"When I took a tadpole puddle home, I realized just how much things can change overnight!"
Zoe Lewis, from the fantastic CD "Small is Tremendous"

If you ever have a chance to hear Zoe Lewis, run don't walk. She is remarkable, quirky, a poet, a storyteller, a comedian, an extraordinary musician and she has a strong dose of wanderlust that she pursues with a passion. Here's a link to her website, where you can read more and hear one of her songs:

http://www.zoelewis.com/

Remember, small is tremendous!

WhatNots

These WhatNots sit on top of the corner bookshelf in my "College in the Closet". Where did the word "WhatNot" come from? Is it even in the dictionary? A little history on my WhatNots, left to right and back around:

Swan... holding my burdens and annointed with lavender
Tiny bottle of bubbles...I keep them on hand for celebrations
Angel...a gift from the heart of someone special
Gold Treasure Box...made by my youngest daughter and it holds more WhatNots
Red Candle...given by a friend
Red & Pink Stone...given by a friend
Stamp...with Mother Teresa's words, "Every act of Love is a work of Peace..No matter how small!"

P.S. According to Webster,
Whatnot: 1)a nondescript or indescribable thing or, sometimes person
How would you like to be called a "Whatnot"?
2)a set of open shelves, as for bric-a-brac
OH DEAR, now I must go look up....
Bric-a-brac: 1)small, rare, or artistic objects placed about a room
2)knickknacks
OH DEAR, now I must go look up...
Knickknacks: A small ornamental article or contrivance: gimcrack
OH DEAR, what is a "Gimcrack"?
Gimcrack: An ornament, showy but cheap or useless
Well, Well, I hope you learned as much as I did on this little rabbit trail!
Technically the Title of this post should be "Bric-a-Brac on a Whatnot" but I think I'll leave it at WhatNots and call it a night!

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

I stole this from Ampersand's blog. She finds the coolest stuff!

Ampersand suggested we all do a "13 Guilty Pleasures" list and since I'd feel guilty if I didn't take her up on the offer, well here we go!

1)Staying in my robe until lunch.

2)Reveling in the knowledge that it is spring break and I don't have to do any grading of papers or runnings kids to classes and yet, dh doesn't get a spring break from work.

3)Hitting the send button at amazon.com, all the while knowing I have 5-6 new books(from amazon.com) that I haven't had time to read yet.

4)Real butter.

5)Massages....I love them but the expense causes guilt afterward.

6)Staying up till 3 am, reading, knowing I'll be exhausted the next day but doing it anyway.

7)Weekend getaways ALONE, sans kids or husband.

8)Not going to church on Sunday, rather going down to the gazebo to meditate, journal, read, ponder and listen to the birds.

9)Taking classes: art, spiritual, writing, cooking

10)Weekend getaways with girlfriends

11)Keeping a fire going all day when it's really not that cold outside

12)Filet Mignon and Lobster

13)Buying Oprah magazines off the rack instead of subscribing

Susan

FRIDAY MISCELLANY

1)I'm going on a date tonight, with my hubby of almost 22 years. We are going to "Texas Roadhouse" for a good steak and excellent margarita. Afterward, we plan to take in a movie. Any suggestions?

2)Check out THIS DAY IN HISTORY to find a bit of trivia about a great poet and author that was born on January 19th. Rather tragic life.

3)The ice has finally melted, so I will be out and about today. I did enjoy the ice dusting and crunching for a few days. Here is a photo from our backyard to prove that yes, we did have ice in Texas. Do you know the difference between an "ice spike" and an "icicle"?

4)Thought for the day, paraphrased from the book "Welcome To Your Crises".
Mourn your loss but also celebrate the doorways loss opens for you....you liberate your latent self by doing so.

5)TGIF!!!!!!!!!! Do something fantastically fun today and then tell us about it!

ADIOS AMIGOS!

Getting To Know You!

1)If you could travel anywhere, where would you like to go?
2)If you were sure you could not fail, what would you attempt to do?
3)If you had one month to live, how would you choose to spend your time?

If I could travel anywhere, I would visit England, Ireland and Scotland. Those three count as one place to go. ha! I'm part Scotch, English, German and French so I could see two of my native lands with this one trip. Practical,eh?

If I was sure I could not fail, I would write a best seller or hike the Appalachian Trail from end to end.

If I had a month to live, I would spend it with those I love the most. Plus, I'd eat lobster three times a day!

