Wednesday's Random Dozen #14

It's time for another Random Dozen! Number 14, to be exactified....that's Tigger-speak for those of you that don't know. :-)

Anyhoooo....if you would like to join in, just link up over at Linda's blog, 2nd Cup of Coffee and have some fun!

1. Which Wizard of Oz character are you most like?

Wellll......some might say the Wicked Witch of the West, but I would have to say the Scarecrow! :-)

2. When you're deciding what you're going to wear each morning, which item do you select first? Why?

My top or blouse because then I build my outfit from the colors that are in it: shoes, skirt, t-shirt, hose or tights.

3. What kind of animal do you think the world could live without?

After watching the Blue Planet series, it would just have to be one of those deep sea critters that lives miles below the surface of the ocean that no one ever sees anyway, even if they are really unique and beautiful when discovered and captured on film by some special camera that cost a kazillion dollars so someone like me could see them and be simply amazed and oooo and ahhhh because I like to watch stuff like that. the end.

4. How many Christmas trees are in your home?

Only one, IF I decide to put it up this year. I will definitely put up lighted garland and such, but I'm undecided about the tree, as of yet. You see, we have this crawling-about-to-walk adorable little boy in our home this year and I'm thinking I don't want to have to tell him "no" constantly or be smacking his little hands.

5. Would you prefer to be emotionless if it mean you didn't have to feel a heartbreak?

Oh, no.....I could not survive without feeling the love and happiness that life can bring. Yes, heartbreak can be debilitating but the Lord is such a comforter and has always been there and seen me through.

6. Do you ever experience holiday let-down or depression?

Yes, some years more than others. Though, as I've gotten older, not so much, thankfully.

7. Do you like Michael Jackson's music?

No, because I've never listened to it. Well, I'm sure that if I listened to some of it, it would be familiar, having randomly heard it, here and there. You know what I mean! :-)

8. Why is it that we never judge people who have their teeth fixed for cosmetic reasons, but every other cosmetic procedure has a stigma?

Well, let me tell ya, I just think some people look ridiculous with these perfectly white, straight, gap-free, HUGE teeth! I mean, come on!!!!

9. Enjoy horseback riding?

Uh, no. I've never had any luck riding a horse. Two of my uncles had horses, so when we went to visit them, we kids always wanted to ride them, of course. Well, at my Uncle Bill's, they helped me up on this horse, who immediately took off in hunt of the horse next door who was, well, "available", for lack of a better word. Right in front of my uncle's house, he stepped out of the front door, having heard my blood-curdling screams, yelled something at the horse and that horse stopped dead in its tracks, catapulting me over its head to the ground! Wow! As you can tell, I've never forgotten THAT experience.

Then, my other aunt and uncle had horses, too. Sooooo, one time when we were there, once again, they helped me up on one of their horses for a leisurely ride around their mobile home. Did I say leisurely? That horse took off around the house where it got too close to the house, which did not have under-pinning and it was way up in the air, and caught my thigh on an undercorner of the house, about ripping my leg off! I survived, but I no longer have a fondness for riding horses. But then, even if I did, this 58-year-old, double-hip-replaced body has no desire to climb up on one. *groan* No, thank you, I'll just pet their soft noses. :-)

10. Shoes--practical or stylish?

Practical because my body won't let me wear stylish. :-)

11. What was the name of your first pet? Feel free to post a pic.

Winky. He was our family's little Pekingnese. He only had one eye, so my dad got him for a really great price from a kennel where he did the plumbing work.

12. What percentage of your Christmas shopping is done?

I cannot really say because we don't do alot of shopping and gift-giving at Christmas-time. It is more about getting together with friends and family and celebrating and remembering our Saviour's birth in that way, whether it is at church or parties or banquets! Let the celebrating begin!! :-)

Linda at 2nd Cup Of Coffee hosts a Random Dozen on Wednesdays and here is her Thanksgiving edition and my answers!! If you would like to participate, just click on here!!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!

1. Are you sticking to traditional Thanksgiving foods this year, or are you being culinarily adventurous?

We will be having the traditional foods which include turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, noodles, rolls, green beans, salad. And I can hardly wait! :-)

2. Tell me something concrete that you're thankful for. (Something you can literally touch, see, etc., not a concept like "hope.")

My computer! It helps me with so many things. Typing letters to friends. Making posters/signs for church, etc., looking up info on the internet, listening to music, keeping in touch with old friends and making new friends, journaling on my blog, and I could go on and on. I don't know what I would do without it, though now that Jaylon is here I don't have very much time to be on here. He is napping at the moment! :-)

3. You knew the flip side was coming: Share about something intangible that you're thankful for.

I am thankful for the love that the Lord has for me. It is never-changing. Sometimes that is so hard for me to comprehend, but I know it is true and real! He's has proven His love for me time and again!

