Mom’s Musings

The prompt this week for Ten on Tuesday is ten things I’m good at:

• Baking bread (Baking just about anything, really. The process is enjoyable, and the results are edible.)
  
• Reading (Oh, for the carefree days of youth when I could travel to other times and places via a good book, for hours upon end.)
  
• Writing (Blogging is a beneficial, creative outlet, Right?)
  
• Encouraging others to do their best
  
• Helping my children develop their talents
  
• Working hard and working long
  
• Keeping a busy home organized
  
• Sympathizing with those who suffer
  
• Taking time to enjoy my family
  
• Feeling something is my responsibility, whether or not that is true
  

(This image is from Julie’s Realistic Fiction.)

I have a couple good posts in mind.

For dinner last night I prepared one of the children’s favorite “comfort” meals, a homemade salmon chowder, MINUS the salmon. Once I’m home from work I’ll post that recipe with some pictures. The recipe will include the salmon, for those of you who prefer the “whole” recipe.

I had hoped yesterday to do a Give Me Five Monday post, but the hostess of that meme is extra busy these days and didn’t send out a prompt.

As usual, I also have been staying up too late, and that caught up with me yesterday. Rather than stay up just a little longer to put up a little post, I curled up in bed with a good book (A book review will make a good post in due time.) and went to bed on time for once.

Usually I would do a Ten on Tuesday post, but I’ll be skipping that this week as well, because the prompt is Ten Places I haven’t been yet that I would like to travel. I don’t travel well, so any traveling on my part will be mainly vicarious.

Well, break is about over. I’ll catch ya later.

P.S. - I also took a fun quiz for which I will post the link in another post. This quiz asks you how you pronounce certain words, which is an ongoing source of amusement for some of us.

This is the prompt provided by Yano for this week’s Ten on Tuesday. I haven’t thought this through, so you will receive these in the order in which they occur to me.

• It takes me a while to feel comfortable with a new machine. This is why I REALLY do not like driving someone else’s car, especially in the dark. When we first moved to our home here many years ago, my husband asked me to drive his big, clunky, manual transmission work truck. The child who rode with me could sense my nervousness and asked me if we were going to be OK.
  
• Dental work makes me so nervous that I either need to clutch a soft pillow to keep my hands still, or better yet, ask the dentist for nitrous oxide in order to relax and be a good patient.
  
• I like things in my home to be clean and orderly, but also to stay in the same place. My husband likes to rearrange things. So, rearranging happens when I am out, and I gradually get used to the new layout.
  
• I would rather stay in our general locale for a special outing than travel far away. Once we are on the road for our annual vacation to see Dad and Mom Taron, I am game for fun, but other than that I am most comfortable at home.
  
• The biggest celebrations for us as a family are birthdays. Often, especially when the children were younger, the birthday would even have a theme, such as Winnie the Pooh, Pirates of the Caribbean, or Pokemon.
  
• I prefer that other family members take the pictures. I have taken some of the pictures for my blog, but not many.
  
• I enjoy skimming through the dictionary to learn new words, and subscribe to My Word a Day online. As a family we will take turns trying to stump one another with new words, or competing to see who knows how to pronounce an unusual word.
  
• If I see half a cookie, I am almost irresistibly drawn to finish it. Please! Eat the whole cookie and leave me in peace!
  
• The best gift my husband can give me is doing work around the house, especially outside. One year I requested (and received) a dump truck load of gravel for the driveway for my birthday present.
  
• It is dangerous to let me begin a sewing project (which is probably why I haven’t done one in a few years) because all else (including eating and doing any other work) must fall by the wayside until it’s done. I enjoy the process, and I like to see the finished product. What can I say? Maybe a little obsessive compulsive?
  

Yano at Ten on Tuesday
has asked her readers, “What are ten things you love about your life?”

There are many more than ten things that I could list. I have a wonderful life, a blessed life, and a busy life. But, since I have such a busy life, I’m thankful that Yano only wants us to list ten things. Here’s my list:

• I love being reconciled to God, through the active and passive obedience of Christ on my behalf. “There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” – 1 Timothy 2:5,6.
  
• I love my husband, and am thankful for him. What a blessing to be married to a godly, unselfish, hard-working guy, who also is a teaser-mc-beazer.
  
• I love my children, each and every one of them. I am so thankful for all the great times we’ve enjoyed together as they’ve been growing up.
  