How about you?

Susan

FRIDAY MISCELLANY

1)Did you know that a CORD of wood measures 4 ft. x 4 ft. x 8 ft? You country types probably know this. We are having a cord of wood dropped off in our driveway and I do mean "dropped" off. There will be chunks of wood all over the driveway. As we have done, for the past several years, the family will carry wood in antlike fashion from the driveway to the far corner of the backyard, where we will stack the cord of wood into a large rectangle...4 ft. x 4ft. x 8ft. I understand it will be raining this afternoon, which will add to the moving adventure. I think maybe I'll be cooking up some grub while the others move the firewood. They will be hungry when the project is completed.

2)Have you heard of Altered Books? My eldest daughters made one in their college collage class this year. They are the newest rage and quite unique.

3)MOVEON.org is a good place to look for rallys and other activities aimed at getting us out of Iraq or at least letting the powers to be know that some of us want to get out of Iraq asap. There was a rally last night, 30 miles from my home, but I had a prior comittment. I hope to make the next one.

4)I might as well share a recipe that would be good for Super Bowl, or anytime for that matter.

HOT BEAN DIP
1 can(16oz) refried beans
8 oz. cream cheese
4 oz. montery jack with jalapeno, grated
4 oz sharp cheddar, grated
8 oz. sour cream
1/2 taco seasoning packet
20 drops hot sauce
Mix softened cream cheese and sour cream. Add 4 oz of both cheeses in and save the rest for the top. Add beans and spices. Pour into buttered dish and sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or till hot. Serve with chips. It's also good in flour tortillas with slices of avocadoe.

5) "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Lao-tzu
This is a favorite quote of mine that inspires when the task seems daunting. How about sharing a quote that inspires you?

Susan

How Many People Have YOUR Name?

HowManyOfMe.com

There are: 5 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

If you REALLY knew me....

Have you heard of the "If you REALLY knew me" game? I played it last night,
with a couple of good friends.

OK, I'll start with 3 "REALLY knew me" statements, to give you an idea of the game.

1)"If you REALLY knew me, you would know I love to ride horses but haven't in years."
2)"If you REALLY knew me, you would know I get angry when someone is mistreated or belitted."
3)"If you REALLY knew me, you would know I could eat lobster 3 times a day".

So, let's play the "If you REALLY knew me" game. Tell me at least one(but you can tell more)thing about yourself that if I REALLY knew you, I would know!

TGIF!

Susan

FRIDAY MISCELLANY

1)Cats do not like you to touch their ears but they do like to have the area between their ears scratched. Be very careful.

2)KUDOS to my friend Sheila, who has an ART SHOW coming up in January. Sheila picked her paintbrushes back up 3 years ago, after a very loooooong hiatus, and she has painted like gang busters ever since then. I am very proud of her!!

3)Have you heard of Julian Beevers? Check out his sidewalk art here:
http://users.skynet.be/J.Beever/pave.htm

4)"Earthsongs" by Secret Garden is one gorgeous CD. ahhh, every song is balm for the soul!

5)Are you ready to cook your cabbage for money, your black eyed peas for luck and your cornbread because it tastes good? Come New Year's Day, all good southern women will be in their kitchens cooking this simple fare. The cabbage was running low at the grocery store today, so y'all best get out and secure those provisions.

6)

You Are a Gingerbread House

A little spicy and a little sweet, anyone would like to be lost in the woods with you.

What Holiday Food Are You?

7)#6 is a sure sign that I'm running out of "Miscellany" to share. Thinking, thinking, oh yes, did you know that declawing a cat is horribly painful? I stumbled across an anti-declawing website and learned more than I ever wanted to know about the procedure. Don't do it to your poor kitty even though she may scratch you if you touch her ears.

8)Tommorrow morning I'm making Texas Toast and Brown Sugar Peppered Bacon for the kids(and me) JUST BECAUSE it's Friday!

9)I love to analyze dreams and last night I had a doozy of a dream. The main characters were me, a monkey in labor, a scientist, a zoo, a college, my house, my youngest daughter and an airport. I looked up the dream meanings of these characters and considered what is currently happening in my life and pondered the fact that I ate hot sauce before going to bed and arrived at the meaning of the dream. What do you think it is?

10)TGIF!!! Do something fun!

Susan

5 Things You Didn't Know About Me!

Ampersand tagged me to play this little game, so let's see if I can think of five things you don't know.