4. Share one vivid Thanksgiving memory. It doesn't have to be deep or meaningful, just something that remains etched in your memory.

Well, one year, many, many years ago, Cool Whip made an accordion-type container/dispenser for their Cool Whip. In the afternoon, after dinner had been over for awhile, I jumped up from where we had all been watching TV, ran into the kitchen and got out the Cool Whip, put it to my mouth and started to squeeze a little taste into my mouth when all of a sudden someone reached around me and squeezed that thing for all it was worth and I about choked and died as my mouth and cheeks filled to overflowing with Cool Whip!!!! It was my brother-in-law Bud! We all about died laughing after I got done choking!!!

5. What is one thing that you know beyond a shadow of a doubt is going to happen this Thanksgiving because it always does, year after year?
I will be taking a nap in the afternoon after dinner. This is a given!

6. Do your pets get any left-overs?

Yes, we give our dog Rocky, who is an outside dog, the turkey carcass. Now, I know alot of people say that you shouldn't do this but we figure that he eats dead animals (we know he does) and the good Lord only knows what else, so why not let him have a treat aka the turkey carcass?!

7. Does your family pray before the big meal? If so, do you join hands while seated, stand, repeat a formal prayer or offer a spontaneous prayer? Who does the praying?

Ed always prays...spontaneously...and we always hold hands. Except on Father's Day and his birthday; then, I pray. :-)

8. Will you be watching football in the afternoon? If not, what will you be doing?

No, we will be napping or watching a movie or reading a book. Or I will be playing games with Erin's family at her aunt's house!

9. There are two distinct camps of people on this issue: How do you feel about oysters in the dressing/stuffing?

Welllll.......seeing as how I looooove oyster dressing, I will be making a dish of oyster dressing and one regular dressing. I can hardly wait!!!

10. Do you consider yourself informed about the first Thanksgiving?

Yes, I think it is so important that we know why we celebrate Thanksgiving and the other holidays!

11. Which variety of pie will you be enjoying?

Peach, because it is Ed's favorite and I'm not a big dessert fan! Give me noodles! dressing! potatoes! gravy! rolls! He can have the pie! :-)

12. Do you feel for the turkey?? (This is a humorous throw back question related to the 12th question in another Random Dozen!)

No, my sorrow doth lift on Turkey day! :-)

Monday's Random Musings!

Mrs. Nurse Boy at Poop On Jelly hosts a Monday Random Musings at her blog and here are my few musings!!

Little Jaylon is home with his Mommy today as he has been running a fever since yesterday morning. We aren't sure if it is because he is cutting more teeth or what but I will let you know when we find out anything. I can't wait to hear how he is doing this morning. Here is a picture of the little guy that I took last Friday!

That's a picture of him taking a bath in grandma's sink! :-) He loves splashing all around so I had to let some of the water out! :-)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ed and I have all of our outside Christmas decorations up!!! They look sooooo pretty!! We had so much fun doing this together! Used to, I did all of the outside decorating myself because he just wasn't into it but as the years have passed he has begun helping, especially as I got to the place where I couldn't any longer.

Last year, we didn't even put up as much as a single red bow or light because I was recovering from my hip surgeries but this year!!!! Woweeeee!!!! We've got it ALL gussied up!!!!!! *smile* Especially because of little Jaylon and it being his first Christmas!!

And I've always felt that having some outside decorations up is my way of saying Merry Christmas to those driving by and to our neighbors. I'll post some pictures later!

I haven't seen little Jaylon since last Friday and I am missing him. *sigh* Hopefully, I will get to see him today and cuddle him a little.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am taking my sister Debbie to pick up her food from the monthly give-a-way at Smith Chapel. She is doing remarkably well in her recovering. She still isn't smoking and has no desire to! Thank you, Jesus!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Ohio State Buckeyes beat Michigan!!!!! Yayyyyy!!!! It was a good game, though we could have played better but a win is a win, especially over Michigan!!
Too bad the Bengals lost! :-( and they were on such a good streak!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My oldest nephew, Brian, turns 40 today!!! I have a nephew that is 40!!!! Wow.....it doesn't seem possible! But it is and he is a great guy. He has been through some really difficult times the past two or three years, but God has been faithful and Brian is still standing! Here he is with his three precious sons!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And here is Jaylon and Mommy have a cute moment at Olive Garden last week when they took me out for my birthday! :-)

I looove this week!

BECAUSE Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday! No gifts required. Just the presence of friends and family and lots of delicious food. Waking up to the smell of turkey roasting in the oven. (I put my turkey in the oven during the night.) A relaxing morning at home, making noodles and rolls and all of the other luscious food that comes only at Thanksgiving. :-) The afternoon spent relaxing and visiting, playing games, watching football, taking a leisurely after-dinner stroll, sharing leftovers. Yep, it's my favorite time of the year!

