Be careful what you say, & what you ask for

So my dad sent me an e-mail today saying that they got 2-3 inches of heavy snow in Cedar, and he was worried about his vegetable garden.

I replied that we've only had rain so far, and that I haven't planted my tomatoes, peppers or beans yet, but I have lettuce and peas coming up, and rhubarb coming out my ears.

My dad, ever the punster, wrote back, "I'd like to see a picture of that."

So after school I cut some rhubarb, stuck it in my ears, and had Adam take some pictures of me.

(Like my new t-shirt? I think it's G-R-R-R-EAT! Found it on the clearance rack at Target and couldn't resist. It says "Kellogg's Frosted Flakes" in Japanese!)

He joined in the fun.

Then some of the neighbor kids joined in as well. I don't feel comfortable posting their photos without their parents' permission, but we had rhubarb princesses, a rhubarb king, and something vaguely resembling a Maori warrior. Silliness and fun!

By the way, anyone want any rhubarb? It's coming out my ears!

More gingerbread fun

Jeff brought some cookies cutters home from Berlin last spring. They are in the shape of Ampelmänner, the dinstinctive crosswalk lights that are found in the former East Germany. So we made Ampelmänner gingerbread cookies. This photo isn't great, but don't they look festive too? (We also did a few normal gingerbread men as well. :-)

Gingerbread fun

I wanted to do something fun for Christmas for my friends that I do Crossfit/lift weights with every week. I decided to play with gingerbread men, and they turned out great! Thanks to Jeff for sharing his long years of mutant gingerbread men expertise, and to Gary B. for the photo.


I have so much to do still to get ready for Christmas. I decided to devote today to finishing up the baking. I put on some Christmas music and stayed in the kitchen all day. Normally that isn't my favorite place to spend lots of time, but it was nice today. No shopping, no crowds, no stress. Just making treats for friends and neighbors. My best day so far this month!

Merry Christmas!

A joke for you

Some have said that a black man would be elected President of the United States when pigs fly. One hundred days into Obama's presidency, swine flu.

That is funny, no matter how you feel about Obama. I don't know the original source of that joke, but I heard it from my 12-year-old nephew, Aaron.

Mamma Mia Fun!

I don't see chick flicks very often. I live with five boys, for one thing. And I find not all, but many chick flicks just cheesy, stupid, and/or degrading. However, my aunt called yesterday and asked if I would like to see a movie with her and my disabled cousin for my cousin's 23rd birthday. They were going to see Mamma Mia. Now this was not a movie I would have been inclined to watch of my own volition. The plot didn't really appeal to me, nor was I drawn by the Abba songs, (although they can be pretty catchy). But since I was invited, and since it appeared to be a fairly safe, if very chicky flick, I agreed.

It was fun! I found myself wanting to sing and dance and let my hair down a bit. Jeff can vouch that this is NOT my normal state. I don't dance and I am not a let-my-hair-down type of person. My inner child is buried pretty deep. But there are times when I think being too stiff is a weakness of mine, times when I wish I was a little less serious, a little more fun-loving, a little more yellow and a little less blue (if you're familiar with the pop psychology color code stuff). I know life can't always be a song and dance, but this movie made me want to try to enjoy life a little more. As I watched the characters--particularly Donna, played by Meryl Streep--kicking up their heels and having fun, I got a rare taste/reminder of a kind of joy that I need more of in my life. Pierce Brosnan should probably never try to sing or dance in public again--his inner child must be buried deep too--but I loved Meryl Streep's performance. Be warned that there was some suggestive sexual innuendo-type stuff and less-than-moral messages in this movie--not stuff I appreciate or take lightly. But I was grateful for the messages that spoke to me and my inner child, the one who really does like to sing and dance and have some fun!