Monday, February 28, 2011

How I love extra cupboard space!

Scott and I finally purchased our much-coveted kitchen island!

Isn't it purdy? I put baggies in one drawer and napkins/placemats in the other.

The butcher block top has extending sides.

How cool is this spice shelf? There's one on the other side, too.

The back side (which faces our family room)
And look at how beautiful my new Tupperware cupboard is now! It's big enough to spread out all the containers so I can actually see what's in there and find what I need! 

Oh, joy! 

When was the last time you read "Jane Eyre"?

I hadn't read it since I was maybe 11. Yes, heavy reading for an 11 year old. I can't say I understood it, but I remember distinctly reading a particular passage over and over again simply because I loved the beauty of is meter and flow and melody.


I read it to my mom and she said, "Do you know what all that means?" I responded, "Probably not, but it sounds beautiful, doesn't it?" LOL

(By the way, I have no idea what passage so captured my attention.)

At any rate...

I finished listening to Jane Eyre on www.librivox.org this weekend. I feel so... so... so... satisfied. Charlotte Bronte, though verbose to say the least, had such command of the dynamics of novel writing. Her fully formed characters brought such dimension to the story line. And that story line... wow.

Just... wow.

The ups and down, the suspense and the givens... I didn't remember the end of the book, so my perspective was fresh. And Charlotte certainly took me for a ride. I assumed the story would have the much-coveted happy ending (and maybe it does--I'm not about to spoil it for you!), but at one point, I was completely convinced that Jane would make the wrong decision and upend the happy ending cart.

In fact, I was yelling at my phone (since I was listening on librivox via my iPhone) as I scrubbed my bathroom floor. "Don't you dare listen to him, Jane!" and "Singon [pronounced singe-in], you are a manipulative blockhead! Leave Jane alone!"

Jane has a sensible head on her shoulders. She made the right decision for herself. (See? I'm not giving anything away here. You *must* go read/listen to the story!)

Now I miss Jane. *sigh* I must go search the Librivox catalog for another epic and captivating story.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Lost

Things have gone missing in the Delicious household. And it's driving me crazy.

I feel like screaming because I just can't find anything.

Where did disc #4 from audio book Fabulous Fourteen go? Last I saw it, it was in a cubby in my car. I returned the box to the library (yes, it's a library book) minus disc #4. I kept meaning to drop it off, but hadn't had a chance. Then my car got broken into. And I haven't seen it since.

But seriously. Why would those idiots steal a single disc that's emblazoned with "Fabulous Fourteen by Janet Evonavich"? They wouldn't. They didn't grab any of the other cd's.

So where did it go?

And where did the small pink bag of Girl Scout patches disappear to? The girls and I bought them last week. I know we brought them inside. But where did they go after that?

I DON'T KNOW! I DON'T KNOW!

I don't know where my pins are. I don't know where the corn meal is. I don't know where my mojo is and I don't know where my mind is!


Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Buh-bye to my stitches!

Dr. Scott did the honors last night. Using the tools the ER doc gave him, my amazing husband clip, clip, clipped my stitches and pulled them right out.

I made Emma take photos so you could see. LOL. It's not gross or anything. Don't worry. (Heeheehee.)

Dr. McDreamy Hair asked Scott, "Do you feel comfortable pulling her stitches out? Save her a trip to her doctor's office."
"Sure, no problem," Scott said. I know him well enough to read his thoughts--Awesome! New tools to play with!
Dr. McDreamy Hair gave me blue stitches to match my eyes. 
Snip!
Pull!
And they're out! With minimal hair loss, too. Phew!

Please say a prayer for my friend, Marg

I won't go into all the details, but Marg is having a bone marrow transplant today. Please pray for the medical staff helping her, the transplant itself and for Marg to reign victorious over her leukemia.

Thanks!

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Whoa. Trip out.

I just checked my super-secret Stat Counter to see how many Delicious Peeps (no, not the marshmallow peeps 'cause those are definitely not delicious) viewed my blog today.

105.

Yes, one hundred and five.

That's about a bizillion times more than normal, so I'm wondering... did anyone's browser freak out on them and open the page a hundred times?

My mom's browser did that once. I was totally psyched at how many page views I got that day. Then she told me what happened. *sigh*

In my dreams, at least, I have a world-famous blog that gets 1000 hits a day. I've come to the understanding, though, that that is not going to happen unless I offer freebies and contests.

Quite frankly, I'm not willing to do that. I like my blog just the way it is. So large number of daily hits be darned!

