tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52324435335088616572024-03-21T15:16:17.848-04:00Bricks & Laurel...barely clinging to the 35-49 demographicBricks & Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06501408535133480134noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232443533508861657.post-63445303707254313442015-12-09T10:54:00.000-05:002015-12-09T10:54:09.406-05:00It's Beginning To Look...A little, tiny bit like Christmas. Lol.<br />
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I have now viewed approximately one million blogger Christmas home tours/house walks/what have you, and I've been inspired to share mine, such as it is.<br />
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I usually don't go "all out" on decorating until Hanukkah is over. (My husband is Jewish, so we celebrate both.) This year, Hanukkah ends on Sunday. The tree will go up Monday. In the meantime, Christmas is tiptoeing in. I just can't help myself!<br />
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(Although you may not be surprised to learn that, even when finished, the Christmas decor is minimal. I prefer to call it "tastefully simple." Much like my fall decorating!)<br />
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So, pour yourself a cup of coffee (sorry, no hot chocolate bar here...) and come on in.<br />
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I'm super happy with how the planters came out this year.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just try to ignore the meters in the background, okay?</td></tr>
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Wasn't feeling the need for a bow on the wreath, in keeping with the minimalist "theme" I'm going for. I did have some extra winterberries, so I just stuck them in there.<br />
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Moving inside on this "home tour," I "created" a centerpiece for my dining room table. I'd light it up, but then I'd need to go back to Michael's for more candles. And this baby needs to last until at least the 26th!<br />
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And now for the mantel reveal. I know...I've been building up to this! Bet you can't wait!<br />
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Even I will concede that this looks a little bare. Not to worry, fresh greens to be added...at some point.<br />
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Christmas "artwork." (Picture frame plus scrapbook papers.) I actually really like how this came out.<br />
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Cranberries in the water...I love this idea. Hoping it will disguise when the water gets murky in a few days.<br />
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And that's it for the home tour. I'll add pictures of the tree, once it's up...maybe!<br />
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(I was thinking this year of getting a fake tree. You know—the pre-lit ones? I've heard they look very realistic now...and I can always burn a candle to get the scent of fresh greens. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/realestate/oh-christmas-tree-oh-christmas-tree-much-pleasure-doth-thou-bring-me/2015/12/03/58c3bff4-92c4-11e5-b5e4-279b4501e8a6_story.html" target="_blank">Vern Yip says his looks amazing</a>—it came from Frontgate I think. So I clicked right over there and found that the pre-lit trees start at $600! Are you kidding me? Um, no. Guess it's a live tree for us, and I'll be finding stray pine needles on the floor well into the summer...or is that just me?)<br />
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Anyway, thanks so much for stopping by! A very Merry Christmas/Happy Hanukkah/Good Kwanzaa/whatever you celebrate! And a happy, healthy, and peaceful new year to all.Bricks & Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06501408535133480134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232443533508861657.post-79348755565710631132015-11-04T04:30:00.000-05:002015-11-04T09:00:41.535-05:00Hodgepodge: Books, Bread, and Being a Redhead<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This Hodgepodge was right in my wheelhouse. Took me zero time to complete. To join in, answer the questions yourself and link up at <a href="http://www.fromthissideofthepond.com/" target="_blank">Joyce's blog</a>!<br />
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<b>1. Besides Thanksgiving, something you're looking forward to on your November calendar?</b><br />
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Girls weekend with two college buddies! We're meeting at Deep Creek Lake in Maryland...one friend has a place there.<br />
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We don't see each other often, but when we do, it's like we were never apart. No one makes me laugh like they do, or knows me better. We've been through everything from our first fraternity party, to our first jobs, to weddings, to dealing with babies and now teenagers.<br />
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It's hard to believe that our kids are almost the same age we were when we met! And two of them are applying to the college we went to! Boy, would Parents' Weekend be fun....<br />
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<b>2. If I gave you a thank you card right now who would you send it to and why?</b><br />
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<i>Dear Son,</i><br />
<i>Thank you.</i><br />
<i>Thank you for putting up with all of my college application nagging. Thank you for working so hard on your essays, which I know were not easy for you to write.</i><br />
<i>Thank you for being the kind of son any parent would be proud of</i>—<i>honest, trustworthy, a loyal friend, and a hard worker, whether you're in class or on the field/court/track.</i><br />
<i>Thank you for making me laugh every day.</i><br />
<i>I'll miss you next year</i>—<i>so much</i>—<i>but I can't wait to see you take the next step in your life! And to see you grow into the man you are fast becoming.</i><br />
<i>Love you always,</i><br />
<i>Mom</i><br />
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<b>3. Of the breads listed, which one's your favorite...bagel, cinnamon, sourdough, garlic, banana, biscuit, pita, Naan, or plain old fashioned white bread?</b><br />
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I don't eat gluten now, so all of these sound delicious. I guess that I miss sourdough the most...although I love biscuits, too.<br />
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<b>4. What's something you have in abundance? Is that a good thing?</b><br />
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I'm trying to think of something we have more of than other people...maybe books? We have lots of books. And it's really, really hard to let go of them. I'm good at decluttering other things, but books? I just can't.<br />
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<b>5. November 5th is National Love Your Red Hair Day. Are there any redheads in your family? Who's your favorite redhead?</b><br />
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Ha! Easy one. Many, many redheads on both sides of my family...I actually <a href="http://bricksandlaurel.blogspot.com/2015/07/familyand-hair.html" target="_blank">wrote about this</a> once.<br />
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And here's my favorite redhead:<br />
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Kidding! My favorite redhead is my little sister:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hard to tell here, but yes, the hair is red.</td></tr>
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And, please, don't call us gingers.<br />
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<b>6. The travel website Busbud recently calculated the most Instagrammed spot in every state. Go here to see what made the list where you live. Are you happy with your state's #1? If not what do you think should be the most photographed spot in your state? Have you snapped a photo there? If you live outside the USA answer as it relates to your state, city or province.</b><br />
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Wow, I never would have thought that the Pittsburgh Zoo would have been the most Instagrammed place in my state! I've never been there, and I lived in Pittsburgh for two years!<br />
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Maybe I'm showing my eastern Pennsylvania bias, but I would have chosen this spot (which I'm sure I've never photographed, since I'm really, really bad at remembering to take pictures):<br />
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<b>7. I'm going to try to have something related to gratitude in this spot each week during the month of November. Here's this week's question</b>—<br />
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<b>What's something you've learned about yourself this year that you're grateful for?</b><br />
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I learned that I can run! I've always been horrible at it, and hated it. I did gymnastics and played softball as a kid, so running was not something I had to do often. I always struggled with the mile run in gym class (and came up with the most creative of excuses for why I couldn't participate).<br />
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Last January I resolved to walk 10,000 steps every day (thank you, Fitbit!), and then one day last spring I decided to try jogging a bit of my walk. Now I'm comfortably running 2 miles at a time (and I was up to 3 before I sprained my ankle last summer). I know this doesn't sound like much. But to me it's huge.<br />
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I'm so grateful that I've been able to achieve something I never, ever thought I could do. And so grateful to be healthy enough to even try.<br />
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<b>8. Insert your own random thought here.</b><br />
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Good times at our house. The chimney had a leak, so we had all the stucco pulled off. It's clear now that the plywood underneath is completely rotted. The whole length of the chimney needs to be rebuilt.<br />
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I can think of so many other, more satisfying ways we could have spent the money this will cost.Bricks & Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06501408535133480134noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232443533508861657.post-90784588098991994592015-10-30T09:40:00.000-04:002015-10-30T09:40:06.559-04:00Zombies Would Be Preferable<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUhhqyDSBWr6Fe747tAdCnx9UwSZ36VCzEfkviYEfEUOtvebPHiVnXnJV39aLMh84NVynuh6UOS29gWurtOhNLtflM9Oahm3Sp0QIImidVpws8PUlYvmLcBUkVgTdNGFzL3AKnvG0WqTM/s1600/solarstorm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUhhqyDSBWr6Fe747tAdCnx9UwSZ36VCzEfkviYEfEUOtvebPHiVnXnJV39aLMh84NVynuh6UOS29gWurtOhNLtflM9Oahm3Sp0QIImidVpws8PUlYvmLcBUkVgTdNGFzL3AKnvG0WqTM/s640/solarstorm.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uh oh.</td></tr>
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<br />
You guys.<br />
<br />
Why...WHY...do I click on articles <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2015/10/29/white-house-releases-action-plan-to-confront-real-and-present-space-weather-threats/" target="_blank">like this</a>?<br />
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Now, in addition to the typical worries that keep me awake at 4 am (thank you, perimenopause), I can add to the list a solar storm.<br />
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Evidently, a large solar storm could knock out the power grid. <i>For months or longer</i>. For a large portion of the country. And there's a <i>12% chance</i> of it happening in the next ten years? What?<br />
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This is the kind of news that makes me wish that I was a <a href="http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/doomsday-preppers/" target="_blank">Doomsday Prepper</a>. You know—the kind of person who is stocking a year's supply of food and water, plus the arsenal of weaponry I would need to defend it.<br />
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So I've decided to take stock of my current supply situation.<br />
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<ul>
<li>Water. Um, there's a pond on the golf course by my house. Can water filters remove fertilizer run off, does anyone know?</li>
<li>Food. Let's hope I would've just gone to Costco. Of course, if it were summer, we could count on our community garden plot...to supply us with basil and tomatoes for a week or more! But how do I make pesto without a blender?</li>
<li>Fuel. Yeah. I can just <i>see</i> my husband felling one of our 90-year-old oak trees. </li>
<li>Candles. I own two scented candles plus a bag of pine-scented votives. Really gonna smell good in here. </li>
</ul>
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To defend my stash, I plan to use my father's old navy sword. Never mind that it couldn't cut a stick of butter. I will hone it. On the curb out front.<br />
