Exceedingly Mundane

For the last several months, we’ve been collecting “coupons” from the back of certain Kellogg’s cereal boxes. They are running a promotion for free DVD’s. Granted, they are not the best DVD’s in the world, but we love movies, and I love anything that is free! Plus, we eat a ton of cereal and the majority of it is made by Kellogg’s. So, collecting the coupons from the boxes is a nobrainer for us.

We have enough collected now to get at least 2 DVD’s, and we’re working on a 3rd one. I noticed in the grocery store last week that there is a new promotion on some of the boxes – they have new movie collections. So yeah, we’ll get even more. 😆 I finally sat down last week and did the paperwork and ordered the first two movies (Jumpin Jack Flash and Dr. Doolittle, unless they’re out of those already. If that’s the case, there’s no telling what we’ll get!) I think we may be one “coupon” short of a third one, not sure. I am ready to start collecting the coupons for the new promotion – they are offering “Romancing the Stone” and I always liked that movie!

Here’s what the cereal box looks like:

And some of our collected coupons (I took this picture a few weeks ago, and we have even more since then, we eat a lot of cereal!):

I took a few pictures yesterday and today of things blooming and growing, and also one of a little chickadee eating from the suet feeder.

If you’re interested in things like that, click on the extended entry to check out all of the pictures 🙂

Disclaimer: Lest you get the wrong impression and think I have a green thumb or something, please let me state the obvious. I’m only taking pictures of the things that have actually lived and are blooming. I won’t be posting pictures of all the plants and flowers that I have killed or that are dying. I know I should, to be fair, but I won’t. 😆

Petunias in a hanging basket I planted:

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I finished another book over the long holiday weekend, “The Blue Bottle Club” by Penelope J. Stokes. I had read one other book by the same author, and I think I liked this one better. It was a story along the same line, a group of 4 friends, and you meet them later in life and look back at their lives, loves, and relationships. But this one had a stronger Christian undertone to it, and the path that your life takes based on God’s plans for you. I really liked it and would recommend it as a good read. 🙂

For the record, this makes #31 for the year, with a total of 11,255 pages read. Up next to read is another book that Gail has read and recommended, “The Princess” by Lori Wick. This will be my first book by Lori Wick, so we’ll see how I like it. She’s a very prolific writer, so if I like her writing style, I’ll have a lot to choose from for future reading choices!

We were out of town and busy the whole long holiday weekend, so I missed a couple of favorite memes. Time to do some catch-up! 😆

From Sunday…

~Tastes of Summer~

By the Way…
Which do you prefer?

watermelon, canteloupe, or peaches? watermelon

snowcones, popsicles, or an ice cream cone? ice cream cone

ice tea, lemonade, or a soda? iced tea

grilled hot dogs, hamburgers, or chicken? hot dogs!

And from Monday… the Manic Monday Meme:

The Ever Edition

1. Have you ever listened in on a private conversation? Not intentionally

2. Have you ever purposely taken a walk in the rain? Absolutely!

3. Have you ever avoided doing something because of a superstition? Yup, afraid so. I prefer not to walk under ladders, go down a street where a black cat crossed, etc. Silly, I know, but true.

4. Have you ever been on the radio? Yes, many times. I have won lots of things on the radio over the years including food, concert tickets, CD’s, and most notably, 2 trips (one to the Bahamas when I was a teenager and one to Dallas for a concert a few years ago). I love winning stuff!

Well, today is the last day of our long 3-day holiday weekend. We just got back from Gail’s house. The guys played in the scramble yesterday and had a really good time. Their team had 7 players on it, and I think they came in 3rd or 4th, I’d have to double check with Tim or Don to get the exact results. Irregardless, they had a great time, then went to eat a steak dinner at the clubhouse afterwards. They were late getting in, so we decided to stay another night. Gail and I had kept busy reading, watching TV and playing dominoes till they got home. We all watched 2 movies – Big Momma’s House 2 and Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius (how fitting, a golf movie!). Tim and I slept late this morning while poor Don had to get up and head into work. They’re really busy with this hot, dry weather we’re having.

Tim and I are going to try to go to a matinee this afternoon, probably to see XMen 3. Not sure about the grilling, we may just pick up fast food. That’s still up in the air!

It’s been a really busy, really fun weekend. Makes me wish we had 3 day weekends every week!

