A Visual Thanksgiving Feast

Hi All!

Well, the family Thanksgiving feast with my parents, my brother and his family, Hubby, and Me is now over. I am exhausted. That didn't keep me from going with Mom and Dad to meet my brother and his family at the mall for lunch and a little shopping. I got a nifty little pink iPod speaker which I can throw in my purse. Fun!

I finally downloaded the pictures of our feast and thought I would share a couple with you.

This is the turkey. Isn't it a beauty? Of course, this is before Hubby and I attacked it. As it was only the second turkey I had ever made and Hubby had even carved, it was "interesting" to witness the carving process. I didn't take any pictures. It was too scary! The turkey did taste very yummy though! Nice and moist and tender.

These lovely looking things are my two-toned, twice baked potatoes. Mom found the recipe somewhere and emailed it to me. Very simple but excellent! I think everyone who tasted these liked them - even my brother who doesn't normally like sweet potatoes! I could eat these every day if I would take the time to make them.

What Thanksgiving feast would be complete without dessert? I made this scrumptious pumpkin pie and cake balls. The pie made it for a picture - the cake balls . . . well, not so much!

For those of you who have never heard of cake balls, they are cake (I used pumpkin bread this time in honor of the season) crumbled into small crumbs and then mixed with canned frosting (sure - you could use home made but . . . the recipe SAID canned frosting so . . . I used cream cheese frosting.). Refrigerate to make firm and then form into bite sized balls. Freeze for a while to ease the dipping process and then dip the balls into lovely melted chocolate. Chill to set chocolate and then drizzle melted white chocolate over the top. Chill to set and then serve. The balls I made didn't last too long after the first taste. They are good and a little addictive too, apparently!

As a note - the recipe for the cake balls was in my local paper and you can use any cake/frosting combo you want. You can also use white chocolate or white almond bark (****Hey foodies out there - what is the difference between white chocolate and white almond bark anyway?) and then you can use food coloring (I think they recommended oil based or gel colors, I can't remember) to tint the coating to neat colors. I liked the confetti cake and frosting with the turquoise colored topping. It was a visual treat!

There you have my dinner in a nutshell. I didn't take pictures of the cake balls or the homemade rolls I made so just picture them in your minds for a minute. Done? Good! It was a good meal and good company.

Trisha

Voice Update: I am not saying. I am a bit frustrated. Draw your own conclusions (if you listen to my newest podcast I am on my way down the hill!).

Invasion of the Family!

Hi All!

Today is the invasion of my family. My parents were already here but today my brother and his family (wife and two daughters) came down from Oklahoma for a family "thanksgiving" dinner. Just a few days late.

Right now the girls are playing Wii (they are trying to get a Wii but haven't hit the stores at the right time to find them in stock) and everyone else is watching them. Now my oldest niece is looking at me while I am writing this. Fun, fun!

A bit earlier Hubby and I thought that we had lost Skor. We knew that Miss Cleo had taken up her normal hiding place, under our bed. However, Skor was missing in action. Hubby went looking and even broke out the food to try to lure him out of hiding. Nothing. We started to get a bit concerned so I joined in the hunt. Finally, I looked upstairs where the girls had last seen him. Our entertainment center up there has two drawers on the bottom. Taking a chance, I pulled out one of the drawers and there he was. He was scared to death and shot out of hiding as soon as we saw him. He flew down the stairs and is now with Miss Cleo under the bed.

Thank goodness! Skor is too sweet to lose!

I have taken pictures of our Thanksgiving feast which I plan on posting tomorrow. I will also try to take some pictures of the family to show you.

Until then!

Trisha

Voice Update: My voice isn't too bad but I still have some breaking going on. Especially when I have to repeat myself. Oh well, the roller coaster ride still goes on.

Stuffed With Stuffing

Hi All!

Chris - I am so sorry but here in America it is almost a LAW that you have to talk about food around Thanksgiving time! I know that you have the willpower to resist and to stay on track!

Well, the first, Thanksgiving dinner at my house with guests is over. This isn't the dinner where my brother and his family came to visit, this one was just my parents, Hubby, and me. However, I did cook a turkey and some of the trimmings which go with a traditional dinner. The most notable for me was . . . the stuffing.

Some people call it dressing. Some people call it stuffing. Some people don't eat it. In my family, it is stuffing. Well, either that or dressing. It depends on the person who you are talking to and sometimes the same person will call the same food both names. We aren't very picky about food terminology in my family.

No matter what it is called - it is good! My stuffing is just like Mom always made. Which is just like HER Mom always made. It is GOOD! It is bread soaked in a mixture of celery, onion, broth, salt, pepper, an egg, and a little water blended in the blender. Then you cover it with foil, bake it, and eat it all up! YUMMY!

After yesterday I am stuffed with stuffing! Not the best feeling in the world but not too bad when you get down to the basics.

The turkey, which was excellent as well, was cooked in the morning, carved, and then put in a crock pot with some broth to steam until we ate. It makes the turkey very tender and keeps it piping hot all day. Of course, Hubby and I had never done this before and didn't realize that the beautiful slices of white meat needed to be on the top, out of the broth so they didn't get so tender that they fell apart. Oh well - now we know for the next time we cook a turkey!

I hope your day was fabulous!

Trisha

Voice Update: I just posted my newest podcast and my voice sounds a bit breaky on it. However, it think in person, my voice is sounding pretty good.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hi All!

