Black Friday

So, yesterday, Harry and I braved Winston-Salem for Black Friday shopping madness. This was an educational experience that is hard to put into words, so I'll rely on a series of mobile wall posts to Kris' facebook page from throughout the experience.

Harry was very excited about the idea of heading to the stores for Black Friday. He went through the newspaper, picked out the ads he was interested in, and cut out things he wanted and pasted them on a page in order by store. He originally wanted to camp out at Best Buy, but after a late night of Thanksgiving pigging-out and patch trading with Seth (actually, I think we really just raided Seth's collection with his permission, but more on that later) we were both convinced that this was probably not a great idea.

Instead, we came home, and knowing that Harry is prone to sleep in if allowed, I slyly figured that I would put the ball in his court. I told him that whenever he woke me up, we would head to Winston-Salem. As I made this offer, I was between our bedroom and his, and I was so giddy at the idea of sleeping in that I actually laughed out loud.

Big mistake.

This apparently made Harry more determined, and at 5:34 AM, I was awakened by the light of Harry's room, and rolled over to find him fully dressed and ready at my bedside. After a healthy serving of crow, I got up, showered, dressed, and we left the house by 5:50 AM.

We had a good time, and admittedly I'd probably do it again, but here's how the morning of shopping went, accoring to real-time wall posts.

Homer Dearmin wrote at 6:51am yesterday
You wrote on my wall a mere 8 hours ago. 8 hours later on 4 hours of sleep, I find myself at HH Gregg on Black Friday with 440 more enthused, better rested shopping fiends, one of whom happens to be our son. You, meanwhile are probably curled up in bed laughing at us in your dreams. Something is wrong with this picture. I love you! Your turn next year.

Homer Dearmin wrote at 7:19am yesterday
Ok. Remember when I wrote on your wall a few minutes ago? Yeah, well, we've moved two feet since then. Still a dozen people in front of us. It is sooooooo your turn next year! Harry is sleepy and trying to deny it. I predict he will be crabby by 7:30.

Homer Dearmin wrote at 7:29am yesterday
HH Gregg's checkout process must involve a national security checkpoint.

Homer Dearmin wrote at 7:54am yesterday
Left HH Gregg in one piece, but feel like I should have tenure with their company. Now we're sitting in the megaline of traffic at the mall heading to radio shack. I'm gonna need to be in church on Sunday.

Homer Dearmin wrote at 7:58am yesterday
I celebrated like I won the lottery when I found a parking space at the mall in Winston, even though I think I am parked closer to High Point.

Homer Dearmin wrote at 8:04am yesterday
HH Gregg needs to learn from Radio Shack! In and out in 10 minutes! On to Gamestop!

Homer Dearmin wrote at 8:43am yesterday
Mall traffic is nuts! In the drive thru at McDonalds now. Think they have any black friday specials? Doubt it.

Homer Dearmin wrote at 8:53am yesterday
Hey, guess who else is shopping in Winston today? Oh wait. EVERYFREAKING BODY!

Homer Dearmin wrote at 8:57am yesterday
The parking situation at Target is comedic at best. Looks like 15,000 people believed somebody famous was supposed to be here.

Homer Dearmin wrote at 9:38am yesterday
If I see one more soccer mom on a two way radio talking like some kind of covert ops are underway, I may just scream.

Homer Dearmin wrote at 10:01am yesterday
Off to the other Target across town. Heading up Hanes Mall Blvd. At high rates of speed - approximately 14 inches per minute. Seriously, a turtle just passed me in the median and giggled at me. Not cool.

Finally, Kris managed to get up out of bed, probably laughed hysterically at the idea that we were out shopping and she had been sleeping, then read my posts and responded.

Mrs. Dearmin wrote at 10:26am yesterday
I am reading your wall posts - hilarious!! I love you!!! You know what your problem is? You didn't have a plan. All those gals with two-way radios had a plan, they have a team. You seriously figured that Harry wouldn't want to go, in fact, you were snickering at how clever you were. Then...you tipped your hand to him right before bed and it was ON, there was no way he was oversleeping. I have no sympathy for you, but am struck at what a great father you are!

