Gettin' out of town....

I have a concert this weekend, two hours away. My normal routine is to drive there and back on Thurs. for rehearsal. Drive there on Fri. for rehearsal and stay for rehearsal and concert on Sat., drive home Sat. night. The orchestra is pretty good, so the musical experience is worth all the driving. The conductor is a tad annoying, but aren't they all? Still, I sometimes wonder about my sanity driving from 10-12 p.m. twice in three days. I don't have class this Friday morning, I've been a bit sick and not sleeping well, and I'm generally needing a bit of a mental health break, so I talked to Dave this morning and we decided that it made no sense for me to come home Thursday night just to help get the boys to school on Friday... What a great guy he is! (Of course, we've hired a sitter for Thursday night and Saturday night, so he won't be alone all weekend, so he isn't THAT great.) There is also a slim chance for a storm on Thursday evening that would make it hard to drive...

Bottom line--I'm leaving Thursday afternoon, and won't be home till midnight on Sat. Bliss!

I'll stay with the same couple I always stay with on concert weekends. They have become dear, dear friends. I don't care that they don't heat the upstairs of the 1875 farmhouse they live in and it is supposed to be cold this weekend. It is my bed and breakfast--my getaway--my sanity home. I'll take some work, but I should also have time to sleep in on Friday, and maybe even hit K-Mart for some Christmas shopping! Again, I say, Bliss!

Advent Calendar

I’m working on treats for the boys advent calendar. Grandma Helen bought them one of these cute houses from LLBean a few years back. It is fun to open one door or window each day, although Joseph figures out that there might be candy in some of them and starts to open them early. I think I’ll put the treats in each day this year so he doesn’t find anything in the future days places—but I’ll have to remember. I may leave work early today to shop for special little toys to put in instead of candy. Last year we had candy one day, and a toy the next.

"The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightime" by Mark Haddon

I'm getting ready to lead the discussion for my book club on this novel. Jannie suggested I read it several years ago, but warned me that it "might hit too close to home." I loved it, and Christopher (the novel's narrator) is really not very much like my Joseph so, although some of it was uncomfortable, none was too "close to home" for me to enjoy the novel. I suggested my book club read Curious Incident because last year we read another novel that featured a minor character who was autistic and I thought the author had done a terrible job portraying life with an autistic family member. After several people in the book club said how 'realistic" they thought the portrayal of autism was in the other novel I nearly leapt from my chair to say "no, no, no..." While it is hard to say Christopher is typical of Asperger's--'cause in my opinion, there is no typical anything when it comes to the spectrum-- I think the portrayal of the neighbors , family, and the reaction of the strangers that encounter Christopher are all pretty believable.

Anyway, I’ve had fun researching Mark Haddon. I recommend his web site to anyone who has read the novel. He has written many children’s book, illustrated most of them, in a quirky style, he has made some very cool abstract paintings, and in general he is an interesting fellow. Click on the question marks below to see some examples:





The fact that I’m ready for book club almost a week early is a testament to how little I want to sit down and grade papers this afternoon!

Sales!!!!

I'm heading out with Macy's coupons. $10 off $25 purchase. I'm planning to buy a wedding present for Trish and undies for myself. Maybe socks or stockings for presents or for myself. If the crowds are not too large, I'll look at clothes and shoes for myself. All this in just a few hours. I'll update you when I return. Probably the crowds will be too big to get much done.

Oh, and I should add, our Thanksgiving dinner was very nice. Everyone seemed relaxed and the food was great. I wasn't responsible for all of it, but I didn't feel like a domestic disaster at all yesterday. I made up a sweet potato recipe combining two different recipes from the newspaper--butter, brown sugar, oj concentrate, and ginger over just barely cooked sweet potato chunks, baked iin the oven for an hour or so.

I tried something different yesterday. I love crock pots, because you can get stuff done early and leave it. So, I used the regular oven like a crock pot. Instead of 350, I set it at 275, and left the stuffing, sweet potatoes, mac and cheese in the oven for almost 2 hours... I had to take the mac and cheese out early, but I didn't care if it cooled off, 'cause it was really for the kids. That way I could put everything in the oven and then clean the kitchen and take a shower before guests arrived. I was much more relaxed than usual for a big meal. (It helped that others were bringing the rest of the meal...

Holly, if you are reading, the new napkins made the table look beautiful. I've lost my camera or I would post a picture. We are missing all of you very much this holiday season!

Bargain Shopping

Yes, Thanksgiving isn't even here, and I'm already thinking about shopping! I'm a big bargain-shopping addict. I have a friend who clips coupons and scours grocery store sale ads for bargains. On a double dollar coupon day she can buy 80 or 90 dollars worth of groceries for under $20. She donates the things she doesn’t want to food pantries or homeless shelters. She gets free toiletries, free food, etc. etc. I will take advantage of similar offers whenever I can, but I’m not nearly as dedicated to bargain shopping. However, I continue to be very impressed by her shopping prowess, and strive to emulate her whenever I can.

Several years ago I decided to try shopping on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Before that year, I’d always wanted to avoid the big crowds, and thought it was more fun to sleep in and spend the day with family. After that year I want to avoid the big crowds, sleep in, and spend the day with family. I was astonished and humbled at 6 am that morning. There were many more people out than I expected, much longer lines, and none of the bargains I hoped to find were still available. So, Friday morning, after all that turkey, you will find me snoozing or drinking coffee in my PJs… No more shopping on the Friday after Thanksgiving for me. Bargains, smargains! Okay, maybe a little online browsing...

Thanksgiving Plans

We are staying home and entertaining Dave's family for Thanksgiving this year. We should be 16 for dinner. Luckily others are helping with the food-- I'm making Turkey, gravy, meatballs, Mac and Cheese (maybe), sweet potatoes, dressing, maybe fruit salad and maybe cookies. Others are bringing jello, bread, mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, and pies. What a FEAST! We could do without all my maybe dishes, but I think the children attending would be happy for mac and cheese. I'll probably skip the fruit salad and cookies. I do the meatballs in the crock pot. I do the turkey on Wed., slice it off the bone cold and reheat it in broth. That makes it easier to be sure meat is cooked, it stays juicier when it is sliced cold, and then I can have the mess out of the house before any guests arrive. It means there isn't a beautiful bird for the table, but mine never looks that nice anyway.

My goal for the day is to relax and not worry if everything is perfect or not. My goal for the weekend is to RELAX!!

I promise I'll quit blogging about football

Just wanted to show you the photo Alex took of us before we left for THE GAME. Sarah, I believe the hat, hideous as it is, is my favorite fall accessory bargain! I bought it for $1 several years ago at the Eddie Bauer warehouse. It seemed like just the thing to complete my ensemble yesterday, and it is now my new Lucky Buckeye hat... Also, I'm smiling but Dave looks like he is heading out to have an unpleasant medical procedure. What is that all about???