• I love my church. What a blessing to gather together with God’s people to hear the faithful preaching of God’s Word on Sundays! One special emphasis at our church is learning to love one another, which is a very good thing indeed.
  
• I love my work as a paraeducator. Each day is different and challenging, and the work has such a worthwhile end: furthering the educational development of young people.
  
• I love my in-laws. They are common-sense, hard-working, generous people who love their children and grandchildren. And, they’re fun to visit, too.
  
• I love having internet access, and a blog to write. What a great outlet this is!
  
• I love having enough of life’s necessities, some of life’s luxuries, but not so much money that I need to worry about it.
  
• I love having a healthy, strong body, still a faithful servant to me, so that I may work and be useful.
  
• I love my sanity and intelligence. Thinking about things is a genuine pleasure.
  

For Ten on Tuesday
this week, the prompt is Ten Favorite Movie Comedies. I am modifying that just a bit to include comic strips, TV shows, books, and blogs. So, in the order in which they came to mind, please give a nice round of applause to . . . TEN FAVORITE COMEDIES! (clapping and canned laughter):

• What About Bob?, the 1991 movie starring Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss.
  
• The Man Who Knew Too Little, the 1997 movie also starring Bill Murray.
  
• Miss Congeniality. Sandra Bullock starred in this movie released in 2000.
  
• Bill Cosby’s early comedy records which he made in the 1960s, mainly based on quirky and funny childhood memories.
  
• The comic strip Mutts by Patrick McDonnell. Can you say, “Yesh!!!”?
  
• Danny Kaye’s “Pellet With the Poison” routine in the 1956 movie The Court Jester.
  
• The 1960s television show, Smile, You’re On Candid Camera! Narrated by Allen Funt.
  
• Kids Say the Darndest Things by Art Linkletter.
  
• A Fine and Pleasant Misery by Patrick F. McManus (We enjoy ALL of Patrick McManus’ books!)
  
• SusieJ’s blog. I first realized how hilarious she is after reading her post on “Funny Google Searches.”
  

This is the prompt given by Yano this week for the Ten on Tuesday meme. We just recently had the house reroofed, so really, I am quite satisfied that our domicile is not in imminent danger of tumbling down around our ears. However, Yano indicates that we are to think BIG, as in no monetary or time limitations. So, here is my list:

1. I would like to sew or have made new tab-top curtains throughout the house. My neighbor sells some fabric which is supposed to be dust and mildew resistant. If the fabric is also attractive, that would be ideal.
   
2. A few of the double-paned windows, and the lovely stained glass in the front door need to be replaced. Think: lawnmower hits rocks, rocks shoot out, windows are now damaged. I’m just so thankful none of us got hit.
   
3. My husband is in the middle of a project to tear up all carpet in the house and replace it with laminate. He has 3 bedrooms yet to do, plus redo two runs of stairs. He has accomplished so much already, but this much of the project remains.
   
4. We live on a gravelly hill. Each winter the heaving of the soil brings large rocks to the surface which must be dug out, and the lawn becomes more undulating. It would be nice to go over all the lawn area with one of those tractor attachments that sifts out the large rocks, and start the lawn out fresh again once it’s all level. It’s been 18 or 19 years since we did something like that.
   
5. Similarly, our gravel driveway becomes rutted and ugly. I would like this leveled. I don’t really want it to be blacktopped, but that would be OK if it happened. I kind of like to hear vehicles crunching up the driveway.
   
6. I would like my husband to have a nice woodworking shop. He loves making furniture, but presently doesn’t have a shop.
   
7. My husband enjoys swimming (and I suppose I could be talked into it), so I would like him to have a lap pool.
   
8. We enjoy outdoor entertaining, so a fancy-schmancy area for that would be nice (not at all needed really, though, as we manage to have plenty of fun outside as it is).
   
9. It would be interesting to have a professional landscaper redo the yard, but I would still primarily want only native plants. I’m OK with showier plants near the house for a splash of color.
   
10. I would like to do a thorough cleaning of the house from top to bottom. We do keep it neat and clean, but sometimes you just like to really dig in and clean some more. I would enjoy that.
    

10 Things to Do Before You Get Married

This meme is from Yano at Ten On Tuesday. I’m excited about this one, because I have such a wealth of opinions on this subject! Here, then is my list:

1. Come to grips with the fact that marriage, in and of itself, will NOT make you happy. If marriage were a panacea, would there be such a high divorce rate?
   
