I have been tagged!! I don't know who to tag though!

I got tagged by my friend, Beverly, yesterday and now I have to tell you seven weird things about myself. I am supposed to tag seven more people, but I think all of my friends have already been tagged. Thinking about seven things that are odd about me should be easy since all day long people say, "You are just so weird!!" But I am having a hard time thinking...

ONE: My car looks like a homeless person lives in it. I do not clean it and I just keep bringing more stuff into it with the idea that someday I will clean it out again!

TWO: I laugh when I make bubbles in the bathtub the "natural" way.

THREE: Paying bills is not my thing, so finally had to get the automatic withdrawal thing on my account so they pay themselves.

FOUR: I don't wear deodorant. (Usually, I don't stink though)

FIVE: I don't shave my legs from September through June

SIX: Mice terrify me

SEVEN: I love dark, rainy days and nights

Do you think I am weird, too?

Ken Can Cook... And who exactly is that turtle on the road behind me?

A few weeks ago, I signed my husband up to help out at my church's annual spaghetti dinner. No biggie, right? Well, it wouldn't be except for two things:

1.He hates (that is not a strong enough word really) to cook!!

2. As a Catholic, he has serious issues with organized religion ever since the whole priest scandal began a while back. While my church is not Catholic, he still views most churches with skepticism.

So, we decided to ride in separate cars so that he could make a dash out of there as soon as he thought he was finished. Well, Mario Andretti decided to obey all vehicle and traffic laws on the way. Totally stop at all stop signs; obey posted speed limits and to help wayward turtles off of the dangerous roadways. I kept losing sight of him on the way and could not believe that he was driving like the turtles he is so fond of assisting.

Once, he did catch up to me and I waved at him from my truck. I think he waved back, but it was not a cordial wave of the hand...if you get my drift. Now, ten years ago, he would have NEVER attended this event,and I would have had to listen to him rant and rave about me trying to get him into the church in a backhanded kind of way. He would have acted like I was going to have him baptized against his will or something!! He was actually almost accepting of his forced duty, although he reminded me again and again NEVER to sign him up for anything ever again. (Maybe he will forget by next year, huh?)

Well, here he is cooking pasta!!
He even has an apron on!! WOW!!
After FOUR hours of cooking, everyone is done and ready to leave. He is still chatting about hunting and fishing with a friend. So, I actually ended up leaving before him!!

Except for a few "minor" incidents, this was a great night! So, here is what happened:

1. He cooked about 25 pounds of pasta.

2. He lost about 3 pounds from sweating.

3. He caught on fire (oh please...his friend was there to put out the flames on his arm hair!)

4. A rubber glove was "steamed" onto his flesh (again, his friend helped him remove it)

5. He lost all hair on his right arm from incident #3...

6. If it is possible, I love him even more for doing something against his will just to make me happy. (See ladies, don't give up if your man has certain things he claims he will never, ever, ever do! Sometimes, it is just a time issue...keep waiting)

Our kids were shocked that:

A. Their dad was going to the church

B. Their dad was going to COOK at church

C. Their dad was not home within 30 minutes

All was right with the world...Amen!

I don't really believe in funerals, but...

So, yesterday we had the funeral for Uncle George. He was a simple man and wanted none of the big ceremonious wakes, funeral, etc. So there was a 20 minute service at the church and then we went to the military cemetary for his burial. Going to the cemetary was very moving because all you can see for the longest time is rows and rows of white headstones with names, branch of military and birth and death dates. Realizing how many people served this country during all the wars is inspiring. Also, realizing that this is just one of many national cemetaries is enough to make you pause to think about just how many truly gave all. Of course, most of the dead there did not die in military service, but just thinking about how many had to face those tasks as young men and women is enough to make you stop and realize just how lucky we are to have those people.

So, I have no intention of having a funeral or wake when I go. It all seems so morbid and stressful for no reason. I understand the need for closure for the family, but it would make me happy to know that when I am gone, my friends and family might do something memorable on their own to honor my memory. For example, anyone who makes fried chicken and mac&cheese thinks of me when they do it now, so after I am gone, just imagine how close they will feel to me. Or, if they make a quilt or teach a class. There I am again! Raise a chicken? See a small farm? See, you just won't be able to get rid of me. I will be gone, so what is the point of "honoring" me at a sad ceremony that I really won't be attending:)? We should all just do it now and make memories that will withstand the years that follow a loss, instead of grieving it later. Uncle George left a million laughs and great stories behind. That will always be with us when we get together at holidays and remember old times.

Some projects almost done!!

A few of my friends at MJF are making these mini aprons for a Valentine's Day mini-apron swap. I am sort of behind on mine, so they are now cut out and I got some of them almost done. I thought the fabric was cute, and it reminded me of being a little kid getting those little candy hearts in the box that was see-through!
I finally got this tea towel for Halloween DONE!! It took so long because I kept forgetting about it. This year, I am going to work all year on fall things so that I have a bunch to put out at once. Usually, I work on a few things each season, but thought it would be wonderful to have matched sets of runners, towels, etc. for one holiday instead of a few for each one.
I got this quilt top ready for quilting now. This was another swap at MJF. When I put it together, I made sure it would fit my bed when it was done. Don't they all look cute together?


It's a rainy, dark day today with snow in the forecast for tonight. Meatloaf and baked potatoes are in the oven. Can't wait to get into a hot bath tonight since I started a new book PEACE LIKE A RIVER and it is so good!!

Homemade dishcloths!

My SIL is a knitter, which I am not. I just mentioned how I loved the knitted dishcloths and when I arrived at her house Friday night, there was a whole set on my bed. The blue one is going to be one of 4 also, but she only made that one last night.

Eggstra large egg!!

This is a comparison of my chicken's eggs, both from young chicks (literally!! Ha!) The big one will inevitably have two yolks.

Goodbye Uncle George

While I was visiting my SIL this weekend, our dear Uncle George died in his sleep. I guess the prospect of nursing home living and having tubes assist him with eating, breathing, etc. was more than he could honestly bear. This is a man who lived independently until a week and a half ago. For as long as I have known him, he has always made it clear that he never wanted to go out as someone's dependent.

At Christmas (that is our Aunt Ellen with him above) he was missing his late wife and said how he could not wait to be with her again in Heaven, so even though we were not ready to see him go, it was time and he was able to do it "his way," which makes us happy for him.

We'll miss the stories, laughs and the annual Christmas puzzle (1000-2000 pieces) that he would give us as our present, but most of all, he was one of the last old-timers who kept us company and reminded us where we came from as a family. Thank you all for caring about us during this time.