They're Here!

Rebecca and her little family got in Sunday about 10 PM to Josh's parents. What a joy to meet Annabelle and reacquaint with Caleb! Bec and Josh said the babies traveled well, although Dad and Mom didn't get much sleep. Caleb was shy for about, oh, 17 seconds, then he seemed to recoognize almost everyone. Thank goodness for Skype!

Uncle Dan holding his first niece.

Elizabeth with her brand-new husband, Paul.

"Auntie Bet" (Aunt Yvette)

Proud Grandma Lucy, holding a happy Annabelle.

Yvette brought El Pollo Loco over for Rebecca and Josh.
Rebecca wasted no time indulging!



Caleb ate some cheese and then Mommy said he could have one of Gram's cookies!
He enjoyed every bite, even sharing some with his baby sister by way of a kiss...



I know the time will go speeding by, but we will enjoy
EVERY MINUTE
we spend with our loved ones...

"Home for the Holidays!"

That has a whole new meaning now.

Do ANYone really use these?

When you buy a good quality sweater, blouse or pair of pants, they always give you an extra button in case you lose one. I've NEVER used one of these.

What are you supposed to do with them? Label them? File them?

I have a jar of them in the laundry room. They're going into the trash can tonight.

Balance!

While it is fun to have a laugh (see Ugly Christmas Sweater post), and be merry, it is also good to remember those who aren't even CLOSE to being as fortunate as we are. Here is a link to our friend's blog. He and his fiance are doing amazing things with the poorest of the poor in Haiti.

Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest

I DARE you to find one uglier!

Jessica is hosting a contest... the more the MERRIER!

Bring 'em on.

(I was going to photoshop my face into the picture, but I have my limits.)

Comfort Foods

Thanksgiving is NOT the time to be counting calories unless you have taken "higher math"! Potatoes, gravy, yams, dressing, rolls, corn, cranberries, pies... all those yummy foods teeming with carbs. Traditional meals are sometimes called Comfort Foods. I don't know why they are called that; I am always left with an uncomfortably full tummy after Thanksgiving!

Here is a new recipe for an old Comfort Food. We'd never had it until last night at a church dinner, but we loved it! It's an old Betty Crocker classic.

"Scalloped Corn" - 4 servings

1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen whole kernel corn; cooked and drained (or 16 oz. can whole kernel corn; drained)
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green and red pepper
2 tbsp. butter or margarine
2 tbsp. flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. dry mustard
Dash pepper
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 egg; slightly beaten
1/3 cup cracker crumbs
1 tbsp. butter or margarine; melted

Heat oven to 350* Cook and stir onion and green pepper in 2 tbsp. butter until onion is tender. Remove from heat; stir in flour and seasonings. Cook over low heat, stirring until mixture is bubbly. Remove from heat; gradually stir in milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly; boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in sour cream, corn and egg; pour into ungreased 1-quart casserole.

Combine cracker crumbs and the 1 tbsp. melted butter; sprinkle evenly over corn mixture. Bake uncovered 30-35 minutes.

"Betty Crocker's Cookbook" - 1974

Another Prayer for Obama

Although I am not Roman Catholic (anymore), I am greatly concerned when a man of the cloth is sanctioned by his superiors for instructing his flock to live by godly principles.

And, I must heartily add my own "AMEN" to his prayer (above).

Regarding the New President

A Prayer for the New President

and
A Gracious Commentary

Annabelle

Ain't she sweet?
Counting the days until we meet!

For Rebecca!

I don't know anyone who loves brownies more than Rebecca does. Personally, I like the centers of the brownies, with no crust, but for those that like the crunchy edges, here's a recommend!

I must also tip my chef cap to "Mrs. Dean", a friend whose brownies are renowned around the world thanks to Yvette's delivery of a sampling when she went to Singapore in October.

I can't wait to bake some brownies for Rebecca at Christmas time. Somehow, I think Caleb will appreciate that as well.

Which Way Will the Cookie Crumble?

Our local (favorite) bakery is offering two new decorated cookies through Tuesday. Do you want to guess which sell more often? Personally, I think one should have been lemon and the other full of nuts. ;-)

Haiti Charity Jewelry Auction

Recently our good friend Yvette visited Josh and Rebecca in Singapore. While there, they all went to Bali for a long weekend. Yvette brought back some fabulous hand-made jewelry. We have made these available on auction on our ebay store.

ALL proceeds from these pieces will be given to the HAITI CHRISTIAN HOSPITAL. Our young friend Dustin is helping there full-time and permanently. The people are the poorest of the poor, and have recently been further devastated by Hurricane Ike. They have been cut off from food and water, and are suffering malnutrition and disease as a result.