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I'm going out shopping now to start my preparations. First stop: the one item that is obviously first on the list for any emergency.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg86ex7KZEBQsL99Q2-WSuOF2SfWn5VSDoNN-1PFKZozgumuZLX7-WLZp6EF9KiXGqwSvDN7dPJbFdz9DGzTUmcRx05cQJCxx7voLaKsd1CxNwaTeB51b8jWnpMJZ5N6nxDbaijFcrOUUE/s1600/Wine-bottles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg86ex7KZEBQsL99Q2-WSuOF2SfWn5VSDoNN-1PFKZozgumuZLX7-WLZp6EF9KiXGqwSvDN7dPJbFdz9DGzTUmcRx05cQJCxx7voLaKsd1CxNwaTeB51b8jWnpMJZ5N6nxDbaijFcrOUUE/s640/Wine-bottles.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What? It's for medicinal purposes.</td></tr>
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Bricks & Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06501408535133480134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232443533508861657.post-19313022294959723162015-10-29T00:00:00.000-04:002015-10-29T08:02:36.539-04:00More DownsizingHave I mentioned that my mother- and father-in-law are moving here from Ohio?<br />
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They have lived in the house where my husband grew up for almost fifty years and are finally ready to give up being homeowners. (They reached their breaking point after the terrible cold and snow the Midwest had last winter.) Their previously active social life is dwindling. FIL says that their friends (a) have moved away, (b) don't want to drive at night, or (c) can't remember that they've made dinner plans. So they're moving east to be near their children, two of whom live in the Philly area.<br />
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<div>
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<div>
We are <i>so </i>excited for them to arrive. My kids have not lived near grandparents since we left Washington—more than eleven years ago. I'm envious of my friends who grew up here and have family close by. Growing up, my family lived 4+ hours away from our nearest relatives. I hated that, so I wanted my kids to always live near family. And to be rooted in one place.<br />
<br />
I've lived in so many states that it's hard to say where home is. In Massachusetts, where I went to elementary and high school? In Washington, DC, where I had my first job, met my husband, and had our children? In Philadelphia, where my kids have grown up?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
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(I <i>will</i> say that I feel like I've come home when I see a sign like this one, which are seen at the borders between towns in Massachusetts.)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2mhKNoHsA-JFy-tWXpDSbrLnAcm3T4a8Pgm6ovGJu6huxxjqkNDL9m6yStmwDJDO-Hc7id3wczdxpllw6KMIgTZGy0qLJXd6KV29jPb1ABb-YUmqiEpHHi-6p9zAWueqyJj9HTROrFkc/s1600/newburyport.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2mhKNoHsA-JFy-tWXpDSbrLnAcm3T4a8Pgm6ovGJu6huxxjqkNDL9m6yStmwDJDO-Hc7id3wczdxpllw6KMIgTZGy0qLJXd6KV29jPb1ABb-YUmqiEpHHi-6p9zAWueqyJj9HTROrFkc/s320/newburyport.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not actually from my hometown, which evidently is too small to have its sign in Google images. <a href="http://www.bostoncoasters.com/viewimage.php?i=4285" target="_blank">Source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="text-align: center;">As for my kids, I think we may have succeeded in giving them roots </span><i style="text-align: center;">here</i><span style="text-align: center;">. My daughter has lived in Pennsylvania since third grade and is in college in Philadelphia. My son started first grade here—</span><span style="text-align: center;">and could end up at college in-state also. (Fingers crossed. He's also considering schools in California, which in theory sounds great—isn't college a great time to explore a new part of the country!—</span><span style="text-align: center;">but in practice would be very hard, on his mom at least.)</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Having grandparents down the road, along with the cousins who live just across the city, will make Philadelphia even more of a hometown for our family. My fondest dream is to have the kids settle here. I could babysit for them! Between the trips to exotic locales we'll be taking as retirees, of course. ;)</div>
</div>
Bricks & Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06501408535133480134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232443533508861657.post-14492387537764395512015-10-28T07:00:00.000-04:002015-10-28T07:15:03.051-04:00Hodgepodging Halloween<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjSvA56LDIYTsH7omeoweXlEn6p-MW_HeBuxL3YmZjOCtr3y8SNlng0VC_AJYY_E3TTrbLZIAmq-Ejdvu9vUsFhHupvwbfQM38atiLpFl-vwqBv70u5OlGmWvLMqXZV35F2IH-cDa54Mg/s1600/Hodgepodgebutton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjSvA56LDIYTsH7omeoweXlEn6p-MW_HeBuxL3YmZjOCtr3y8SNlng0VC_AJYY_E3TTrbLZIAmq-Ejdvu9vUsFhHupvwbfQM38atiLpFl-vwqBv70u5OlGmWvLMqXZV35F2IH-cDa54Mg/s1600/Hodgepodgebutton.jpg" /></a></div>
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<br />
A slightly scary, somewhat Halloween-themed Hodgepodge this week. To join in, and you know you want to, <a href="http://www.fromthissideofthepond.com/" target="_blank">visit Joyce</a> and link up with your answers!<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>
<b>1. Are you comfortable with silence? If you're home alone, do you like silence or do you need regular background noise? Do you seek out times and places to be silent? What's your favorite place to find silence/be silent?</b><br />
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I'm perfectly happy to have it quiet when I'm at home alone. After a while, the TV or radio on as background noise gets on my nerves. I remember when I was a stay-at-home mom with my babies, I tried hard not to have the TV on during the day. (Only exception: Regis and Kathie Lee. I love Reeg!)<br />
<br />
I don't seek out silence, but I do enjoy being in quiet places—like church on a weekday or at night. I was going to say at the library, but I don't think they are quiet places anymore? At least ours isn't.<br />
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<b>2. October 28th is National Chocolate Day. Can't let that go by without a mention now, can we? Will you celebrate? How? Let's say you can have one of the following right this very minute... a cup of hot chocolate, a strawberry dipped in chocolate, a bowl of plain chocolate ice cream, or a slice of chocolate pie...what's your pleasure?</b><br />
<br />
I've already had way too much chocolate this week, thanks to my lack of willpower and the Halloween candy in the cupboard. I'll pass for now.<br />
<br />
<b>3. How do you feel about blue jeans? Favorite thing in the world to wear or nope, don't own a single pair? How often do you wear blue jeans in a typical week? Do you own a blue jean jacket?</b><br />
<br />
I basically wear jeans any time I can. Dark wash jeans = dressed up in my book!<br />
<br />
I wore a Levi's jean jacket in college constantly. (I never wear it now, but I just can't part with it.)<br />
<br />
<b>4. Are you superstitious? If so, in what way?</b><br />
<br />
I don't consider myself superstitious. I do always knock on wood when I'm talking about something good about to happen. I also throw salt over my left shoulder if I spill any.<br />
<br />
A black cat has crossed my path twice this week. That's good, right? It cancels out?<br />
<br />
Like I said—I'm not superstitious. ;)<br />
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<b>5. If you had to come up with a costume using only things you have on hand right now, what could you come up with? </b><br />
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I have used this in a pinch (here demonstrated by my son, years ago):<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8JKUBrS59MZWLp_6TOkiJGPEvPdQKAyTNgScwzcPbENDIdPZibN0OY2k8iWQqCPt70eodKIFVRCTq9GHgxoCx2MLpisdNZ4UtA7lBzGlSpyRAyfi4Ok2fB5rO1hPor_UvusrTSCiZw2M/s1600/Adam+with+Arrow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8JKUBrS59MZWLp_6TOkiJGPEvPdQKAyTNgScwzcPbENDIdPZibN0OY2k8iWQqCPt70eodKIFVRCTq9GHgxoCx2MLpisdNZ4UtA7lBzGlSpyRAyfi4Ok2fB5rO1hPor_UvusrTSCiZw2M/s400/Adam+with+Arrow.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
It's a conversation starter.<br />
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<b>6. What scares you a little? What do you do when you feel scared?</b><br />
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What scares me just a little? Like a good kind of scared? Umm. We are watching the new season of <i>Fargo</i>. That's a little scary! But not the kind of scary that would keep me up at night.<br />
<br />
<b>7. Perhaps today will be the day I...</b><br />
<b><br /></b>Order my son's senior pictures. I can't decide which pose I like best! And he (being a boy and all) couldn't care less what his yearbook picture looks like. (Maybe I'll just use the picture above!)<br />
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<b>8. Insert your own random thought here.</b><br />
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Daylight savings time starts (or ends?) this weekend! I'm looking forward to a little more light in the mornings, as it is very hard to haul myself out of bed at 6:00 lately.<br />
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I don't mind the dark in the evening. (It means that the holidays are just around the corner!)<br />
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Also: Go Temple! Beat Notre Dame!Bricks & Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06501408535133480134noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232443533508861657.post-61306729912539943152015-10-27T16:32:00.001-04:002015-10-27T16:32:59.934-04:00Filed Under: If We Win the Lottery<div class="tr_bq">
<b>Four round trip tickets, British Airways, Philadelphia to London:</b><br />$4,032</div>
<br /><b>Hotel, two nights:</b><br />$457<br />
<br /><b>Matinee and evening tickets for four at Palace Theatre:</b><br />$796<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Seeing <i>Harry Potter and the Cursed Child</i> on opening night:</b><br />PRICELESS<br />
<br />
In case you haven't been following the latest Potter news, here's the story (from <a href="http://www.harrypottertheplay.com/">www.harrypottertheplay.com</a>):<br />
<blockquote>
Based on an original new story by J. K. Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, a new play by Jack Thorne, will receive its world premiere in London’s West End at the Palace Theatre in the summer of 2016. </blockquote>
<blockquote>
Featuring a cast of over 30, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series and the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage. </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children. While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.</i> </blockquote>
I would so love to take the kids to see this! Daughter and son grew up reading Harry Potter, and we are veterans of midnight book release parties, movie openings, and at least one year of Halloween costumes.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGtYl0GuTYwbxsQxN-f5liHwCmHebDbpbIB2zUNy5n_wG05rng5-0kYzVYFtjI4A_h5jpNAF6RgesB4wgZpxUPvFhGJAoPsoUDiHwwCxt5jKD649FhbobJ1WDfOunNknfkYD73ovGxmLU/s1600/Hermione.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGtYl0GuTYwbxsQxN-f5liHwCmHebDbpbIB2zUNy5n_wG05rng5-0kYzVYFtjI4A_h5jpNAF6RgesB4wgZpxUPvFhGJAoPsoUDiHwwCxt5jKD649FhbobJ1WDfOunNknfkYD73ovGxmLU/s640/Hermione.jpg" width="408" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wingardium leviosa!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Unless I develop magical powers, however, it looks like we Muggles will just have to wait until the play comes to New York.Bricks & Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06501408535133480134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232443533508861657.post-31580373027551066702015-10-23T11:07:00.002-04:002015-10-23T11:35:07.245-04:00It's the Little ThingsI was listening to a podcast recently (maybe <i>This American Life</i>?), and they were talking about how many studies have shown that the older you get, the happier you are. 100% true for me, so far. And I think that at least part of why I'm so happy is that I have more time to look around me and enjoy the little things.<br />
<br />
So here's what's making me happy this week.<br />
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<b>1. This <a href="http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2015/oct/08/amazing-inner-lives-animals/" target="_blank">book review</a>.</b><br />
<br />
<i>"The free-living dolphins of the Bahamas had come to know researcher Denise Herzing and her team very well. For decades, at the start of each four-month-long field season, the dolphins would give the returning humans a joyous reception: 'a reunion of friends,' as Herzing described it. But one year the creatures behaved differently. They would not approach the research vessel, refusing even invitations to bow-ride. When the boat’s captain slipped into the water to size up the situation, the dolphins remained aloof. Meanwhile on board it was discovered that an expeditioner had died while napping in his bunk. As the vessel headed to port, Herzing said, 'the dolphins came to the side of our boat, not riding the bow as usual but instead flanking us fifty feet away in an aquatic escort' that paralleled the boat in an organized manner.