The turkey is cooked and is steaming in the crock pot (a family tradition - means you can prepare the turkey ahead of time and it is still hot and moist when you eat later in the day), the cheesecake is made and the fruit sauce is made for the top. The stuffing is ready to be stuffed (I hope that Mom comes in time to tell me how to make it since it is her recipe and she forgot to bring it to me!). Things are good. The house smells like Thanksgiving and all is right with the world.

For the moment!

I hope everyone has a fabulous Thanksgiving Day!

Trisha

Voice Update: Still cracking a bit around the unvoiced consonants but a bit better! Yeah!

Workin' Up to a Panic Wednesday

Hi All!

First of all, I should clarify something. When I said that I LOVE being videotaped, it was meant to be literally dripping with sarcasm. Personally, I hate being videotaped but I have learned that it is a part of ASL classes so . . .

Speaking of class, the "test" is over. Now just the final to do (and, I need a story to prepare for the expressive part of the test and just have no clue what to talk about!) and I am free!

A question for you, during the test, the teacher asked each of us which of the other students in our class we felt was "behind." Do you think that is ethical to ask students? I had a real problem with that question and so I turned it into which student I think is the "best." The teacher didn't seem to mind.

Okay - tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I am working up to the panic mode. I should mention that tomorrow's dinner will only be for four (my parents, Hubby and me). The big family meal will be Saturday when my brother and his family (wife and two kids) come down from Oklahoma. My panic is not about tomorrow. I have that under control. It is about Saturday.

Chris H - you may want to stop reading now. I am going to talk about food for a bit. I promise it is only for a couple paragraphs.

I need to go grocery shopping today to pick up all of the stuff I need for dinner tomorrow and Saturday. Then I need to figure out when I am going to make all of the food for dinner tomorrow and Saturday. Is it too early to make pumpkin pie tomorrow for Saturday? What about rolls? And just what in the heck is "stuffing bread?" I am supposed to get some for my stuffing but have no clue! What about twice baked potatoes. How far in advance can I make those things? Should I make the spiced pecans I read about in Oprah's magazine and some cake balls? I know I can do that in advance. I am thinking pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting for the cake balls - do you think that would be a good combo? Covered in Chocolate?

Is it too early to panic?

Okay Chris H - I am done talking about food. I promise!

Today I have a friend and her daughter stopping by before the three of us go out to lunch. This is a friend who I taught with briefly and whose daughter I had in my fifth grade class. They are fabulous people and have stood beside me during my terrible voice days. They are excited to meet Skor. I just hope that he doesn't run away from them when they get here!

When my parents arrived Miss Cleo, normally the scaredy-cat of the pair, came out and got petting right away while Skor ran around the house like a nervous-nelly. Weird! I am happy that Miss Cleo is becoming a bit less anxious but what in the world is up with Skor? When Dad got out the fishing pole toy Skor was his best friend but, once the toy was away, he didn't want to go near Dad!

Cats, what do you do with them (and please don't tell me that you kill them or kick them or any other bad thing! Miss Know-it-all in class has given me enough of that for a lifetime. She even found a shirt in a magazine which said "I like cats. I just can't eat a whole one by myself." Gross!)?

Trisha

Voice Update: Can you say FRUSTRATING? I am really having issues with h's and p's and other assorted consonants. Interestingly, c's seems to be a problem as well. That is new. I am digging out Mr. Timer and getting to work. I did record a podcast episode inspired by my voice problems though. I hope to get it out today or Friday.

It's Tuesday, Test Day!

Hi All!

Sorry this is late being posted but, family will do that to you! My parents came into town yesterday afternoon and I picked them up from the airport.

We went to eat lunch at Cracker Barrel - I have only eaten there one other time so I wanted to try it out. The food was okay but the service was slow. Not a restaurant that I am missing by not going out to eat too often!

After eating we headed to Wal Mart where Dad arranged to rent a car and Mom and I shopped. We bought some food that we needed (cereal to keep the place running in the morning!) and then we hit the rest of the place. We bought fabric for a Thanksgiving tablecloth after going back and forth on just how long we should buy the fabric. That poor woman who was helping us in the fabric section! I think we even ended up confusing ourselves by the end of the whole process! Anyway - we got it and it is going to look nice!

Then it was home and hanging out for a while before dinner at IHOP. Have you been there lately? They have this pancake special on their menu (I have forgotten the name) which has pecans, granola clusters , and butterscotch chips in it. It looked fabulous. It may even have had caramel sauce on it too! Yumm! I didn't have that though - I had an omelet and pumpkin pancakes - yumm, again!

I have mentioned that I have a slight infatuation with pumpkin flavored foods, didn't I? Pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin bread, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin milkshakes, pumpkin blizzards (from Dairy Queen - FANTASTIC, by the way!). Anything is fair game. However, I must admit that I tried pumpkin honey once and it was just plain gross.

This morning my parents got their car from Wal Mart (I drove them!) and headed off to Oklahoma to visit my brother and his family for a few days. When will they be back? I am not actually sure. I think they will be back on Thursday to have a Thanksgiving dinner with Hubby and me. But - plans can change (and they have before)!

