Dish It Up - - -

This was MY Thanksgiving plate.

Well - - - it was my FIRST plate. After I ate all this, I did get seconds on turkey, potatoes, noodles, and gravy.

Oink. Oink.

(I wasn't going to post it, but was inspired by similar pictures on two other blogs.)

Looking In the Blog Mirror - - -

And finding Keetha.



Only, the face staring back at me wasn't mine. This is quite a weird experience, and one which we "Keethas" seldom have.

Anon and Deb, I think you especially will enjoy her humor. She just made a "kitchen gadget" post which is very Deb-esque!!!

Sorry, I am link-challenged, so you'll have to find "Kudzu Keetha" the good old fashioned copy and paste way!!

http://writekudzu.blogspot.com/

p.s. - - - anyone out there know what kudzu is? :-)

(Yes - - - I know what it is, I lived in the south for 12 years, remember!?!)

Eating - - -

The coffee table crowd.


Joe and Jeff


Misti and Johnna


Mackinley, Keri, Mom, and Dad.


Mom, Dad, and sister Pam.

Getting Ready - - -

To be thankful. (Hehehehehe)

Family's coming!!! Gotta spiff the place up!!!

While I was cooking, sorting, rehanging curtains, and cleaning bathrooms, here's what Greg was doing!!! What a helpful hubby!!!

Mr. Turkey's Culinary Adventure

6:20 a.m. Simmering onion and celery in butter. (YUM!! This step smells delicious!!)


6:38 a.m. Stir some bread cubes and spices into the aromatic vegetables.


6:45 a.m. Toss the stuffing in a bowl.


6:55 a.m. Mr. Turkey is stuffed to his gills.


6:58 a.m. Going into the oven wearing his very stylish aluminum coat.

Transformation Complete - - -

12:30 p.m. Out of the oven, waiting to be carved.

Saga of the PB

Once upon a time, long long ago in a kingdom far far away there lived an overworked, under appreciated, worn out, little waif of a woman. She was in this sad condition from working her fingers to the bone, night and day, day and night, teaching other people's children in a small one room school house, to which she walked in all kinds of weather, up hill both ways, day after long endless day.

One particular year when Thanksgiving rolled around, this poor, sad, worn out, waif of a woman decided to take an eency, weencey, tiny little short cut and BUY pumpkin roll instead of slaving over a hot oven, late into the night, using up her last ounce of energy, just to bake her own homemade pumpkin bread for her family.

But alas, her family members when confronted with the impostor pumpkin roll, openly revolted. They emphatically stated that the unfortunate heroine had given up on ALL her family traditions. They declared the impostor roll unfit to eat. Further, they threatened to never return again to celebrate the joyous occasion with their mother if she EVER tried that trick again.

She learned her lesson well.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Thumbs Up!!!

For the Colt's victory!!!


It wasn't pretty, but it WAS a win!!! Colts 13, Chiefs 10.

Notice, my sweatshirt IS Colts blue, my wall ISN'T. ;-)

I HATE This Job - - -

So usually I procrastinate.

Tonight I was determined to face it ON payday.

Sorting.


Writing


Still writing!!!


Waiting to be mailed and/or delivered. Whew!!!!

Now we get to do it all over again in two weeks.

What a Day for Big Ten Football!!!

Hip Hip Hooray!!!


First, after three HUGE Big Ten losses, the last being to the Buckeyes, my "Get no respect from the pundits" Badgers finally pulled off a big time win today in the battle of the muscadines - - - Badgers vs Wolverines.

Final Score: 37 - 21

Second, and a FAR bigger upset, Illinois knocked off #1 Ohio State in a close, down to the wire, nail biter,
28 - 21. I've known since last year that Illinois was a "record spoiler" in the making.

Next weekend it will be MI meeting OSU for the Big Ten title - - - now EACH has one Big Ten loss.

Isn't college football wunerful!?!

Like I said - - - a good football weekend beats a bad football weekend which beats a no football weekend!!! For me this was a GOOD one.

Parent Teacher Conferences

After two days and 70 conferences, this is about how I looked - - -


My co-worker and friend, Vickie, made a post about the pranks they pulled on me yesterday, the second afternoon of conferences.

Check it out at http://vickie-vickiesblog.blogspot.com/ (Sorry, I'm links challenged.) Be sure to read the comments too - - - - they make it funnier.

There's a Nip in the Air - - -

Turned my Hoosier heart toward:

Chicken and noodles over mashed potatoes. (Courtesy of Bob Evans)

"MASHED POTATOES!?!?" you say?

I say, "You aren't a Hoosier!!!" This is Indiana's STATE food.

So It Was a Bad Football Weekend - - -

Both "my" teams lost - - - the Badgers and the Colts.

BUT - - - a BAD football weekend still beats a NO football weekend!!!

;-)

Grieving

The Colt's lost (by 4 points) to the Patriots tonight.

Anybody wanna start a support group?

Stoned

WARNING WARNING WARNING

If you don't want to see kidney stones, skip this post.

If you have a morbid medical curiosity, then scroll down.



As already reported in previous posts, Greg had three kidney stones surgically removed this past week.


Here's the photo evidence:



The coin on the left is a quarter, the one on the right a penny. (They were never in Greg's kidney!!!)

The large stone between the coins is the largest of the three that were just surgically removed. All the others are ones he passed on his own in previous times.

When he says he's had a rocky life - - - he means it!!! ;-)

We're Home

The doctor came in to remove the last of the "tubes" around six this evening and let me take Greg home.

We got here by 8:30.

Now I'll say nitey-nite since I have to go to school tomorrow!!!

(I'll post a picture of the stone later - - - if you want to see it, look. If you don't want to see it, skip that post!!!)

Morning Adventure - - -

I'm posting this from a hotel computer in Indy where I have spent the last two nights to be here with Greg while he went through a surgical procedure to remove three large kidney stones. (See my chat box for a brief report about that)

This morning, LONG before sunrise, the fire alarm went off LOUDLY and OBNOXIOUSLY in my hotel room. No, not JUST in MY hotel room, in the entire hotel.

"Hmmmmm," I wondered to myself, "is this for real or can I stay in bed?"

I heard no frantic footsteps treading past my door. There was no verbal command to exit the building. So, I phoned the front desk and they told me it wasn't a real alarm, and that I didn't have to worry about it yet.

Now an INTELLIGENT person probably would have gotten up and gotten dressed and packed at that point in time - - just to be PREPARED.

I never said I was intelligent, I went back to bed and continued watching ESPN and the Colts/Patriots game hype.

About fifteen to twenty minutes later, the same ear splitting alarm went off. THIS time very shortly accompanied by a knock on the door and a voice commanding me to evacuate the building.

OK - - - what to take in a hurry? Well, first I pulled on one heavy sweat jacket (it's in the 30's here this morning) and grabbed a Colts hoodie just in case. Then I stuck my feet in some socks and shoes and grabbed my purse and my school bag which contains my gradebook (very important) and headed for the stairway.

Out in front of the hotel I met up with all the other evacuees and a zillion emergency vehicles with lights flashing - - - including one very red fire truck.

Fortunately, by the time they made us evacuate, the "emergency" was nearly over and I got to return to my warm cozy room before I even needed the hoodie.

And just what was said emergency? Someone turned the heater on in their room for the first time this fall and the dust on the coils triggered the fire alarm system.

Ahhhhhhh - - - for more exciting mornings like this!!!