ONE-I once swam within about a foot, of a a school of pirannha, or was it barracuda? It's been 30 years. Hmmm, I was off the shores of Cozumel and snorkeling. My girlfriend and I looked at each other with eyes the size of saucers and put it in high gear.

TWO-My claim to fame in high school was being elected Homecoming Queen 3 years in a row.

THREE-I have a business degree from the University of Texas, major in management. Hook Em Horns! I used my degree for seven years, working in Personnel, then quit when I had my first bambino almost 21 years ago. I've been a mom and homeschool teacher since then.

FOUR-I'm actually an introvert, who works really hard(or used to) at being more extroverted.

FIVE-I have a fascination with resistance movements, underground Railroad, really any kind of resistance group. Some of my favorite movies are "The Diary of Anne Frank", "Schindler's List", "The Hiding Place, any movie where people are hid and then moved to safety. I've always wanted a secret hiding place in my house.

Now, I'll tag Matt, Colleen and Sandie!

Susan

FRIDAY MISCELLANY

1)"Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you will help them become what they are capable of becoming." - Goethe

2)John is suppossed to fly out of Denver today! WOOHOO Thank you McLane Company!

3)A forum I have frequented daily for 7 years is dying. It's a painful, messy, heartbreaking death. And yet, I do think the proverbial door may be opening, even as this one closes.

4)People change you.

5)Being called "New Age" isn't the worst thing that can happen to a person. In fact, it's rather freeing.

6)It's 38 degrees here...it's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas! We may even have snow flurries Christmas Day. This is a rare,rare occurrence in Texas.

7)I am going to leave the outside Christmas lights on all day.

8)Friday is my favorite day of the week.

9)50 still feels good...7 days later.

10)I am blessed beyone measure. Blessed to have a warm cozy home, blessed to have a loving husband and four children, blessed to have friends that love me and I love in return, blessed to have a precious Sheltie dog and Calico cat, blessed to have plenty of money to take care of my needs and the needs of a few others, blessed to have all my senses to experience this beautiful Friday!

Susan

A Little Fluff

You Are Apple Green

You are almost super-humanly upbeat. You have a very positive energy that surrounds you. And while you are happy go lucky, you're also charmingly assertive. You get what you want, even if you have to persuade those against you to see things your way. Reflective and thoughtful, you know yourself well - and you know that you want out of life.

What Color Green Are You?

I DO WONDER about people who make up these crazy quizzes. I REALLY DO WONDER about people who take these crazy quizzes. I REALLY REALLY DO WONDER about people who put these crazy quizzes up on their blog.

Susan

Now this is interesting....

You Belong in Amsterdam

A little old fashioned, a little modern - you're the best of both worlds. And so is Amsterdam. Whether you want to be a squatter graffiti artist or a great novelist, Amsterdam has all that you want in Europe (in one small city).

What European City Do You Belong In?

AdSense Anyone?

I just read the "Adsense" pitch on blogger and it sounds like an easy way to make money. However, little alarms are going off, because anything THAT easy usually has a catch. If anyone is using this feature, I would appreciate hearing from you about the pros and cons.

Thanks,
Susan

A Few of My Favorite Holidaze Things!

Christmas tree lights twinkling in a dim room, they seem to say "all is well with the world".

Cooking up a big batch of Texas Trash and then housing it in Christmas tins.

Buying as many gifts as possible online!

Wrapping gifts.

Annual trip to the Hallmark shop to buy the kiddo's Christmas ornament.

Fires in the fireplace as often as possible.

Christmas Eve with extended family and smiling at all the traditions we have formed over the years and continue to this day.

School break!

Reading books by the fire.

Christmas lunches with friends that I don't see very often.

Candles

Colder weather! Not always gauranteed but when it comes, thoroughly enjoyed.

My birthday and this year I'm turning 50, so it's extra special.

How about you, my dear readers, all five of you that know about this blog. ;-)
What are your favorite holidaze activities?

Susan

I am having trouble with this blog....

since I innocently joined the new and improved Blogger thingie which required me to register with google. I am so thoroughly confused. Whenever I go to post at someone's blog spot with my old name and password, I get told to enter the updated password, which I do but then I usually forget to copy my reponse and it's lost.
Other odd things are happening too. I would like to figure out how this new and improved system is new and improved.

Frustratingly,
Susan