As if I’d have time for that….

I’m the Dilbert of housewives!

Here’s my day: (click on More)

6:45am-7:30am General morning mayhem.

7:30am-7:45am Drive A. to school.

7:45am-8:00am Chick-Fil-A drive-thru for coffee & egg bagel.

8:00am-9:00am Shop at Target for baby shower gift, snacks, a book for A., cleaning supplies, gatorade, computer mouse, WD-40. Use 10% off coupon reward.

9:00am-9:15am Drive back home, A. forgot his lunch. Pick up lunch, leave egg bagel in fridge for lunch.

9:15am-10:30am En route to bank, pass Atlanta Bread Company & see other St. A moms’ cars. Stop in for more coffee and coffee-klatching. Lots of news to share.

10:30am-10:45am Breeze through the drive-up lane at the bank, then short detour to drop off the lunch.

10:45am-10:55am Drive to the library.

10:55am-11:30am Choose a new book on tape for the van (I drive around a lot), find several other new books for spring break reading.

11:30am-12:30am Travel to Florence Museum to see special exhibit of art work – “The World at War”. Cost $1.00. Favorite part: 2 screen prints from the Hiroshima series by Jacob Lawrence.

12:30am-1:00pm Return home to eat egg bagel for lunch. While reading the newspaper, I realize I need to pick up info for a tax return from a house across from Moore School – before car line traffic begins at 2 pm.

1:00pm-1:20pm Brief drive there and back home. Decide to leave again for one more errand before getting into the St. A car line.

1:20pm-1:30pm Stop by Walgreens to pick up pictures and drop off printer ink cartridges.

1:30pm-1:45pm Drive to St. A’s. Take article on Turner to Cezanne exhibit in Columbia and suggest a field trip for students.

1:45pm-3:00pm Waiting in the car line, call B and discuss a craft she wants to make. Then relax and read one of the new books from the library.

3:00pm-3:25pm Pick up A. and return home.

3:25pm-3:35pm Rush to Piggly Wiggly to get canola oil so I can make a Kahlua cake for the Lock In tonight – a gift for the teacher-chaperones.

3:35pm-3:45pm Mix up cake and put in the oven.

3:45pm-4:00pm Take a bath – a little more relaxation – and soaking my sore hip.

4:00pm-5:00pm Finish reading paper, then check email, take out kahlua cake, print out two tax returns.

5:00pm-5:20pm Help A. get ready for the Lock In. Load the van with sleeping bag and pillow. Leave for St. A.

5:35pm-6:00pm Eat dinner at the St. A. Fish Fry. A. finds 6th grade friends and goes off to socialize.

6:00pm-6:30pm Talk to Dr. Manley about the Science Fair. Other parents join us and we chat about grades, colleges, etc.

6:30pm-7:00pm Drive over to another house to drop off copies of completed tax return. Explain a few things about the forms before leaving.

7:00pm-7:30pm Return to St. A’s to give A. his things for the Lock In.

7:30pm-7:45pm Drive back home, drop off D.

7:45pm-8:45pm Drive 1 mile to the scrapbooking store to say visit with all my friends who are cropping tonight.

8:45pm-8:47pm Return home and begin writing this blog.

9:00pm-10:00pm Watch Monk.

10:00pm-11:00pm Watch Battlestar Galactica – the second to the last show of the series!

There are still clean dishes in the dishwasher, dirty dishes in the sink, clothes to wash and put away.  As if I’d have time for that!

Both of them completed experiments for the Science Fair.  H. investigated household cleaners for flammability, and A. discovered which wrapping material kept produce the freshest.

A.'s project won 2nd place at Sandhills Regional Fair

In the wide world of sports, A. just finished basketball season. He played well, and we saw his skills improve each game. H. ‘s on the JV soccer team at Wilson.  The Tigers are 0-2 so far, but H. plays the entire game! The Coach and other (more expert) parents tell me well he’s doing.

A. was great on defense!

That red hair's easy to follow!

Years ago, as upperclass students, we were all living off campus and enjoyed having dinner parties.  When it was my turn, I wanted to impress my friends with a new recipe – cashew chicken.  It was a delicious meal I’d been served by Mrs. Murphy when I was hanging out with Doug Murphy, one of my Pizza Inn coworkers back in those days

The chicken breasts were cut in small pieces, breaded and fried. This was served over rice with a tasty sauce. I had to search for the “exotic” ingredient it required: oyster sauce. I couldn’t wait for my friends to try it!