It’s day two of the long Memorial Day weekend and we’re still at Gail’s house, and having a really good time. We got here yesterday and all had lunch together, then the guys went to play golf. Gail and I went shopping and got back right before my dad got here. We made a dessert –this one– and then made supper. The guys finally came back after 18 holes of golf and lots of sun. We had intended to watch a movie after supper, but everyone got to talking and telling stories and jokes, and we just never seemed to get around to putting the movie in. 🙄

Today, Tim and I went to Sunday School with Don and Gail, and then we all went to church. They had a really nice Memorial Day service, including having every family place flowers at a cross in front, in remembrance of all of the soldiers who had given their life in service to our country. We went to the local Chinese buffet for lunch afterwards, then the guys headed out to the golf du jour – a scramble at Don’s country club. Dad left for home about mid-afternoon.

And there you have it – a bona fide update. Not sure if we’re going to stay tonight or head home. It will depend on how tired the guys are from another full day of golf, and if we stay to watch a movie or play games, or Tim is tired enough to just want to go home and crash. Either way, I think we’re going to try to grill out tomorrow and maybe take in a movie, a matinee. I’ll try to report back later on that! 🙂

We’re going to be gone some on this long holiday weekend. Gail and Don have invited us up to their house, and we’re headed there this morning. Don and Tim are going to play golf on Saturday and Sunday, and Gail and I are going to hang out. 🙂

I’ll try to post something later from up there – hope everyone has a great Memorial Day weekend!

I made a new recipe last night, one that I found on Sweetnicks food blog. Cate has some great recipes, and this one was no exception. I’m always looking for recipes that make small amounts, and this one fit the bill – it’s just a small cake in a single layer, baked in an 8″ square pan. A very good size for the two of us.

I had found a container of “brown sugar cinnamon” Philadelphia cream cheese in the very back of the refrigerator the other day, and saw that it was about at its expiration date. So, I needed to use it, and this recipe fit perfectly. It’s very moist and flavorful and the icing is to die for – I could honestly just eat it with a spoon. 🙂

I posted the recipe on our family website here, and it’s also at Cate’s site – Sweetnicks. Here’s a picture I took this morning, after we semi-demolished it last night 😆

Friday, May 26, 2006
Feast Ninety-Five

Appetizer
How old were you when you got your first credit card? One all of my own? 21, right out of college. It’s still the one I use most today. There are a couple of other places that ahem, turned me down, for a credit card. Retail stores. Bad stores. 🙄

Soup
When was the last time you felt out of place? Well, this happens a lot. Not sure exactly, but one occasion that springs to mind is on Mother’s Day Sunday, in church, when they are singling out all the mothers. I hate that. I hate being reminded that I will never be a mother and I have this huge stigma that follows me wherever I go.

Salad
Did you have a curfew when you were a teenager? If so, what time did you have to be home? I think when I was first driving, it was probably more like 10 PM (very strict parents). Maybe by the time I was in college (but home on breaks), it was maybe more like midnight. I rarely, if ever, broke it. I was a good girl 😆

Main Course
Name a person from history with whom you feel you have something in common. Whew, this is a toughie. I thought briefly of wimping out, since I couldn’t come up with anything. I mean, it’s a great question, but let’s face it – people in history are noted for something – strength, fierceness, nobility of character, bravery, etc, and those are not traits I possess. 🙂 The only thing I could come up with is maybe Betsy Ross – not for sewing the flag, but because she was very patriotic. I think I’m very patriotic. 🙂

Dessert
When you read a newspaper, which section do you go for first? The front page, I start at the front and methodically work my way to the back, in order. Would you expect any less of a slightly obsessive-compulsive sort like me?!

I finished another book tonight, “Divine” by Karen Kingsbury. A very difficult book to read, but a very rewarding one, as well. “Divine” is a modern day parable of Mary Magdalene, and the 7 horrors she might face in today’s world. The subject matter, though not graphic, was difficult to read. It included sexual abuse of a child and of women, physical abuse, contemplations of suicide, and other difficult subject matter. All of it leading Mary to the one inevitable truth – that Jesus is the one who loves her, who has always has, who always will, and that He is the one who gave his life for her, so that she can be saved. God had a plan for Mary’s life, as he does for us all.

For the record, that makes #30 for the year, with a total of 10,913 pages read. I told Tim earlier, that I think I’m starting to read faster. I know I will have more time to read now (now that all of our TV shows are over for the season, with the finales of Lost and American Idol last night), but I think I really am reading faster. It’s the only way I can account for reading a book in just a couple of days. 🙂

Up next is “The Blue Bottle Club” by Penelope J. Stokes. Gail read it a couple of months ago, and recommended it to me. I wasn’t able to get this one right away at my library, so in the mean time, I checked out Circle of Grace by the same author and read it first. I also saw that my mother-in-law had the same book, “The Blue Bottle Club” at her house, and she was hoping to read it soon. Must be a good book!