Today I am hitting the computer to type a paper for ASL class. I am not putting too much effort into it because the less effort I put in, the more the teacher seems to like the results. Weird, huh? I also looked on the schedule and saw that I have a signing post test tonight. That means that we will get to sit one-on-one with the teacher and she will ask us questions. We will answer in sign language and then she will evaluate us to see if we learned anything this semester. Did I mention that this will be video taped? No? Well, it will and I just LOVE getting video taped! I have a couple reasons to be a bit anxious about the entire situation - the video tape and the fact that I can't sign anything right according to the teacher. Oh well, I am going to get all Zen and remember that I don't care anymore.

I just want the class to be finished for the semester so I can move on!

Trisha

P.S. Skor has jumped in to sit on top of my CPU and his eyes are even with my mouse. Each time I click he swats my hand with his paw. Isn't it nice he is "helping?"

Voice Update: Darn, darn, double darn! Still missing those darn unvoiced consonants and now it has moved onto the letter "p" which is usually the last to go. Drat, drat, drat! I guess I need to unearth Mr. Timer again and get his help with my exercises. Grrrrr. Not really what I feel like doing at this time. Oh well, I guess you can't choose the timing of these things.

Moonflower Madness

Hi All!

It is a beautiful, brisk morning here in Texas! When I left the house to walk with C, it was a nippy 53 degrees with a STRONG wind (like always!). It is beautiful here now, the trees are losing their leaves - and trying hard to change colors! I saw a few oranges and some attempts at red while walking this morning.

Yes, Fall has finally reached my neck of the woods and I am enjoying it. One of the things I enjoy doing in the fall is collecting my moonflower seeds. you remember my moonflowers, don't you? They only bloom in the evening/night and are the vining variety not the shorter, stalkier variety. Here - these pictures will refresh your memory!




(I will admit that the last picture was taken a while ago - we still had our wooden fence then!)

So - do you remember now? Well, let me tell you about my seed harvesting. Each of the lovely flowers eventually dies and a seed pod is made. In the fall these pods become mature and have anywhere from 1 to 5 seeds in them.

This year I was blessed by many, many, many moonflowers. So - that means that I am also blessed with many, many, many seed pods and TONS of seeds! Each year I keep some seeds to replant the next year. Why buy seeds when I have a ready supply each year?

Over the past several years, the yield of seeds has increased exponentially. Last year I got several hundred seeds - which I still have! When planting for my yearly plant, I only use about 8 seeds and that leaves me with a LOT of leftover seeds. This year my seed collection is yielding even more seeds and I feel bad about only using about a dozen or so and leaving the rest ungrown. So - I am trying something new.

If anyone out there would like some moonflower seeds, please let me know and I will send you a dozen. The moonflowers are low maintenance but do need to be replanted every year. I am not quite sure exactly how to do this but, first, let's see if people are interested. Leave me a comment if you would like a packet of seeds and then I will figure out the rest!

Editor's note: I know that moonflowers grow fine in Ohio so they do okay in more northern regions. Because of the shorter growing season I am not certain that they really make it to the seed producing stage but - I will always have seend to give you unless something happens!

On a totally different topic - Mom and Dad are coming to visit today. I will be picking them up at the airport around noon and they will be spending the night (I think). Tomorrow they will drive up to Oklahoma to visit my brother and his family and then they will come back to our house for Thanksgiving. My brother and his family are coming on Saturday for a family Thanksgiving. It should be interesting. My first time cooking Thanksgiving dinner for more than Hubby and myself! Wish me luck! I am keeping it simple.

Trisha

Voice Update: Darn it! Today while walking I had a LOT of trouble skipping different "unvoiced" consonant sounds. How frustrating!!! (that needed more than one measly exclamation mark!) Maybe with Mom and Dad here I will talk more and exercise those darn muscles more than with the exercises, etc. I hate having bad days. Then again, I have been blessed with so many good days. Thank God!

Saturday Night Live at FCOP

Hi All!

Just a quick post for today.

Last night I ventured out to the city of Mesquite (home of the Mesquite Rodeo) to attend Saturday Night Live at the Family Cathedral of Praise. This is not something that I would normally attend but, it was for class.

You see, this was an activity primarily for Deaf people. For my ASL class, we are required to attend various Deaf activities and one is due on Tuesday. That means that I needed to go somewhere and . . . this just sort of "fell" into my lap. It turned out that four of the five people who are in my ASL class were there (including me!). It was an interesting experience.

The whole evening started off with dinner (sloppy joes, chips, and cookies) and then the fun for the evening started. The people were divided into six groups and then the groups rotated through various workshop stations. This was basically a church function so some of the stations were religious - learning how to witness to children, learning how to give your testimony, etc. However, some were just fun - learning to mime certain songs and learning to dance to certain songs. It was fun!

Speaking to the different Deaf people who were attending was a neat aspect of the evening. I ended up connecting with several Deaf young adults - guys who were all about 18 - 19 years old. They were fun to talk to!

At the beginning of the evening, I was nervous about going and meeting people I didn't know. By the end of the evening, I felt totally comfortable. Learning sign language is something which has opened up totally different worlds to me and I am enjoying everything I am learning!

There were many hearing people at this event. Most knew sign language (like my classmates and me) but some didn't. There was always someone willing to "voice" for these people so they could enjoy the events also.

Maybe you will hear about some Deaf activity through your church or neighborhood. It might be worth your time to check it out. You might meet someone great to be friends with. Friends with differences only enrich our lives!

