opportunities waiting there. And I know it's where he needs to be for now.

****BIG SIGH****

I'm gonna miss ya New Boots. Hope you still find time to play along with me on my blog there in the Golden State. Hope, too, that all your dreams come true. And thank you. Really. Thank you.

one man's trash is always my children's treasure

My kids headed out with their allowances on Friday to the neighbor's yard sale. And what did their $3.00 buy them? This.....






















Upon laying eyes on this treasure, our conversation went something like this:


Boys: "That was really a great deal, wasn't it Mom?"



Me: "Suuuuure.....but where are we going to put it?"



Boys: "In our room--where Liam's bed use to be".



Me: "I thought you wanted me to move Liam out of there so you guys could have some more space."


Boys: "Yeah--space to put our new pool table!"




So now my children's room looks like a pool hall. We just need the Budweiser light hanging above the table. And some loud Whitesnake music. Maybe a few ashtrays here and there.....


The miniature pool balls are cute though. I'll keep them. The table's future is uncertain....




****Watching my kids start to make independent decisions like this reminded me of an old post of mine. So let's do a little time warp back to Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2007. This is how I turned my mother's hair gray.......



terrible children!
No, my children aren't terrible, though lately they've been doing a few things that make me want to pull my rapidly graying hair out. But each time I feel ready to start down the road to "yellsville" because of one crazy shenanigan or another, I have to stop and remember what a terrible child I was. I didn't mean to be terrible--perhaps just overly creative with too much time on my hands.... My mom was widowed and so she had to work long hours to support us all. Until I was about 8, my brother and I went to a babysitter. I can't really remember why we stopped going, I just remember suddenly having 3-4 hours to ourselves after school. Time to do things like this.....


Once I had a yard sale. Only I never asked, I just went around the house finding stuff I didn't like or didn't think we needed--none of my precious stuff mind you--but dishes, a lamp, some of my mom's clothes, my sister's bike, my brother's winter coat with the pointy hood that bothered me---you get the picture. Needless to say my poor mother had to do some hunting around to our neighbors to get our things back and return the dimes and quarters I'd sold everything for.

Another time, I remember my brother and I drug our family's big beanbag outside. Then we got out the ladder and climbed up onto the roof. Can you guess what's coming next? We had a jolly good time repeatedly jumping off the roof and onto the beanbag. We even invited a few lucky neighborhood children to join us!


We swam in the canal that ran through our neighborhood. We played with fireworks and caught my mom's bed on fire (her fault for leaving her window open, right?....) . We called the police when we saw 'strangers' in our neighborhood (guys from the power company checking the meters...). We loaned out expensive tools and fishing gear to our friends. We experimented with our own 'potions' in the kitchen (I think we may even have made crack once now that I know what's in it.....). How we are still alive, I do not know. I can only attribute it to the fact that it was the early 80's and maybe every kid acted like that......maybe?!?! Please tell me some of you acted this way too.....


So when I feel the need to punish Liam and the "spawn of Liam" as we so affectionately call James. Or to ground the two older amigos that seem to outsmart me at every turn-- I just remember my own mother who laughed (and cried!) and managed to get me through my childhood feeling loved and of worth------and I think I can try and do the same.


*I would LOVE to hear some crazy stories about anyone else's childhood. No teenage stories though please--because those can get really ugly :).



**Also, my sister who is 10 years older than I am, use to take me to see the Rocky Horror Picture show. I was 6 and hanging with transvestites at an R rated movie..... I'm sure poor Mom had something to say about that too! That movie did give me a rawkin' good song to accompany the post today though, didn't it :)?! Nothing like a Susan Sarandon/ Meatloaf duet.....

cause for the birthday hangover....

Two months and ten days ago I thought about my birthday and dreaded it. But yesterday as I played with my kids, took phone calls and visits from friends, and just let myself smile and laugh and accept a few compliments--and eat a lot of empty calories :)--I realized that I'm going to be just fine. I really think I am. Thank you faith. Thank you time. Thank you everyone who went out of their way to make me feel like a million bucks yesterday (including all you generous commenters!).



I started out my day getting my patootie kicked in step choreography class. Felt great! Sharon, my instructor, is about as big around as a toothpick--but the woman could easily pick me up with one toe and throw me across the room. Nobody messes with her.