</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>The remarkable incident raises questions that lie at the heart of Carl Safina’s astonishing new book, </i>Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel<i>. Can dolphin sonar penetrate the steel hull of a boat—and pinpoint a stilled heart? Can dolphins empathize with human bereavement? Is dolphin society organized enough to permit the formation of a funeral cavalcade? If the answer to these questions is yes, then </i>Beyond Words<i> has profound implications for humans and our worldview."</i><br />
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<b>2. Fall decorations. </b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvNQheJOnXeaMxTo1ndExe6DkNz0E_hackgraebiqHpCBfxw5z39ulsOr4k2Rh-b1dCFXU_Uh5EH4sHnJa3KfaBPYVgKJxlxyFN0JTJNDDcgYGklCwv4myzp7U2VY6z4n9YcW22ETBMKE/s1600/door.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvNQheJOnXeaMxTo1ndExe6DkNz0E_hackgraebiqHpCBfxw5z39ulsOr4k2Rh-b1dCFXU_Uh5EH4sHnJa3KfaBPYVgKJxlxyFN0JTJNDDcgYGklCwv4myzp7U2VY6z4n9YcW22ETBMKE/s400/door.jpg" width="395" /></a></div>
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Minimal, as usual, but the little that I have done is making me disproportionately happy.<br />
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(You can see why I don't pretend to be a lifestyle blogger.)<br />
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<b>3. Gluttony.</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqypNXgrlHmcfzqOtgeaxuy_coqbrV-TPTklO3NoSfqXUn8_MKD5e3qOBcMpPm1O7Z3K6Ck5J-cTPB2B9BI6IWZD3zFJOdl66yZ5KEY5r2A0Ax86UTfyNoD_4SgD1Xse67Dsv11UFcUXg/s1600/3-Musketeers-Bar-Coupon-450x137.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="97" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqypNXgrlHmcfzqOtgeaxuy_coqbrV-TPTklO3NoSfqXUn8_MKD5e3qOBcMpPm1O7Z3K6Ck5J-cTPB2B9BI6IWZD3zFJOdl66yZ5KEY5r2A0Ax86UTfyNoD_4SgD1Xse67Dsv11UFcUXg/s320/3-Musketeers-Bar-Coupon-450x137.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The Halloween candy has been purchased. Unfortunately, it has also been opened. This happened in the parking lot at Target.<br />
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<b>4. Magazines.</b><br />
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Does anyone else have the Recycle Bank program in their town? All of our curbside recycling is weighed and each household is awarded points for each pound. These points can be redeemed for various rewards.<br />
<br />
It was off my radar for awhile...like years. So I checked our account a few weeks ago and we had 17,000 points accumulated! We looked and looked through the available awards and were having a hard time finding anything we really wanted, until we discovered that we could get free magazine subscriptions. So we ordered four: <i>This Old House, Cycling, Cooking Light,</i> and <i>Afar. </i>It's fun to get something in the mail other than bills.<br />
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Only 16,800 points to use up now!<br />
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<b>5. Fall weather.</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPxayX7bJ6WEpL8dlLJOnXWI3ccWX4QWj2bjwpW83ac3EVaRaoGV8qE0nAXMwprRb5P4cPJmuWKIQbAZjM0CyXpCCXBpahtqqAUKURx2SMw_DAuMK6RKHS-pyxEzHt8Wb2buOJNJL93NA/s1600/temp.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPxayX7bJ6WEpL8dlLJOnXWI3ccWX4QWj2bjwpW83ac3EVaRaoGV8qE0nAXMwprRb5P4cPJmuWKIQbAZjM0CyXpCCXBpahtqqAUKURx2SMw_DAuMK6RKHS-pyxEzHt8Wb2buOJNJL93NA/s320/temp.png" width="180" /></a></div>
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I don't have to get up at dawn to go for a run! (I can loll in my PJs until noon.)<br />
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<b>6. Next on my reading list.</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOGO2r_QxCLcyuugGvMjtKdBfUnb-_2LHqHs5g6smyENQikuN2H-XQBsGoY1jyF22VflqUyo8RdQMoKKHUglHD3CEpAm6feeSZlqHSp4Mjmd90bYxC-Mqq1Z_jefWLJI_xgt3U57X7gWw/s1600/Laura.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOGO2r_QxCLcyuugGvMjtKdBfUnb-_2LHqHs5g6smyENQikuN2H-XQBsGoY1jyF22VflqUyo8RdQMoKKHUglHD3CEpAm6feeSZlqHSp4Mjmd90bYxC-Mqq1Z_jefWLJI_xgt3U57X7gWw/s320/Laura.jpg" width="298" /></a></div>
<br />
Loved, loved, loved the Little House books. I can't wait to get the real story.<br />
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Predictions: (a) Almanzo = not actually Laura's first choice (clearly it was that cutie Cap Garland); (b) Mary = not quite so saintly; (c) Pa = closet drinker? (Okay, maybe not that last one.)<br />
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<b>7. Tea tree oil.</b><br />
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Bought some of this because Dr. Google has diagnosed me with rosacea, and it's supposed to help. I think it's working!<br />
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Now it's like <i>My Big Fat Greek Wedding</i> around here with the Windex. I'm using it on everything.<br />
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<b>8. Fan belt.</b><br />
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For months my car has been screeching when I start it. You know how you just ignore these kinds of problems? The car is totally driveable, and safe...so fixing was not a priority. Well, we got to the point where people were jerking in horror when the car started. The whole neighborhood could hear it.<br />
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Now, sweet purring of the engine is all I hear when I start up. And the neighbors can finally relax.<br />
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<b>9. Email string.</b><br />
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I've been emailing back and forth with my college roommate for months and it's so much fun! (We don't live in the same city anymore, and she's not really a texter.) The title of the string is "Joined at the hip" and every time I see it come up I smile. We've been commiserating on, ahem, aging issues—I'll spare you the details—but it's uncanny how we are having very similar experiences.<br />
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(I was going to do ten things, but maybe I'm not really THAT happy.)<br />
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Linking with<br />
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<a href="http://theflynnigans.com/2015/10/23/10-things-that-made-me-happy-this-week-28/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfzlaLnQdq12CVK6Ueq4Wp2w0jTmj8q6oiwFBl68KHTnDMUKlqlN8hs-eZB7K_w8gmLv29OhgKSVY-GuNP2mgkhzT4KvGkWKgaoEatp2-Obks_Dmn0f70X_hw5nxPma_-YEI1mVBgr89I/s1600/unnamed.jpg" /></a></div>
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<br />Bricks & Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06501408535133480134noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232443533508861657.post-54045096256044513102015-10-20T18:58:00.000-04:002015-10-21T07:08:37.708-04:00Hodgepodge: 1980s EditionIt's already Wednesday again? (Does anyone else feel like time is going by faster and faster?) This week Joyce has given us a nostalgic Hodgepodge. It was fun to look back!<br />
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To put in your two cents, <a href="http://www.fromthissideofthepond.com/" target="_blank">visit her</a> and link up!<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>1. October 21, 2015 is <a href="http://nationaldaycalendar.com/back-to-the-future-day-october-21-2015/">Back to the Future Day</a>. Did you see the movie? The sequels? In the second film, Doc takes Marty into the future to prevent Marty's future son from making a mistake. They leave 1985 and land on a 'skyway' on October 21st, 2015. So tell us, what were you doing in the fall of 1985?</b><br />
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I saw the first of the trilogy...great movie. I don't remember seeing the other two. We were kind of surprised no one did a remake of the original movie timed for this month. Think how much fun it would be for kids of today to see our (computer-less, cell phone-less) lives back in 1985!<br />
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The 50s seemed like ancient history to my 1980s self. It's weird to think that's how my kids must view the 80s!<br />
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In October of 1985, I was at college in Virginia, living with two close friends (will not use the word "besties" under any circumstances) in an on-campus apartment. Good times. I remember that our apartment had a huge sink, and of course we would let days and days of dishes pile up, until my one roommate couldn't stand it any longer. She would play Van Halen at top volume while washing up, which I guess makes sense when you think about it. Van Halen must be perfect for scrubbing.<br />
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I'm probably the only person on earth who thinks about dirty dishes when the song "Panama" comes on.<br />
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<b>2. If time travel were possible, would you want to go to the future? The past?</b><br />
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Maybe the past.<br />
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I would never go into the future. I don't even want to know what's happening in a week or a month! It would kill the joy of living for me.<br />
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<b>3. We're not flying cars, but some of the technology imagined in the 80's film has indeed come to pass in real life 2015-flat screen TVs on the wall, tablets, fingerprint recognition, video conferencing, online banking, 3-D movies, motion controlled video games, drone cameras, and smart glasses (Google glass). Do you worry technology is growing at a rate so fast we'll soon be unable to keep up with it's demands? Do you think the Internet does more harm than good? </b><br />
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I think on balance technology and the Internet have done more good than harm, but I will say this: As a member of the last generation to be raised without a computer in the house (I brought a <i>typewriter</i> to college!), I <i>know</i> my childhood was happier and healthier than that of most kids now. No video games, no Facebook, four channels on TV instead of a thousand. We were never in the house. (There was nothing to do in there!)<br />
<br />
It's true, however, that it would have been a lot easier to take my kids out to eat when they were toddlers if I could have just handed them my iPhone for distraction.<br />
