I want to learn Latin. Seriously. I want to learn to speak Latin.
Sometimes, when a certain person at work is being his same jerkwad self, I look at him and think to myself, "I really wish I could say 'From now on, I'm only going to speak to you in Latin." That would shut him up.
I love Tim McGraw. I've loved him ever since he first started singing. What you probably don't know is that when I was in the Navy, I knew someone who looked exactly like him. His name was Tim, too. How weird is that? For a long time, I wondered if Tim McGraw was my Tim, but he isn't. My Tim is shorter and from Tennessee. And Tim McGraw was never in the Navy.
Tim is the only man from my past that I have regretted letting him get away. Why did I do it? Well, my orders came through, and I transferred. I wasn't into long distance relationships, so when I left, that was that.
And I've been kicking myself ever since. Maybe someday I'll tell you all about Tim. But today is not that day. I can't share him just yet.
Even after all these years, he's still too close to my heart.
Yeah, I know I said I was through, but things change.
I took the cookies I'd made over the weekend in to work today, and they were a big hit. I got fussed at, because I'd taken this batch over to line 1, where I used to work. Line 2 told me that I was over there now, and wasn't to be bringing cookies to line 1 any more.
I still have friends on line 1, though, and didn't want them to feel that I'd forgotten about them. So tomorrow, I have to bring another batch of cookies to line 2. Fortunately, I have plenty.
But then Rod-- a different Rod, not to be confused with my former group leader Rod-- asked me if I thought chocolate chips and marshmallows would go well together in a cookie. Blatantly ignoring the double entendre he seemed to be making as he held his very black arm next to my *heavy sigh* blindingly white one (gotta love Scandinavian ancestors), I rushed home, got online, and found a chocolate chip and marshmallow cookie recipe.
The only problem is, once the chocolate got ahold of the marshmallows, they completely melted, something I'm sure Rod -- not to be confused with my former group leader Rod-- will find endlessly amusing.
Before we get to the music, let me show you what I did today. I got the hat washed, and wanted to block it. Not having a styrofoam wig head, and not wanting to walk around all day with a wet hat on my head, Mr. Frosty kindly volunteered his *** for the project.
I still don't like the way the bobbles are looking. The ones toward the end of the hat look a bit better, as I was getting the hang of doing them, but the first few seem to be disappearing. I'm going to have to tweak them a bit, and Kristine may want to work on them as well.
Mr. Frosty says, "Oh, the indignity of it all!"
I spent the rest of the day baking cookies. I made another batch of peanut butter for Rod.
I was real careful to --well, to pay attention to what I was doing-- and these turned out a bit better. And I made the old favorite Snickerdoodles.
I made chocolate chip last night. I didn't take a picture of them. They look just the same as they do every time I make them. I also made some Touchdown Chocolate Bars, and I remembered why I stopped making them so many years ago. They do not come out of the pan! Needless to say, they will not go to work with me tomorrow, but the other three will.
Once all the cookies were done, I sat down and finally finished this charity scarf.
And now, on to the music...
I was perusing Picapp --which has finally gotten my issues fixed so that I was able to set up a new account with them-- for photos of a certain running back when I ran across one that immediately put me in mind of this song. And no, it's not Tom Cruise who takes my breath away.
Take my breath away.
Wow.
If you don't know who that is, then you don't know me very well. Perhaps perusing previous posts will put this in perspective for you.
And since it is the Christmas season, you get a bonus.
Love, Love, Love Straight No Chaser!
Now, if you will excuse me, I need to go try to catch my breath.
I'll try to get it blocked tomorrow, though I'm not sure what I have that I can block it over. I really wish I had a styrofoam wig head. Gotta find out where to get one. I hope blocking it makes the bobbles pop a little more. Right now, they're kind of fading into the background.
The plan was to get up and go shopping in Southaven tomorrow, but the high tomorrow is predicted to be 32'. I think I'll just stay home and bake cookies, drink hot chocolate, watch Christmas movies, and knit.
For the ninth straight year, the Midshipmen did just that by a score of 31-17. Were it not for the Navy's four turnovers, that score might have been a bit more lopsided. I wore my dogtags in honor of the occasion.
Disclaimer: These are not my original dog tags. I had these replicas made with my SSN left off, for obvious reasons.
I spent the rest of this dreary, rainy Saturday knitting and baking Christmas cookies. I made chocolate chip, and peanut butter today. I'm going to have to go back to the store and get some more ground flax seed before I can do the snickerdoodles, but I've got vacation Monday, so there's no hurry.
