I just finished reading...

The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien. I was born in 1970. In history class, we never quite made it to the Vietnam War. I have never seen Platoon. I have watched M*A*S*H, though. (I know it is about the Korean War.) This book was one of those I wish I could have stopped reading, but I knew I had to read it. I had to finish it. I started it because the 10th grade lit classes were reading it. I like to keep up with what my students are reading. I finished it because I had to. It was an important book for me because it linked me to my brother-in-law, who will be going back to war in the upcoming year. It seems like we just got him back...

Happy Thanksgiving

I am preparing a gluten-free Thanksgiving meal today. We are having chicken instead of turkey because I like chicken better. I am better at cooking chicken. So that is what we are having. We are also having corn bread dressing. I made the cornbread with garbanzo bean flour instead of wheat flour. It tastes just fine. There will be green beans and a green salad, along with some kind of potato dish. We haven't decided on that, yet. We are having a fourless chocolate torte for dessert. It is from a Williams Sonoma cookbook.

I am thankful for...

• Steady jobs for both Dave and myself
• Healthy, happy children
• The gluten-free section at Whole Foods
• Good food
• Good friends

I hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving.

I just finished reading...

I just finished reading an interesting book called Persepolis. It was written by Marjane Satrapi. Ms. Satrapi is the same age as me. She grew up in Iran, and this book is a story of her life. In a way, it is the history of my life, but from a different perspective. The same news events, different views. Here is the trailer from the movie, which I have not seen.

Baby It's Cold Outside

It was 19 degrees Fahrenheit this morning. That is cold to me. That is all.

Exhaustion has set in

That it has been a rough week is an understatement. I am very tired. But, we get an entire week off for Thanksgiving. I am ready for it. I plan to be creative. I plan to relax. I plan to play with the kids. On the other hand, Dave plans to paint, repair the garage door, and... I really wanted to go out of town for at least a few days. The littles and I might head to Savannah to see my sister. Or we may just stay here.

She's Four!

Here she is in a new dress from Mimaugh. Note that the baby doll also has on a new dress from Mimaugh. The doll dress is one of a pair (you know, Bitty Baby has a twin) and both are hand smocked, just like Amy's dress. Don't you just love grandmothers?

I found gluten free doughnuts for her breakfast. She had french fries and fruit for lunch. She picked the local Mexican restaurant for dinner. It is easy to do gluten free at Mexican restaurants. There she had her first restaurant Sprite. Until now, she has had to drink juice in a sippy cup from home. Now she is a big girl and has transitioned to getting a Sprite every once in a while. Then we came back to the house for gluten free chocolate cake. She was excited for everyone to have gluten free cake. (Every once in a while she says, "Mom, do you remember when I was a gluten girl?")

This Week...

Dinners:
Sunday: Georgia Shrimp with gluten free past, gluten free home made bread (a first), salad
Monday: Hamburgers on the grill (local beef), salad
Tuesday: Free Range Chicken in the crock pot, fruit and cheese
Wednesday: Fast food due to tennis
Thursday: Chili (although not Margret's complicated one)
Friday: Chicken salad, gluten free bread
Saturday: Probably Los Arcos

On the calendar:
Sunday: Championship winning team soccer party
Monday: LEGO Robotics work session
Tuesday: Fiber Art Fusion
Wednesday: Tennis
Thursday: NOTHING
Friday: Soccer game
Saturday: Hair cut

A documentary I cannot wait to see...

A high school acquaintance of mine is producing a documentary about the campaign of President-elect Barak Obama. I am glad we have HBO, and not just for Bill Maher, although he is reason enough.

I VOTED!

I voted. There was no line. I got there at 3:10 and was done at 3:20. I love voting!

A House Full of Kids

Tomorrow, I have to work, but the older kids don't have school. Amy has school, and Sam will go to his sitter's. However, my husband just said something about having a house full of kids tomorrow. I don't think having the older two constitutes a house full of kids. He assured me that normal people think that two kids is plenty.

Ed is excited about going with his dad to vote. I will vote on my way home. Have I mentioned how much I love voting? And I heard a couple of rumors...Krispy Kreme will give a free doughnut to people who vote. And Starbucks will give free coffee to people who vote.

Baby Quilt Pictures And a Hodge Podge of Other Stugg

Here is the baby quilt. I tried to channel Debra Spincic when I was working on it. I love her fabric combinations, and I was trying to go outside of my box a little on this one. I was planning on a piano keys border for the last border, but I ran out of time. It was going to be pink and ivory. I wish I had found the time to do that. The mother-to-be was thrilled with the quilt, though.

Thanks for all the nice emails about Amy. I think she was less hurt than I was. I am a little overprotective of her because she does have fragile health. I know it is not right to do this, but I worry every day that she will show symptoms of juvenile diabetes. The celiac diagnosis has made my worry more intense. I know I can do nothing to change the future. If she is going to have diabetes, she is going to have it, and there is nothing I can do.

On a totally different note, I went out with some friends from work last night. We went to a tapas bar in the western part of the county. Whenever I get that far west, I feel like I am in Alabama. (No really, it isn't that bad over there.) There was a live band playing eighties covers. I had a couple of martinis. One was a pineapple upside down martini. The other was key lime pie. My friend had a manderin one that was really good, too. I have become a martini fan. The food was pretty good. The dancing was pretty bad. I had a really nice time. I need to get out more often. One thing that bothered me, though, was the waiter kept rubbing my back when he was taking our order. Maybe that is ok? I don't know. I am just not that touchy-feely, I guess.

And one more thing, I found a gluten free bread machine mix a Kroger today. It was really good. We had it with gluten free pasta for dinner. I used to make the Publix Apron meal most weeks. Most of them have gluten, so I have stopped that. I am feeling a little more in control of things right now, so maybe I will start searching out some new gluten free recipes.

Lastly, does anyone else remember watching "Hodge Podge Lodge" on PBS when they were little?

I don't have the strength to be a mom to a little girl

Amy and I went to a birthday party today. The other little girls decided to be mean to my child. One of them spit in her face. And the other moms just stood there. No one said anything. Anything. I could not believe it. So we left. And I had to make someone else move their car so we could leave. I am so hurt for my child. Is this a typical little girl thing? I hope not.