Randomness

1. Have you ever fired a gun or shot a bow and arrow?

No bows and arrows, but I have fired a gun.  Not really something I care to do nor do I like to eat wild game.  We have a tradition of eating what you shoot in our family, thus the time we had rabbit when Blake decided he would just shoot a rabbit for sport.


2. Do you know where your childhood best friends are?

Yes, I know where they are but we aren't often in contact with each other.  We have all moved away from our home county so don't run into each other like some might if they don't move away.

3. Do you usually arrive early, late, or on time?

I am usually on time.  I had a harder time getting to school on time when I had kids at home.  Now I am rarely late.

4. Are you more of a New York or California type?

That is a hard one.  I like southern California's beaches and warmth and I also like the San Francisco area and north of that with the rugged shoreline.  But one of our best trips was to New York City at Thanksgiving even though it was freezing cold.  I am accused of wearing black and neutrals too often by my fashion police, so that would be more of a New York characteristic.

5. Do you have a special ring tone?

I assign ring tones to the people in my family so I know who is calling and then can decide whether or not to answer :)  That isn't true - I answer them.  I had to reassign tones when I got my new phone, but I certainly wouldn't say mine is special like a theme song.  If I did, maybe something from the Carpenters (still on that kick).

6. What is your favorite type of chip?

Computer chip.  I know she meant like potato chip, but I don't really care that much about eating chips.

7. Best comedy you've ever seen is ....

I guess this means a movie, but I am thinking about seeing Jeff Foxworthy in Salina many years ago and laughing until I cried.

8. Have you ever cut your own hair? To quote Dr. Phil, "How'd that work for ya?"

I get all jackie-wild and cut my bangs if they get too long and in my way.  I always confess when I go in for a hair cut because it isn't like she isn't going to notice or start to wonder if she cut my hair drunk the last time.

9. If you were going to have an extreme makeover, would you rather it be about your house or your personal self?

We are putting a new floor in the kitchen right now and other than a couple of little things there isn't much I want to do there which leaves a personal makeover.  I wonder what the "What Not To Wear" people would say about my wardrobe.  Too much orange and black???

10. Are you allergic to anything?

No.

11. Why is it so hard to change?

Because I am not much of a risk taker and perhaps a little stubborn. 

12. One last question dedicated to February love: CS Lewis said, "To love is to be vulnerable." Please share one example of that assertion or share any thought you'd like to about this topic.

The hard part is hurting when the ones you love hurt.
 

Basketball Weekend

(So this isn't exactly the right kind of Thunderbird, but it is the best I could do.)

    After school on Friday, Kyle and I headed to Pratt to watch my brother's son play basketball for my old alma mater, the SkylineThunderbirds.  For those of you unfamiliar with Skyline, it is a 1A school located about 2 miles west of Pratt and serves quite a bit of rural Pratt County.  We got there at half time of the girl's game and my sister-in-law said, "Glad you are here.  People have been asking when Kyle is going to get here."   WHAT???  This is my old school, but Kyle has all these listeners who heard him say that he was coming to the game, so they were all waiting for him.  My bright moment was when a former classmate's mom called me by my sister's name.  (She later stopped me and apologized.  Guess she forgot who was married to Kyle.)  The Thunderbirds won the ballgame and Brian's basketball is about to wrap up as he is a senior this year. 

   Then we drove to OU with friends and watched the OU/KSU game.  I had not been in Lloyd Noble arena and I think it was a rather quiet atmosphere.  The students are stuck behind the band in the end zone so have a smaller impact on the game.  It was easier to see the other KSU people there when the OU people left about half way through the second half.  I think it was about 2/3s full.  We ate at a place called BJ's which had a really good skillet cookie with ice cream for it's signature dessert. 

   We left there about 7:30 am and the roads weren't icy until we turned north at Newton on Hwy 15.  We still got back a little after noon, so it was nice to have some time at home.  My wonderful husband put in a new garage door opener for me which I will enjoy every day.

  

Random Dozen - Olympics Style

1. If you could compete in one Olympic event (not necessarily winter sports) what would it be?

Curling - If a pregnant woman can do it, surely I at least have a chance.  Most other sports involve running which I have been banned doing by my children, and when I watch other, lets say older women running, I would have to agree with them.


2. Do remember a specific Olympic moment from the past?

When I was 9 years old, Peggy Fleming won the only gold medal at the 1968 Winter Olympics.  I can remember watching her on TV and thinking how I could have been an ice skater but we lived 1 1/2 hours from the nearest indoor rink and there were no ponds around for us to skate in the winter.  I later found out I was a terrible ice skater.

3. Have you ever known anyone who competed in the Olympics?

I don't really know Ken Swenson, but I know his parents, Lloyd and Connie, from Clay Center.  He ran in the 1972 Olympics. 