Friday, February 18, 2011

Finally! Photos of The Awesome Chicago Visit

At long last, I present you, Delicious Reader, with evidence of the grand time Amy, Melanie and I had together a few weeks ago.

Melanie is the center (no, not centerfold) beauty in the photo below. Amy, skinny lady who has lost 50 (!!!!) pounds, is on the right. And, of course, there's me on the left. But you knew that. :)


One of our attempts at taking our own photo. I actually love this one 'cause it shows our inner-goofiness.
Amy and Mel (and their fancy-o drinks) at the Grand Lux in Chicago
Amy and Melanie again--aren't they gorgeous? This one is going in a special frame that Melanie gave me.
Oh, happy Mel. We had lunch one day at a place in Lincoln Park called Pinatas. Being a huge fan of Mexican cuisine, she was just over-the-moon happy. Mel now lives in a *very* small town where the frozen burritos at the market are the only Mexican food available.
Melanie and I in Lincoln Park. 
On Saturday afternoon, we saw a comedy show at Second City. So so SO funny!
Me and Mel (Doesn't she have amazing hair?)
Me and Ames
Here's Amy at the Grand Lux about to indulge in a fried pickle. She made me try one. *shudder*
Two kids in a candy store. I bought some chocolate-covered toffee. Heaven.

Three weeks have already flown by since our 48-hour reprieve from distance. Sometimes I like it when time rushes by. It means that our next visits will come that much sooner.

You know, I finally figured how to explain what it feels like to be separated from such close friends... it's like a minor burn that won't heal. It's uncomfortable and stings a bit, but it's bearable. But when you really, really miss them, it's like hot water washing over the burn. Painful. Raw. Completely unbearable.

Oh, how I wish we all lived within a few miles of each other again. *sigh*

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Photos of things that make me happy...

My pink Ked knock-offs 

My new yellow fruit bowl


Field of fruit ready for canning

The very tall stack of waiting-to-be-read books next to my bed

Emma's creativity... a reading fort that became last night's bed... made (naturally) with our couch cushions

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Liars! Or maybe just a really big mistake...

Scott saw this in Walmart the other day when I asked him to pick up a loaf of bread...


Note the statement at the bottom of the label...
"No high fructose corn syrup"

Now look at this... I know it's hard to read, but can you see what the tail end of line three and the beginning of line four say?


"High Fructose Corn Syrup"

Oops.

Scott did not buy this bread.

Friday, February 11, 2011

My goal in life is to entertain... even if it means stitches in my head

Yeah, that's probably taking the entertainment goal a little too far, don't ya think? But I sure made the time go faster for all the other dedicated, yet bored, gym members.

Here's the scoop...

I was happily running on the treadmill last night. I had stretched. I had warmed up by walking. I did everything right.

I'd been running for about 10 minutes when I got thirsty. I jumped up on the rubber sides of the treadmill so I wouldn't have to pause the machine and I got a little dizzy.

The next thing I knew, I was staring up at the gym staffer and had no idea what he was saying to me. I was busy trying to piece together why I was on the floor and who he was and why he didn't look like the character in the book I'd just been reading.

Apparently, I fainted and collapsed onto the moving treadmill belt. That not-so-friendly belt shot me off the back of the treadmill and into the machine behind me. Which I met with my head.

Ouch.

Except I didn't feel it. 'Cause I was unconscious. (I did hear the thunk of hitting it, though. How weird is that?)

And before I knew it, staffers, firemen and paramedics surrounded me. Terry (the staffer who decidedly did *not* look like a book character) handed over to an EMT the delightful job of applying pressure to my profusely bleeding head. I didn't even get to say thank you to him.

Funny the things you think about when chaos strikes. (Or maybe I should say when treadmills strike. Haha.)

I did have the serendipitous fortune to be running next to a doctor, so when I fell, she was also right there making sure I was okay. She called Scott for me and he rushed over with Hayley. (Emma was in her swim lesson at the gym.) Poor Scott. He held my hand for a few seconds before getting pushed out of the way by someone or other. All he wanted was to be with me, but instead had to coordinate the kiddos.

He went into the pool area to pull Emma out of her lesson. He told her teacher (teenage male) that he needed Emma out of the pool immediately because I'd cracked my head open and had to go to the hospital.

You're gonna love this guy's response.

"Did you see skull?"

Oh, brother!

Meanwhile... The EMTs loaded me into the ambulance, checked my blood sugar, did an EKG, etc. before chauffeuring me down to the ER. Five hours, four needle pokes, three stitches and two liters of fluid later I got to go home.