When I was a little girl, I was always the first one of us five kids up in the morning. I would mosey into the kitchen and there would be dad, rolling out noodles for dinner. He was always so cheerful in the morning! He would be wearing his usual gray work pants, white t-shirt and houseslippers, his hair freshly combed, bent over the table rolling out the dough, humming all the while.

He would tell me to go wash my hands and face and then I could help him. He had one particular knife that he cut the noodles with and I still have it today!

He would roll the dough up, slice it into these little rolls and then I would shake out the noodles. Then he would lay them out to dry on newspaper placed on top of the washer and dryer.

Then he would get the roll dough that had been raising and, with a grand flourish, punch it down!!! I was always amazed at how it deflated! Next, dad would commence to greasing pans and then yanking off a piece of the dough, shaping it and slapping it into the pan with a swoosh of his arm! He always made everything so much fun!! :-)

My Random Dozen!!!

Linda, at 2nd Cup of Coffee hosts a Random Dozen every Wednesday! Here are mine! If you would like to participate, just click on the icon above!

1. If you could master one sport, what would it be?
For some reason that even I can't explain, I've always had somewhat of a desire to be really good at basketball. Go figure. :-)

2. When you make a major purchase, do you go with your gut instinct, or do you do research to make an informed decision?
A bit of both, actually. As far as the research part goes, I don't go overboard or fret over it. I do a reasonable amount of research, then go with my gut! :-)

3. There is an old kids' game that says you can find out what your movie star name would be by using your middle name as your first name and the name of the street you grew up on as your last. What is your movie star name?
Belle Plymouth? Good heavens! :-/

4. Would you rather give up your favorite music or your favorite food?
Favorite music because I can always sing. Well, if I'm still allowed to sing, that is.

5. There are two types of banana preferences. One is pristine yellow, almost to the point of being green; the other is spotty and more ripe. Which is your preference?
My preference is somewhere in between those two! :-)

6. Your favorite tree is?
Ohh, definitely a weeping willow tree! They are so beautiful and graceful and I don't have one in my yard...*sigh*.

7. On a scale of 1-10, how tech savvy are you?
6

8. Has H1N1 touched your family?
My niece and great niece and another great niece and nephew have had the H1N1.

9. Are you an analytical person, or do you just accept things the way they are without questioning or scrutinizing?
I am somewhat analytical, especially about emotional/psychological things.

10. Is your personality more like that of a dog, cat, or Koala?
My DH husband says I am more like a cat because I can sleep anywhere/anytime! Ha.Ha. :-)

11. Do you keep in touch with friends you made years ago?
Yes, I do. They are one of the most precious things in life that I have!

12. You are checking out at a grocery store. In the express lane, there are more people than the regular lanes, but of course, their load is less than those in the regular lanes. Which lane do you choose (assuming you qualify for the express lane) and why?
Well, I would probably observe for a minute or so and see just how fast the express lane is moving and if it isn't, I might very well take the regular checkout lane.

Unbelieveable!!!

The weather, that is!!! It is warm and sunshiney today in SE Ohio!! I believe it is in the 70's, though I haven't had time to look at the thermometer.
Ed and I are going to put up Christmas decorations tomorrow. Yayyyy!! I know it is a tad early but we want to do it while the weather is nice.
Last year we did not put one decoration outside because I was still recovering from my surgeries and we just didn't feel like it BUT this year! We.have.the.boy!!!!! :-)
I don't know that I am going to put up a tree in the house this year though I will put up lights, garland and other decorations that he won't be able to reach easily. I just don't feel like struggling with keeping him away from a tree, lights, and ornaments. We'll see.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My sister Debbie is going home to her home today!! Isn't that just wonderful?!??! God is soooo good! She is doing so well! We've taken to calling eachother every morning like we used to before she had her surgery. I love her so much!!
Her youngest son, Shawn, lost his job as a truck driving-in-training because when her surgery was rescheduled they would not allow him to take the time off, so he quit. BUT, another trucking firm hired him and is going to finish training him! God is so awesome! Shawn had to quit a job that he had worked at for years because of some health problems but was eventually able to go to truck-driving school. Even in a bad economy and job market, our God is able!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Our local football team, the Logan Chieftains, are playing their second play-off game tonight against Brookhaven from Columbus. We are undefeated while Brookhaven has a 9-2 record. Brookhaven is a top-notch team but we are looking for a great victory tonight! Daniel and Erin are going to the game with friends and Mawmaw and Pawpaw Dunnells will be taking care of little Jaylon tonight. He will have a ball!!!
AND the Buckeyes play Iowa tomorrow afternoon for the Big Ten title! Go Bucks!!
So it is indeed an exciting weekend of sports around here!!! :-)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, I am going to finish this up and get myself outside to enjoy the beautiful weather!! Have a wonderful weekend everyone!! :-)

Fall Into Flavor!