We invite you to look at these great pieces of jewelry and consider bidding on them. They would make lovely gifts, or personal items. We would consider it gracious if you would link to this blogspot!

Photo by Dustin V., full-time aid worker in Haiti

BFF

Debbie was in town for one day only, but it was wonderful to spend seven hours with my BFF. (I didn't know what that meant until last week...it's Best Friends Forever)

I'll always be grateful to my B.Bro (that's Bigger Brother to me) for giving me not only a great sister-in-law, but a BFF.

Thanks Dave!

A Princess' Logic

Yesterday, while working in San Anslemo, Shay and Charity stopped by with the kids. Samantha, aged just-turned-four, asked if we had brought our dog with us. I told her we hadn't, and that she would have to come and visit Olive.

She opened her sweet eyes wide and punctuated her words with her little hands waving,
"Gram, I really, REALLY, REALLY want to see your dog,
because I really, REALLY, REALLY don't have a dog."

Can't argue with that.

Happy Birthday Caleb!

I can 't believe you are already TWO YEARS OLD! And what a fine young boy you are.

Thanks for telling me your first joke tonight on Skype. Let me see if I can retell it right...

"Row, row, row your boat.. to the BUS stop!" (followed by the cutest giggle)

I love you SO much!

If My Faith is Fraudulent

I am taking a stand on personal things in my life right now that are very costly.

If my Lord Jesus Christ is just an historical figure and his dried bones heaped in a long-lost tomb somewhere in Israel, if the Scriptures that I have believed for 34 years are merely man's musings, if the cries of my heart are not heard from above, I am making painful sacrifices for a Lie.

Anyone who thinks being a Christian is like leaning on a crutch is mistaken. It is more like diving off a high cliff and trusting that you will be grasped before you hit the canyon bottom.

I am falling, once again, into His Everlasting Arms.

A Picture is Worth a 1,000 Words!

The Source of Traffic Laws

Have you ever grumbled while sitting at a l-o-n-g red light, watching a car two blocks down approach, going the other direction, and sail right through? ("Not fair!") ...I've done my share of complaining, and have thought about the reasoning behind traffic laws many times while waiting. I recently read the following short article in a favorite magazine of mine, Answers, and took the liberty of publishing it here. It succinctly presents the same conclusion I've come to...

It is impossible to pass a law that is free from moral implications. The real question is not whether man can legislate morality, but which system of morality will be legislated. All laws are either explicitly moral or procedures that uphold a moral concept. Even laws requiring traffic lights impose "morality". The purpose of traffic lights is to stop people from having accidents, thus protecting property and preserving life.

Even simple laws, like traffic lights, presuppose that:

a) order is good and chaos bad
b) property rights should be honored, and
c) life should be preserved

Each of these principles is rooted in the Genesis (Biblical) account of origins:

a) God the creator, who declared His work "very good" (Genesis 1:31), is not the author of confusion (I Corinthians 14:33)
b) He commanded man to bring order into creation by taking dominion over the earth, thus laying the foundation for property rights (Genesis 1:28), and
c) He established the sanctity of life as the first principle of lawful government (Genesis 9:5-6)

These are the unspoken moral assumptions behind a traffic light.

Name That Female Vocalist/Musician!

Listen and then, guess.

Don't look at the other guesses in the comments until you are ready to make yours!

I'll confirm or deny in a while....

She's the Little Sister... in case you were wondering.

VACATION!

Since we've not had the opportunity for a vacation in a while, I've been thinking of what sort of vacation I'd like if we could plan one.

I'm interested in your reflections on the subject!

One of the best I remember was in 1997. The three kids and I had only ONE DAY to spare, and we headed to the ocean. We visited two different beaches, and had dinner at a surfer joint. Ask any of the kids; we all agreed that one day *miraculously* stretched to feel like a week. We thoroughly enjoyed each other, the sparkling ocean and the weather- and came home so refreshed!

All for the cost of a tank of gas
(not too much $$$ in 1997) and a pizza dinner.

It's a Girl! 6 lbs, 15 ozs. ANNABELLE VICTORIA!

Born about 12:30 AM PST (3:30 PM Singapore) August 27. She's here and she's perfect!

WELCOME, PRECIOUS GRANDDAUGHTER.

Compassion

A fellow PowerSeller on eBay lost her two grandbabies in a tragic accident.

I've set up a fund to help with burial expenses. You don't have to be an ebayer to contribute. Here is the link.

Thank you for your kindness.

Thriller!

My mom asked to cook my favorite meal for my birthday, and I asked for "Thriller". It is a shortcut version of lasagna, made with large shells instead of long lasagna pasta, and dispensing with the ricotta cheese. Delicious, nonetheless! She adds Italian hot sausage, mozarella and lots of garlic.