Trisha

Voice Update: My voice is doing well. My throat is still a bit tight but I am still working on that. I was a bit frustrated yesterday because my voice had more breaks than it has for a while - I know that having SD is really a roller coaster but sometimes I just want off for a while!

Johnny Bush Book and CD

Hi All!

This post is late because I decided to sleep in this morning to try to kick this slight "sick" feeling I have had lately. It seems to have worked. Let's keep our fingers crossed!

Today I finished reading Johnny Bush's book, Whiskey River (Take My Mind): The True Story of Texas Honky-Tonk. As you might remember, I met Johnny at the SD meeting in San Antonio. At that time I bought his book. I love reading and really like reading about interesting people. Well, Johnny is certainly interesting!

This book tells the story of Johnny's life as told by Johnny. He unflinchingly tells about the good times and the bad times. His good decisions and his bad decisions. Along the way he also relates the story of the Texas Honky-tonk: the place and the culture. Not being native to Texas, this is an entire side to the state that I have never before known.

Johnny talks about his rise in the Texas music scene right along-side country music greats like Willie Nelson and Ray Price. Included in the book are pictures of Johnny and other music makers including Willie, Ray, Charlie Price, and Bob Wills. I must admit that I had never heard of many of the people Johnny rubbed elbows with but I am trying to fix that omission in my music knowledge!

If you are a fan of country music, or good auto-biographies, I would highly recommend this book. It is an entertaining read and, as I have proven, you don't need to have a real knowledge or appreciation on the Texas country music scene to appreciate the book. I really chuckled over some of Johnny's experiences and I even stopped reading to tell Hubby about some of the more amazing and/or shocking tales. I really enjoyed the book.

My enjoyment of the book was only enriched by borrowing the CD from Lori (who bought it from Johnny the same time I bought the book).

I had never heard any of Johnny Bush's music prior to the meeting where he sang two songs for us. In fact, it wasn't until I got SD that I had even heard of Johnny Bush and that was only by reading a list of "famous" people who had SD.

As a lover of all kinds of music, I really, really enjoyed this CD. I popped it into my CD player as I drove to class after meeting Lori and I also listened to it all the way home. Then, I loaded it onto iTunes and listened to the whole album once more. My toes were tapping and I found myself singing along to a couple tunes on the second hearing. One, Pancho and Lefty, even made it into my dreams last night. I woke up singing the chorus. Hubby was a little annoyed at the early morning singing but, I think Skor enjoyed the serenade!

If you are a music lover, go out and find this CD. You can get it from Johnny's website at http://JohnnyBush.com

The book and the CD together make a terrific package introduction to the Texas Country music scene or, if you are already a fan, a wonderful reminder of what country music used to be!

Trisha

Voice Update: Well, my throat hurts a bit today. I am hoping it isn't a real sore throat coming on! My voice is doing well but I don't feel like talking much because of the slight twinge I get when I talk. Tonight I am going to a Deaf event so I won't have to talk too much. I need to get those exercises and massage up to "hyper" speed to get things working.

Presentations and Johnny Bush

Hi All!

I think that I have found the key to doing well in my ASL class. Not caring! No, really! My presentation last night was a retelling of a story. I didn't even look at the story until yesterday afternoon and I only practiced the story twice with Skor as a very sleepy audience. Then, I went into class and, without any paper to look at, I retold the story my way. AND - I was only stopped once when I signed the word LOG. What I signed was an old sign and there was a better sign which the teacher told me. When I got done - the teacher seemed to almost stumble over herself telling me that I did well.

In fact, she seemed to stumble all over herself telling everyone they did well. She almost seemed apologetic when she had to tell us we did something wrong. Hmmmm. I wonder what happened here.

I'll bet that the ASL lab assistants told Henry, the head of the department, that things were not all roses and sunshine in the class. Or - maybe the teacher reads my blog. If that is so . . .oops! It isn't that I don't like her as a person, I think she is a very nice and interesting person.

Okay - that is out of the way.

Do you know who Johnny Bush is? If you don't and you like country music, I would check out his CDs.

Johnny Bush is a country singer from Houston who was rising up the ranks in the country music scene with Willie Nelson and others. Unfortunately, just as he was poised for national attention and fame, he was stricken with SD. He was unable to perform for approximately 30 years! Now he is being treated with Botox and is recording and performing live again.

Johnny is also speaking out for SD awareness. He was at the meeting in San Antonio and spoke to us about his career and struggles with SD. I bought his book- a fun reading biography that I am about halfway through - and Lori bought his CD. Yesterday at our meeting, Lori let me borrow the CD to bring home. I popped it into the player on my way to class and . . . I love it!

In fact, I am listening to it right now as I write this post. The music is reminiscent of old time country with steel guitars, fiddles, banjos, and guitars. The songs are diverse in their sounds and their messages but, they are all fun to listen to. My toe was tapping the entire was to class (and home again!).

I must admit that I had never heard of Johnny Bush prior to reading that he had SD. I think that is mostly due to the fact that I am not a native Texas but was raised up north. Some of the native Texans I know have heard of Johnny before but not recently.

He is a musical treasure.

Trisha

Voice Update: Doing well. Still tight - darn it! The fact that Skor tries to help early (and I do mean early) each morning by massaging my throat as I sleep just doesn't seem to be helping! Back to more e's and massage!

Do They Do This in YOUR Neck of the Woods?

