A Few Things

I always like to do this type of post for all those random bits I want to share. Here goes.

I just finished a book by reality villain, Courtney from The Bachelor  (Ben's season) called I Didn't Come Here to Make Friends. We always give Mindy a hard time about her reading material. But this time I borrowed this book from her. I love all of these reality shows and I realize that they aren't really reality---in the truest sense. This book was so thoroughly enjoyable. Whether you like Courtney (the author and villain) or not, it's eye-opening to see how the show made her the villain---mostly by editing. Of course, she was not innocent in all of it. She had a very lucrative modeling career prior to going on the show. It ruined her career. Even though she was "the chosen" at the Final Rose ceremony, it didn't last. Few of the relationships do. The whole thing is totally contrived. But that won't keep me from watching it. If you want an interesting and light read that you can breeze through, this is the book for you. Thanks, Mindy.

I bragged about having made 4 batches of spinach balls for the freezer. I thought I'd go ahead and share the recipe. It's an oldie from the 1970's from my SIL Chris. Even if you hate spinach, you might like these. They are easy to make---just a little time consuming. It's nice to have something you can keep in the freezer and whip up in 30 minutes for guests. No thawing required!!

Spinach Balls
2-10 oz. frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and very squeezed to remove water
2 cups Pepperidge Farm herb stuffing (NOT the cube type)
1 med. onion, chopped
4 eggs
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
3/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 t. thyme
Salt and Pepper

Mix all ingredients and chill two or more hours. Shape in to 1" balls. Freeze or refrigerate. Bake at 300 degrees in a jelly roll pan (to catch the drippings) and bake for 30 minutes. Be sure to keep an eye on them---you don't want them too brown or they'll be crunchy. You just want them cooked through to hold together.

We've worked our b***s off this weekend cleaning out and moving stuff. We're exhausted. But then something comes up that makes us smile:

This little table has had an old black and white tv on it for 20 years. It stands to reason it would be dusty as we don't usually move our tvs to dust---unless it is situated in a way that you actually see the dust. So this means that the tv had to be moved in order for Jordan to do this---8/4/09---she would have been 15. Not really a bad build up considering. Butch and I laughed---that's so Jordan. One of the scrapbook layouts I've done for her is about how she leaves little notes all over. This photo will definitely make my "Things They Leave Behind" layout! Love it! I hardly have the heart to dust this table!

Speaking of cleaning out and moving stuff---I had a huge number of Norman Rockwell boxes from my porcelain figurines collection that I started in the 1980's. Everyone knows they are more valuable if you keep the boxes. Well, about 8 or 10 years ago, when we got new carpet, the carpet layers knocked my shelf off the wall and broke just about all of them. I was sick. Then I reminded myself that it's just stuff---and moved on (I did get the carpet people to discount our carpet even though the contract had small print about taking stuff off the walls). Anyway, I had never thrown away the boxes since they were "out of sight, out of mind." I put them in a pile to throw away. Butch, being the obsessive guy he is (I know, that's the pot calling the kettle black), opened all the boxes and look what he found:

The few that survived! Thank God for him! I can't tell you how many things over the years we would have thrown away if it wasn't for him checking boxes. At Christmas, he checks everything---paper, bags and boxes---and has saved many a gift card or instruction booklet. He's like that about hotel rooms too. We've come to rely on the fact that he will check the room at least 3 times before we leave and find everything we've forgotten!

I drove through McDonald's the other day. I can't remember the last time I went to McDonalds. I was craving a fish sandwich. I pulled up to the window to pick up my food and encountered this:

Basically it's a black out window designed as an add. It was sort of freaky to not be able to see the employee behind there. There are little holes all over that I think means they can see us, but we just can't see them. I'm sure it's probably a security feature. But it's weird. And anti-social.

For your enjoyment:
This is just about the cutest thing I've seen lately---based on Meghan Trainor's popular song:
It's all about the bass:

And Finally...Christmas is in the house!!

As you can tell by the bare mantel, I'm not completely done, but well on the way.

We're off tomorrow for Thanksgiving in Charlotte. We're really looking forward to getting off of these tired "dogs."