****Breaking news*****

(I wrote most of that earlier today. But now I have more to tell... You lucky Delicious Readers!)

We had to leave my car at the gym overnight since I was having great fun in an ambulance. About 4pm, Scott drove me over to get it and guess what?

Someone broke into my baby! He (presumably it was a he) smashed the back passenger window and stole the dvd player. Nothing else. I guess my La Quinta rewards card and my Salvation Army receipts aren't hot commodities.

SO not what I needed.  And honestly, that upset the girls more than my getting hurt. They didn't freak out throughout my ordeal, but learning that the dvd player and the beloved Holly Hobbie dvd were gone?

Oh, they were not happy children.

I'm going to go eat a very large portion of ice cream right now, then I'm going to bed.

No. More. Drama.

(P.S. Sorry if there are a ton of typos in here. My head is too sore to see them.)

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Par-Tay Photos!

Thanks so much to photographers Gillian and Barbara!

"I'm your present, Bro!"


Isn't this cake awesome?

Hayley and Sophia (who turns 8 on Feb. 15!)

Mom Barbara and her friend, Elizabeth

Birthday Boy, Will, and his friend, Heather
Me and the Hayley-Girl

I'm not quite sure what I was doing, but I do remember that Gillian asked me to do it again so she could snap a photo. Two glasses of wine really let the guard down. LOL
It's the 40 candles on the cake that made it so heavy. LOL Note Emma with the fire extinguisher on the side. Can't be too safe, even with a room full of cops. (Birthday boy is a police officer, btw.)
Wow, Gillian's really getting into the spirit of the birthday song here!

Blowing out that many candles has to be a team effort.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Phew! Done traveling for the foreseeable future...


We spent this weekend up at my parents' house in northern California to celebrate my brother's 40th bday and my niece's 8th bday. So fun! 


You know what? Drinking two glasses of wine really makes parties a whole lot more fun! LOL

I was so stressed by the time we pulled into my parents' driveway that I hugged my mom and said, "Do you have wine?" She dragged me inside and handed me a glass of pinot grigio before I even stashed my purse.

Thank you, Mom.

LOL

Six hundred long miles stretch between my house and my parents'. So in total, we spend 24 hours traveling for 24 hours with my family.

I'm not doing that again. I'm exhausted and my rear end is now flat.

But... the party we threw for my bro was super-fun. Sister Dear has yet to email me photos, but if they're decent, I'll post some. There's a particular one that I really hope turned out. At present time, I sat on my brother's lap and said, "I'm your present!" Gillian snapped a quick photo, thank goodness. I can't wait to see it!

And last weekend in Chicago... I haven't even had two seconds to tell you all about it!

But lest I overwhelm you with a blog post that's overstayed its welcome, I'll save my Chicago tales for my next post.

Check back tomorrow. Pretty please? I'll have photos... and witty adjectives... and lyrical prose...

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Farewell to a wonderful woman...

I've been thinking all through my awesome Chicago weekend about the fun tales I would post here on Delicious as Pie when I returned.

I couldn't have guessed that I'd be writing instead about a friend who gave up her long battle with cancer this past Saturday.

Andrea... when I think about her, I see her standing up so straight, short blond hair shiny under the church office lights, her smile stretching from ear to ear. I think about her goofy sense of humor and the way she always had time to help answer my thousand questions that first year I directed Vacation Bible School.

At that time, she worked as one of the church secretaries. I didn't even know at that point that she'd been through breast cancer and had come out cancer-free.

A few quick months later, though, the cancer returned and before the doctors caught it, it spread into her spinal cord and brain.

Two years have passed. Andrea fought so hard. She went through chemo and radiation that nearly killed her, yet she hung on. Her pallor turned grey, only a  few fringes of hair along the base of her skull remained, her stature diminished.

I saw her the last time maybe two or three weeks before we left Washington. She'd had enough energy to come to church and I was thrilled. I held her close and asked for news. She said, "The doctors said I should enjoy myself now." She smiled brightly, as if she was telling me about a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Really, she was telling me she was dying.

I wanted to visit her one last time before we pulled out of Vancouver, but you know the insanity during the last couple weeks before moving. I sent her a letter back in early December. That's as far as I got.

But I prayed all the time for her, her husband and their two daughters. Samantha is 15. Michelle is 13, just like my Hayley. To lose your mom when you're so very young... I can't even begin to comprehend that.

Now I just want to be there for those girls. I just want to take care of them, hold them, wipe their tears and force them to eat. I hate being so far away.

But God is taking care of them and our prayers can do so much good.