I made it! And some other stuff …

I made it! I made it! Thirty posts in thirty days. I honestly wasn’t sure I could do it when I started, but I did it. Again, not quality, but quantity. Next I am going to work on quality.

And speaking of quality … I am pretty sure that most of you who read me also read Birdie, but if you don’t you should. Birdie just wrote a book and I highly, highly, highly encourage you to buy a copy. The book is a memoir of hilarious stories, and touching personal events. Unless you are made of stone, I guarantee it will make you laugh out loud and make you cry too. Birdie is an amazing writer and I cannot say enough wonderful things about her.

And don’t let the fact that it is about Avon turn you off. It is really not about Avon at all. Birdie could have been selling anything, it just happened to be Avon. A few years back I almost skipped her blog because I thought I didn’t care about Avon. Thank goodness another blogger set me straight.

And, as this is the season for giving, let’s all give a little. If you haven’t been to Birdie’s web site, head on over there and check out some of her stories. Try this one. If you like what you read, why don’t you write a little something about Birdie and her book at your blog? Ask your readers to do the same. Let’s all work together to spread the word for a fellow blogger and help make this book as successful as I know it should be.

If you know anyone who does book reviews, now is the time to turn them on to this amazing new writer.

You tell three friends, and they’ll tell three friends and so on, and so on, and so on. (Is anyone old enough to remember that commercial?)

OK, stop reading me and go read Birdie and then write your post about how everyone else should read Birdie.

Oh, and buy the book yourself!

Reason 4,896 why I love Norman

Me: You are going to think this is totally crazy, but sometimes The Girl will not get off the subject that she is, in fact, a boy, and it kinda freaks me out.

Norman (rolling eyes and looking at me like I am insane): I don’t think you have anything to worry about.

Me: What if she grows up to have trans-gender issues? What if she grows up to have a sex change?

Norman: Then she does. And we will still love her.

And he is totally right. And that, dear reader, is just one more reason why I love the man. He calms my crazies with love and logic.

The light at the end of the tunnel

OK, I have to admit it. I am NaBloPoMo’ed out. I cannot wait for this to be over. However, I have learned two valuable lessons. One, I can make time to write if I really want to. Two, quantity is definitely not quality.

I think maybe I could shoot for one, maybe two posts a week. Maybe they might be something worth reading … I mean, as much as anything I write is worth reading.

Oh, another thing I learned via NaBloPoMo? I have a whole new respect for people who post quality posts daily. And those of you with young children who can post quality posts … well … you are just in a league of your own. Like Rachel at The Simple Family. She has two kids, works from home, AND posts interesting and well written posts almost dailyl (The posts are almost daily, the intersting and well written part is always.) How in the hell that is done is beyond me.  I have one child, don’t work, and I feel like I hardly have two extra seconds.

Anyway … I am sure we are all getting ready to take a break. Let’s hear it for December 1. Woo Hoo!!

What are you reading?

It’s that time again. Christmas is around the corner and I need some ideas. What books have you loved lately? Any all time favorites? Any must reads? Any must avoids? I am particularly looking for books for men, but I am intersted in hearing any of your ideas.

In the past I have had excellent recomendations from Phil, Blue Sky, Mike, and Eric. Let’s see what they come up with this year.

And how about you? What are you reading?

A question for you writers of Green things

I grew up on a small family farm.  Our water came from two sources: the first was well water which was extremely hard. We used it for drinking water for the livestock and for flushing our toilets – that was it. The second came from a cistern. The cistern was filled by rain water (somewhat) but mainly by “the water man.”

In other words, every so often a man with a big truck of water came to our house and filled up a large  reservoir in the basement. It wasn’t uncommon for us to run out of water. Water was a very precious resource and you did not screw around with water. Running around under the water hose on a hot day? FOR.GET.IT. Getting a slip-in-slide like all the cool kids? DON’T.MAKE.ME.LAUGH.

I didn’t know people let the water run while brushing their teeth until I was an adult – we would have been KILLED for that. Baths were a little puddle of water that you usually got after someone else had already used it. NO ONE but my mother was allowed to even look at the washing machine for fear they would waste water.