Hi All!

On my way home from the ASL lab on Monday, I was stopped at a red light when I saw this.

My first thought was . . . is the team named the Geaux Tigers or are they trying to be "cute" when spelling the rather simple word "go?" Then I looked a little closer.

Do you see this tiger? It is really well done! Is it a decal? It certainly looked like the same stuff that the other writing was done with. If that is drawn by hand . . .someone is a really good artist!

Anyway, artwork aside, I wanted to know, do they do this in your neck of the woods? I had never really seen this done (other than for weddings and such) very frequently until I moved to Texas. It seems like here people decorate the windows of cars just for kicks and giggles. Besides sports related themes like the car above, I have seen birthday messages, "congratulations on making the team" messages, "I love you" messages, "hot chick/dude driving" messages, "senior 09" messages, and just plain "studmuffin" messages.

Rarely a day goes by that I don't see a car with something inscribed on the windows passing me on the street. My favorite are the ones that decorate every single window in the car. The front window usually has a big circle of clear space for the driver to see through - sometimes actually outlined - and then a lot of writing on the rest of the window. I think it is a little crazy!

Moving on . . .

Yesterday I worked in Susan's office. Her regular secretary, L, was on vacation for her 30th anniversary! As usual, it was a fun experience. Since I had done my previous stint in the office, I pretty much knew what I was doing. I was there for about six hours and when I finally fought my way through the rush hour traffic to get home - I was TIRED! It was nice to be making a little money though. Now Hubby says I can buy one more thing that I want - since I paid for my new Coach purse by working!

Today I am going to a late lunch with Lori to talk about support group stuff. We are revving up to have regular meetings in 2009. Then it will be off to class. Gee - I am SO looking forward to class. NOT! *sigh* At least this class will mean I am one class closer to being through!

Tonight I have yet another presentation to do. I wonder how many times I will be interrupted this time? I will say that on Tuesday, when I did my story, I wasn't interrupted much. Maybe it is a good sign!

I'll let you know how it went tomorrow!

Trisha

Voice Update: My neck is tight. Susan told me she thinks it is because my knees still hurt and that makes me tighten up muscles to try to keep them from hurting and because I am not feeling too well. Great! I guess it is continue with the massage and the e's! Last night Hubby joined me for a "rousing chorus" of e's before we went to bed. It is so nice that he is on board with the whole thing. Of course, he was making fun of me but still . . . company in the exercises is nice!

Do You Know What This Is?

Hi all!

Today I have a guessing game for you! I have pictures of an object that I see and use every day - let's see how many of you know what it is!

Ready? Here is the first picture.

Do you know? This is the back of the object so if you don't recognize it, don't worry. The next picture has a little more information for you. Here you go . . .

There you go! I am sure you all know by now what this is. What? Not all of you know what it is? Hmmmm. Well, let me show you another picture. I KNOW you will get it with this one.

There! That was easy, right? What's that? A few of you still don't know? Really? To tell you the truth, I had never used one of these before I moved to this house. I don't know of many of my friends who live in this area who use them either. In fact, I don't honestly understand just WHY we use them. They get a bit shabby after a while. Did you notice the remnants of tape on the sides and back? People use this as a neighborhood bulletin board as well as for its designed purpose.

For those of you who are still not sure, the next picture should clear it up for you!

That is right! It is my mailbox! Well, not only mine - it is the mailbox for my part of the street! Hubby and I are box 3. Our neighbors are box 4. Those aren't our addresses, just our mailbox numbers. At the bottom of the group, there are two larger boxes. That is where we get larger parcels. The mailman puts them in and then puts the key to that compartment in our mailbox. We use the key and then leave it in the box lock for the next person. Interesting system, don't you think?

Most of the city where I live uses mailboxes like this. I asked why a long time ago and got some kind of story that if you have individual mailboxes at your house you are considered to live in a "rural" area. I still don't really understand! Oh well!

Maybe this is part of the city's plan to get us out of the house and walking a bit more for our health??? It is a bit of a hike for some people. It is only three houses away for me. A pleasant walk!

Do any of you have mailboxes like this (okay - apartment dwellers - I KNOW you have mailboxes similar to this! I mean house owners!)? Let me know!

Trisha

Voice Update: I massaged and "e'ed" all the way to and from class last night. I haven't talked enough today to really know but, I am working for Susan today and I will no doubt talk enough to find out how the voice is doing!

My Monday Morning

Hi All!

Today I am going to show you a pictorial version of my morning. Are you ready to come along for the ride? Let's buckle those seat belts and get going!

Here is Miss Cleo. Right before I leave, the kitties always think they need food again even though they ate only two hours ago!



Skor decides that the strings on my wool hoodie (it is chilly here in the mornings) is the perfect toy. Down, Skor!


No! You are NOT getting more food! We will eat lunch when I get home! You know the routine by now, kitties!



Okay - we are now in the car. Buckle up. What? Oh, that? That is the Texas flag that Hubby wanted to paint on the garage wall several years ago. Why a Texas flag? He saw it on a tv show or something. Of course, I was the one who got to paint it - with help from my mother who was visiting at the time!


Before turning out of the alley, it is important to look both ways. People tend to zoom along this road!


This is the local Baptist church. Look, they are already setting up for this year's live nativity scene. It is a great thing to go to.