::Last Day of School::

Onesome- Last: What’s the last thing you do each day before heading to bed? Do you sit down with a cup of herbal tea? Read a bit? What’s your evening routine? Do you settle in early or are you a night owl, winding down long after the rest of the household is in bed? After I’m finished with TV or a movie for the night, I go shut my computer down, then clean up (wash face, brush teeth, etc). I climb into bed and read for a while, until my eyes get heavy or bleary! 🙂

Twosome- Day: How do you start off your day? Do you stumble to the kitchen and turn on the coffee maker in a sleepy haze? Or do you wake up refreshed and rarin’ to go? Maybe somewhere in the middle? Well, it depends, we have an odd schedule. If it’s a “regular” day with Tim either going into the office or working from home, we usually get up and go walking (2 miles). Then we come back and eat breakfast, etc. If we don’t go walking, I usually get up and help get things ready for Tim, to head out to work, make the bed, etc. I guess I’m somewhere in the middle!

Threesome- of School: What’s your fondest school memory? Whether it be from childhood or college, let us know! I have fond memories of the being on the drill team in high school, and hanging out with friends in the dorm in college. Nothing really spectacular jumps out and comes to mind right now.

We planted a couple of day lily bushes a few years ago, and they bloomed really well the first year or two. The last couple of years, they haven’t done as well. I imagine I need to divide them or separate them or something, but I just never seem to get around to it. This year, when we redid one of the flower beds, Tim moved one of the daylillies and it is really struggling just to stay alive. Of the three that are remaining in their original spot, only one of them is getting buds and acting like it is going to bloom. Oh well, you can’t win em all!

Yesterday, I noticed that the one that is doing well had a lot of buds on it, and I took a picture, with the intention of blogging about “waiting on a bloom”. Obviously, I never got around to making that post 🙄 So, here’s yesterday’s picture, buds waiting to open:

And this morning, I was greeted with this, my first bloom of the season:

There, a flower picture for the day 🙂

It’s going to be downright hot here today – hope everyone else has a bright, happy, sunshine-y kind of day

I finished another library book last night (in a record 2 days!), “Miss Julia Hits the Road” by Ann B. Ross. I’ve read several of these books (I think this is the 4th one, out of maybe 7 or 8 she has written) and plan to read them all. Miss Julia is a great character, a very straight-laced genteel Southern widow, and she has all sorts of interesting and funny escapades that happen to her. Case in point – in this book, she ends up having to ride a motorcycle. In her dress, because she refuses to wear “britches”, because don’t you know, proper Southern women don’t do that 🙂 Another really light, but charming and funny book. They are always very quick reads for me, and a nice diversion from “heavier” topics.

For the record, that makes #29 so far this year, with a total of 10,562 pages read. I do believe I’m easily going to top my goals from last year (30, then later 35 books). I might have to really aim high this year, and try to read a much bigger number. 😀

Up next, I’m going to start a new book by Karen Kingsbury called “Divine”. This is her newest book, I believe, and I was so happy to see it available at one of my local library branches. I just looked, and it just came out in hardback in March 2006, so it is new. It’s going to be a bit “heavier” I think. I skimmed the author’s foreword and found this:

“Divine is a modern-day parable of Mary Magdalene. I have taken liberties – as a novelist must do – in finding seven demons or horrors that a person like Mary Magdalene might’ve been rescued from. In Divine, Mary Madison suffers all types of abuse, among other horrors. There are sections of this book that – though not graphic – will be difficult to read, sections that will put knots in your stomach for what this modern-day Mary suffers.”

Whew, going to be a bit heavier than what I’ve read recently, but hopefully good. I do enjoy her books. 🙂

I have blogged a couple of times lately about food products that we have bought, tried and liked. Among them, the Wheat Thins Veggie Chips, the Skinny Cow Vanilla Ice Cream Cones and the Lipton Green Tea Citrus tea drinks. We really like all those, and I will buy them again and again.

However, my streak has come to an end. This is one product I will not make the mistake of buying again:

This looked really good – I like rice, especially the flavored ones, you microwave it for only 90 seconds, right in the package, so it’s quick, easy and no clean-up. Well, it is also awful. Gooey and clumpy and not much flavor and just generally bad. I won’t be buying this again. I’ll go back to doing rice in a pan on the top of the stove.

Just my .02 🙂

Here’s a couple of new acquisitions we picked up over the weekend…

For Tim, a new chipping net:

If you’ll notice in the picture, there’s a white blur on the top right, I think the golf ball glanced off the rim on this particular shot! You can see in the background what he was using, an old flower pot planter. I used to have several terra cotta pots in the back for repotting in the spring (I stored them back there in the winter). They are all gone – they’ve been broken by various and sundry golf balls. 🙄

For Stacy, a new bird bath hanging from a shepherd’s hook: