Random Thoughts

We have a waterfall and pond in our backyard stocked with goldfish and koi.  You will notice from the picture that they seem to be MIA.  They have a cave they can go into, but they have never all been in there for hours.  We called our local fish store, and they said we might have a predator and the fish are scared.  Poor fishies!!!  I couldn’t even lure them out with treats.  Any ideas?  We have lilies ordered, but they won’t be shipped until spring.

I would do a book review here (just finished Troublesome Creek), but my head cold has made it to where I cannot breathe. The lack of oxygen to my brain is definitely killing off brain cells, so I will go easy today.

I have always loved reading. During the summer while I was growing up, I would go to the library and come home with piles of books. I would read at least one a day. When I got my first job, all my money was spent at the bookstore. I still love walking into a bookstore. The smell and feel of it instantly makes me feel happy and calm.

I come by this honestly. My dad was also a book lover. He was known to spend many an hour in a book store, and many a night between the pages of his latest find. This affinity for books is also being expressed in our kids. K would read all day if she could (and has on days that we’ll let her). B cannot believe that his older sister is able to read more advanced books than him. He is constantly pushing himself, reading more and more, refusing to accept that some books might be too “hard”. He is currently working through My Brother Sam is Dead – at age 7, because the librarian at school said it was too old for him.

One of our friends from hubby’s work, Kristin, is also an avid reader. (Readers do tend to find other readers, don’t we?) She will often send books home for K, bless her. She sent home Pinocchio last week to see what she thinks. I had never read it, so I read it over the weekend. Wow. On the one hand, it is a good book with good moral lessons. On the other hand, I want to smack that puppet upside the head. I can still hear his whiny little voice in my head… I can’t wait to hear what K thinks, coming from a kid’s perspective.

Well, folks, this is the week I knuckle down and focus. I want to post here regularly, following some semblance of a schedule – Monday menus and the week’s plan, Tuesday books and/or craft projects, Thursday random thoughts, Friday a highlight from the week, and Saturday a little link love.

Given that I am now not feeling 100%, I am not sure I will get everything accomplished, but I do have some goals for this week

• laundry
• hubby’s birthday
• get organized for daughter’s birthday
• help in kids’ classes
• monthly Costco run

This week’s menu

• Monday – black beans and rice (from Once a Month Cooking), steamed broccoli
• Tuesday – out for hubby’s birthday
• Wednesday – leftovers
• Thursday – split pea soup, cornbread
• Friday – pasta Friday (this week, spaghetti)

Well, I thought we were done with sickness here.  I was wrong.  Cue the violins.  It’s time for a pity party.  Just me, my throat coat tea, and Coldeeze.  Sheesh.

My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer last summer. It’s been a harrowing 6 months. She ended up in the ICU with life-threatening infections twice and had to stop chemotherapy halfway through. Now, though, she is done with her surgeries, chemo, and radiation. A couple weeks ago, there was evidence of a “return to normal”. She made me a batch of custard, just because. Her custard always brings a smile to my face, but this batch will always be special because of what it means.

Since her diagnosis, I feel others’ cancer stories a litte deeper and they stay with me more. One that has been talked, and written, about a bit recently is regarding Randy Pausch. I read through his blog this week. If you haven’t heard his story yet, take some time to read about him. He is very inspiring. My heart goes out to him and his family. I dare you to read his story and not be touched.

One of the Christmas traditions in my family was that you got an orange (and an apple) in your stocking.  It is actually one of the things I looked forward to each year.  I love oranges.

They have been on sale lately.  So I have have been buying them by the 10-pound bag full.  Did I mention I love oranges?  Actually, we all do, so we have been going through them pretty quickly, to the tune of 3 bags in 2 weeks.

This is one of our bookshelves.  We have quite a few.  They hold a lot of books I have read. They also hold a lot of books I have yet to read. One thing I would like to do is start tracking the books I read (see now reading on the sidebar) and do write ups on them to help me remember basic content. So, hang on for peeks at my reading lists.

I don’t know if you have heard, but there is a new Indian Jones movie coming out this spring. My kids are now the age I was when the first Indy came out.  They have seen all the Indy movies, and are looking forward to the new one.  Our son also loves Legos, and, consequently, he has been anticipating the Indy Lego sets being released.

Well, the brownie button goes to Grama.  She found the first set at Target a couple weeks ago, so someone got an early Valentine’s present…and someone was a very happy boy.

I have seen Teeccino herbal coffee at my local health food store, and I’m curious.  I love the taste and smell of coffee, be it from my kitchen or from the local coffee shop.  Herbal coffee?  Hmm…  Well, I finally could not stand it any longer.  I bought a can and tried it.  Verdict?  I really like it.  I’m on my second canister of it, and have added it to my coffee rotation.  An added bonus is that it is caffeine-free.  Now, I can drink coffee all day long!

I admit I am spoiled. Hubby has a wonderful job that requires very little traveling. When we were first married, he traveled more. Even though it was only for a little while, and it was a long time ago, I remember, and appreciate that he doesn’t travel now. At least, he doesn’t travel much. Except for last month. Four weeks. Three trips. The highlight of the last trip was this.

I did the dishes. Please, no applause. I’ve been doing them for years. This is nothing new. This time, however, I did them when Hubby had been gone for 4 days. The kids had been sleeping with me, which meant I was not sleeping. So, on this particular morning, when I went to run the dishwasher, I put in the soap. The dish soap. Not the dishwashing soap. Luckily, I caught myself before I turned on the machine. “Gee, self, that soap seemed a little thin…”

Trust me, I did you all a favor by not writing while he was gone. No good could have come of it.