Stoplight! Right near McDonald's and Tierra Caliente. Both of which Hubby and I never eat in. Left turn!

First stop, the infamous The Colony post office. Why infamous you ask? Well, it isn't unusual for a person to enter this facility and not be seen again for hours and hours and hours! Sometimes the line comes right out those double doors you see. Honest! Luckily, today there are only two people in front of me and two (count them, two!) people working at the counters.

Yes, parking is a bit tight. The post office is remodeling (hence all the dust inside which made me sneeze). I wonder what they are doing here? The old parking lot was fine. I thought. Can you see the guy in the red shirt? He made me chuckle because he is such a Texan worker - wearing a cowboy hat!Okay! Back in the car and heading to the ASL lab for practice. Note the construction. It has been here FOREVER.Luckily, it is only a short stretch of road which is still being worked on. But then again - did you see any actual work going on? Me neither! Do you think they just forgot about picking up the cones and stuff? Hmmmmmm!How do you like the larger-than-life horse sculptures? I think they are pretty neat! Oh - do you see the bike rider? This next stretch of road is a VERY popular place for bike riders. Why? Well, it is one of the few "serious" hills in the area and they all come to train for hills.Here is the hill. Forgive the crooked shot - I was driving so I just picked up the camera and pushed the button without looking.

This is where I get onto the tollway to go to speech or to the Deaf Action Center. Not going that way today though!

One of my favorite things about the area where I live - a farm right next to the tollway and a busy road. The farmer still farms too! On this street we pass fields and cows and even some horses. No pictures today though - they weren't near the road on this trip! Rats!Okay - we are at the college. Finding a parking spot is always fun but today I score with one in the third row! Nice!This is the entrance I always go in. The classroom is not too far from this door!

I love this - the entry I go in is also the entry to the conference center and the theater. it has this nice skylight!

A quick left at the first hallway. The classroom for ASL 1 is right between the two benches on the left. My classroom this time is down the first hallway to the right. The lab - it is at the end of the hall on the left. Let's go!Well, here we are! Now to go in and sign in.This computer - everyone has a love/hate relationship with it. It is great when it works! It tells you how long you have been in the lab and keeps track of your hours. When it doesn't work . . . what a pain!Come in and have a seat. The lab assistant will be here soon. The music stands are where they put the sentences and word lists we get to practice. The little box at the left of the picture - a heater. This room is ALWAYS cold! Keep your sweater on!

Whew! That is a lot of pictures. I think I will save the trip home for a later blog! I am glad that you could come with me today!

Trisha

Voice Update: Still missing some words - darn it! More massage! More massage! A little less stress would probably help too! Finals are coming up!

A Texan Fall and the Fourth Picture

Hi All!


I have seen so many beautiful pictures of fall foliage on blogs lately that I felt the urge to contribute. I went out and looked at the trees in my yard. Hmmmm. Not exactly the same kind of color as the other photos I have seen.



Well, here it is! Enjoy!


Isn't that a nice brownish color? Yep - that is a Texan Fall!

As I was looking through my pictures trying to figure out just where I had put this "lovely fall shot," I was reminded of a post on Dlyn's blog. She got it from someone else and it looked like fun so . . . I decided to do it. This weekend I got all of my pictures organized into folders so it was easy. Here is the deal.

The object is to go to your 4th photo file, then to your 4th photo inside that file and then post it.

My fourth file is labeled "friends" and this is the fourth picture in the folder. This is my friend B and her darling little boy M. Such a fun picture. The next picture shows M with the Mr. Potato Head glasses he is holding on his face - too funny!

My friend B lives with M and her wonderful husband P in Ohio. I think that is WAY too far away from where I am! I miss talking to her regularly and seeing her. She has another child now, a little girl named Amy whom I have never met! Maybe I will finally get the chance to see her when Hubby and I go to Ohio over the holidays.

If you get the urge, check out your fourth picture file and post the fourth picture in that file. Then let me know what you post so I can check it out. You might also want to let Dlyn know! It is fun!

Trisha

Voice Update: A bit of a "hitch in my giddy-up" today. More breaks than I would like. I have been a bit "stressed" with my knees so i am sure that has tightened up my throat muscles a bit. I will keep on keepin' on with the massage and hope things get straightened out here in a bit. I am also back on the inhale "e" plan. I do ten single e's, ten double e's, and ten triple e's. That is one "set" and I do about four sets every hour or so. I haven't gotten Mr. Timer out this week so I do the e's every time I think of it.

Tagged!

Hi All!

The darndest thing . . . I went out to get the paper this morning and a white panel van pulled up next to me. Some masked people jumped out, shot a tranquilizer dart into my rump and pulled me into the van. When I woke up I was on the sidewalk hugging the newspaper with a huge ole tag around my neck! They TAGGED me! Well, shoot! I guess I know what it is like to be an endangered animal!

***Note: The above situation is entirely fictional and shown here for humorous impact reasons only. There was no incident of tranquilizing or abduction by men in a white panel van.

I guess that I have to get this darn TAG off my neck so - here we go!

Coffee Bean of The Righteous Buzz tagged me and since I like the whole premise of this tag . . . I am going for it!

Here are the rules:
• Link to the person who tagged you and post the rules in your post.
• Share seven random/weird facts about yourself.
• Tag seven random people and link to their blogs.
• Let each person know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment in their blog

SEVEN RANDOM/WEIRD FACTS ABOUT MYSELF:
1. I have started to write about three different novels whose remnants are still lurking around my house somewhere. I have never finished even one.