In the afternoon, I took my older boys to see Kung Fu Panda. Hooray for a cartoon that didn't make me cry in the theatre (stupid Finding Nemo.....). If you loves ya some Jack Black like I do--you'll want to see this one. My favorite line: "Yesterday is history, Tomorrow is a mystery--all you have is the gift of today--that's why they call it the Present". That really was about the deepest thing in the movie---the rest was all fat Panda jokes and kung fu fightin'!


For dinner, I went out with the sweetest, funniest group of ladies. Ladies--are we ladies? I really felt more like girls last night.....I thought they might kick us out we stayed talking so long! Thank you Kindra for arranging it! I'm sitting between Mikki and Amanda-----more proof I actually know some of my bloggy friends in real life :)!
Marilyn and Linda arrived after the first picture was taken, but I wanted to make sure I remembered they were there. And Tresa too---she took the first picture and then I never got one of her.
Mmmmmm.....Macaroni Grill. Jazz music, crusty bread, and the ability to doodle on the paper tablecloth with crayons. Love it!!!
It's not your birthday dinner at a restaurant until you get a hunk of free cake and sang to by a waitress! See the massive pile of forks next to me? One for each of the 10 of us there and we STILL couldn't eat the whole piece of cake. Pretty pathetic :)! And after hearing some crazy in-law stories, I really feel more of my friends need to start blogs....

After dinner, I came home to have MORE cake with my kids. This was a poppyseed cake with lemon frosting that my friend Michelle made for me. I ate some of it for breakfast this morning. Hey--it has eggs and flour and breakfast-y things in it, right?!?! Perfectly acceptable!

Just some of my "loot". Lots of things to make me smell irresistable, yummy stuff to eat, and pretty things to look at. Got some more candy, cards, and another gorgeous rose that didn't get in the picture. And money from Mom P.----THANK YOU!!!
This was a plate of cookies----quickly devoured. Thank you Franz family :).
Another cake from my neighbor. An ice cream one! Don't worry little cake---you, too, will make a fine breakfast soon enough.....
And lookie what a cute gift Elena sent my way. LOVE IT :)!

**********And now I must take a second to yell at my new age: HEY!--33!!!---YOU BE GOOD TO ME!************

birthday hangover

Too full of birthday cake and pasta and lovin' to write anything tonight. But it was good. It was all good.


Also I don't know where my camera went. That could be a problem.

Now take a second and listen to this song that I have playing. Morrissey is such a genius :).

Decent post coming soon.

this could be the last day of my life....

I am not a superstitious person. I open umbrellas in the house, walk under ladders, and routinely pet any and all black cats crossing my path. But I have lived with a grim prophecy hanging over my head for the past 18 years-----

When I was 14 years old, I went for a summer visit to my aunt and uncle's house in Massachusetts. While there, we took a day trip up to Provincetown---a very "artsy" community where all the men walked around holding hands ("look how FRIENDLY everyone is with eachother" I remember thinking in my blissful innocence... ). While strolling the shop-lined streets, a certain something caught my eye. It was a fairly large, smoke and light filled crystal ball on top of a red pedestal. The sign above it read: "Learn Your Fate"......50 cents. I thought that sounded pretty cool, and quickly fished a couple of quarters out the my stone-washed jeans pocket. Now, let's see--I was 14, it was 1989, and so I REALLY wanted my fate to be: "One of the New Kids on the Block will fall madly in love with you and put you in their next music video". I plunked my money in the slot, typed in my date of birth like it asked, and waited. Would it be Joey McIntyre? Jordan Knight? I guess I could even live with Danny Wood who had the weird monkey mouth, because at least he could get me closer to Joey or Jordan. (for you baby bloggers--these were the names of members of NKOTB--the coolest, hat-wearin', Batman t-shirt clad, all boy band to rock the late 80's. Now back to my story...) I waited anxiously. The lights in the crystal ball turned pink, then green, then blue. Then a card was dispensed. My fate:

"YOU WILL DIE IN A FIRE WHEN YOUR ARE 32."