Homer Dearmin wrote at 10:53am yesterday
The other Target is crazay! See, with a strip mall, there are other stores for people to shop at. This one? Uh-uh. For every car in the parking lot, that means at least one person is in here. This is nuts. This could be black and blue Friday before it's over.

Homer Dearmin wrote at 11:23am yesterday
With 42 minutes to go before noon, we are done shopping to Harry's satisfaction. Target was reminiscent of a madhouse. So glad today that I do not work there! We are on our way home to pretend that we never did all this craziness.

When all was said and done, we had been to HH Gregg, the mall, two Targets, and Staples. We made it back home by 1:00 to unload the car, enjoy Thanksgiving leftovers, and most importantly, NAP.

Thanksgiving Cards

I have always thought that I was born too late. By that, I mean that I am forever enamoured with things that were popular before my time. An example of that is my fondness for anything to do with the craft of writing, calligraphy, illuminated letters, stationary arts, etc...To that end, I decided earlier this summer that I would attempt to send more snail mail. (Snail mail being the sometimes slow US Postal Service vs. the lightning quick e-mail.)




When it came time to ask my nearest and dearest friends to be in my wedding I thought long and hard about how to ask them. I wanted it to be important, sincere and heartfelt. I also did not want them to feel any kind of pressure to say yes, if they really were unable to. So I decided on writing them all letters. I took some time picking the stationary I wanted. It was quite lovely - gold metallic with a pattern flocked in raspberry, chartreuse or teal. The envelopes were gold metallic as well and I used sealing wax to seal the envelopes. Each letter was specific to the individual person and expressed how much I cared for her, how much our friendship has meant to me over the years and then asked if she would be in my wedding. Somewhere I have pictures of the notes, I will have to find them.




Back to my original story - as fall closed in around us and enveloped us with the lovely array of leaves and pumpkiny goodness, I thought again of snail mail. I selected cards that I liked, stickers to adorn and luckily already had the pens I felt I would need to accomplish the project. I made copies of a recent picture of DH and DS at the Wal-Mart and included a copy of the photo in each card. I also went to the USPO website to see if they had any fall-ish stamps. Much to joy they did and when I went to my local PO, they were actually in stock which hardly ever happens. I handwrote each card and didn't just sign my name, I actually wrote a note in each card. That was a somewhat lengthy process, but cathartic and pleasant. As I wrote, I dreamt of the smiles that I would hopefully bring to the faces of the recipients as they opened their box, groaned over bills and then saw my ray of sunshine. Additionally, I decorated each envelope. You can barely see it in the photo at right, but each leaf has a trail that is brown and textured in gold metallic. There is an additional leaf on the back of each envelope, sealing it shut. I hope that my friends and family enjoy receiving them as much as I enjoyed sending them!

Scrabblicious

We had another rousing game of scrabble this weekend. TunaFish the Cat decided to play with us. She was a newbie, but caught on quick. Although she kept trying to spell "cheezburger" wonder why?? http://icanhascheezburger.com/

TunaFish understands the importance of keeping the tiles a secret. Don't give your opponents any advantage.

To see more pics of TunaFish the Cat playing scrabble, as well as pics of her humans, visit http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=179262&l=6406e&id=685760320

mobile blogging

I am writing this blog from my mobile phone, so I hope this works!

I have had a great couple of days in the Triangle Area attending workshops and meetings related to work business. I must say though, I am ready to be back home with Kris and Harry, and back to home and work projects that I need to manageam

My cold is subsiding, but I understand Kris may be getting it. Sorry!!!!

I'm heading home in an hour or so. Hope this mobile post works!

sweet potato fries

I am a big fan of sweet potato fries. I never had them before I moved down south and now I'm addicted. The problem is that they always come out overcooked so I always ask for them to be brought out undercooked. No one ever listens until tonite. At Duke's they listened and I had perfect sweet potato fries sprinkled with brown sugar - delightful; manna from heaven. Yummy, yummy, yummy.

