My Pitchers

Yesterday, Granny Sue had an interesting picture of vintage kitchen gadgets. I surprised myself by being able to name most of them and by having quite a few of them in my kitchen. I seem to have the larger pitcher that sort of matches her little creamer. I thought I'd share a picture of that pitcher and the yellow one I have. Both are made by Hall's.

These two pitchers that have no writing on the bottom:

I guess you might call them earthenware. I have no idea if they are old or not. The blue lines around them seem to be smeared or have run in places. I just think they look cool.

As Seen on TV

Sadie loves infomercials, especially the short "commercial" ones. She is determined we need to buy the pan that makes the 4 mini-hamburger patties. I can hardly wait to show her this site. It analyzes TV products in a sort of humorous way. The only thing Sadie and I keep wondering is why Billy Mayes has to shout. Just tell us about the product already.

Resolutions

It is that time of year when everyone makes resolutions. My sister has a great list here. My blog-friend Amanda has a fabulous one here. We have a new year and a fresh start, so it only makes sense to resolve to do things differently. I've never made resolutions. I've never said, "I'm going to...every day. "

I'd like to exercise every day, I'd like to be a fantastic wife and mother every day. But, I know for me that "every day" is unrealistic. It seems to me that when we put terms on like "every day" we are setting ourselves up for failure. I am in no way knocking those of you who have made daily goals, nor am I saying they aren't achievable. I'm actually rooting for you, I want you to be successful with your goals. I'm saying that for me, if I put the words "every day" in, that when I miss a day or two, I'll use that as the excuse to drop the whole goal. So, I'm making my resolutions in broad terms. In 2009, I'd like to:

• Be a better person.
• Be more positive towards myself and others.
• Exercise more.
• Laugh more, worry less.
• Have fun with my kids and husband.
• Make a difference to one person.
• Read a few "books of substance."
• Spend less, save more.

Those shouldn't be too hard, should they?

How to Tell if Your Church is "Kid Friendly"

I am very thankful that our church is "kid friendly." We don't send the kids out after children's time and for the most part, the low rumble that comes with the numerous kids in our congregation is not only accepted but welcome. Here are some signs that your church is "kid friendly." (in no particular order)

• No one minds that your 4 year old son takes off his shoes and socks five minutes into the service.
• Peppermints are provided in the foyer and no one stands guard over them limiting each kid to only one. (Although sometimes I wish we did, but I don't want to be the peppermint guard.)
• It is perfectly acceptable for your child to run up the aisle (barefooted) to children's time and "slide" into his spot on the floor. It is also acceptable for him to run up the center aisle and slide into his pew. (We did discuss this today and T.S. promises not to make a habit of it.)
• Your preacher stops in the middle of the sermon to acknowledge the child (usually his granddaughter) that is waving/talking to him.
• Members of the church tell you that you are being too hard on your kid (when you take them out to discipline) and you should, "just let them be kids." These are the same people that would have never let their kids get away with what you are trying to stop your child from doing.
• When you get a new preacher, he is often confused about which kids belong to which parents because babies are handed off and kids take turns sitting with their friends regularly.

Is your church kid friendly?

Fire-Safe Cigarettes????

While watching the news the other night, I was surprised to hear that Texas is now a state that requires the sale of "fire-safe cigarettes." I immediately thought, "Isn't that an oxymoron? Is there such a thing as a fire-safe cigarette?"

Apparently there is. They are cigarettes that have special paper that is designed to let the cigarette burn out if it is not puffed. You can read the AP article here. Some smokers say they taste bad. That made me wonder, "If they taste bad, they are probably treated with a chemical. If they are treated with a chemical, that means they probably cause cancer. If they eventually cause cancer, there will be huge lawsuits in the coming years."

This is apparently a big deal. There is even a Coalition for Fire-Safe Cigarettes. (I'm thinking that anything that has its own coalition is a big deal.)

I don't care for smoking, but I think if someone wants to make that choice it is his/her choice. I think it is interesting that people are trying to make cigarettes "safer." (another oxymoron) I also understand that fires caused by cigarettes are a big problem. I'm not trying to take a stance on smoking or start some heated debate.

Two things made me find this topic interesting: 1. the thought of fire-safe cigarettes and 2. the government is regulating one more thing.

Does this seem to be a little crazy to anyone but me?
I'm thinking about forming a coalition--The Could Someone Leave Us All Alone and Let Us Make Our Own Decisions Even If They Are Bad Coalition.

Friday Fill-Ins

Friday Fill-Ins:
1. The world is getting smaller everyday.
2. Goodbye was the last thing I said.
3. I wonder who'll stop the rain. (Sorry, couldn't resist. Really I wonder about a lot of things like how airplanes fly, what really makes kids tick, what we'll have for supper, will we ever have world peace...)
4. Love is at the end of all things.
5. There's something to be said for good home cooking.
6. At home on the farm with my family is where I want to be.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to hopefully doing very little, tomorrow my plans include a fun wedding reception and Sunday, I want to get everyone in bed on time so we'll be ready to start back to school on Monday.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!
Here is our recipe for black-eyed pea dip. We serve it warm with Fritos.
2 c. Ranch -style black-eyed peas, drained (no snaps)
3 jalapeno peppers (adjust according to your taste)
1/4 medium onion
1 can chopped green chilies
1 garlic clove
1/4 lb. Old English Cheese (This comes in a little jar--I found it in the grocery store next to the jars of pimento cheese)
1/4 lb. butter

Mix first 5 ingredients in food processor. On medium heat in saucepan, melt butter and cheese. Mix processed ingredients into sauce pan. Heat through.

I use one can of black-eyed peas and one can of black-eyed peas with jalapenos and omit the 3 jalapeno peppers. (I know that is more than 2 cups--but it turns out okay.)

We'll be eating it today to celebrate the new year and Bonza Bottler Day!