<br />
<b>4. Your favorite dish prepared in a slow-cooker? Your favorite fast food?</b><br />
<br />
If you like Indian food, you will love this:<br />
<br />
<i>Chicken Tikka Masala</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes</i><br />
<i>1 medium onion, chopped</i><br />
<i>2 cloves garlic, chopped</i><br />
<i>2 T tomato paste</i><br />
<i>2 t garam masala (Indian spice blend, they sell it at Giant)</i><br />
<i>3/4 t salt</i><br />
<i>1/4 t black pepper</i><br />
<i>1.5 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs</i><br />
<i>1/4 cup cream or half and half</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Combine all ingredients except the cream in the slow cooker; cover and cook on low 7-8 hours or high 3-4 hours. Add the cream just before serving.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
I usually serve this with naan or pita bread (also from Giant), plain yogurt, and a salad of chopped cucumbers and lemon juice.<br />
<br />
I don't really have a favorite fast food. I do like Chik-Fil-A.<br />
<br />
<b>5. No time like the present, down time, face time, pressed for time, in the nick of time, make time, mark time, or just in time...which timely saying most relates to your life right now? </b><br />
<br />
I'll say "no time like the present." I'm (mostly) enjoying this last year of being a full-time mom, and I'm having fun now that I have more time to try some new things--like blogging!<br />
<br />
<b>6. Tell us about a place you went as a child or younger person that's no longer there or is now something else. How does that make you feel?</b><br />
<br />
I'm having a hard time coming up with something that's not there anymore. Everywhere in my hometown that had any meaning for me (houses, schools, places I hung out) is still there!<br />
<br />
My college town has changed a lot, but the campus itself is largely the same and our favorite hang-out is even under the same ownership. My friend was visiting recently (mind you, we graduated almost 30 years ago) and the proprietor <i>recognized her.</i> (On reflection it's possible we spent a little <i>too</i> much time there.)<br />
<br />
The suburb of Washington that I lived in as a twenty-something is very different now. It went from strip malls with cheap Vietnamese restaurants to high rise condominiums and chain stores. But honestly, when I lived there the place was a little seedy and I'm not necessarily nostalgic for it.<br />
<br />
<b>7. Describe your comfort zone.</b><br />
<br />
Wow, hard one. Describing my comfort zone may be out of my comfort zone!<br />
<br />
<b>8. Insert your own random thought here.</b><br />
<br />
We are going to see Ohio State play Rutgers this weekend, and I can't wait. I did have to buy a warm hat in preparation, because I think I'll be freezing (it's a night game). (I'm basically dressing as though I'm going skiing.) For some reason I am always so cold at outdoor sports events, even if the temperature is only in the 40s.<br />
<br />
I don't know how those Green Bay fans do it. Lots of beer maybe.<br />
<br />
Also, this:<br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
Can I just say, I was 11 in 1977 when the first movie came out?? I am beyond excited. (Ignoring the existence of the three prequel movies...they were terrible.)Bricks & Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06501408535133480134noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232443533508861657.post-7700588160359419012015-10-20T08:32:00.003-04:002015-10-20T10:14:49.677-04:00Crisis AvertedWe found out that <a href="http://bricksandlaurel.blogspot.com/2015/10/house-hunters.html" target="_blank">the house we liked</a> is under contract. I guess I'm relieved? It would have been a ton of work.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And where do you even rent a backhoe?<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The whole situation did help us resolve a few things. We know the neighborhood we want to live in, so we will just wait for the right house to come on the market. And we will be ready to move fast when it does--the house we liked was under contract in three weeks! (And we felt like it was a little overpriced. We may need to adjust our thinking there.)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Other updates:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
My <a href="http://bricksandlaurel.blogspot.com/2015/08/is-house-getting-away-from-me.html" target="_blank">cleaning plan</a> has failed miserably. I did manage to attend to the daily tasks I had listed (making the bed, doing the dishes, etc.). Of course I had <i>already</i> been doing that stuff. And I'm on top of the bathrooms and kitchen. But I'm not sure why I find it so impossible to dust this house! Obviously I need to have people over to spur me to some action.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I've been running! Last time I was out I managed 1.75 miles. The <a href="http://bricksandlaurel.blogspot.com/2015/07/roadblock.html" target="_blank">ankle</a> is holding up. It is twingy occasionally but I think I am just going to have to chalk that up to getting older. I'm going to try to get to 2 miles, then stick with that, maybe indefinitely. It's better to be able to go a short distance than to not do anything at all (which is how I spent the month of July, and it was torture).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
My sister has been decluttering her house using the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Life-Changing-Magic-Tidying-Decluttering/dp/1607747308" target="_blank">Marie Kondo's</a> method. (The <i>Wall Street Journal</i> calls Kondo "stern and enchanted, like a fairy godmother for socks.")<br />
<br />
As far as I understand it (and that's not far at all), the Kondo method involves gathering all of the items in a category, say clothing, and culling ruthlessly based on whether or not the item "sparks joy." When I mentioned the method to my husband, he commented that if we were to get rid of all the things in our house that don't "spark joy," we would have no furniture. This unfortunately is true.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Off to look at <a href="http://www.fromthissideofthepond.com/2015/10/hodgepodge-questions-volume-240.html" target="_blank">Joyce's Hodgepodge questions</a>. See you tomorrow!</div>
</div>
Bricks & Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06501408535133480134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232443533508861657.post-56235421589096524522015-10-16T10:13:00.000-04:002015-10-16T10:15:21.919-04:00House HuntersNot the TV show.<br />
<br />
I've mentioned before that we live in a big house built back in 1920. We have loved living here but it's going to be far too big for us when our nest is empty next fall. So we have begun to look...just to get a feel for what's out there. My wish list includes the following (and clearly I will have to compromise at least a little):<br />
<ul>
<li>Newer</li>
<li>Lots of light</li>
<li>Open floor plan</li>
<li>Three bedrooms</li>
<li>Two and a half baths, including master bath</li>
<li>Large master closet</li>
<li>Large kitchen, island nice but negotiable</li>
<li>One dining area</li>
<li>One living area</li>
<li>Small, easy to maintain yard</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOtC5vqdEqT8vyWzNfRlkxXhu55JCa_InmmikGdF4G_jC3eCcMHlbZe8pJNSIPTfeXR2jNFKDLQ9qsvEYc52WRCCpueotGIClTvwoEVIoC_snacv_9lYROq0O-kqJgLdbto94T69B4Nds/s1600/desiretoinspire.net.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="457" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOtC5vqdEqT8vyWzNfRlkxXhu55JCa_InmmikGdF4G_jC3eCcMHlbZe8pJNSIPTfeXR2jNFKDLQ9qsvEYc52WRCCpueotGIClTvwoEVIoC_snacv_9lYROq0O-kqJgLdbto94T69B4Nds/s640/desiretoinspire.net.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what I'm thinking! <a href="http://www.desiretoinspire.net/blog/2013/6/25/villa-llucmajor.html" target="_blank">Source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
My husband's wish list is smaller:
<br />
<ul>
<li>Three-car garage</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZSuvVlcXOoU5sg2WGVd5upXSI7GVUQXzliC6gOjE0SdoTbO5p3QBMEcbLerg9PDOwUuAtWXLNfae3GPxSlFQ1_A5b6G7Y1c95TiBmlWCMzdzEvqMZiD9LG35i6Zp2Tb-IZ54yRX1tZ7o/s1600/McKelvey-Garage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZSuvVlcXOoU5sg2WGVd5upXSI7GVUQXzliC6gOjE0SdoTbO5p3QBMEcbLerg9PDOwUuAtWXLNfae3GPxSlFQ1_A5b6G7Y1c95TiBmlWCMzdzEvqMZiD9LG35i6Zp2Tb-IZ54yRX1tZ7o/s640/McKelvey-Garage.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.hendersonbuildinggroup.com/portfolio/3-car-detached-garage-cornelius-nc/" target="_blank">Source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
We've pretty much agreed that a newer townhouse would probably suit us just fine. The three-car garage...may have to go.<br />
<br />
So we're out looking Sunday, and we are in one of the prettiest neighborhoods in our town. All older houses and big leafy trees. And we come upon this house:<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCCKELks536Mf1SOtGkJNEdjy2InUvVeS6U9icqzhQV_nluTaLK5uo2I_DL4Cxypjhv2SmqyVpdUcRERPRPZ4SUVlE8kwk7sANHnq9BOVXO0mlrVBC3ktBBrvqvfYYf5eyjXooCY2x9cw/s1600/house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="588" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCCKELks536Mf1SOtGkJNEdjy2InUvVeS6U9icqzhQV_nluTaLK5uo2I_DL4Cxypjhv2SmqyVpdUcRERPRPZ4SUVlE8kwk7sANHnq9BOVXO0mlrVBC3ktBBrvqvfYYf5eyjXooCY2x9cw/s640/house.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
It's on a quiet street and in a great location (walkable to a bunch of stuff). It seems solidly built. It's modestly sized. And we are in love. We go home and check realtor.com. Can I tell you a little about this house that we seem to have fallen for?<br />
<ul>
<li>It <i>is</i> the right square footage</li>
<li>Older than current house</li>
<li>Not open floor plan</li>
<li>Five (tiny) bedrooms (two are in attic)</li>
<li>One bath</li>
<li>Smallish kitchen</li>
<li>Large yard <i>with pool</i></li>
<li>Tons of flower beds, trees, garden</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
And to top it all off:<br />
<ul>
<li>No garage</li>
</ul>
<br />
Can you see where this is going?<br />
<br />
Yes. Now we're discussing a gut renovation complete with building a detached three car garage. I even caught my husband watching a YouTube DIY video on how to fill in a pool. (Which evidently involves renting a backhoe? Tell me I'm not the only one who thinks this sounds like a bad idea.)