4. If everyday activities were Olympic-worthy, which activity would you have a gold medal in?

I am pretty organized, so I could win a medal for keeping my house picked up.
5. Do you know anything about your ethnic heritage?

Yes, I know we have been in the USA for many years.  I can go far enough back and get some English/Scottish connections.  Kyle however, is totally German on one side (I know you are trying to guess which one, but that would be the BAUER side which means farmer in German), and French on his Mom's side via Canada.  So our kids have one side that isn't too cloudy.
6. Do you enjoy sleeping late?

No, I think 7:30 is sleeping in.  I like to read the paper and drink coffee for a while, though.  I started getting up early when the kids were little.  It was my time to myself to read.

7. Have you ever performed CPR on anyone? Do you know how? (Yes, that's two, I know. Whatevs.)

No, and no. 

8. Name one country you'd like to visit and explain why.

I would like to go to Europe, but I don't really have one country specifically targeted.  England, France, maybe Austria so I could sing on a mountaintop like Julie Andrews in Sound of Music.

9. Have you ever fixed up a couple romantically?

No, but I have a friend who has and now the couple is engaged and she is as pleased as punch with herself and is thinking about her next Cupid conquest.

10. What is the last book you read?

The one I am reading right now is Our Boys, A Perfect Season by Joe Drape.  It is about Roger Barta and a year of coaching Smith Center football.  The author moved from NYC to live in Smith Center for a year with his family.  Now that would be a change!!  I would recommmend the book.

11. Do you enjoy sleeping late? NO, YOU write the question! How's that for random??

Did you watch any of the Westminster Dog Show? 

Sadie - Best in Show

I watched a little bit of it.  I don't know how they can judge the different breeds against each other, but maybe it is like a steer show at the county fair.  You just have to understand what the industry is wanting at the time and have a little luck with the judge.

12. What is your favorite meal at your favorite restaurant?

I am stumped. I am happy as long as someone else chooses the restaurant, then once I am there, it is never predictable what I will order.  Kyle and I might even split a meal anymore.

Rainy Days and Mondays

(note that Karen was the drummer and her brother the pianist)

Paige commented on my blog yesterday thinking I would choose a Carpenter song because she knows that I really liked the Carpenters.  I think it was because Karen was a low alto and so I could sing along and not have to strain for the C above middle C.  So with that in mind, I have chosen a song for today.  It doesn't really work for today because we are having an in-service, but was one of their hits from their third album released in May of 1971 (end of 7th grade).  And that my dear children, is why I wouldn't think of it as a love song even though I had a long term relationship from 5-8 grade.

If you have never heard the song, here it is complements of youtube.


No flute, but a harmonica and a saxophone.  And a lovely yellow frock.

Favorite Love Song

Chicago's Colour My World, 1977.  It was popular for college dances and a great slow song in the midst of disco. I don't know that Kyle and I have a song - I'm sure he would say we don't, but if we did this might be it.  I love the flute in it.  Now my kids are going to roll their eyes, and say "Oh, gee", but I have that perogative because we will be married thirty years on May 31.  What!!!  30 years!!  How can that be???

10 on the 10th

I grabbed a handful of these hearts from the candy drawer for my 10 on the 10th.  I bought the Necco ones at Dollar General, so maybe the Brach's ones would have different sayings.  Here are the comments.

1.  Love You.  Obvious, but not easy to put in a school valentine for a kid.

2.  Nice Girl.  Now that is all about me.  I do know some bad girls.

3.  Ask Me.  Ask me what?  Time and temperature?  Out on a date? 

4.  Sweet Love.  I have that.  I love sweets.

5.  Be Good.  For all my kids out there.

6.  One Kiss.  Does anyone stop at one kiss?  Especially Hershey's Kisses.

7.  Honey Bun.  Picture me sitting in my chair in my living room and reaching over to give this one to Kyle.  Picture him reaching for his glasses to read it.  He prefers Honey Buns, plural.

8.  Cool.  Groovy would have been better.

9.  My Man.  See number 7.

10.  My Treat.  That's a good thing to hear on Valentine's Day.

And I just ate them all, except 7 and 9.  Those were Kyle's.

Diagnosis

I am treating a case of tennis elbow.  You might wonder how I got it when I don't play tennis or really do anything very repetitive with my hands.  Then you might wonder when I went to the doctor and the good news is that you don't have to go to the doctor anymore for a diagnosis.  My first choice for medical questions is webmd.com and it said the bony part on the outer elbow would hurt - check - and it would hurt more with a flexed wrist - check.  The treatment is rest and ice, but how do you rest your right elbow when you don't know what you are doing to make it hurt?  So I consulted a second opinion, mayoclinic.com and it said about the same thing.  Maybe it will just go away.  In the meantime, I am not going to take up tennis, baseball, gardening (I'll wait until spring), and bowling.

 By the way, it isn't golfer's elbow because that hurts on the inside.

