How Can You Tell if a Restaurant is Any Good?

If there is a wait?

 If all the tables are full?

If more than one location is packed?

I'd say our restaurant chain is quite successful, wouldn't you?  If nothing else, I'd say our word of mouth is good.

Thanksgiving Recap

Thanksgiving was an rehearsal for Christmas at our house.  It was the first time we'd ever celebrated a holiday without our complete family at home and, while Charming did come to the family home for Thanksgiving dinner, it was weird to have Thanksgiving without Superman.

That being said, we still had Thanksgiving and we still had a great time.  In addition to traditional turkey, stuffing, potatoes, vegetables, pumpkin pie, and, of course, bread.

We made our traditional bear bread...even enlisting a neighbor to make one of the little bears.  (Stargate SG-1 fans might note that one of our little bears is supposed to be a Jaffa.)

Buttercup set the table beautifully.

 I confess to thinking that Superman didn't hold up his end of the dinnertime conversation.

Oh, and Mother Nature did her part to keep the family busy and happy.  (The beginning of what would become record snowfall for November.)

My Bologna has a first name...

My Bologna has a first name, it's O S C A R!
My Bologna has a second name, it's M A Y E R!
Oh, I love to eat it everyday and if you ask me why I'll say...
'cause Oscar Mayer has a way with B O L O G N A!!!!

Can you believe it?  Despite the record-breaking snow we've had in the past week (more snow than we've had here in more than 100 years!), the Oscar Mayer Weiner-Mobile showed up in our town.

I knew the kids would be so excited to see it, so I asked my neighbor to give us a ride to the grocery store where I'd noticed the iconic vehicle in the parking lot.  (The roads were terrible and I've been doing so much driving and felt myself crossing the line to too tired...I wasn't safe to do it...his big truck did just fine and I think he now knows we're insane...hearing us singing the bologna song had to convince him.)

I know he thought we were nuts, right up until he saw cars rolling up to do exactly what we were doing...snapping photos with the giant hot dog!

Did you know that the dash was made up of hot dogs in buns?  I didn't.

No one was in the Weiner-Mobile, so we didn't get any weinie whistles (darn it!), but it was still so cool to see the remnant from my childhood!

Thanksgiving Thoughts

In 1789, the United States Congress and President George Washington found gratitude to be so important that they were compelled to "recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:" (You can read the entire proclamation here.)


Notice that there was no mention of Pilgrims, no Native Americans, no football, no shopping, no turkey and stuffing.

A day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors...

As I was driving home this evening (I braved the stores with my two younger children to put together the pieces of an awesome surprise for my oldest baby!), I was struck by how truly fortunate my life is.  I definitely have been blessed by many and "signal" favors.  (In case you don't know, as I didn't, "signal" used this way is defined as "distinguished or conspicuous.)

No Pollyanna, just the acknowledgment that I have so much to be grateful for.   Truly.  My heart overflows with gratitude for the embarrassment of riches that surround me.  I feel blessed to have a wonderful husband who has spent more than 20 years doing his very best to provide for me and our children.  I  have been blessed with a husband who has a job he loves and that allows him to provide well for us.  Yes, he's overseas and, yes, I miss him, but we're not dealing with the instability caused by job loss or underemployment.  For this year, at least, our home is secure and our income is stable and for that I am grateful.    I am healthy and Superman is healthy and we have three healthy, able-bodied, intelligent, and, in my humble opinion, amazing children.  They are a source of unending joy in my life, even as they push me and stretch me in ways I could never have imagined.

My list of blessings goes from the profound to the mundane...and I am reminding myself to be grateful for them all.  These are just a few of the little blessings I've been thinking about:

Indoor Plumbing
Central Heat (!)
4 Wheel Drive
The Dishwasher and the Washing Machine and Dryer
The Refrigerator
The Computer I'm Sitting in Front of to Type This Post
The Internet
Skype
My Local Library
The Amazing People I've Met Because of Blogging
The Turkey and Pumpkin Pie in my Refrigerator Ready for Tomorrow
The fact that my brother and his wife are living their dream and bought their first house in October.
The fact that my sister got the job she wanted and is enjoying this new time in her life.

There you have it...a few of the things that I'm grateful for this year.  This is not a complete list.  Not even close.  I have been blessed by more than I can even express and I am so grateful for those blessings.

Why don't you give it a try?  Shed the stress of Thanksgiving preparation and Christmas shopping and focus instead on feelings of gratitude for the many and signal blessings in your life.  After all, our forefathers thought taking time to acknowledge and be grateful for our blessings was important enough to set aside one day a year for all of us to do just that.

From our home to yours...

may gratitude fill your heart and the blessings of the season abound.

4WD is my new best friend...

With Superman overseas, his car has been parked for almost a year.  Last month I put new brakes on it and put it back on the insurance to give it a turn on the road.  I'll be the first one to tell you that I don't really care for Superman's car.  It is a base model 2000 Ford Explorer.  I usually drive my beloved fully-loaded 1999 Suburban...leather seats, power everything, lots of room for a tall family, and cargo space that is big enough to hold everything from a new washing machine to a sheet of plywood to skis, boots, poles and coats, etc., for a family of five.  The only thing the Explorer has that the Suburban doesn't have?