Which brings me to my question. Growing up, our washers always had something called a “suds saver.” This was a utility tub next to the washer and after a single load and been washed the wash water was then pumped into the utility tub. On the second load of wash the water would be pumped out of the tub and back into the washer. This saved not only water but soap, as the second load needed less new soap added to it.

We washed clothes from cleanest to dirtiest. First the sheets, then the whites, then light colors, and all the way down the line until you got to the “work clothes” (the clothes worn by my dad and brother while in the field or working the livestock.) This was done, obviously, so that the water from dirty clothes wouldn’t get on cleaner clothes.

As far as I know, no one makes a suds saver anymore. So my question is, what happened to the suds saver and, in a day when it appears we are running out of water, why doesn’t everyone have one of these?

Can anyone explain this to me?

Desperate Blogger

OK, Desperate Housewives is on right now, so I don’t know how I can be expected to blog. It’s one of the four shows I really want to see each week, and one of those four (Christine) hasn’t been on yet this season, so that is really only three shows, which is not bad at all. Wow, that was a super long sentance!

Anyway, I do have things to blog about, like the weirdness of celebrating holidays with someone other than the family you grew up with, but I just can’t do it right now.

Plus, if you happen to be watching Desperate Housewives we are having the very same problem that Bree is having, and my husband doesn’t have an office. That’s all I’m saying. Also, The Girl is asleep … in her own room … and you never know how long that is going to last.

Sooooo … wish me luck.  More tomorrow …

The post where I cheated just to meet my NoBloPoMo commitment

I just took the quiz and and here are my results. Apparently I am voting for Theoretical Ideal Candidate. And you? 

2008 President Selector Rankings:
 
 1. Theoretical Ideal Candidate  (100 %) 
 2.  Barack Obama  (77 %) 
 3.  Dennis Kucinich  (73 %) 
 4.  Hillary Clinton  (73 %) 
 5.  Joseph Biden  (73 %) 
 6.  John Edwards  (72 %) 
 7.  Michael Bloomberg (says he will not run)  (69 %) 
 8.  Christopher Dodd  (69 %) 
 9.  Wesley Clark (not running, endorsed Clinton)  (66 %) 
 10.  Bill Richardson  (62 %) 

A bunch of unrelated junk …

Today we participated in Buy Nothing Day. We didn’t so much “participate” – it’s just that the thought of going anywhere there is a crowd makes us both a little crazy.

I realized today that I am an optimist. I realized this when I was thinking how “tomorrow” I am really going to write something interesting and well written. I’m going to have something newsworthy to say and I will take my time saying it. I really believe that. I really believe that tomorrow I will somehow have more time, and more talent. Huh? Hope beats eternal.

The cute girl thing for the day is this: Yesterday we asked The Girl what she was thankful for, and she immediately said “GOOSES!!” She loves geese. I don’t know why, but she loves them. We asked her numerous times yesterday morning and her answer never changed. When we sat down to eat with my in-laws Norman asked her what she was thankful for and she said, with great enthusiasm and an enormous smile ”NUR NUR!”

Well, at least she didn’t say vodka!

Happy Thanksgiving

I’m hoping to post something longer today, something a little more thoughtful. However, I have not missed my NaBloPoMo yet, so I had to post a couple words in case I don’t get a chance to later.

Have the best of Thanksgivings, everyone! And to all you Canadians who read me, Happy Thursday!

Three signs you are not a good cook.

1. You have your in-laws over for dinner. You make Oven-Baked Ziti with Three Cheeses* which you think turns out great. You eat ALL of yours, your wonderful husband eats all of his. FIL eats 1/3 of his. FIL’s significant other eats 1/4 of hers. No one is willing to try dessert, which is a lovely Chocolate Pecan Pie. 

2. Your FIL and FIL’s significant other agree to come over to watch the game, but only if you don’t cook. Yes, seriously.

3. You offer to  bring a pie to Thanksgiving as you want to try out a new pie-crust recipe. Your MIL declines as she is planning to serve a FROZEN STORE-BOUGHT PIE.

* If you make this, make sure you read the comments and double the sauce and cheese.  It really is great.