<br />
<br />
Of course we have yet to see the inside of this house. I don't know if I should be hoping it is perfect for a reno...or if it is completely unworkable.Bricks & Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06501408535133480134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232443533508861657.post-2687259791306415222015-10-14T07:33:00.000-04:002015-10-14T07:33:10.907-04:00Hodgepodge: Patience, Flying, and the Chairman of the Board<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjSvA56LDIYTsH7omeoweXlEn6p-MW_HeBuxL3YmZjOCtr3y8SNlng0VC_AJYY_E3TTrbLZIAmq-Ejdvu9vUsFhHupvwbfQM38atiLpFl-vwqBv70u5OlGmWvLMqXZV35F2IH-cDa54Mg/s1600/Hodgepodgebutton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjSvA56LDIYTsH7omeoweXlEn6p-MW_HeBuxL3YmZjOCtr3y8SNlng0VC_AJYY_E3TTrbLZIAmq-Ejdvu9vUsFhHupvwbfQM38atiLpFl-vwqBv70u5OlGmWvLMqXZV35F2IH-cDa54Mg/s200/Hodgepodgebutton.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
I can't imagine anyone is looking at this who isn't already part of the Hodgepodge. But just in case: head over to <span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://www.fromthissideofthepond.com/" target="_blank">From This Side of the Pond</a></span> to see this week's questions, and link up! It's so much fun! (Thank you, Joyce!)<br />
<br />
<b>1. What's something that has recently 'tried your patience'?</b><br />
<br />
I have so much spam in my Verizon email, and yet I'm not doing anything about it. I know I should figure out how to forward my emails to my gmail account. Which I think would filter out the spam? For some reason I am paralyzed at the thought of accomplishing this.<br />
<br />
So Verizon is trying my patience, and I am trying my own patience.<br />
<b><br /></b><b>2. Do you think patience
comes to us naturally or is it something you have to learn as you grow? </b><b>On a
scale of 1-10 generally how patient are you? (1=I blow up at the drop of a hat
and 10=I've got all the time in the world).</b><br />
<br />
Definitely something that you learn. Remember how impatient you were for Christmas as a kid? For summer to finally come? For dinnertime?<br />
<br />
I don't get impatient much anymore—on the scale, I put myself at about a 7. When I was younger, I used to get annoyed with slow drivers...slow lines at the grocery store...slow meetings at work...you get the picture. Now, I just wait. I'm generally not in a rush anymore.<br />
<br />
This may mean that <i>I</i> am now the slow driver <i>you</i> are all stuck behind.
<br />
<br />
<b>3. Share about a time when you felt like you could
fly. Or a time you wished you could fly. Or a time you felt like you were
flying.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
A time I felt I was flying: This is easy. Skiing. The wind is in my face and I am gliding. Pine trees rush past. My heart is beating hard and I'm a little out of breath.<br />
<br />
(I'm actually a really slow skier, but all the above is still true!)<br />
<br />
<b>4. Your favorite song with the word fly in the
title or lyrics, or your favorite song that relates to flying in some way?</b>
<br />
<b><br /></b>
As a resident of southeastern Pennsylvania, I should be choosing either "Fly Eagles Fly" or "Gonna Fly Now (Theme From Rocky)." But here are my real favorites:<br />
<br />
"Come Fly With Me," Frank Sinatra<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
"Learning to Fly," Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<b>5. What's in your fall picnic basket and where are
we picnicking in your neck of the woods this time of year?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Yum! I love food questions! We'll head over to the local state park. I brought blankets to wrap up in if we get chilly. And to eat...let's see, we have some hot cocoa in one thermos, vegetable soup in another, bread and butter, cheese, fruit, and homemade oatmeal cookies. And apple cider.<br />
<br />
When we get home, we'll put our feet up and have some mulled wine by the fire.<br />
<br />
<b>6. Carpentry, electrical, plumbing,
landscaping...which skill would you most like to possess and how would you put
that skill to use today?</b>
<br />
<b><br /></b>
Plumbing. I have found that when most times I have needed a plumber, I've needed a plumber <i>right this minute</i>. Like when our kitchen faucet started spraying water under the sink on Thanksgiving morning, with 16 expected for dinner.<br />
<br />
I don't have any plumbing projects right now, but with my new skills I'd be ready for anything!<br />
<br />
(I can't think of any landscaping/carpentry emergencies—unless a tree fell on the house?)