The night arrived, and I slaved over the stove. That was back when I only had two pans and hand-me-down dishes. Sherry and Russ were there; Jennifer and Dave, and Steve.

Proudly, I served everyone this unique dish. They politely tasted the cashew chicken, then someone asked me, “Where are the cashews?”

Where indeed?

Mrs. Murphy hadn’t included cashews in the recipe she wrote out for me, nor had her dish had any nuts. I never found out if that was a mistake, or due to allergies.

The truth of the matter – I thought the name came from the shape of the small chicken pieces. They sure look cashew-like.

To this day, I have not lived down that meal! A few years later, I was able to host a repeat, complete with cashews, and served from Royal Doulton china this time.

In the NYTimes yesterday, I found a delightful article about this dish, which has been a staple in restaurants in Springfield, Missouri for almost 50 years.

“Cashew chicken, in the form first cooked by Mr. Leong nearly a half-century ago, is not the stir-fry served by many Chinese-American restaurants. Around Springfield, cashew chicken — deep-fried chicken chunks in a brown slurry of soy sauce, oyster sauce and stock, scattered with green onions and halved cashews — is the culinary common denominator. “

And, wouldn’t you know, the Murphy’s were from Springfield, Missouri, the home of this recipe!

Visit this blog for another cashew chicken story and the recipe!

Our table of four consisted of Gay, Joanne, Theresa, and yours truly. It was great to see many of our scrapbooking friends.

My pagecount: 35+

Some favorites:

The rock climbing embellishment is from a great scrapbooking online resource – Scrap Your Trip.

The most surprising news — we had two snows this winter. The first one in January was very pretty and nothing to worry about.  School was cancelled and I enjoyed a short drive to the grocery store. Due to the low temperatures and possible threat of icy roads (well, a threat to southern drivers), the next day had a 2 hr delay!

school cancelled for this?!

The next snowfall was in February and was a real snow shower! I watched the news, kept checking websites, but school was on! The roads were slick, but we all made it safely. Most of my students arrived for lab, too.

School officials received so many complaints, a 2 hr delay was scheduled for the next day. Most was melted by then, but we all enjoyed another slow morning.

En route to school

We almost had a hat trick! Last week, there was a threat of serious snow, and the schools gambled and scheduled a 2 hr delay. But the snow never made it to Florence, though many inches fell in North Carolina.

So, even though we didn’t have 3 snows, we did get a hat trick of 2 hr delays!

The inauguration ceremony has just ended, and Barack Obama is ready to lead our country into new era of faith, determination and responsibility.

His speech was amazing, and touched on all the issues facing us today. It’s available online here. Obama’s leadership shines through, and I agreed with so many of his points: market oversight, ushering in peace instead of war, exploring new energy technology, focusing on education.  He also said that government programs will be accountable. All in all, a “re-making” of the United States!

Earlier highlights:

*Michelle Obama’s dress – golden yellow, like a ray of sunshine bringing a new day

*Aretha Franklin singing My Country ‘Tis of Thee – beautiful voice and hat, too!

*The classical music selection from the ‘diversity quartet’ – Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma , Gabriela Montero and Anthony McGill ( a Jew, an Asian, a Hispanic woman, an African American) – great symbolism!

Her constant companion, Lula, is a former ‘ho turned file clerk.  In between stops at the mall or the bakery, they run afoul of petty and not-so-petty criminals. Frequently,  Stephanie’s car explodes.

The two men in her life, Joe Morelli (the Italian Stallion) and Ranger (man of mystery) keep her safe, satisfied and conflicted! You’ll probably find that you can’t decide who’s best for her, either.

The latest book was Fearless Fourteen;  soon to be released is Finger Lickin’ Fifteen. Occasionally, Evanovich releases a between-the-numbers novelette, centered around a third male in Steph’s life – Diesel.

Plum Spooky, the latest of these, was just released a few weeks ago. I was happy to find out that Janet Evanovich would be in Mt. Pleasant, about a 2 hour drive.

A few friends and I made the trip, and had a great time. I finished Plum Spooky in 2 days — can’t wait for the next release!

There were things I liked and things I didn’t like about this show.

That fact that instead of competing teams, there are 5 friends all “in it together” is a big positive for me. (since I don’t like that competitive element of the others). The women will be working with a personal trainer and a therapist, but other than that, will be on their own, out in the world. That’s another positive, since changes must be sustainable.