4Wheel-Drive

Two years ago when we got 97 inches of snow and the plows couldn't get to our street for weeks, Superman's car could get us anywhere we needed to go.   That was the first time I ever got stuck in my Suburban.  Stuck.  I had to get pulled out of a parking space at the grocery store because ice had formed under my rear wheels.  It only happened that one time and it was happening to everyone that day...there was a guy cruising the parking lot non-stop just to pull shoppers out of their parking spaces.  After that, Superman equipped my ""rig" (that's what they call it in the Pacific Northwest) with a shovel and sand, so I can get myself unstuck if I ever need to.

Anyway, back to today.  I'm driving Superman's car because my beloved Suburban needs a new heater...the defroster doesn't work and when the temperatures are as cold as these, you need a defroster.  We had a small blizzard last night (really!) and they are expecting more snow Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.  The roads were crazy this morning...snow plows were slow to get to us.  I still ran my errands (and got our turkey!) with no problems.   The kids have orthodontist appts on Monday and Tuesday and I have a dentist appt on Monday.   Snow-covered hills are in our future, but I'm cool, because I'm driving Superman's car.

I still don't love it...but I've definitely decided that 4WD is my new best friend.  But my Suburban is still my BFF.

P.S.  They're predicting record cold temperatures tonight.  Since it is -3F right now (9:30 p.m.), I'd say they have a good chance.

Why Some Things are Better Done By Men

Well, as predicted, we awoke to a winter wonderland this morning.  It was a typical winter morning in the Nagle household.Valiant enthusiastically headed outside to shovel the drive and head down to the neighbor's to do her driveway, too.  As I'd planned, I tackled the plastic insulation on the windows.  I started with the Master Bedroom, thinking I'd go from the top down.

And there, my friends, was where the similarity to our typical winter prep ended.

If Superman had been in charge of insulating the windows, he would have picked a day, started applying the insulation to the windows, and been done with the entire house in two hours.

Me?  In two hours, I got exactly one room done.  One!  Why?  Because when I went into the bedroom to do our window, I had to move the bed (I'm not as tall as Superman).  When I moved the bed, I saw the fur from the cats who sleep under the bed, so I had to vacuum.  When I vacuumed under the bed, I saw the fur at the bottom of the curtains (from the same cats) that are normally behind the bed, so I had to clean the curtains that are behind the bed.  Then I noticed that the blinds were dusty and I couldn't seal up the window without dusting them (right?).  I noticed that the wooden cornice was dusty, so, of course, I had to dust it, too.  Finally, the ceiling fan was a little dusty, so I dusted it.  I talked with a neighbor on the telephone (she didn't need to use my mixer after all).  In the end, I did get the plastic up on my window and only my window.

Oh, and while I was doing all of this, I made a loaf of banana bread.  (I'll give you the recipe tomorrow...it is terrific.)

I have nine more windows, minimum, to do.  So, at this rate, and taking into account Thanksgiving, I should have the window insulation up in a little less than two weeks.

Two weeks vs. Superman's two hours.  Some things are better done by men...at least my man.

Winter Cold is Headed Our Way!

The weatherman is forecasting temperatures in the low single digits this week.  I'd say Jack Frost is definitely nipping at our heels, wouldn't you?

Tomorrow the kids and I will be adding the plastic to our windows.  (Skeptics take note:  Adding window insulation helps get rid of drafts and lowers heating bills...even if  your home is relatively new.)

We've tried a number of different brands, but have come back to 3M Window Insulation kits for consistent quality and sealant tape that does lift off at the end of the season.

Bedtime when the temperatures drop sees a line at the microwave, too.   Why?  Because we all have bed warmers.  I made these bed warmers a few years ago and now we swear by them.



Each is filled with rice and a little bit essential oil. You put them in the microwave for 1-3 minutes and they become radiant heat packs. I made pocket warmers, a bed warmer, and two other warmers that I'm told by Superman and Buttercup are "neck warmers". Now, I don't know about you, but my neck never gets particularly cold...I was planning on using them as foot warmers, but, hey, I can be flexible. Anyway, everything was made out of scrap fabric: the two solid color ones were made out of the extra sweatshirt material I had from making those nightgowns I told you about, the pocket warmers were made out of leftover fabric from little gift bags I made, and the bed warmer is from flannel I had leftover from making Buttercup some pajama pants. These are really, really cool and if you tend to be cold, I highly recommend taking the ten minutes to make one or three.

The kids new winter coats and snow pants are ready and waiting...those kids keep growing, darn it.  The mittens and scarves have come out of  storage.

File Under Life with Teenagers...

Valiant had an idea for dinner.

"Hey, Mom, we should have porn for dinner!"

What?!

"Yeah!  Purge Our Refrigerator Night!  Get it?"

Oh, yes, I get it. 

Now picture said teenager guffawing as he had obviously tickled his own funny bone.

Sigh.