Cheesecake Bars

 

When one is a Family and Consumer Sciences teacher, you often get comments about how you must like to cook and people asking for tips, etc.  Through the years, I have cooked because I needed to feed the family something and we ate meals together when we possibly could.  Also, when the kids were growing up on the farm, I had to make do with what I had because I wasn't running to town ten miles away for a recipe idea.  So when I needed to make a dessert for Kyle to take to Scramble (our church's Wednesday night dinners - I had class and our Sunday School class was serving) I saw this recipe in the High Plains Journal and had all the ingredients.  I had no idea how they would turn out, but when Kyle got home he said that people really liked them.  When we were invited to a Super Bowl party today, the hostess suggested I make these again, so I did.  I don't have a picture of all my ingredients or the process like PW would, but I did remember to take a picture.

Cheesecake Bars

Bottom Layer:

1  yellow cake mix

1  stick melted butter

1 egg, beaten

Top Layer:

1 lb.  confectioner's sugar

2 eggs, beaten

8 ounces cream cheese

1 t. vanilla

Side note - I just guessed on half the two pound sack of powdered sugar.

Preheat oven to 350.  Prepare a 9 x 13 pan.  It says to butter and flour, I just sprayed with Pam.  Add cake mix and butter to melted butter.  Spread mixture onto prepared pan.  In a separate bowl, mix together confectioner's sugar, eggs, softened cream cheese, and vanilla.  Beat until smooth.  Spread over bottom layer and bake 30-35 minutes.

Randon Thoughts for Feb. 3

1. Do you use the labels various charities send you as “free gifts?”


Sure do.  I figure they already have my name on them, I didn't ask for them, and I am cheap.  I haven't purchased labels for years.

2. What is your favorite time of day (or night) for skywatching?

When we lived on the farm, it was easier to see all the stars and the Milky Way on a clear night.  For about two months I tried walking at 6am.  The sky was the most beautiful part.  Then I realized how much I enjoyed my morning coffee.

3. What is the most adventurous you've ever been with trying a new food? (Keep it G-rated please)

I wouldn't be so adventurous, but recently because of my husband we have had goat and wild boar at our house.  If you are a guest at our house, don't ask.

4. Have you ever heard a rock sing? (Trust me, there's a reason for this one!)

This reminds me of the times when someone young says something and I have no idea what they are talking about and I feel like a middle aged woman. Oh wait, I may be middle aged at 51, but maybe not.

5. If you could learn a language you don't presently speak, what would it be?

Spanish is the obvious choice.  Sometimes when we travel I wish I spoke Chinese or Japanese because the tourists from those countries make my family laugh. 

6. Al Capone's tombstone read, “My Jesus, Mercy.” If you could write your own epitaph, what would it say?

"I told you I was sick."

7. If you were a famous musician who was known by one name, like “Cher,” “Sting,” or “Jewel,” what would it be? It doesn’t have to be your first name, but it can be, if you’d like.

My grandpa used to call me Lisensee.  I'll go with that.  Chances of this happening are slim to none.

8. Have you ever been inordinately “into” a television show?

I loved the Brady Bunch when I was growing up.  They were so cool.  They could ride their bikes to school and Marsha and Jan had the coolest clothes and hair.  Groovy.

Right now I like to watch Biggest Loser, Grey's Anatomy, but probably my favorite is Amazing Race.

9. When you sneeze, do you go big, or do you do that weird “heenh!” sound that makes people think you’re going to blow your brains out? Any other variation we should know about?

I try to be rather delicate without holding back too much because it always feels so good.

10. Do you still read an actual newspaper that you hold in your hands, or do you get your news elsewhere?

We get a morning and evening paper, and I read one or two on the internet each day.

11. Are you a good speller?

Yes, I tell the kids it comes with being a reader.

12. At what time each day do you start thinking about Lost lunch?

Lost - never.

Lunch - I fix my little bag each morning.  Then depending upon what the school is serving, I start smelling it at 10 am.  My room is close to the cafeteria, and I have yet to figure out why the high school brings the food over at 10 am when the first group to eat is at 11:24.  (Note the exact time.  That is how we operate.) 

Don't You Just Hate That?

Another idea from 2nd cup of coffee.  She had some good ones on her list.  I don't think there is a requirement as to the number of entries you must make, so if you have something or things, have a go at it.

My kids know that I hate sticky floors.  If they would spill and not use soap to clean it up, I was on the war path.

The incorrect use of their, there, and they're.

Being too tall for petite sizes and too short to wear most pants without hemming them.

When a grocery sack breaks.

Rushing to answer the phone and it is a telemarketer - and we are on the no call list.

Shopping for swimsuits and jeans.

Not sleeping between 2 and 3 am.  Doesn't happen often, but how annoying!

Pointless meetings.

Injustice.  Thought I would end with a big, global bang.