A Total Pick Me Up

Haven't I sounded like a grouchy bear lately? I've cooled down quite a bit from yesterday, and while I am not completely ready to trust certain people again, I am more ready to extend some grace. Thank heavens - literally - for Godly co-workers and friends (you know who you are!) who point me to the Light.

So, today was Thanksgiving Feast Day at preschool. It's always the same...the little Indian and pilgrim mini-costumes, the loaded table of stuffing and turkey and veggies, the traditional (think First Thanksgiving) table of cupcakes and cookies and other assorted desserts. Sadly, I am still feeling nauseated from the whack virus I've been battling this week, so I did not partake of the spread. Seeing my little pilgrim was all I needed.

This is after he ate his "feast". The hat is cock-eyed and the bib (?) is stained, torn, and miscolored. A sign of a good meal, right?
That cheezy grin on his face is the best. That is so Michael. And isn't he my little clone? I love that.

Feeling Stabbed...

...in the back. By someone I trusted (no, no, not my sweet Alan). Praying for peace. Praying for a forgiving spirit. But at this point, really, really wanting to do some smack down.

Thank goodness my hot-headedness cools down with a new day. Otherwise you would have seen me on COPS a long time ago.

No longer thinking I have strep. Glad it's Thursday with no work tomorrow. Enjoying my sweet, loving little boys. So, so thankful for a kind, loving, gracious husband. Thankful for good friends. Thankful that difficult situations are opportunities for growth.

Because It's Been That Kind of Day

As in, the kind of day that starts out rainy but then thinks about getting sunny and warm, but then says, "no, it's November, it's supposed to be cool and windy. With big, wild-looking storm clouds." And for the record, it's also the day that the husband disappears for seven hours to play paintball with some friends (although, he just said, "you truly are the sweetest wife today," so he does get some suck-up points...question: aren't I 'truly the sweetest wife' every day?? don't answer that). And it's also the day where I cooked waffles and I (we) cleaned up the garage and I ironed five bajillion articles of clothing and one bedskirt and fixed lunch and wrapped a present and GOT HOOKED ON FACEBOOK and took Matthew to a birthday party and took Michael to Sams and Michaels (ha! Michael at Michaels!) and Food Lion and picked up Matthew and cleaned up the house and was sucked back onto FACEBOOK and got boys to clean up their rooms and bathed boys and read some "Magic Treehouse" book to boys. So, when it comes to dinner, Pooped Julie needs some Comfort Food. Which is usually code in our house for McDonald's, but not tonight.

My sis-in-law Shannon (hi Shannon!) recently told me about this supper exchange club that she belongs to. I think there are 12 ladies involved, and each lady receives a recipe from the "coordinator" and then cooks it (and freezes it) 12 times. And then they hook up and exchange meals. This is such a great idea. Not sure that I'm ready to commit to cooking 72 porkchops like Shannon was today, but I am definitely willing to receive the recipes and try them on my own. Tonight's menu selection from the list she sent was Chicken Pie. And, I have to say (because I can't seem to stop running on and on here), that I am a bit picky about my Chicken Pie. Really, the Bisquick crust and canned chicken and canned/frozen mixed veggies do not make the true Chicken Pie for me. Fortunately, I am here to save you, too, from the typical Chicken Pie of Doom and bring to you to the realm of the Enlightened Chicken Pie. My official new name. For this Chicken Pie. Which Alan said was "a keeper". But maybe he just meant me.

Enlightened Chicken Pie
Prep time: 30ish minutes
Cook time: 1.5 hours ??
Makes about six or so servings

• four bone-in chicken breasts or thighs (I'm a dark meat girl!)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup chicken broth (you'll get this while cooking the chicken)
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup milk
• 2 deep dish pie crusts (which I bought - did you listen to my day??)
• optional: a cup of cooked fresh carrots and a cup of frozen peas

Cook the chicken in salted (only I didn't) water for 40 minutes. Cool slightly, pull chicken off bone, and cube. In large skillet over medium heat, combine flour, salt, pepper, and melted butter. Stirring constantly, slowly add milk, cooking until thick. Repeat with chicken broth. Remove from heat and add cubed chicken to thickened broth (along with veggies). Pour into pie crust, top with pie crust, and cut slits in the top. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

Infestation

Well, maybe not quite an infestation, but there's always the potential for that in our house. Over the past week or so, we've noticed several (let's count here: about nine) ladybugs that have come to our house to spend the winter. You know, they're kind of cute singly. But when they start clumping up...well...there's something a little creepy about that.