The mystery is how she named it "Thriller". Hopefully she'll clear that up in a comment...

Here we are, ready to dish it up. Thanks, Mom!

P.S. Dig your new eyeglasses.

My Funny Hunny

Now that we're working 40-50 hours a week selling on ebay and at our antique co-op in Marin, I haven't done a lot of cooking or dishes. Rick has never complained; in fact he frequently runs out for tacos, sandwiches or salad while I take a nap! He does a good job of digging socks out of the laundry basket and overlooking dusty blinds and unswept floors. And, he's picked up a whole lot of new household chores- voluntarily. (Yeah, he's quite a guy!)

Since I've had my new MacBook Pro, I've been enjoying working on the laptop online in the kitchen where it is light and open. It gets me out of the crowded office in the back of the house.


Today, I was working at the kitchen table, and Rick walked by and remarked, "Sweetie, if anyone asks, tell them you've been spending lots of time in the kitchen! I won't tell them what you're doing!"

You MIGHT Be a Powerseller on Ebay if...

You order shipping bubblewrap for your ebay store...and then you can't fit it in through the door, and your kitchen looks like the local Post Office.

C'mon. Admit It.

This
is
the
cutest
little
boy
in
the
city
state
country
world
universe.

<<< TAKE MY POLL!!

Putting my money where my mouth is. I sent these to Rebecca for the new baby, with 21 days left until her due date!

Sunset

Out for a walk this evening, we saw this gorgeous sunset. Thank goodness for a camera phone!

New Digs!

We labored all day yesterday at our co-op, Antiques Legacy of San Anslemo*. The 10,000 sq. ft. store has about 40 dealers, each with their own piece of "real estate" to display their offerings. The natural walking pattern is in a counter-clockwise path inside the building.

We started out there last Fall with a tiny counter top near the front of the store to display Rick's Art Lamps, then moved to a cramped space of our own. It was tucked away on the end of the second half of the store layout, where most people have become eye-wearied with all the fabulous treasures by the time they arrive! It was a small space, chock-full of things we've added for sale, as well as Art Lamps. Nevertheless, we've done pretty well, always exceeding our monthly rent.

Recently, a vendor decided to leave the co-op, making his cherry spot available -and the store owner offered it to us. We jumped at the chance!

Location, Location, Location! they say in real estate. This spot is on the first half of the traffic pattern, right where you make the turn to go to the back portion and then second half. As you turn, your eye naturally notices our new booth.

Here are some photos of the new location. We have some tweaking to do, having run out of time yesterday. As you might notice, we have no neighbors, just the dividing wall on one side, the back wall on another, and two open sides. Across from us (on the right, but unseen) is a vendor who does quite well in her spot. We are looking forward to developing a good working relationship with her.

We are very excited about the new prospects! We never guessed we'd be selling in an antiques mecca, as San Anselmo has been called. We're loving it.



*if you visit Antiques Legacy's website and our own, you might notice they look similar. That's because the store owner hired me to do a website for him! And I figured, "Why re-invent the wheel?"

Summer Evening

This is a photo of a night-blooming cactus by our pool with a 3/4 moon in the the sky.

By morning, the blooms will die and fall to the deck.

Wringer Washers & Other Outmoded Ideas

In memory of Tony Snow, who died at age 53 today, here is a quote from an essay he wrote in 2005.

"If you want to understand how little sense our system of government makes, walk down the cereal aisle at your local grocery store. Count how many brands you can buy. Then ask yourself: If I have this many options in cereal, why don't I have any options when it comes to really important stuff that every single American needs — health care and retirement security? Why must we deal with Ponzi-scheme remedies that clean out our wallets without giving us our money's worth?

"Do we really believe our interests are best served by programs designed when Americans were driving Model A automobiles, where most washing machines had wringers, where refrigerators were scarce, interstates were nonexistent and air-conditioning a gewgaw reserved for futuristic exhibits at the World's Fair? "

Your Tax Dollars at Work!

Ten days ago, one of our neighborhood feral cats died somehow, and was lying in the gutter of the unoccupied house next door. We called Animal Control, which is a division of our local police department. A recording informed us that we were to leave the address of the dead animal, and that an Animal Control Officer would be out ASAP to make the removal. The recording also informed us that pickups would only be made on public property, not private. Of course, this was not a problem; the poor cat was in the public street.

Two days later, the animal was still lying there. We considered burying it ourselves, but there is a local law prohibiting that. I suggested bagging it and putting it in the garbage. Again, no- local ordinance. We made another phone call and again got the recording.

The odor increased.

On the fifth day, we made another call. Same recording.

The stench increased.

