Alert and Oriented (x4)

Everybody's grandma probably told them about this, but I was surprised when a friend wasn't aware... To keep brown sugar soft (i.e. eliminate the useless bricks after you stock up on it during holiday baking season) keep it in a plastic container with a tight fitting lid (like Tupperware) and put a slice of bread in along with it. I don't know why it works, but it does. The bread doesn't mold, but the sugar stays soft, scoopable and packable. Head over to Rocks In My Dryer for more helpful hints from other busy folks....

Our little hummingbird died this morning. When she woke up, she was perched on her little twig and eating well on her own. I moved her cage to a sunny window so she would be warm and when I went to check on her about an hour later, she had died. Probably, whatever had delayed her here and kept her from flying south had made her sick in the first place. By trying to nurse her, I may have extended her life only to make her suffer longer. Possibly because I wasn’t able to offer her the right kind of protein, I hastened her death. We’ll never know, but what I do know is that I’m a better person for focusing on another creature’s troubles instead of my own. Therapy comes in all kinds of unexpected forms….

SOOC stands for "Straight out of camera." No editing. Not only is this straight out of the camera with no editing, it's from my cell phone. Not bad for a techincally challenged individual such as myself. Note the man hands that I have, along with my really snazzy men's pj pants that are my Saturday uniform. This is my little hummingbird. Yes, I know I said I'd call Wildlife Rescue. But yesterday he was doing SO well...loved to drink; bought him some nectar. The whole other plumbing (elimination) end of him was working too. Compared to this one's, Chuck left cow paddies. And I think he has a name now. I have been calling him Humpfrey. My kids are calling him Chuck II or Chuck Jr . You all know that I can't really have any kind of , well anything , thing around without naming him , right? His back is roughly the same color as Chuck I's. HOWEVER--I do believe that he is a she . So Chuck II could work....it could be short for Charlene, ...

Ok...since so many of you read this blog (I know there are literally ones of you!!!cough cough) here is my first official meme: Friday Fill-Ins. 1. Follow the um…instructions on the box (EDIT: When you make HUMMINGBIRD nectar)…leader…Yellow Brick Road! 2. My little red bag is something I always take with me on vacation . 3. To achieve your goals, you must pray and seek direction. (EDIT: And probably call Wildlife Rescue) 4. I love having comments on my blog EDIT: And I have a HUMMINGBIRD in my kitchen) is something I'd like you to know about me. 5. I have an amazing family . (EDIT: A HUMMINGBIRD in my kitchen) 6. Hope EDIT: Hummingbird POO floats. 7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to having dinner with girlfriends,EDIT:and feeding a HUMMINGBIRD tomorrow my plans include getting a flu shot, EDIT: and feeding a HUMMINGBIRD and Sunday , I want to get a nap in between church and youth group! (EDIT: Feed the bird....) Tag—you’re it. I know that my loyal re...

...and the hummingbirds, too. I got home from my RioLink (cell group) tonight to find that Ted had rescued a tiny little hummingbird while doing a side job. [Sidenote: DRATS if my camera isn't dead and I can't find the usb charger or cable!!!!] I think it's a juvenile. But so tiny, it's hard to tell. And I think he (she?--pretty green back so I'm going with he) should've quit these parts for warmer climes by now--it was about 30 degrees F this morning. I have been home for about 2 hours and have fed it homemade 'nectar' about every 15 minutes...I just covered his little cage. His cage used to belong to Chuck. Chuck was a lesser goldenrod that was a baby we rescued about 3 years ago at a backyard Bible Club/VBS. We named him Chuck because I was wearing Chuck Taylors when I nearly stepped on him. He was so pitiful looking and didn't even have pin feathers. We tried, and I mean tried hard, to put him back in his nest, but we just couldn't. The trees...

En route to the hospital, I called Ted. He was confused, thinking I was at the other pastor’s house when I fell. I was probably a little snippy (don’t do too well with pain and all) and told him it didn’t matter where I was when it happened, but where I needed him to MEET me at. I don’t think I told him then we had been toilet papering. I still haven’t told my mil. If she reads this blog, sorry Bonnie! Yep, I was stoopid! After I had fallen, I knew my head and nose hurt and my arm…oh yeah baby, my arm hurt. Lots of road rash, too. When I got out of the jeep at the hospital, I was also made aware that my foot and ankle were broken. Ever try to walk with a broken foot and ankle? Not what I’d recommend. Did I mention this was a Sunday evening? And one of only 2 ER’s on our side of town? The waiting room, with seating for about 15, had about 25 people in it. The sweet little receptionist (read this with dripping sarcasm) tossed a clipboard underneath the bulletproof glass at me and told ...