Tortellini Soup

In an earlier post, I mentioned calling my friend Katina who was good enough to look up the ingredients for a recipe online. The recipe was tortellini soup. I found several recipes and kind of melded them together and made up my own version. I felt like it was a success. I gave it an 8 out of 10 and Homer gave it a 6-7 out of ten; either way, good enough to serve again. It was definitely easy enough, so I thought I would post it here, both to share and to make sure that it was easy to find the next time I decide to fix it.

Makes You Hot on the Inside Tortellini Soup
(yes, it really does make you hot from the inside out)

box of chicken stock (32 oz size)
32 oz water
2 cans diced tomatoes with basil, oregano and garlic (undrained)
box of frozen spinach
l lb of cheese tortellini
croutons (optional)
cheese for garnish (optional)
big pot

• combine stock, water, spinach and tortellini; bring to a boil
• add tomatoes and simmer till tortellini is puffy

Serves enough for 4 huge helpings and probably enough for dinner the next night too.

I did not have enough liquid with just the stock to cook the tortellini, so I added the water. In the future, I may just use bullion cubes, that would be cheaper and less calories too. The tortellini was three cheese tortellini from Lowe's Grocery and was pretty good; it came from the dairy case. The frozen spinach was palatable but fresh would have been better. The tomatoes were Del Monte and were pretty garlicky, I write this several hours later and I am still tasting the garlic. I would have liked to have used onions and browned my own garlic, but frankly, I forgot - whoops! Homer picked up some fancy schmancy cheese - sun dried tomato basil and it was pretty good, but I think a mild cheddar would have been an acceptable substitute. We also had cheesy croutons and I think they added a nice texture even though I don't typically like croutons. Harry, however, who loves croutons did not like them in this soup. I served this with 5 cheese garlic bread and even though I like the bread, I thought it was unnecessary.

Homer and I had Duplin's Carolina Red. I like the wine, but did not like it with this soup. I think dry red would be better; this was too sweet. Possibly a dry white might be nice.

Anyhoo, I would fix it again, but am wondering what sort of dessert to fix it with. Homer suggested a cheesecake????

Groceries

In my new role as wife and domestic princess, I am attempting to become both a frugal grocery shopper and a decent cook. This is a lofty goal because A - I can't cook and B - I get panic attacks when going to the grocery store. The panic attacks have subsided over time and I have realized ways to negate the urge to go and hide under a rock somewhere.

For instance, last night, we had to go grocery shopping - ugh. I had my list and even called my super friend Katina and had her double check the ingredients of a recipe for me. I was prepared and felt solid. We were in Winston, so we went to the WM in Stanleyville which was overcrowded and the shelves looked like someone had called for a big snow to come in at any moment. Half the shelves were empty and what remained was disheveled. I couldn't find several of the things I required and was forced to admit defeat and go to the Lowe's Grocery nearby. Lowe's Groceries are my store of choice, but I was trying to save moola so inevitably went to the WM. Well, to be honest, I also needed a window scraper and I could, in theory, make a one stop shop at Wally World.

Anyhoo, we went to the Lowe's and it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. I did not run into a single other customer until I was ready to check out. Light music was playing; they had a fine selection of adult beverages; a lovely deli; samples at said deli and I was delighted to see a former student working behind the deli who happily pointed me in the direction of the items I needed. It was magic. I thought to myself as I perused the wine/beer selections that no matter how much extra it cost to shop there - it was worth it to avoid the zoo at WM.

I found exactly what I needed, in a logical place and of course paid a little more than I wanted, but it was a pleasant experience. To boot, I found the yogurt I had just purchased at WM for $.07 less at Lowe's! WHAT???? Is it possible that not only could I enjoy a pleasurable shopping experience but potentially save money as well??? What a novel idea! It was at that moment that I wished I had a grocery pricebook where I kept track of prices.