Linda at 2nd Cup of Coffee has been hosting Fall Into Flavor over HERE! Here is my recipe for the week and if you would like to join and share, please do!!!

My contribution this week is a recipe that I got from an Amish cookbook a few years ago and it is one of Daniel and Erin's favorites! Every time I ask them what they would like to eat it is always "Dutch Potatoes"!!!

Here's how you fix 'em!!

Dutch Potatoes
Scrub and bake 5-6 nice size potatoes.
Bake them in the microwave until done but not
too soft and mushy.
Remove the skins.
Melt a very liberal amount of butter or margarine
in a big skillet. Slice the potatoes and add
them to the skillet. Salt and pepper liberally.
Brown them thoroughly though don't get them too
crispy. You might need to add more butter/margarine.
Once you have them at the desired brownness,
sprinkle two or three tablespoons of flour
over the potatoes.
Next, pour one to two cups of milk over the potatoes and
slowly turn with a spatuala, mixing the flour and
milk together, which will make a gravy/sauce.
Add milk if you need to, to get the desired
consistency.
Then cover all of this with a 2-cup package of
shredded cheddar cheese or another flavor of
shredded cheese that you like. I also put dots of butter on the

top and let it melt down through the potatoes along with the cheese.

My family prefers cheddar.
These are Daniel and Erin's favorite potatoes!
Enjoy!
Oh, and this is not diet food!
You have been warned!
:-)

Saturday....in the park.....

Wellll....yesterday.....I went to Miller Park in Lancaster to watch my great-niece Chloe cheer with her squad in a cheerleading expo. Chloe is a sweetie! AND a very good cheerleader! I like to think that she inherited her cheerleading abilites from me as I was a cheerleader 7-11 grades!!! Yayyy!! *smile* (Makes me ache just to think about the moves I used to be able make...*groan*)


Anywayyyy......moving right along.....afterwards, I went to April's house to see my sister Debbie who is doing maaahhhvelously after her surgery!! She is planning to return home on the 20th!


At three o'clock, Debbie and I headed back to Miller Park to watch her grandson-my great-nephew, Cade play in his championship football game.

We sat UP on the sidewalk and watched the game which was DOWN a short ways in this little valley-like park but it was close so that we didn't have any difficulty seeing the game or players. Our spot was great for watching the game but there was a stiff, cold wind blowing right at us! That wind had my hair blowing straight back! I could have won a Don King impersonation contest!!! My forehead hasn't had that much exposure in years!!! Egads!!!

And have I ever told you that you could show home movies on my forehead? It's just that white AND high! AND my forehead actually got cold! I was freezing and it isn't used to being exposed to the elements like that!

BUT, in spite of the wind and all, we had a great time even though Cade's team lost.

Chloe is a cheerleader for the team that was playing against Cade's so after the game was over, they were all in the middle of field for trophy presentations so Debbie asked me if I would take her back to April's. Of course, I said yes because I wanted to get home before it was dark.

Sooooo, we pull into April's and Debbie just remembers that she doesn't have a key but maybe they left a door unlocked.

Soooooo, I checked the front door....locked. I checked the back door.....locked. So, I walked ALLLL the way back around the house to the car. Debbie says, "Did you check the garage door?" Nooooooo. Soooo, I walk ALLLLL the way back around the house to check the garage door. It was unlocked!!!! BUT...the house door was locked! Rats!

Sooooo, I just go back to the car and we decide to wait for someone to come and let us in. I mean, what choice do we have, right? I didn't have my cellphone.
We're listening to the Ohio State game when Debbie tells me that she has her cellphone but she thinks it is almost dead. I try to call April but she doesn't answer, which I should have known she wouldn't because she's involved in the trophy presentation back at the park. So, I get the idea of calling her daughter, Kaitlin, because teenagers always have their cellphones at the ready, BUT just as I'm dialing, the phones dies!!!!! Argh!

Once again, we just decide to wait for someone to come home. I put first dibs on the bathroom when we DO get in the house!

We waited for almost an hour but we did enjoy listening to the game and just relaxing. I finally arrived home at about 6:30pm.

Debbie and I always manage to have an adventure! :-)

An overdue picture!

I haven't posted any pictures of my favorite little baby boy lately, so here are some of the latest:

We were all loaded up and on our way to visit with my sister-in-law Sandy! This was last Thursday! Jaylon is such a pleasant little traveller!

And THIS is where I found him the other day:

"Wheeee....this is fun!"

Repenting? *smile*

"Maybe I can sneak out...."