Seventh day. Another phone call. Now the neighborhood kids were surreptitiously poking sticks at it. Summer science lab, I guess.

The smell was now abominable in the heat and humidity.

Eighth day. The street sweeper came by about 5 AM. A few hours later, we noticed the cat was gone.

But the fetor remained. The cat had been flicked up into the bushes of the empty house.

Today we phoned the City Manager. We suggested they let the police department know that a whole week had gone by with no service, and that we'd be happy to deliver the carcass to the station if it would help.

Thirty minutes later, the Animal Control wagon showed up. Seeing no cat in the gutter, she cruised on by. I flagged her down, and she flipped the vehicle around.

We pointed out the cat that was now up in the bushes. She coolly cited the city code and said she was not able to remove it because it was on private property.

We reminded her that it was on city property for a week, and that her unit had failed to come in a timely manner.

Sighing deeply, she apologized and remained steadfast that it was beyond her scope. "Sorry, it's on private property!" We suggested she phone her supervisor. By now, Rick was so frustrated he went into the house, I assumed to maintain his cool.

Next thing I knew, while the Animal Control Officer was on the radio with her Sgt., Rick came strolling out of our garage with a shovel. He calmly tossed the poor carcass back into the street, pointed and smiled.

She picked it up and hauled it away. Thank you, Dutiful Public Servant.

Just Because I Love Him.

Click Here.

How Random is THIS?!

(Phoenix airport at sunset)

Debbie and son Charlie, from Minnesota, were due to fly into California tonight to help my niece Jessica pack and move.

My son Dan (Debbie's nephew) was in Dallas for several days at a conference, and was returning home to California tonight.

Dan had to change planes in Phoenix. He was one of the last ones on the airplane. When he found his seat, he noticed someone who looked familiar.

Debbie and Charlie were in the SAME ROW.

Neither one knew the other was even flying! Randomly, they ended up on the same flight, in the same row. All Dan had to do was switch aisle seats with the guy sitting next to Debbie.

Wow. What are the odds of that?!

(Debbie and Dan upon landing in Sacramento.)

Thought of the Word...

Hi Barb; thanks for dropping in! Feel free to leave a comment. ;-)

It Pays to Purchase AppleCare!

We purchased a 20" iMac in September of 2006 (seen in previous post). Fortunately, I purchased AppleCare soon after.

Somehow, I got a lemon. (There aren't many of them in Apple World.)

I won't bore you with the whole history, but after tolerating the annoying glitches for well over a year, it took a sudden turn for the worst in March. It became apparent it was about to become lemon-ADE*!

After jumping through a few easy hoops, Apple sent me a brand-new UPGRADED iMac today.

I can't wait to plug it in and take it for a spin.

*ADE= a dead electronic

God Provides!

Little by little, our ebay business has grown. Currently we are nicely supplementing Rick's pension, and are nearly at Level Two as Power Sellers! We're starting to realize we have a "real" business going.

I've been needing a new computer desk for some time now. I kinda knew what I wanted, but just haven't even had time to go looking for one. Besides! As official Garage Salers, we decided we'd just keep our eyes open for one when we are out "shopping" for resale products.

Yesterday, our neighbor asked for our help. She is newly moved back into the area from San Jose, and needed a strong man (that would be MY guy!) to unpack her PODS. Beth said that, after taking a few personal things out, the rest would be going to Salvation Army. She said we were welcome to take anything we thought we could use or sell.

The long and the short of it... not only did she have a computer desk that was exactly what I was looking for, but there were also two very nice metal file cabinets -complete with hundreds of hanging file folders- (tall black one at the left, half size one at the right), and an INDUSTRIAL paper shredder! We spent the day rearranging our home office, and sprucing things up. Rick took this photo of his very delighted business partner when I first sat down for a test drive at my new desk! We're ready for our business to really soar now.

Sidebar: we also placed a VERY NICE almost-new king-size Serta mattress set with a needy couple. They were all smiles, too!

Thank you Beth, and thank You God!

SPRING FANCY GONE MODERN!

In the spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love.

Lord Tennyson Alfred (1809–1892)

Thank goodness for camera phones.

I was at a local discount store today (I'm not admitting which one in case Jessica or my bro reads this). In the greeting card aisle, I saw three guys. At first I couldn't figure out what they were doing. Then, it dawned on me and I could hardly keep from laughing out loud!

They had chosen a mushy "thinking of you" romantic card, and were TEXT MESSAGING the poem on it to one of their girlfriends! In typical guy slang, they were discussing how she would react, and wondering whether she'd be able to tell he didn't actually make it up himself.

I angled around, and snapped the photo, hoping they wouldn't hear the "click" and grab my phone.

Success!!