So here’s what really happened, and here’s my take on the whole thing: One fine Sunday evening in September, our church youth group was meeting at the home of our pastor and his lovely wife. Most of the kids were taking advantage of the beautiful Indian Summer evening that we were having by swimming in the new pool. Our regular youth pastor was out of town, so I was kind of/sort of in charge of the group for the evening. One of the junior girls had prepared a great lesson the Beatitudes and we were having a fabulous time. The pastor’s wife had begun a toilet papering job at the home of the out of town youth pastor a couple of nights before, but because of time constraints and a supply shortage had run out of time. Because he was due back in town that evening, we really wanted to make sure he had the welcome he deserved and wanted to make sure he was in no doubt about how much we missed him. The lead pastor and I agreed to drive a group of kids over to “finish up the job,” so to speak. ...

Head on over to 2nd cup for some great recipes and discerning political banter. I can't wait to try out the Carrot Cake recipe....yum yum yum.... And here's my entry (I know, another soup-type thing--can we see a theme here?) White Chile (8-10 servings) 6 c. chicken broth1 lb. Great Northern beans (Clean and soak overnight, or use canned) 1 sm chopped onion 1 clove minced garlic 7 oz. diced green chiles 2 tsp. cumin 2 tsp. oregano 1 tsp. cayenne 1 tsp white pepper Salt, to taste 4 c. chicken, dicedFlour tortillas Combine all ingredients except tortillas. For canned beans, simmer approx 1 to 1 ½ hours. For dried, throw it all in a slow cooker and simmer all day. (best when cooked all day—flavors “meld”) Put a flour tortilla in the bottom of a bowl and kind of cone-shape it so it follows the shape of the bowl. Fill with the white chile and then serve with desired garnishes. Easily adapted for a bigger crowd. Use any of the following garnishes: shredded cheese (jack/cheddar), chop...

So my 15 minutes of fame wasn’t nearly all that dangerous or exciting or even interesting, but I am never one to back down from a challenge , so here ya go, Lidna : A long time ago in another life I worked for an airline. It was in the heady days shortly after deregulation and in all reality it was one of my childhood dreams to work for an airline. I really loved it, and the hubs started there about a year and a half after I did. We lived the life of Riley and traveled extensively and really had a ball until we had a Chapter 7 reorganization, and the “bonus” I had been paid as a supervisor turned into a “salary advance” that they pulled back out of my checks. I still enjoyed what I was doing and was well on my way up the ladder. I started out as a cross-utilized customer service rep, worked my way up to station trainer, supervisor and then an auditor. After 11 years of marriage (yes, I was married at age 4—how else could I have just celebrated my 28th anniversary in June?), we got preg...

Head on over to Linda's blog at 2nd Cup to check out all the yummy fall recipes for comfort food. I'm craving comfort right now. This recipe was originally from a Rachel Ray show, but a friend made it for our home church cell group and I was instantly hooked. Definitely not diet friendly, but incredibly yummy: Pumpkin Soup with Chili Cran-Apple Relish Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray Episode: Rachael Ray's Thanksgiving in 60 Soup: 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan 2 tablespoons butter 1 fresh bay leaf 2 ribs celery with greens, finely chopped (save time and purchase celery already washed, trimmed and cut into sticks, this makes chopping fast work) 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped Salt and pepper 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning or 2 teaspoons ground thyme 2 teaspoons hot sauce, or to taste 6 cups chicken stock 1 (28-ounce) can cooked pumpkin puree 2 cups heavy cream 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg Relish: 1 crisp apple, ...

Mostly I am a sunglasses girl....not about the shoes, usually, certainly not about the handbag. I watch Clinton and Stacy enough to know everything shouldn't be "matchy-matchy." I tend to buy a bag...always on clearance, always neutral, usually pretty casual...and use that one bag until it is literally falling apart. My current purse (bag) is a little Gypsy-Rose-ish/hippie. If I had the energy to photo it and upload the picture, I would. It's a tan/brown "pleather-like" material with a long shoulder strap. One big zipper compartment, shaped kind of like a bucket. It has some really cute daisies embroidered on it in a line down one side. I've been using it way too long. My daughter says to me, everytime we are somewhere and I am fishing for something, "Mo-om (2 syllables)--just get a new one!" When I had my accident and my best friend was at the hospital trying to locate my debit card and insurance card so that she could get my Rx, s...