I used to do this, once upon a time, but I guess life happened and I lost interest. I have been cruising the net this morning to see how others set up their pricebook. It seems that "whatever works" is the best method. Some write down everything, look at every sale flyer, subscribe to websites like grocerygame. com and are rabid about clipping coupons. Frankly, I'm not there yet. I may never be, but I would like to know I am getting the best deal. I will be thinking about this and keep you informed of successes and failures. If anyone reads this and would like to share thoughts regarding your grocery/price book experiences, please let me know.

Incidentally, I found a lovely ceral at WM called "Uncle Sam's" it has a whopping 10g of fiber per 3/4 cup serving. I am trying to eat more fiber because it fills you up, not because of any regularity issues, but thanks for asking MOM!! I mixed it in with my yogurt and it was pretty yummy. It also has flax seed, so it is a good way to get the oil our bodies need.

TGIF

Thank God It's Friday!

I am ready for the weekend, followed by a short week next week, as my office is closed for Veteran's Day.

An employee who attended our wedding gave me some photos that I hadn't seen yet! Here they are for everyone's perusal.

Maybe more to come later, as I still want to blog about the election, but I may not get to it tonight. Have a great weekend!

Yellow Room - the End is in Sight!

Today, we vote! Hooray. I don't care who you vote for, as long as you vote. So get to it! :o)

In less important news, the yellow room is nearing completion! I have to wait for the hinges and the vents to cure (I spray painted them so they look like rubbed bronze instead of the dated brass finish the originally had) and then put up the last cupboard door on our built in bookcases. I need to purchase knobs; spray paint the center screw so that it matches the rest of the hardware and then install. Thanks to my Aunt and Uncle Ploszaj for their Home Depot card which is going to be used for the express purpose of buying the crystal knobs. Here is the rest of my list - partially for my own sense of what I need to accomplish and partly so that my husband will begin to more fully understand all the stuff that I do when he thinks I'm not doing anything...

• I need to install the springy thing that goes behind the door to keep it from banging the wall.
• I need to install the light fixture.
• I need to purchase and install a lighted switch so we can find it at night.
• I need to purchase and install a door with the accompanying knob.
• I need to purchase filters for the vents and then install.
• I need to purchase outlet/switch covers and install.
• I need to finish scraping the paint off the windows.
• I need to take my antique little claw thing and unseal the windows. This is my fav. tool!
• I need to purchase and install window locks.
• I need to scrub the floor and scrape any goo that appears to be on all the floors in this house - ewww.
• I need to fix/blend/camouflage any spots on the floor.
• I need to refinish floor.
• Wait three days for floor to cure.

It sounds like a lot when you read it, but it my head it doesn't sound like very much; we shall see. Also today I will go and vote and make a trip to get some things out of storage - Christmas lights hopefully!!!

Hey, can you believe I got another flat tire!? This is three is as many months and Homer has had three as well - one of his was a razor blade. I suspect someone in our loving community has an axe to grind.

Moving out and moving in

So far, the first full week of married life back at home has been productive!

I have been working on moving the rest of my stuff from the cabin to our home "here at the ranch". I had moved a lot of stuff back in September, but it was mostly stuff I didn't use every day--some clothes, papers, tapes, DVDs, etc. This week, I have been moving the rest of my clothes, books, computer stuff, and other various and sundries that have been with me at the cabin for the last two years.

Clothes have been the bulk of the stuff, and I got the last of those here today. I am sorting clothes to determine what can be discarded or stored away for the winter and have been trying to establish some semblance of order to it all. It will eventually get there.

I have gotten most of my things from downstairs at the cabin, and most of what remains is books and music. Trying to move out of one location and into another at the same time is challenging! I am hoping that Kris will remain tolerant of these huge piles of stuff sitting around until I can get it all squared away.

Tomorrow is election day, and I am in agreement with several of my friends who are ready for it to be over so that our country can move forward, and we can enjoy a cease fire in political ads on TV, radio, print, voicemails, etc. It is a landmark election, and I am confident that either candidate will do a good job in office. I am looking forward to getting up in the morning and voting and watching how it plays out over the remainder of the day.