2. Sometimes I like to pretend that I am a world-famous spy as I am drifting off to sleep. For some reason it keeps my brain from running on and on and lets me drift off into a peaceful sleep.

3. I can't walk over any kind of grate or covering in the sidewalk, the road, or the parking lot. I have an irrational fear of falling through them. Hubby kindly tries to push me onto them when he is in a fractious mood.

4. I remember all kinds of stuff for a long, long, long time. I just can't help it. Once it gets into my brain, I remember it. This is one reason that people hate me when I take classes - I always blow the curve on the tests with little effort because I remember everything!

5. I hate, hate, hate the smell of coffee. I can't stand walking down the coffee aisle in the store and going into a Starbucks is an endurance test for me. Yuck!

6. As I get older I am finding that I don't really like chocolate that much any more. I know this is shocking but . . . I would much rather have a piece of carrot cake or one of those scrumptious iced sugar cookies from Wal Mart. Sure - chocolate is good for a stressful situation but . . .

7. I am really, really good at assembling the "some assembly required" furniture you can get from pretty much anywhere. I really enjoy working with tools even though Hubby doesn't let me do that too often - only when furniture needs to be put together!

Now - I am not going to tag people because - after my experience - I know just how annoying those darn tags around your neck can be. However, if you feel like it - give this a try. It is a good way to do some soul searching - on a small level!

Have a fabulous day!

Trisha

Voice Update: Some more breaks than usual. I will have to step up my massage!

If You Give A Kitty Food . . .

Hi All!

I am happy to report that my "naughty knees" are starting to behave themselves. This morning when I woke up they hardly hurt at all! YEAH! Now I can get back to a better attitude!

I was just thinking of the "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie" book. Have you seen it? It is a kids book and came out many years ago. It also has a bunch of "sequel" books like "If You Give A Moose a Muffin" etc. Anyway - the book is sort of a compounding story. If you give the mouse a cookie he will want a glass of milk. If you give him a glass of milk he will want a napkin. If you give him a napkin he will want something else (I don't have the book here and don't have it memorized but - you get the idea!).

Why was I thinking of that particular book this fine morning? Well, I decided that Skor is sort of like that.

Normally, Hubby and I get up no later than 6:30 and the kitties get their food around that time. On the weekends, we would both prefer to sleep in an hour or so but the kitties . . . . they are on a "regular" schedule and want that food at 6:30. So - if there is no sign of movement in our bedroom at around 6:00, Miss Cleo leads the charge. She stealthily creeps onto the bed and begins her "nudge campaign."

For those of you who don't own cats, the "nudge campaign" is when a cat - a pretty little animal compared to a human adult - curls up on the bed next to you. And then starts to move over closer to you. Then the cat nudges you and - being asleep - you move over. Then the cat moves over. And then nudges you - and again - you move over. This continues for a while until you finally realize that you and your significant other (or possibly the other side of the bed if you don't have a significant other) is remarkably close to your face.

You sort of wake up - look at the cat and then do the by-pass move. Because the cat is now significantly away from the edge of the bed you can move back and slide under the covers between the cat and the edge of the bed. Victory!

But now you are sort of awake.

That is the time for phase two of the kitty charge. This time Skor takes over. He leaps up onto the bed and lands on you - usually on your stomach or head. You might be able to ignore him from having lots of practice with cats on your head. Then he steps it up. He starts putting that cold, wet, little nose in your face along with the shockingly long whiskers which manage to get up your nose. You turn over. He heads to Hubby and gives him the same treatment. Of course, Hubby can sleep through anything so Skor is frustrated in that attempt.

Back to you. He starts trying to burrow under the covers and manages to scratch your shoulder in the process. No go. Then he begins to attack imaginary things which, apparently, are hiding all over your body. He jumps and tumbles and kicks. Still, you manage to ignore him (personally, I have had a LOT of practice ignoring kitties). Finally, Skor brings in the BIG GUNS.

He takes the leather "fishing pole" toy out of the water dish where it has spent the last several minutes (or hours) and is totally soaked. He drags the toy across the house and into the bedroom. He leaps with it up onto the bed. Then - in a move worthy of any strategist - he drops the cold, wet leather onto any exposed flesh he can find.

Now, I can ignore a lot but the shock of that cold, wet leather - Oh boy! - it got me moving.

I decided that enough was enough and got up to feed the cats. They were soooooo happy! I read the paper while monitoring them. If you don't watch, Miss Cleo (who needs to loose a bit of weight and eats weight control adult food) will switch dishes with Skor (who eats kitten food which is higher in fats and stuff like that because he is a growing boy!).

After they feast and finish cleaning themselves, it begins. The reason I thought of the book.

If you give the kitties food, they will want fresh water. If you give the kitties fresh water, they will want to play with the sopping wet leather "fishing pole" toy you removed when you changed the water. If you play with the "fishing pole" toy, they will never want to stop. If you stop, they will want to play with the string. If you play with the string, they will want you to run up and down and all around entertaining them. If you stop playing with the string . . . they will follow you around the house whining for you to play again.

See the similarity?

Interesting, isn't it?

Trisha

Voice Update: Still doing well. My neck is a bit tight from the whole "naughty knee" week but I am working on getting it loosened up!