Here's what I'm learning about this situation:

Where do ladybugs go in winter? Normal ladybugs would shelter in leaf litter or a similar snug place. But Asian lady beetles are different. They mass up and spend the winter in huge groups. They like to shelter in caves set into cliffs. What's the next best thing? Your house...Worst of all, once indoors, many will die there. And it gets worse. The dead lady beetle bodies are then an open invitation (food source) for carpet beetles and the like to invade your home, too. On the bright side, they don't really bite or chew up your furniture or anything vicious like that. They just want to shelter quietly and not freeze to death.

Ummm...they might be spending the winter inside my wonderful Dyson (remember D-Dawg??) soon.

Headache Haiku

Pain through my right eye

Magnesium fails me now?

Four days of migraine

Grumble

Election shmelection. Yes, history making and all that. I'm just glad the ads and the signs and the doggone political telephone calls have come to an end.

And, oh my. This return to Standard time is whipping the whole family. Is it just us? We all go through some weirdo extreme exhaustion at either spring or fall time change.

I'm going to have a hard time staying up for "America's Next Top Model" tonight. Best hour of TV all week. Give me the shallow and vapid after all the hard hitting political campaigning of the last month. Give me your crazy, "smile-with-your-eyes" Tyra after working with the richie kids with occasional attitude all day. Give me your android Mr. Jay and gender-confused Miss J and hot but pervy Nigel and regular and normal and fun Paulina after spending the evening wiping the runny noses of and disciplining my own tots.

Well, all that and some Cheez Doodles would be great. Is that too much to ask?

Earning His Keep

Well, while Michael went back to school today, Matthew is still on Fall Break. We came home from the beach last night, and the house was dirty and there was so much laundry to do. And I'm thinking, "what am I going to do with an active little boy all morning while I'm working to get the house clean and put us back together without him being completely underfoot?" Well, duh. He's six and pretty responsible. So, he worked at Julie's Labor Camp this morning. And loved every minute of it. One of my parenting goals is that my sons will be able to contribute to household chores (or totally do them) when they are adults. So, today was Day One of Matthew's Household Chores Boot Camp.

I thought I would need to go back behind his vacuuming to get the places that he missed, but let me tell you...this kid can vacuum! He was whipping that cord around to get it out of his way and zipping all around the floors. He vacuumed the whole upstairs and the master bedroom before I had mercy on him.
Then, he asked to sweep the front porch and deck. He loves to sweep - he does this now and then anyway. And we have leaves galore after being gone all weekend.
We worked a bit this summer on learning about laundry. He's not tall enough to reach the dials, but he is fantastic at sorting clothes into light and dark piles, putting the clothes in the washing machine, and then pushing them into the dryer when it's time. Again, I know his future wife will appreciate this skill!

His room was already pretty neat because he and Michael and I straightened up their rooms before we went out of town. But I set him to work dusting both of their rooms. Umm. Since they have been born and lived in those bedrooms, I have probably dusted in both of their rooms ten times total. Should I even admit that? So, having Matthew work on dusting their rooms today was especially important. Because now I don't have to add to that ten times - I am graciously handing that job over to him.

So, yes. I wasn't totally laying on my couch eating bon bons - you know, like I usually do. HA! I was tackling the heavier cleaning projects that Matthew isn't quite ready for. And that involve bleach. But, kind and loving mother that I am, I did let him scrub the toilet after I wiped it down.

And while I thought it would longer to get our chores done - but with the thought that it would keep him busy - it actually did save me time, because my boy is just that good at cleaning! The best/funniest part of the whole morning was what he said to me while we were driving to pick up Michael from preschool: "Hey Mama. You know the cleaning we did this morning [like I'm going to forget]? That was ggggrrrr-eat!" I'm sure this attitude will continue into the teen years, right?