Is it an historic election? That was the subject of our dinner conversation. I am convinced that the word "historic" should be reserved for desciribing events that have already happened--events that we look back on and can see that they caused a paradigm shift, or drastically altered the course of human events; by that definition, describing this presidential election as "historic" seems premature to me. I am sure that expert linguists could debate this for hours, and a good search of Webster's dictionary might give an adequate answer. However, given my own understanding of the word, it is too early to describe as historic an event that hasn't happened yet and hasn't truly changed the shape we are in for better or for worse. I am sure that George Carlin might have something to say about this, were he still with us. Maybe Lewis Black or another equally insightful, intelligent soul will weigh in on this one day.

The media is influencing this whole election process way more than they should, as exemplified by the fact that CNN has already set up its election website with election results (a 0% tie thus far) a whole day ahead of the time when initial numbers should begin to roll in. What happened to unbiased news reporting--what we enjoyed in a day in age when it wasn't the media's job to project and declare winners?? I think the media's involvement today subverts the whole political process as it was originally intended by the founding fathers!

That's all that I can write for the time being before my brain turns to jello at thjs late hour. I'm off to bed!

Featherfest

Just got back from Featherfest at Raven Knob, and I am wiped out! Harry and I got there at about 11:30 AM on Saturday, and spent the day singing and hanging out with friends. My dad came up, so we got to spend some time with him as well.

The singing last night at the powwow was a lot of fun, and above par for our group! We sang some good sets, and had a pretty good crowd of dancers to enjoy it as well. Some of the old guys who I learned from were there as well, and it was good to catch up with everyone! I kinda wish I had recorded some of the singing; not necessarily for the song quality, but to listen to the sets...pretty good stuff!

Harry and I spent this morning walking around and talking to friends. It was nice to enjoy a quiet Sunday morning at camp--being there is a lot like I imagine church ought to be, and it's nice to take a step away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life to enjoy some peace, quiet, and good fellowship.

We are off to Winston-Salem now to get Harry his iPod now that we are finished with camp, and then back home to continue moving in!

time changes and friends

Homer will be so pleased...I am blogging without him whispering - are you blogging? Have you blogged? Are you thinking about blogging?

Tonite was an excellent evening!!! Teri H and Keith A and I went Feather Fest at Camp Raven Knob. They were using the drum I got Homer as a wedding gift, so that was pretty cool. I ran into several people who I hadnt' seen in a while and that is always a pleasant thing to do. I also ran into people that I had seen as recently as our wedding, but I like them just the same, so it was equally pleasant to run into them, too!

I am also pleased to report that I ran into an old friend Mary R. She and I used to be close friends and then lost touch, as sometimes happens with friendships. It was wonderful to catch up with her again. She and her husband have a lovely daughter and are expecting her second child, a boy, in March. I am saddened to know that her father is suffering from Alzheimer's. He was such a neat guy...

After staying at the pow wow for awhile, we headed to Katina G's chicken stew and bonfire. It is about an hour and fifteen minute drive so Teri and I had great conversation. We laughed so hard we cried. I love being with Teri; we are so much alike and we have so much fun when we are together!

We got to Katina's after everyone had come in from the fire, but the food was still going, so we had some excellent grub. Chicken stew, beef/cabbage stew and chili were on tap and man they were yummy. Katina and Jeff also had some Amber Woodchuck and I enjoyed a lovely bottle. We watched the video Jeff made of our wedding - he did an amazing job. Seriously, he should do it as a side job, he would be great!

I had so much fun talking with my two bestest friends!!! It is wonderful nights like this that make you realize how much you have missed spending time with them. I hope that we will continue to see each other often because I love them and am so blessed to have them in my life!

Don't you love the time change? I do! It is really 2.15 a.m., but my clock is telling me 1.15 - that is excellent!

The boys (big and little) are at camp. Tunafish and I are feeling the emptiness...