<br />
<br />
<b>7. What's something you think is too expensive to
justify buying lately?</b>
<br />
<b><br /></b>
There is a big scratch down the side of my car (new driver + narrow garage). It's been there for months, and I really don't like driving a car that looks junky.<br />
<br />
However, I just got the estimate for the repair and it looks like I'll be driving with the scratch for the foreseeable future.<br />
<br />
<b>8. Insert your own random thought here.</b>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
We had such a great fall weekend! Daughter was home from college for four days. My favorite times are when all four of us are together on the weekends, after breakfast and before heading out for the day, doing nothing but talking and drinking coffee and relaxing. It's just not the same with only three.<br />
<br />
Plus, on Saturday we saw <i>The Martian</i> (oh Matt Damon, how I love you) and on Sunday we went to some open houses. Time to start our search for a smaller place!Bricks & Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06501408535133480134noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232443533508861657.post-33797129733821627802015-10-08T10:19:00.000-04:002015-10-08T10:19:48.988-04:00A Rant<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.indianagrown.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/cow1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.indianagrown.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/cow1.png" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.indianagrown.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/cow1.png" target="_blank">Source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Okay. I promised myself I would never post here when I was angry. But I just can't hold back. I read something yesterday that simply <i>must</i> be addressed.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonkblog/wp/2015/10/06/for-decades-the-government-steered-millions-away-from-whole-milk-was-that-wrong/" target="_blank">For decades, the government steered millions away from whole milk. Was that wrong?</a><br />
<br />
And, of course, it turns out that the answer to this question is probably...yes.<br />
<br />
Are you kidding me? I've been drinking grey, watery almost-milk for decades now, all for nothing?<br />
<br />
I grew up as a (whole) milk drinker. We had milk with every meal. (Yes. This includes spaghetti and meatballs, hamburgers—everything.) As a young twenty-something, I hauled a gallon of milk home from the supermarket every week. And by <i>hauled</i>, I mean, <i>carried in my arms for three blocks from the market to my apartment</i>, and it was not easy.<br />
<br />
Somewhere along the way we were told that whole milk was terrible for heart health and I listened. I weaned myself from whole milk slowly: first 2%, then 1%, until I could finally tolerate skim. I faithfully drank it through two pregnancies and nursing both babies...right up until today.<br />
<br />
When will I learn? It's clear that science on nutrition is not just evolving, but possibly completely wrong at any given time. (Fat is bad and carbs are good...no, wait! Carbs are terrible! Fat is good! But not saturated fats! Okay, maybe some saturated fats are good!)<br />
<br />
All I know is, they'll have to pry this stick of butter from my cold, dead hands.Bricks & Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06501408535133480134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232443533508861657.post-13592372937430579992015-10-07T10:15:00.000-04:002015-10-07T10:18:41.608-04:00If It's Wednesday...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.fromthissideofthepond.com/2015/10/the-impossibly-possible-hodgepodge.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHn4iZGO8kP895q_e36LPO7r0IeHaHgVkuGrh4tY5-wGIy0A_MO7yIC0E3_RCG7694f13Om4fP_LKC0Z2vbLRIoTw6DuYFqJtWfdQM3i9hIPE_DkWVdmEuO2M9JT_PwuF8oSN_gwh6Tzs/s1600/Hodgepodgebutton.jpg" /></a></div>
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>
Yes! (Picture me in Usain Bolt pose.) Got the Hodgepodge picture <i>and</i> figured out how to link it!<br />
<br />
<b>1. It's October so let's get this out there first thing...have you jumped on the all-things-pumpkin bandwagon? How so? </b><br />
<br />
I have not tasted pumpkin yet this year (although do I love it). Honestly...I'll probably just wait for the pie at Thanksgiving. And I don't really like flavored coffee. In any case, my daughter informs me that drinking pumpkin spice lattes is <i>so basic</i>.<br />
<br />
And in case you don't know what that means (I certainly didn't):<br />
<br />
Per Urban Dictionary, a basic [um, girl] is "unflinchingly upholding of the status quo and stereotypes of her gender without even realizing it. She engages in typical, unoriginal behaviors, modes of dress, speech, and likes: <i>I've gotta get to Hollister and Bath and Body Works for the third time this week, they just announced a new sale! I just don't know how I'll ever fit in that mani-pedi with Amanda and Brittney today....</i><i>I need a pumpkin spice latte or a cosmo right now, I can't handle this pressure."</i><br />
<br />
<b>2.</b> <i><b>"We have more power than will; and it is often by way of excuse to ourselves that we fancy things are impossible." Francois Duc De la Rochefoucauld</b></i><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>What's something you once thought impossible, but in hindsight see as more a matter of lack of will?</b><br />
<br />
Hmm. Well, I once thought it would be impossible for my (math loving, English hating) son to write his college application essays, but through force of (my) will, he is getting there (slowly). Ditto with my packrat husband: last weekend, for the first time in years he cleaned out the closet where he keeps old hard drives, CDs, printers, etc. Again through force of (my) will.<br />
<br />
Does that count?<br />
<br />
<b>3. The rose is America's National Flower, but every state also has its own flower. Are you happy with yours? If you were in charge what would declare your state's flower? If you're outside the U.S. what bloom would you like to see labeled as your country's national flower?</b><br />
<br />
Hey, what do you know? Pennsylvania's flower is the mountain laurel! I never knew that!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjxkCkn9wBnZvYMlPwP7x8uJupWuas_yTELNHgUIedPwjDMI8s9ZRUIsH46jHopN8vE7J5iiOKxxyEh0tYmKqKBkXIU3X5iVIQy1aBr27IVs4OA9RXJwe6nDx4e-n2KrJDObLx7Gxhq60/s1600/laurel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjxkCkn9wBnZvYMlPwP7x8uJupWuas_yTELNHgUIedPwjDMI8s9ZRUIsH46jHopN8vE7J5iiOKxxyEh0tYmKqKBkXIU3X5iVIQy1aBr27IVs4OA9RXJwe6nDx4e-n2KrJDObLx7Gxhq60/s320/laurel.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalmia_latifolia" target="_blank">Source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Pretty!<br />
<br />
We have lots of laurel (not mountain) in the yard (hence blog name). It doesn't bloom like that. (Can you tell I'm not much of a flower person? Lol.) I'm happy to stick with the mountain laurel as the state flower.<br />
<br />
<b>4. What have you lost interest in recently?</b><br />
<br />
Wearing makeup. I've never worn much, but I didn't used to leave the house without putting on mascara at least. Now, after six months of not working in an office...let's just say it's all natural, almost all of the time. (And if I'm always wearing workout clothes, maybe I'll actually get to the gym!)<br />
<br />
<b>5. In your opinion, who's the best living musician?</b><br />
<br />
Wow, another tough one. I'll go with the obvious and say Paul McCartney. The Beatles...Wings...he even made me like a Rihanna song!<br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
<b>6. S'mores</b>—<b>love 'em or no? Ever make them indoors? Last time you sat around an outdoor fire? Are making s'mores and sitting round a fire pit on your autumn bucket list? Do you have an autumn bucket list?</b><br />
<br />
I do love a s'more. One thing I do not understand, however, is eating burned marshmallows. What is with you people?! Don't stick it right in the flames...toast it!<br />
<br />
Bucket list? Well...I'd like to "decorate" my house for the fall. This generally involves a pot of mums on the front porch and a few gourds in a bowl on the dining room table.<br />
<br />
<b>7. Your favorite small town? Why?</b><br />
<br />
Stockbridge or Lenox, Massachusetts—quintessential New England small towns. I may be <i>slightly</i> biased, but with the Berkshires, Boston, and the Cape/Vineyard/Nantucket, isn't Massachusetts the best state of all? ;)<br />
<br />
<b>8. Insert your own random thought here.</b><br />
<br />
We just got invited to a friend's house for a Halloween get-together and the text said, "Costumes optional." Ugh! I never know what to do for this kind of thing! I don't really want to dress up...but I also don't want to seem like a spoil sport.Bricks & Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06501408535133480134noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232443533508861657.post-34184378764923540022015-10-04T21:50:00.000-04:002015-10-07T09:29:08.433-04:00Movie NightWe tried to see <i>The Martian</i> Saturday night, but it was sold out at the two movie theaters we like. We have become—there's no other word for it—snobs. Not about the film...about the theater. After a few trips to the new easy-chair-style, reserved-seat, food-serving type of cinema, we have vowed never to go back to craning our necks and shifting uncomfortably at the old fashioned kind.<br />
<br />
Instead, we stayed home and flipped around the channels looking for something to watch. Do you have a movie you will always stop at—no matter how much you have missed—and watch the rest? I do, and my husband definitely does. (As he changed the channels, I was thinking: please, not <i>Planet of the Apes</i>. Or a Spaghetti Western. Or, heaven forbid, <i>Easy Rider.</i>)<br />
<br />
Here are a few of my always-watches:<br />
<ul>
<li><i>Steel Magnolias</i>. And I cry every time.</li>
<li><i>That Thing You Do</i>. (Have you seen it? Mid-1960s band from Erie, Pennsylvania, makes a hit record. Plus, Tom Hanks.) I feel cheated if I don't see the scene when the band hears their song played on the radio for the first time.</li>
<li><i>Raising Arizona</i>. The first half has most of the funniest lines, though.</li>
<li><i>Dazed and Confused</i>. (Last day of school, 1976. Rising seniors haze, and party with, rising freshmen. Early roles for many stars: Matthew McConaughey, Ben Affleck, and Parker Posey, to name a few.) Definitely not a family movie by any stretch. But so funny! And director Richard Linklater is a master of teenage-realistic dialogue.</li>
<li><i>Speed</i>. What can I say? It's Keanu.</li>
<li><i>The Bourne Identity</i>. Ditto, Matt Damon.</li>
<li><i>Clueless</i>. As if I would miss this one!</li>
<li><i>Raiders of the Lost Ark</i>. But not the sequels.</li>
<li><i>The Parent Trap</i>. Both versions, but I'm partial to Dennis Quaid as dad. I love the scene when the housekeeper realizes it's Annie, not Hallie.</li>
</ul>
And at Christmas:<br />
<ul>
<li><i>A Christmas Story</i>. Why do the bullies always have red hair?</li>
<li><i>Meet Me in St. Louis</i>. Another tearjerker.</li>
</ul>
<div>
Hmm, it's kind of a lowbrow list. I guess you could say it's the equivalent of comfort food!</div>
Bricks & Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06501408535133480134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232443533508861657.post-62519621013570088362015-09-30T10:51:00.000-04:002015-10-07T09:30:28.415-04:00Wednesday HodgepodgeUm, hello?<br />
<br />
I feel a little bit like I'm crashing a party, but I'm going to jump right in. I'm Catherine, and it's very nice to meet you all!<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>1. Something on your October calendar that makes you smile? </b><br />
<br />
Daughter's fall break starts in a week! She will be home from college for five days and I can't wait to see her. I've even DVR'd <i>Say Anything</i> for us to watch together...and I am hoping she shares my appreciation for John Cusack. (Or is that just a Generation X thing?)<br />
<br />
<b>2. Food for the soul or music for the soul...which camp are you in? Tell us why. </b><br />
<br />
When I was younger, I might have answered music, but now, it's definitely food: Food brings people together, and with every meal I make for my family I am showing my love for them. Plus, what could feed the soul more than the taste of homemade chocolate ice cream on a hot summer night?<br />
<br />