WHAT?!?!?!?! What the $%&*#(@ kind of fortune was THAT?! I stood there looking, and feeling, rather confused. I managed to squeak out: "It says I'm gonna die. In a fire. When I'm 32." My uncle told me that was dumb. My aunt told me to throw it away. I tried to laugh it off. Then I remembered how the gypsy machine on the movie "Big" really made Tom Hanks big...... and I didn't ever want to be 32. *** Did I mention I'm 32?*** At least for another day. And though I can't exactly say that this has been my best year ever.......I'm still here!!! Knock on wood. But not too hard. It might catch fire......

Here's wishing myself a year ahead full of pleasant surprises, sweet serendipity, and the ability to stop holding my breath in fear. Neener -neener stupid crystal ball! You owe me 50 cents!

*and this was an honest to goodness story---not something made up to shamelessly promote my own birthday... though ya'al can comment me up with some extra b.day love if you want :) .

**and New Boots--you may drive by my house on your most awesome motorcycle and burn some kind of happy birthday message onto my street with tire rubber. That would be SWEET! And all my neighbors would totally love it!

thursday

I know it's Friday--or maybe even Saturday by the time I finally get this finished--but I had an "interesting" Thursday I thought I'd share with you.



First I had to go to the dentist. Ah--the dentist. Where I get to watch TV on the ceiling and attempt to have meaningful conversations with my mouth hanging wide open (I know it's been said before--but why oh why do they always insist on asking you questions?!?!....). The last time I was at the dentist was on Christmas Eve. Yeah, that was "festive". My dental hygienist had a Santa hat on. Anyway--this time I came in and plopped my bottom down in the chair, excited for a little reclined HGTV viewing. The hygienist came in, pulled up my chart on the computer screen, and then looked at me. And then looked back at the screen. Then me again. Then the screen. Then me. Then the screen....... I was starting to get a little creeped out. "Are you Jennifer Peterson?" he asked.



"Yeaaaaah" I answered: "Remember, you asked for one of my business cards the last time I was here. You and your wife were thinking about painting the outside of your house".



The conversation proceeds as he continues to look at the screen which I now realize contains the picture they took of me last time "for insurance fraud purposes":



Him: "Where are your glasses?"



Me: "I'm not wearing them".



Him: "Did you cut your hair?"



Me: "It's just curly today, and it was straight in that picture. I don't think it's any longer or shorter."



Him: "Did you have some kind of plastic surgery done?"



Me (trying not to laugh): "No, but I lost 30 pounds. That probably made my face a little thinner. And it was 9 am on Christmas Eve in that picture, so I probably didn't have any makeup on. I promise that's me."



Silence.



Him: "I need to go get the dentist really quick. I think we might need to take another picture......."



Good thing my dentist is a family friend and recognized me------but only after he asked me where I lived.



I had to take a picture that afternoon so I would always remember the day I apparently looked nothing like myself:


Look Beckie--I'm wearing my Lucky necklace :)!
and getting the camera remote out is such a novelty, Ethan had to try it too....



********************************************

After my teeth were bright and shiny and my identity safely confirmed, I took a trip to Fred Meyer for eggs and pants. Mostly pants. All my flippin' pants are falling off me! I really have been eating. Just not putting any of the weight back on. Not too sad about that, actually :).........



I found a pair of cute denim capris and hauled them off to the dressing room to try on. And while in there, the Josh Groban song that you've been knowingly or unknowingly listening to the whole time you've been reading-- came on. (now, of course, you have to go back and start it again, or turn it up or whatever---or this post really has no meaning.....) I have moments like this from time to time. Moments when it feels like God is talking right to my heart. This song did it.



There I was in a 3X3 foot room.....in my undies....... crying like a baby. And feeling like I'd been given an unexpected gift from someone who knew just what I needed.



When it was over, I came out all red-eyed and sniffy. The dressing room lady looked at me kind of weird. I'm sure she thought I'd gone in there to do drugs. Ah well. The pants were cute! And 50 % off. I bought them. And will remember "I am loved" every time I wear them.



Happy Friday....or maybe Saturday.

heavy and light

One surprising thing about finding myself suddenly husbandless is the amount of internal dialogue that I suddenly have going on. I don't think I have talked to myself so much since I was a teenager. Sang to myself, complained to myself, and laughed to myself--sure--but not endlessly discussed with myself the big 3 questions that seem now to linger....... Who was I ? Who am I? What do I want to be?........ HEAVY stuff----



I know I was committed, focused, purpose-driven, content, and sometimes too introverted for my own good.

