Yet More Navel Gazing

IRL buddy and Facebook mate, Laura, came up with this. IMHO, it counts a blogging meme and a great way to close out the year.

What I liked about 2008

1) Finding our local homeschool 'home' with JFH and getting to know some incredible women including LCD, Elizabeth, Rachel, Laura L, and Sarah.

2) Finding some new statewide friends (Kim and yet *another* Laura) to dive into creating SHEAF with.

3) Getting some medical stuff fixed

4) My 40th birthday present (which came early)

5) Twilight....thank you Stephanie Meyer! and True Blood (vamps for the grownups) Thanks to Elizabeth L. for showing me the light

6) The Obama election..campaigning on the streets of JAX was a life changing experience for me. Not only am I glad he was elected but being part of the process was incredible.

7) Facebook (thanks to Kim H.) How did I ever survive before? What did I do with all my time??? The ability to find and connect with people past and present is amazing and a real gift to be able to part of the day to day lives of my friends. Also the ease with which I can find new people to argue with (like Aaron Caton!)

8) Yumi's visit to us this summer, complete with trips to Tampa and Atlanta....she's forever a part of our family.

9) Improv classes...cheaper than therapy and lots more fun

10) Rediscovering the joy that my family brings me...again and again.



What wasn't so hot about 2008

1) Medical issues that had to be fixed.

2) Brian travelled for work...lots!

3) Being so far away from my BFF...you know who you are!

4) Multiple hard drive failures with old and new computers in the early part of December

5) Trying to balance too many balls and occasionally dropping the most important one (family)

I'm taking part (slightly later due to hard drive issues) with a virtual cookie exchange. Check over at Another Suburban Mom for a list of all participants.

I've chosen my infamous Commie Cookies. Back in the summer of 2004, the presidential candidate wives released their cookie recipes. I believe Laura Bush's was some dried cherry/chocolate chip/oatmeal concoction. Teresa Kerry, who later disavowed her cookie recipe, submitted pumpkin spice cookies. As part of our annual 4th of July party, I made both and people had to vote which cookie was better.

My dad, who was to the right of Atilla the Hun, loved these cookies (and I've modified the recipe from the original)...until he found out they were Kerry cookies. With as much vocal outrage that a man without a voicebox could muster he declared them communist cookies.

The name stuck and we make them every fall instead of pumpkin pie.

Communist Cookies

Ingredients:

1 C (2 sticks) butter - use the real stuff please!
1 C Sugar
1 egg
1 can pumpkin puree (not the pie filling!)
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/3 C all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 C toasted walnuts chopped

1) Set oven to 375 and coat baking sheets with non stick spray

2) Cream sugar and butter. Then beat in the egg, pumpkin, and vanilla

3) Mix flour, baking powder, salt and pumpkin spice. Then put the flour mixture in with the pumpkin mixture (do this in batches to ensure its well mixed)

4) Drop batter in teaspoon fulls (or whatever size you want) onto baking sheets. Bake for 10-15 minutes (check at 10 minutes) The cookies aren't quite solid on top when done but are firm on the bottom. And a touch of golden goodness on the edges is also a good sign.

These make *soft* cookies!

NOT!

Well, at least compared to most of North America its not cold.

Today No.2 had his preschool Thanksgiving program today and after we got home from that we decided to ride our bikes 2 miles up to the clubhouse for lunch...and then ride them back. The big decision? To wear jackets or not...we decided 'not' It was the right call.

Much as I complain about living here in South Georgia, its very nice weather.

After canvassing my rear off, the election ended. My guy won but I've been bumbed anyway...no polls, no obsessive checking as to what the talking heads are saying...what's left?


FACEBOOK BABY!!!

Totally addicted to every stupid little game (especially the geography one).

Number Two son has changed his name to Luke Skywalker and thought his preschool teacher wanted to marry him

Number One son is making three trips a week to the library to get books (hooray!) and has a cold (boo)

Things are good!

• Why do I always compose blog posts in the HTML view?
• Am I an unschooler or eclectic?
• MIL is worried we're not Jewish enough. DH is worried that we're too Jewish. Must be doing something right.
• I've not been able to sit and focus on one activity lately which is very unusual for me.
• I still owe Yumi a video because the computer with the videos can't seem to get online for me to mail them.
• I always find it strange when someone assumes I'm a right wing conservative. I don't know how anyone who has spoken to me more than 5 minutes could think that.
• I firmly believe there is a greater incidence of mental illness in non-religious homeschool families.
• I told the last caller from the Obama campaign that we'd already voted; don't worry and stop calling! (1 call from Idaho, 2 calls from California, 1 robocall from Hilary Clinton, and 2 live ones from a local office)
• Got one call from a family friend wanting to make sure we were voting for McCain. That was awkward.
• My older son heard the n-word for the first time (he's 9) during this campaign....from a grandma looking person.
• I'm on a mixed nuts kick.

I spent a good part of Saturday and Sunday wandering around the Westside, clipboard and list in hand, knocking on doors for Senator Obama. I saw a part of America that I knew existed in the abstract but encountering was something else.

S. was my first walking partner. Retired, he's been a regular volunteer at the campaign headquarters. His son just went back to Iraq for the third time. S. is scared and angry. A Vietnam vet, he's angry that its been three times and if McCain wins, many more times after that. His son's daughter is stressed and crying all the time.

People are very worried their votes won't count (I live in Florida). Several people asked what we were doing to make sure their votes don't get thrown out. They don't trust their government. They think we're a banana republic.

Noticed a man hauling lots of garbage outside of a townhome. I stopped to ask him if he was renovating and he said, "The bank hires me to clean out houses." Jose* currently works 7 days a week. The hardest part? Packing up the kids' rooms during an eviction. Jose told me about the crying and begging from families who have no place to go. He's hoping Obama wins because right now his job is 'hurting his heart' so much.

My final story will be about a man who works for the local utility. In his mid 30's, Tim has been working at his job for 3 years. Him and his wife bought their home 2 years ago. It has always been that people do NOT get laid off from this company...they just let go almost 300 people last week. Given his lack of seniority, Tim is very concerned that he'll be in the next wave of layoffs which are expected to come some time between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Our investments have taken a hit...but Bri's job is secure and we'll be OK even if McCain gets elected. But this weekend brought home to me how many people have day to day lives that depend on the outcome of this election.

If you support Senator Obama, volunteer. We need to do more than just vote in this election, especially if you live in a swing state. And if they offer you the opportunity to go out canvassing? Take it. Meeting people and hearing their stories can really give you an idea how important this election is.


* Names have been changed to protect privacy but the stories are true

jewelry.

It's to help me cope with the massive guilt due to my role in the current financial crisis.

This is my very first piece...using beads on closeout at AC Moore.



The second piece is a necklace I made using some lovely beads given to me by my instructor.



I've also made a matching necklace and bracelet for my friend's August birthday. Should have taken pictures of them..oh well.

I have a friend that makes BEAUTIFUL jewelry. Her eye for color is always going to be superior to mine..but I like doing it too.