<b>3. What are two or three things you've learned recently as the result of an online search? </b><br />
<br />
That I might be developing rosacea (thank you, Dr. Google), that it might be caused by microscopic skin mites (ew!), and that tea tree oil might treat it effectively.<br />
<br />
That in Michigan's UP some speak a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yooper_dialect" target="_blank">Yooper dialect</a>. (When <a href="http://bricksandlaurel.blogspot.com/2015/09/road-trip.html" target="_blank">we were in Michigan</a> I thought I should educate myself a little.) I am fascinated by regional accents and dialects, having grown up pahking the cah and drinking "tonic" (soda). Yooper incorporates Finnish words and even shares grammatical constructions from Finnish--like dropping "to the" ("I'm going store"), because Finnish lacks articles and drops prepositions.<br />
<br />
<b>4. Share your favorite game day recipe. </b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/guacamole.html" target="_blank">Guacamole</a>. Lots of tomatoes, no sour cream! (And although Williams Sonoma may want you to purchase the molcajete, I have always found that it comes out just fine with a regular old fork and bowl.)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/313267/slow-cooker-beef-and-black-bean-chili" target="_blank">Beef and black bean crockpot chili</a>. So easy and so good! Martha knows what she's doing. Plus, bonus points for starting with dried beans...I feel like Ma Ingalls!<br />
<br />
<b>5. What are your five essential steps for creating the perfect morning routine? </b><br />
<br />
<i>Breakfast for my son. </i>My kids have been making their own lunches since about fourth grade (when they started complaining about what I was packing for them), but I still get up every weekday to make breakfast.<br />
<i>Breakfast for me. </i>It's the same every day: granola with sliced almonds and dried cranberries. I make my own because gluten-free granola costs a fortune.<br />
<i>Coffee. </i>Essential.<br />
<i>New York Times crossword puzzle</i> (and then I read <a href="http://rexwordpuzzle.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">this blog</a>; it is entertaining, mostly because Rex is such a curmudgeon).<br />
<i>To-do list</i>. I can't function without one. Nothing gets done unless it is written down, and next thing you know, it's 11:30 and I'm still in my PJs.<br />
<br />
<b>6. What small thing have you taken note of today?</b><br />
<br />
At Bed Bath & Beyond, once again I was the only person in the checkout line without any coupons. Drat!<br />
<br />
<b>7. Sum up your September in seven words or less. </b><br />
<br />
The Pope came and Philadelphia shut down.<br />
<br />
<b>8. Insert your own random thought here.</b><br />
<br />
<i>"All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well."</i><br />
<br />
Julian of Norwich's words express my joy in times of happiness, and hold me up in times of sadness.Bricks & Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06501408535133480134noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232443533508861657.post-72108616587610154022015-09-28T10:26:00.001-04:002015-10-02T17:21:25.130-04:0020 Steps to Help Your Child Get Into the Right College<ol>
<li>Wait until September 27 to take a hard look at college application deadlines.</li>
<li>Discover that University of North Carolina's application deadline is October 15.</li>
<li>Realize that child needs to write a supplemental 500-word essay for the UNC app.</li>
<li>Also that the deadline to request guidance office to send a transcript was September 24.</li>
<li>Consider telling child that he is not allowed to apply to UNC.</li>
<li>Reconsider. Surely he is not the only slacker requesting transcripts late?</li>
<li>Read fine print on Carolina's website stating that electronic application must be received by October 15; transcripts and recs can be sent later.</li>
<li>Celebratory high-five with child.</li>
<li>Attempt to help child request transcripts from guidance using Naviance (an online college application manager).</li>
<li>Fail. Apparently child failed to submit signed release form to guidance?</li>
<li>Argue with child who insists he did submit form.</li>
<li>Agree that someone screwed up and clearly it wasn't him.</li>
<li>Print form in question, sign it, and instruct him to submit ASAP.</li>
<li>Attempt to assist while child links Common App account with Naviance account.</li>
<li>Realize that it might have been a good idea to attend informational meeting at the high school re: college application process.</li>
<li>Account link successful! Teacher recommendations electronically requested! We're on a roll!</li>
<li>Leave child alone so he can start writing essay.</li>
<li>Check in an hour later. Child is lying on bed texting.</li>
<li>Go downstairs, pour large glass of wine.</li>
<li>Think about how much easier it was to apply to college in 1984.</li>
</ol>
Bricks & Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06501408535133480134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232443533508861657.post-2714406135435959592015-09-25T12:30:00.003-04:002015-09-28T15:06:20.164-04:00A Little Piece of History<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Have I mentioned my love of all things British?<br />
<br />
I never miss an episode of Downton Abbey, my favorite books (<i>Pride and Prejudice, The Pursuit of Love,</i> anything by D. E. Stevenson) are set in England, and London is my absolute favorite city in the world.<br />
<br />
I come by this love honestly—my grandmother, a genealogist, has been feeding it since I was a little girl. She has traced her father's family not just back to the 1600s, when our English ancestor first arrived in Virginia, but back to the Norman Conquest when a fellow called Guillaume de Pesche (I think that translates to William the Fish) landed in England with William the Conqueror.<br />
<br />
(I love how geneologists always seem to be able to find important people in their ancestry. My grandmother claims we are connected with everyone from Charlemagne to Pocahontas.)<br />
<br />
Anyway, Grandma has traveled to Long Melford, our ancestral village in southeast England, twice. (Use of the word <i>pilgrimage</i> to describe these trips is not inappropriate.) It is the type of place you picture when you are reading Anthony Trollope: a manor house, a parish church, and a main street of buildings dating back to the Middle Ages and Elizabethan times. People have lived in Melford since the Neolithic Era; the Romans built a road through it, Saxon artifacts have been found nearby, Queen Elizabeth I visited the manor, and in World War II American airmen flying B24s and B17s were billeted there. (And with that we have now officially hit each and every one of my sweet spots in British history....)<br />
<br />
On one of her trips, Grandma bought the small piece of fabric in the picture above. According to her, it is a snippet from the curtain hanging at the altar in Westminster Abbey during Queen Elizabeth II's coronation. When the curtain started to show its age, it was divided among parish churches throughout England. The church in Long Melford cut their piece into 6-inch swatches and sold them to raise funds (and American tourists like Grandma snapped them right up).<br />
<br />
I'm starting to feel like I'm describing a holy relic: <i>"Yes, this is a lock of hair from Saint Ursula!" </i>Who knows—maybe the fabric has spent more time in Marks and Spencer than it has in Westminster. I don't want to know if it has.<br />
<br />
I'm just happy to have a little piece of England on the wall.Bricks & Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06501408535133480134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232443533508861657.post-89318916955446321282015-09-21T13:23:00.000-04:002015-10-07T09:30:42.354-04:00FinallyAhhhhhh.<br />
<br />
Fall feels like it's finally here, and not a moment too soon. I am not a summer person (must be the Scandanavian in me). If I had to rank the months in order of preference, October comes first, and December is way before July and August. I love snow—even shoveling—and I have no trouble with bundling up to stay warm. Fleece, down, wool sweaters, boots—bring it on. Whereas I can't really take off enough clothes to stay comfortable in the summer. (Not that anyone would want me to!)<br />
<br />
I went running this morning; temps were in the mid-fifties, and it was breezy and a little cloudy. Gorgeous. And we used our down comforter last night!<br />
<br />
Speaking of the comforter—I finally bought new bedding, for the first time in probably ten years. In keeping with my goal to remove all color from the house, everything is now white but the bed skirt, which is a light tan linen. I'm looking for the perfect throw pillows to "complete the look"—in a print that incorporates the bright white and tan, and also some slate or grey blue—which has involved hours clicking around etsy, zazzle, etc. I'm working from a picture I found on Pinterest (naturally), and I'm having a hard time duplicating the pillow the designer used. I'm guessing the fabric is super high end, which is why I'm not finding it at Wayfair? Lol.<br />
<br />
I was going to do a before and after post, and maybe I still will, but honestly I was so excited when the matelasse and shams arrived that I tore everything off the bed before I could take a picture. And what are the chances I will remake the bed with the old quilt? Yeah...no.<br />
<br />Bricks & Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06501408535133480134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232443533508861657.post-35141035790800567082015-09-16T13:03:00.000-04:002015-10-07T09:30:58.934-04:00Road Trip!Just back from a trip to the Midwest to take a last-minute look at two colleges my son is considering. You'll be pleased to know that he eliminated a moderately priced match school and added an expensive reach.<br />
<br />
The people in the Midwest are so friendly. Maybe I'm just jaded from growing up in New England and many years spent in Washington and Philadelphia, but I could not believe how many people struck up conversations with us and seemed genuinely interested in our trip.<br />
<br />
We met the nicest couple who told us all about their bike trips through France. Evidently they liked to pedal between villages with absolutely no plan for where to eat or sleep. This meant several late-evening rides to the next village to look for a hotel with a room. I could tell my husband was liking the sound of this, so I made sure to squelch his nascent plans quickly. I could get behind a biking trip, although a walking tour is probably more my speed (see what I did there?). But there is no way on God's green earth that I will be participating in any situation where it is unclear if a bed will be available at night.<br />
<br />
We got to make a quick stop in Chicago. I love that city.<br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
And the common app essay is now written, thanks to a four-hour train ride. One essay down, (at least) ten more to go!<br />
<br />Bricks & Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06501408535133480134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232443533508861657.post-62713923360467411172015-09-07T10:00:00.000-04:002015-10-07T09:31:12.365-04:00Back to SchoolOne great thing about having older kids is that shopping for school supplies is ridiculously easy now.<br />
<br />
Then:<br />
<ul>
<li>A two-page supply list for each kid</li>
<li>At least an hour at Staples/Walmart, with a side trip to Walmart/Staples for items we couldn't find at the first stop</li>
<li>A cart literally heaped with tissues, notebook paper, pack of exactly three glue sticks, dry erase markers, pencils, the largest possible 3-ring binder, paper, index cards, 3-hole punch</li>
<li>At least one tantrum (mine)</li>
<li>Total cost of $119, plus future therapy bills for the kids</li>
</ul>
Now:<br />
<ul>
<li>Three 1-inch binders and a pack of mechanical pencils</li>
<li>Total cost of $18</li>
<li>Only a little PTSD</li>
</ul>
<br />
Who said having teenagers was hard?<br />
<br />
We actually did have to make two stops this year. When we went to get in line to pay at Staples, there was one—<i>one!</i>—cash register open, and a line that stretched all the way to the back of the store. On the Sunday afternoon before the first day of school! Thank goodness we had invested approximately three minutes choosing the binders/pencils, which made it easy to simply put down our basket and leave. I felt horrible for the families with the hugely piled carts...once you've located each and every requested item, and said no to an equal number of extras, how can you possibly walk away? <i>And do it all again somewhere else? </i>Bricks & Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06501408535133480134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232443533508861657.post-37815979337599223892015-09-01T09:42:00.000-04:002015-09-28T15:13:15.808-04:00Last First DayThis feels like a year with lots of lasts.<br />