2. Make sure you are right with the Most Important Person, the Lord God who made you, before attempting to begin the next most important relationship, that of becoming one with a spouse.
   
3. Develop and nurture the friendships and family relationships you already have. Learn how to work through the tough times. If you give up easily on these relationships, your hoped for marriage will suffer a similar fate.
   
4. Complete the training for a career for which you are talented, and be established in that career BEFORE contemplating marriage. Is it really fair to expect the other person to put you though school?
   
5. Be financially responsible before you marry. Do you pay your bills on time? Do you live within your means, save some money, and give to worthwhile charities? If the big bills are a surprise each month, this won’t change with marriage.
   
6. Know how to care for yourself and your possessions before you marry. For example, can you take care of your car, clean your apartment, do your own laundry, and cook meals for yourself?
   
7. Find a cause about which you are passionate, and become involved in it. What is the theme of your life?
   
8. What do you do for fun? Are you doing it, or just vegging and daydreaming about it? Go hiking, biking, dancing, rock climbing, or whatever it might be.
   
9. Take yourself less seriously, and others more seriously. A big ego equals a big bore (and a big boor, too). Also, a sense of humor goes a long ways towards sweetening a marriage.
   
10. Focus on what YOU will give to a marriage, not on what you expect (or demand) to receive. At the same time, be oh-so-careful whom you marry, because the wrong choice can destroy your life. Do please be careful. Really get to know the other person, and get to know them around others who know them well. If you have doubts about the character of the other person, this is NOT the time to give them the benefit of the doubt.

The prompt this week for Ten on Tuesday
is: Ten Places I Would Take a Tourist to See in My Hometown. I would like to expand that to my home county, Whatcom County, Washington.

My disclaimer first is that I am usually a homebody. I would not have the desire nor the stamina to do all of this at one fell swoop. Another consideration is that we live in possibly one of the most beautiful, temperate parts of the U.S. Just living here is like arriving at a vacation destination. Maybe that’s why I don’t feel the need to get out or away. I’m already there!

1. First let’s go on a scenic drive up Mt. Baker Highway. It’s a long drive and the guests are getting hungry, so it’s time to stop at one of our favorite restaurants,
   
2. The North Fork Beer Shrine. They brew all their own beers, and do a superb job of it. The salads, pizzas, calzones and sandwiches are excellent as well.
   
3. We continue on our way to Mt. Baker, which holds the world record for the most snowfall in a single season: 1,140 inches. I’ll stay in the lodge and sip cocoa while my energetic guests go snowboarding! Supposedly this popular sport originated at Mt. Baker.

   

4. After resting up a day or so, let’s take a ferry through the beautiful San Juan Islands. We are bound to see some Orca whales, and myriads of birds. Bald eagles are quite common here.
   
5. Once we return to the ferry terminal, we’ll spend some time in beautiful, historic Fairhaven. I enjoy browsing in Village Books, and taking lunch at the Colophon Café.
   
6. In Bellingham proper, we have the Western Washington Performing Arts Center,
   
7. The Whatcom Museum of History and Art, and
   
8. The Mt. Baker Theater. These are all such special destinations, though. Each one deserves its day.
   
9. A long-time favorite summer picnic destination for our family is Silver Lake Park. We usually rent paddle boats, and chase after one another. I just can’t tell you how beautiful this place is; the lake is cradled by the surrounding mountains.
   
10. If the company comes back in August, we can take them to the North West Washington Fair in Lynden, WA. I’m partial to the horse events at the grandstand, and the various FFA (Future Farmers of America) exhibits and competitions.
    

There you have some recommendations. Hope you’ll come and visit our lovely county!

The Ten on Tuesday prompt for this week is: 10 Things You’re Looking Forward to This Spring.

1. Smelling the fragrance of newly-mown grass
   
2. Seeing ducklings in the local wetlands
   
3. Noticing Forsythia in bloom (any day now!)
   
4. Daffodils and crocus blooming in the flowerbeds
   
5. Seeing varieties of birds who’ve been gone over winter
   
   
6. Increasingly more hours of sunlight each day
   
7. Hearing the little frogs chirruping
   
8. Planting some broccoli, zucchini, leeks and carrots, once the soil warms up a bit more
   
9. Watching my daughter play soccer with the Middle School team
   
10. Making plans for our annual trip to Northern California. It would be fun to travel down 101, and stay in a yurt on the beach for one or two nights, like we did last year.