Those peanut butter cookies are the bane of my existence! The last couple of times I've made them, they've spread too thin and turned out really flat. I don't understand what the deal is. It may be the recipe I'm using. Today, I used the one in the old Betty Crocker cookbook. Next time I make them, I'm going to use the recipe from the church cookbook and see if they do any better.
I don't even like peanut butter cookies. I only make them because Rod specifically requests them. They're his favorites. Of course, now that I'm no longer on his line, I don't have to make them nearly as much. Unless he does me like he did Thursday and walk all the way over to my line to ask for some. And when he gives me those big brown puppy dog eyes, how can I say no?
People at work are already asking me if I'm going to be making cookies this year, so, I went to the store this afternoon to buy stuff I would need to make them. That wasn't too hard, because I already had most of what I needed at home. I did have to buy butter and real vanilla extract. I had other things I wanted to get, too, but I walked right out without my list, so I got home to discover that I'd forgotten several things. Nothing related to cookie baking, though, so that is all set for tomorrow.
During the Army/Navy game.
Go Navy.
Anyway, I got home to find that Santa had visited my house a bit early! Oh, boy! Presents!
All right, most of them I'd ordered myself, but still...
And in the first box, we have our 2011 Team Wall Calendar
And the 2010 Season Blue Book. I don't normally buy the Blue Book, but this is the 50th Anniversary edition, so it's special.
Also in the box were Christmas Ornaments!
They already hold their places of honor on the tree.
This is the 2010 glass ball.
I think I'm going to start collecting the glass balls. One day, I hope to have enough to do an entire tree in Dallas Cowboys stuff. That would be so cool, wouldn't it?
Yeah, you know it.
The next box was some stuff I'd ordered from Knit Picks. My friend Tabitha so graciously gave me her Arwen Wrap pattern to knit as Christmas gifts. I won't get them done this year, but I suspect every female in the family will have one next Christmas. And in order to knit said wraps, I needed some yarn. This is Knit Picks Swish DK weight in Hollyberry.
And I ordered some new needles. You can never have too many needles. Especially Harmony needles--in any way, shape, or form.
At this point, I became a bit confused, as there was still one box left over. I'd already opened everything I'd ordered, so what could be in this last box? It was clearly addressed to me, though. Opening it, I found this
the nifty thing about this one is that you can close it and snap it.
It adds an extra layer of security against the fingers of small children (of which I no longer have) and curious cats (which I have in abundance.) (OK, I only have one cat, but sometimes she gets into enough trouble that I think I have 20.)
I was still confused. I'd wanted one, but I hadn't ordered it. I wondered for a moment if it were some sort of special promotion. You know, buy way more stuff than you can afford and get a free chart keeper...then I picked up the invoice.
Kristen! You are so sweet! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Not so much for the chart keeper, though I love it, but for remembering that I'd said I wanted one. I love you, knitting sister!
The original link I'd posted a few years back had been removed, but someone posted it again. There have been updated versions, but this, the original is still the best.
Insomnia struck again last night, so I hope you don't expect anything really profound or enlightening. I actually had a post for today in mind last night before I went to bed, but now I can't remember what it was. So, I'll show you some more of my Christmas decorations instead.
This is just some stuff I've got stuck back in a corner. The nativity is one I bought while in Italy. The rest is just some Christmassy stuff. And yes, that is an LSU calendar on the wall. Because that's just who I am.
I usually put a nativity here, too, but this year, I just decided to be simple with it. The Santa is one a lady in my church made back when we used to have ladies Christmas parties.
And this is my Fontanini Nativity. The irony of this is that I spent three years in Italy, and didn't get a single piece over there. I started collecting this set after I'd gotten back to the States.
Neither decoration, nor Christmassy, but this is the hat I'm knitting for Kristine's shop.
I'd better get a move on, or she'll think I absconded with her yarn!
Today was our town's annual Christmas parade. This year, however, I'll spare you my annual rant. If you really want to know what I think, you can read my previous rant. My opinion hasn't changed much since then. This year, they started the parade at 3:30. I had to go straight from work to the parade route, and I know a lot of people missed it. You know, like people who have to work. Anyway, that's why there were no photos. I didn't even have time to run home and get my camera. Or my jacket. Yes, I froze. But you can see the band videos at the provided link. They always play the same songs every year.
This week's Ten On Tuesday topic is one that is near and dear to my heart. And what is said topic, you may ask? Well, I'll tell you. This week's topic is --drumroll please--
What are your top 10 Christmas shows?
Yes, I love Christmas. And I love Christmas movies. And I'm wondering about now how I am going to limit it to 10. But I'll give her a go.
9. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town/Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer-- Yes, the stop motion animation is out dated, and maybe they could computer animate those shows a whole lot better, but the kitch is part of the charm. I never miss these. (I know these are two shows, but I had to cheat to get them both into my list.)
8. How The Grinch Stole Christmas-- Maybe Christmas, perhaps, doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.
7. The Nativity Story-- A lot of the details are fictionalized, but it doesn't directly contradict anything that is in the Bible.
6. The House Without A Christmas Tree -- a TV classic from my childhood. I was sooo thrilled when they finally released it on video a few years ago.
4. The Muppet Christmas Carol-- Yes, I love the muppets. I took a lot of flack for it in high school, but I love them still. I love this version because they bring in Gonzo to play Charles Dickens, so we get to hear some of that wonderful prose from the book.
2. A Christmas Carol-- There are so many good ones, but my favorite is the Patrick Stewart version. Patrick Stewart is simply brilliant as Scrooge, and this movie explores some of the parts the others leave out.
OK, yeah. That was hard. There are soooo many other shows I could have listed here. The Homecoming, Frosty the Snowman, Miracle on 34th Street-- I could go on and on. But I think these are the ones I would want on that desert island with me. Feel free to share your own list in the comments.
Now, I think I'll go watch the Grinch before bedtime.
One last note, apropos of nothing... Rod was kind of dressed up today. Not really dressy-- it is a factory after all-- but nice. He looked good. When I first saw him this morning, I sort of did a double take and an involuntary "Wow" escaped my lips. I didn't know he had it in him.
I'd only been at work about an hour this morning, when the gas went out. The brazing gas, that is, and it was down across the whole plant. Nobody could braze. We wondered if they were going to send us home, but they didn't. After about 45 minutes, they got the gas fixed, and we all went back to work.
Then an hour later, the packaging machine went down. That time, I guess they decided to cut their losses, so they just sent everyone home. I asked Greg if Vanessa and I could stay for a little while to get ahead. He said I'd have to ask the shift supervisor, so I went and asked Walter. He said it was OK, but then came back around about 10 minutes later and said we'd have to leave. He apologized to us, but that decision had come down from above him.
I left work and went straight to the post office and got my sister's family's Christmas gifts mailed. Then I had to go back to Wal-mart because when I was pouring the milk over my cereal this morning, I realized I was almost out. But this time, I walked really fast through the store, and managed to make it out without any cookies following me home.
I got home and logged on to my laptop, only to discover that Dandy Don Meridith had died during the night. From what I've read, he had been very sick these last few months--so much so that his wife had been telling his friends that they needed to come say goodbye. It's a sad, sad day for football fans everywhere. Not only did he help the Cowboys become the Cowboys, he made Monday Night Football into a nationwide phenomenon. He will be missed.
Anyway, while I was at work, I'd gone over and talked to Bren for a minute. I asked her how things were going, and she just rolled her eyes at me. We both knew what she meant. She asked me how I liked it over on line 2, and I said that I hadn't wanted to leave line 1. I'd liked where I was. I got along with Rod, I liked my co-workers (most of them), and had built my little nest over there, when I was --and here Bren interjected that I'd been uprooted again.
I said that from what I'd heard, Rod didn't want me moved. The other brazer is the one who was supposed to be moved. Rod had wanted to get rid of her, but Greg refused to have her on his line. I'd been complaining about her for a long time, and Rod wanted to move her, but nobody would take her. What's worse, from what I hear, the one they moved over there to replace me is just as bad as she is. I told Bren that Rod is the one I feel sorry for because he gets stuck with all the rejects. I named several people on his line that nobody else wants, and I said, "All they need to do is move (and I named a couple more people) over there and watch his line completely fall apart."
Bren said, "You're wrong for that."
And I said, "I know, and I ought to be ashamed of myself."
And Bren said, "But you speak the truth."
I do miss being on line 1, and I hope maybe I can get moved back over there soon. Poor Rod needs someone with some sense on his line.
I didn't do much this afternoon after I got home. I got my checkbook caught up with and reconciled, then I walked the dogs. I was just going to walk Rylea, but just as we were leaving, they let Jake out. I didn't want to go back into the house to get his leash, so I just looped Rylea's leash through Jake's collar and tied a double half hitch, and off we went. They were both pretty hyper because I was sick all last week and couldn't walk them.
BTW, Dez Bryant has a broken fibula and torn ligaments. It got me to thinking about the time I might have broken my leg. I don't know for sure, because I didn't go to sick call, but I'll save that for another post.