The trainer provided a meal plan that was sensible & healthy, and gave a goal of losing at least 30 pounds in 90 days. That works out to 2 1/3 pounds each week, also sensible and healthy.

I didn’t like that the friends got tired & frustrated the first week! Where’s their motivation? LOL. The losses for the first week ranged from 5 – 11 pounds and while one wanted more (!), they seemed to be committed to going on. Their motivation of “looking good” for a wedding in the group may be a tad shallow for some, but maybe as they go along, they’ll see the health benefits.

National Body Challenge (Discovery Health)

This one amazed me, and not in a good way!

There are six dieter/contestants separated into 2 teams. Each of them has an insulting description: lazy athlete, obese nutritionist, chubby musician, overeating waitress to name a few. I didn’t like that at all – these folks need more self esteem, not ridicule.

After completing some fitness tests, one of the trainers stated he was “horrified” by the bad shape his team was in. After some time spent in tents at Boot Camp, they will go back home and continue the competition.

The only good thing I can say about this show is that it appears to run every night this week with the finale on Friday.  No viewer will be in suspense for long.

Ruby (Style Network)

Of the three, my favorite is Ruby. This half hour program is centered on a very obese woman in Savannah GA. At one time, she weighed 700 pounds; when the show began, she was 500 pounds. Currently on the show, she’s made it to just under 400.

Ruby is a pretty woman with thick red hair and a sugar-sweet accent. She has a great attitude and watching her tackle her obesity is inspiring. The episodes are filled with “everyday” life, so I hope this somehow helps fight fat prejudice. Lately, she’s had a new wardrobe designed for her from a design school located there & gone camping.

How does she do it? She is working with a physician, personal trainer and nutritionist and eating a prepackaged meal plan (similar to Nutrisystem). Also, she realizes that she needs help with the emotions that led her overeating, so she has a psychologist.

Besides going camping, her loss so far has enabled Ruby to travel to California in an airplane and drive a car again. She continues to face the obstacles that frustrate so many obese folk with grace and humor. Her close friends still go out for pizza and cook mac & cheese – this obvious cluelessness makes me worry that Ruby won’t be able to keep the weight off.

One element found in all three shows is the necessity of therapy or somehow getting to the underlying causes of weight gain for each individual. I think this is key for maintenance.

Lastly, it’s very hard to nibble while watching these shows, so I’m going to keep watching.

I began walking at state parks, and in March, I participated in an official 5k Run/Walk.  I thought the /Walk meant walkers were welcome, instead it meant I was followed by the ambulance. My time of 1:00:10 made me proud!

D’s been working hard at the paper mill,  completing 2 large projects in the last 2 years.  Maybe he can finally get to some of the small, easy projects now. We’re hoping the mill stays open in 2009 – the paper industry is one of those affected by the auto and retail industries.  And all that new equipment should not go to waste!

Evaporator project won Corporate Sustainability Award

In April, I took H & A to California to visit the West Coast family. We loved Pasadena and Torrance! Their Aunt D & I took them to Knott’s Berry Farm, and we rode the Metro downtown to see Union Station, Olivera Street, Chinatown, and the new Disney Music Hall.

Down in Torrance, we took Aunt M to see the Lomita Train Museum. The boys saw a memorial brick honoring Emmett D, and climbed inside a locomotive.

At the train museum with Aunt M

exploring Palos Verdes

A had a great athletic year.  He played baseball in the spring, and enjoyed tennis all summer.

A hit two gaming-winning RBI's

In June, we all traveled to the big family party. It was great to see my mother’s brother and sisters (and their families). We had four generations there, thanks to the  newest addition to the family, my great-niece L.

V/M, L/B, D, M/K, D/K

new baby L

I went along with H’s Scout troop to Camp Rainey Mountain in Georgia.  Tiring, but fun, and I can’t wait to do it next summer.

H earned the Climbing badge

Back to pick up the boys, I visited one of my favorite places. The zoo!

October Camp Crop with D.K. and C.C.

Grandma & Grandpa visited in November

Over the summer and fall, we began some kitchen remodeling. First, granite counters (dark green/browns). Then C came and helped me tear off the wallpaper and paint in September. Finally, I had the tile backsplash installed. Looks great!

Hazy jade looks better than flowery wallpaper

My son, Henry, sang that for a school program when he was in kindergarten. I thought it was very charming. Perhaps something about parenthood alters vision and hearing. Judge for yourselves:

(The Bob & Sheri Show never fails to get me laughing! If I had time, I’d follow the show with daily podcasts)