<br />
I just sent my high school senior off for his first day of school. No bus stop this year—he is driving. (Actually, he is circling our neighborhood to pick up a carload of friends, then heading over to school. I have instructed him to drive <i>very carefully</i>, so as not to risk the health of his passengers, who today include two key players on our high school football team.)<br />
<br />
As much as I have looked forward to school starting, and to getting back into a routine, I'm melancholy this morning. Where did the time go? It is a matter of months before we pack my son up and send him to college...and a 20-year chapter of my life closes.<br />
<br />
Last year, when my daughter left for college, I read an op-ed by Michael Gerson that captured perfectly how I was feeling.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/michael-gerson-saying-goodbye-to-my-child-the-youngster/2013/08/19/6337802e-08dd-11e3-8974-f97ab3b3c677_story.html">Parenthood offers many lessons in patience and sacrifice. But ultimately, it is a lesson in humility. The very best thing about your life is a short stage in someone else's story. And it is enough.</a><br />
<br />
So today, the last first day of school. And I am willing time to go just a little slower, and savoring these last few months...of washing load after load of laundry, of running shoes left in the middle of the floor, of insanely big grocery bills, of protein shakes, of late nights waiting for the front door to open...and of a closeness with this son that will pass way, way too soon.<br />
<br />Bricks & Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06501408535133480134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232443533508861657.post-8368589948268061052015-08-06T11:54:00.000-04:002015-09-28T15:17:18.151-04:00Am I Stuck in 2002?So I've recently entered the wonderful world of Pinterest. (Check out my <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/Bricksandlaurel/">boards</a>!)<br />
<br />
I literally spent 8 hours yesterday pinning various rooms I liked, and there's clearly a common denominator, which is...I need a new house. Looking over the pictures I found, I'm not even sure whether I was pinning decor or just really big windows, LOL.<br />
<br />
We live in a big, old (1920s) house with a circa 1990 addition:<br />
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Can you see the bricks? And the laurel?<br />
<br />
Anyway, it is in no way a light-filled house. It is also much too big for our family--with one child in college, there are only three of us living in this five-bedroom house and we really only use a few of the rooms. And the addition means that the kitchen is completely an interior room...and dark.<br />
<br />
As for the decor...well, see for yourself:<br />
<br />
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Honestly, I'm not sure my carefully chosen colors (sage green, red, midnight blue, and pale yellow) were <i>ever</i> in style...even in 2002. Is it any wonder that every one of my pins shows an all-white or beige room? I am thinking (hoping?) that repainting in a neutral, and replacing the rug in the top photo above, would go a long way toward calming things down.<br />
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And maybe—someday—we will downsize into the 2015 era home of my dreams (which I will not have to redecorate until at least 2023)!Bricks & Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06501408535133480134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232443533508861657.post-17845170653328823112015-07-21T12:11:00.000-04:002015-09-28T15:17:46.219-04:00Is the House Getting Away From Me?<i>Consider, for a moment, your spotless housekeeper. She housekeeps most of the time, apportioning various chores to different days: Tuesday morning is ironing morning. She calls this Not Letting the House Get Away from Her, making it sound a little like a nervous filly.</i><br />
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Peg Bracken,<i> The I Hate to Housekeep Book</i><br />
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A quote from one of my favorite books. Written in the early 1960s, it is a snapshot of that era. Peg is always mixing up a pitcher of martinis (or, much less willingly, mixing up a sal soda solution to deal with a recalcitrant stain).<br />
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Now that my job description is basically "housewife," I've been pondering. When I have the urge to clean my own house I generally can satisfy it by picking up a book about housekeeping instead. My shelf contains everything from <i>Home Comforts</i>, Cheryl Mendelson's encyclopedic tome on all aspects of keeping house, to Peg's much more irreverent books.</div>
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But lately I am wondering if the house is getting a little out of control. I generally clean when I notice something looks dirty but I am toying with the idea of setting chores for each day of the week instead. This is my plan and please, no one chime in if it sounds like I'm missing something major:</div>
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<b>Daily</b></div>
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Dishes, wipe kitchen counters</div>
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Clean some part of shower while I'm in there<br />
Make the bed</div>
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Swish and swipe bathrooms if necessary</div>
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Tidy </div>
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<b>Weekly</b></div>
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Sunday—laundry</div>
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Monday—finish laundry and wash/change sheets</div>
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Tuesday—kitchen/dining area, including mopping floors</div>
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Wednesday—vacuum and dust mop rest of wood floors</div>
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Thursday—dust, take out trash</div>
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Friday—bathrooms</div>
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<b>Rarely</b> (being honest here)</div>
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Wet mop wood floors</div>
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Clean walls, woodwork</div>
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Theoretically this system should leave the house at least as clean as when I had a team that came once every two weeks, but that hardly seems likely, somehow.</div>
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Off to clean the kitchen (or maybe to read the Housekeeping forum on Mumsnet instead).</div>
Bricks & Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06501408535133480134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232443533508861657.post-20724782564662709642015-07-20T10:16:00.002-04:002015-10-07T09:31:29.981-04:00Family...and HairMy sister and I drove up to New York over the weekend for a family gathering. There are seven cousins and we are <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">spread out all over the east coast (one cousin lives in Europe), so it is rare for us all to be in one place.</span><br />
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We are a family of redheads. In my dad's generation, all three siblings had red hair; in mine, five of seven. (Among our children, only two of twelve are redheads. Are we dying out? Thank God, science <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/fashion/shortcuts/2014/jul/09/redheads-climate-change-extinction-hair-gene-auburn" target="_blank">says no</a>.)<br />
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It is a family of big personalities, big drinking, and big hair. At least one cousin at any given time has long hair, and when it is long, if it goes unchecked, it is definitely big. Bushy doesn't even begin to cover it. And do other families talk about hair a lot? Somehow we always seem to...maybe because there's just so <i>much</i> of it!<br />
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(My sister and I, who have been blowing out our curly hair for years now, tried to explain how much easier it is to maintain a straight hairstyle. I spend about 45 minutes, two or three times a week, washing/drying/flat ironing my hair. On days I don't wash it, I comb it. This requires 30 seconds at most. And I never have to to leave the house with wet hair...which happened every day when I wore it curly. My cousins seemed unconvinced.)<br />
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Aside from being—for once—in a majority redhead population, there is something so comforting, and comfortable, about seeing my cousins. I look at them and see my sister and myself in their features, as well as bits and pieces of our parents and grandparents. We compare memories and keep up traditions, the favorite a sea shanty sung holding heads in a circle (this is generally done only after a few drinks). We have sung this song as toddlers perched on phone books at the dining room table and as embarrassed teens. As adults we sing and remember those no longer with us, holding on to a tradition that we are passing on to our own children.<br />
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It may (I hope it won't) be another 10 years before we all see each other again. Until then I'll be remembering.<br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-style: italic;">I'm a deep water sailor just in from Hong Kong</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-style: italic;">Way, hey, blow the man down</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-style: italic;">If you give me some grog, I'll sing you a song</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-style: italic;">Give me some time to blow the man down</span>Bricks & Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06501408535133480134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232443533508861657.post-6222587789239178222015-07-14T09:52:00.001-04:002015-10-07T09:31:44.677-04:00A Is for...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Ankle</b>. It is improving...slowly. I still can't walk any real distance on it, though. And there is an ominous popping when I extend my foot. I'm ignoring that for now.<br />
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<b>Anniversary</b>! We celebrated 22 years together last Friday with a movie (<i>Spy</i>, liked it), dinner (Barbuzzo, food was fab), and overnight in the city (Bellevue, has seen better days). My daughter was quite entertained by the fact that we were actually out fairly late (still at dinner at 11 pm!).<br />
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<b>Anxiety</b>. Does anyone else worry like this? I cannot sleep if one of the kids is out and expected home. And this summer, one or both kids are out pretty much every night. I particularly worry about my 19 year old. She is in the city until late two nights a week and I am refreshing the train system app about every 3 minutes to see exactly where the train is. And texting her: "Are you on the train yet?" Etc. As much as I love having her home, my worry is less when she is at school and I don't know exactly what she is doing. Which is completely irrational, I know.<br />
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<b>Arrivederci.</b> Said goodbye yesterday to a friend who is moving away. She and her husband are downsizing to a smaller home in a college town a few hours from here. I'm so sad to see her go...even as I am happy to see her starting a new adventure! I do envy the fact that she has had a chance to really go through all her "stuff" and pare down...something we <i>really</i> need to do. In 11 years we have accumulated so much junk in attic and basement.<br />
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All right...time to shower and get started on my day! Happy Tuesday, y'all.Bricks & Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06501408535133480134noreply@blogger.com0