So, I had to run into the store this afternoon to buy a new fire extinguisher for the kitchen, and darn it all if these things didn't follow me home.
How do they keep doing that? It must be my charming personality. I just wish it worked as well on men.
So, why was I buying a new fire extinguisher? Well, I'll tell you. I was boiling down the turkey carcass for soup, and some of the grease spilled out of the pot. It hit the hot burner and ignited. I tried to smother it with the pot lid, but it just wouldn't smother. I stood there for a second trying to remember what common kitchen item you use to put out grease fires, when I said to myself, "Self, don't let your house burn down. Just use the fire extinguisher."
And that's what I did. Boy, whatever that powder is that they put in those things goes everywhere! And I do mean everywhere. I still haven't gotten it all cleaned up.
This was my Saturday Sky for yesterday
but I watched so much football, I didn't get it posted. And now, it's official. Auburn and Oregon will be playing for the National Championship. LSU will face Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl, and TCU will go to the Rose Bowl.
If Auburn handles Oregon the way they handled South Carolina, we will have a National Champion from the SEC for the fifth year in a row.
I know yesterday's post was very brief, but I was absolutely miserable. My co-worker Vanessa and I apparently caught the same cold, because she was as miserable as I was. Unfortunately for her, she didn't have any Nyquil, so while I feel a bit better today, she still felt terrible. She said she's going to go get some today. I'm going to take another dose tonight, and see if I can knock this thing on out.
Oh, I slept so good last night! What with the alcohol and antihistamine in it, I was dead to the world --except for waking up once to go to the little girl's room-- until the alarm went off. Dead to the world.
And that, my friends, is how it earned the moniker The Green Elixer Of Death. Well, either that, or the taste that makes you wish you were dead.
But I have the best internet friends in the world! They all got together and cyber sang Soft Kitty to me, when I was feeling at my lowest.
We got off work early today, because December is the slowest of our slow time. Not much new home construction in December, therefore not much call for air conditioners.
Anyhow, when I got home, I found a package waiting for me. As soon as I saw the return address, I knew what it was. My friend Kristine is opening a yarn and pottery shop, and a couple of weeks ago had put out a call for volunteers to knit samples for her shop. Naturally, my hand was one of the first to go up, especially when I saw she needed some hats done. I've been on a hat kick here lately, in case you couldn't tell.
So, I open the package, and the first thing I pull out is a rather nondescript piece of paper with some writing on it. It says To Becky, Best wishes & God Bless, followed by an indecipherable signature.
My first thought was, "That's odd that Kristine didn't put any further instructions in there," and I set the paper aside. I pulled out the book
which I get to keep, and then the yarn,
which I also get to keep-- well what's left after I knit the hat. The lighter blue is for the hat. This is the pattern she wants knit up.
The darker blue is a thank you gift. I'd asked for Dallas Cowboys colors, and despite being a Steelers fan herself, Kristine was only too happy to oblige. Since she didn't have any silver --or in the case of Cascade 220 Superwash-- gray, she threw these two in as well.
The blue on the right is Sock-A-Licious Kollage, but I don't see a colorway name or number on it. It's a wool/silk/nylon blend. The green on the right (and no, that photo is not the true green of it) is Bristol Yarn Gallery Ashton Alpaca/wool/silk blend, color 5743. This one is a DK weight, which is new to me. These are great, since I've never used either of them.
Finally, at the bottom of the stack, I found the letter Kristine wrote. I was trucking along, when this sentence jumped out at me:
Anyway, Flozell Adams was at my husband's store. He wouldn't sign any pictures, but I did get him to at least sign a piece of paper for you. I wanted him to write, "Dear Becky, I miss you." But he wouldn't, because he's a Steeler now.
Immediately, I snatched up the nondescript piece of paper I'd tossed so carelessly aside, squealed and started doing a jig in my kitchen.
Flozell Adams! He'd always been one of my favorite Cowboys, and I was positively sick when they cut him. I was one of his staunchest defenders, and was ready to knock the stuffin' out of all those people who kept calling him dumb. I'm glad he's making a new life for himself, even if it has to be up there in Steeler Country. In fact, I've been known to watch a few Steeler games this season just to watch him play. But let's just keep that between us, OK?
And the now treasured scrap of paper resides in a place of honor, just behind my Farewell Tile made from one of the lockers of Texas Stadium, next to my DeMarcus Ware action figure, and my Staubach: First Down, Lifetime to Go autobiography, and not too far from my Dez Bryant rookie card.
After waking up sick as the proverbial dog, and feeling terrible all day, and coming home to find out I was running a 99.2' fever, I am throwing in the towel on this day.