Now, I feel in a very transitional place. My commitment, focus, and purpose are kind of standing against the wall waiting for someone to ask them to dance. My contentment comes and goes accordingly with my levels of anger and fear. And I have for sure learned that being introverted doesn't work when you're lonely. My therapist tells me I've moved out of 'crisis' mode and am now muddling my way through 'shock'. Hooray. He says, too, that I'm weathering everything better than anyone he's seen. Should I take that as a compliment? Isn't that kind of like saying: "wow Ms. Peterson--your'e not quite as crazy as some of those other crazies I listen too...." (Hey--New Boots--would you agree with that diagnosis? You are--after all--like my second, unpaid therapist.......lucky you ;)!).

And then we get to the interesting, often overwhelming "who do I want to BE" part. In a sense, the whole world is open to me. The whole....giant.....scary......world...... I guess I could learn to play a guitar and beg them to let me on American Idol. Oh wait. I would also have to learn to sing. Ummmmm, maybe a nunnery that accepts women with children?! All kidding aside--I think I really just want to be whatever the Lord wants me to be. I know I love my children more than I love myself, and I know that I desire the Kingdom of God more than anything else. That seems like a pretty safe direction to go.........and I 'll just have to wait and see where I arrive.

Alrighty. Enough heavy. Now let's get to the light. This is some of my new***** favorite stuff******:

Chocolate Chex. I bought them because they were on sale---and now I have to remind myself that they are not a new food group. Seriously---yummy right out of the box. Or with milk. First thing in the morning. At lunch. And right before you go to bed. And sometimes in the middle of the night when you dream that Blake Lewis wants you to make him a bowl. Luckily the boys aren't all that into them or I would have to start hiding them....


Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs. My skin only has two colors it's capable of producing: white or red. White works in the fall and winter..... but not so much in the summer. Neither is red all that becoming. So this product gives me a happy medium for when I wear shorts or skirts. It's like getting 10 pairs of pretty, shimmery nylons in a can....for the price of one in a box. I know you want to go buy some my fellow white/red girls!

O.K.......so has ANYONE heard of this show called......

???????? Yes, yes--I know I am the last person in the world to crawl out from the rock I've been living under and start watching this. I've been renting it on DVD and letting it keep me entertained on laundry folding nights. HILARIOUS! And what's great is that the one recent finale' episode I caught isn't all that much different from season 2 that I'm picking my way through right now. I like a show that can be followed over time (which is why I gave up on Lost after a month!). Now I get all the references to Jim and Pam and Dwight. I'm one of you....I'm really one of you.......

Finally, I totally love that my friend/ neighbor's mom just moved in down the street. Her shopaholic mom. Who buys lots and lots of stuff on clearance, shoves it in her closet, throws away her receipts, and then--when she goes to wear the stuff months later-- realizes that she either doesn't fit in or like most of it anymore. And then she gives it to her daughter. Who also isn't sure if she likes it. And then her daughter passes it on to me. Oh what treasures :)!!!......

Strappy yellow peep toe wedges anyone? I think I may just have found my new happy shoes....

May you have more light than heavy to dwell on today!

the secret is in the sauce

I am so happy to be a part of this new blogging community started by my buddies Heather and Mrs. Romero. Really. As happy as I am when I wear my red shoes. As happy as I am on ice cream night. As happy as I am when I dream that Blake Lewis is my boyfriend. And that's happy. ANYWAY-- They'll soon be featuring a new blog post each day--the best of the best from the featured blogger's archive--guaranteed to make you laugh or cry or think or all of the above. So, if YOU want to be a part of this group of sassy blogging sista's, send links to your three best posts (and they can be about any old thing!) to the secret is in the sauce blog button above. Right now, the Saucey page is all about the PRIZES....... the really amazing prizes.........oh how I loves me some prizes :)! And if you go comment and grab your own S.I.T.S button, you too could win****** A NEW CAR!!! (not really--but a blog makeover, or a camera, or a voice recorder, or a t shirt, or candy....all good stuff.)

A big CONGRATS again Heather and Mrs. R. May this path lead you to blog stardom and so many comments you will weep openly and shamelessly neglect your children each time you sit down at your computer :)! {{{{{Big blog hugs}}}}}}