Maps and Knees

Hi All!

Well, I made it through the day yesterday with my "naughty knees." After taking a big Motrin and going to bed, I woke up today with my knees not feeling too bad. Not good, mind you, but not too bad. And then . . . IT happened.

You know I love my cats. They are like my children. However, just like children, they can be a little annoying at times. Well, this morning, Skor was whining and following me around really, really closely. In fact, he was walking around my feet while I was walking. This is normally not a big deal but this morning my knees were still a bit "off."

One thing led to another and . . . I ended up tripping over Skor and falling . . . to my knees. Luckily, I managed to break my fall with the bed a bit so the impact wasn't full force but it still HURT! Skor - he was fine and dandy. Me - well, can I just say . . . my knees hurt again!

Oh well!

Class last night was sort of fun. We had divided into two groups and made games. The games involved telling directions in sign language. My group (my friend T and I) made a map of an island with a city, a desert, a rain forest, a swamp, a cemetery, a regular forest, and rivers and a lake. I spent a lot of time adding detail. T got the map colored and laminated. We made little game pieces with pictures of pirates (I forgot to mention it was a pirate map theme) with the faces of our classmates on them. Our direction cards were well written. I was pretty happy with our effort.

The other group made a very cute mall. It had two floors stores made of boxes and all kinds of neat little details. The path we were to follow was made out of candy and there were clothes and shoes in some of the stores - stolen from Polly Pocket! Their cards . . . well, let's say were adequate. Their game was cute looking but really not too interesting to play.

Anyway - we had to play our games (we played theirs and they played ours). Then we got our scores. We got a 17 out of 10 for creativity while they got the full 20. I just don't think that was too fair! I mean, we created an entire island nation and little pirates with familiar faces on them!

Oh well, life isn't fair! I can't wait until this class is over.

I did have some fun last night though. I stopped into the ASL 1 classroom to see some friends and I got to talk to their teacher. She was a lot of fun. We had a nice conversation about all kinds of things.

I wish I had taken her ASL 2 class!

Trisha

Voice Update: Doing well. I realized I like ASL so much because I have entire evenings in which I don't need to talk at all and can still carry on a conversation!

Naughty Knees

Hi All!

How many "strange" hits do you think my blog will get with that title?

Anyway - my knees are being very naughty! I have had some trouble with my right knee ever since I fell off a chair when I was teaching second grade (NO - it did NOT have wheels - the hallway was just waxed and very slippery!). At that time I managed to pull and strain pretty much every ligament in my knee. Fun, huh? Well, since then my right knee bothers me when it is damp or cold.

Lately, that knee has even been bothering me when it isn't damp and cold. I am especially aware of the problem knee when I have been sitting for a while and then try to get up and walk somewhere. Then I feel the pain and a nice little "hitch in my giddy-up." Not too fun but - it works itself out in a short time and I am fine.

However, for the past two weeks my left knee has felt left out and has begun to hurt as well. It has started to hurt pretty much anytime that I bend it. Bending down to get something off the floor in class on Tuesday just about left me on the floor. Nice! Also, just being attached to my leg is apparently too much for my left knee - it hurts ( a lovely, dull ache) pretty much all the time.

I could deal with that - with some minor complaining to Hubby.

Then - this morning both knees conspired against me! I could hardly get out of bed! Between the left knee hurting like the dickens and the right knee sort of locking up - I had to look like a much, much older person trying to get up! What is going on here?

It is cold here today and it has been damp for the past week or so. I imagine my knees are protesting. I could also lose some weight to help them out. BUT they shouldn't be this bad! I am not even 40 yet!!!

Naughty Knees!

Trisha

Voice Update: Speech went well. My voice is still on track and very good. My throat was a bit tight but not locked up like it can get. At the end of the session - after some serious massage by Susan - my throat had loosened up quite a bit and talking was much easier. I am still sort of grumpy about talking but it is easier to talk! Maybe I will get on a new podcast today . . . . maybe!

The Green Bean Casserole - Deconstructed

Hi All!

No - this is not a cooking blog today even though the title sounds like it. Instead, I would like to share some tidbits I just read in my local paper.

Apparently "deconstructing" traditional foods is all the rage in haute cuisine these days. If you don't know what "deconstructing" is (and I will admit that I was a bit hazy myself), it is basically taking all of the ingredients of a well known dish and preparing them differently but still all together. Understand? It IS a bit confusing at first but maybe this will help you out.

The traditional dish under attack in today's paper was the classic green bean casserole. You know, the one touted by Campbell Soups and French's Fried Onions!
Here are what three top chefs in the Dallas area did with this classic.

First there was Green Bean Tempura, Cream of Mushroom Mousse, and Fried Onion Praline. See - all the ingredients used in different ways but still served together.

Ummm. . . maybe the tempura would be fine but the Cream of Mushroom mousse? Friend Onion Praline? I just don't know. All I keep thinking of is chocolate mouse with mushrooms in it and Texas praline candy with onions in it. Not a very appetizing thought.

Next was the offering of Garden-Fresh Green Beans, Exotic Mushrooms, and Tobacco Onions and Mushroom Custard.

Tobacco Onions? Have I missed something? I will be the first to admit that I miss a lot of "haute" ingredients so this might be something that slipped under my radar. All I know is that it certainly doesn't sound very good to me. Picture onions mixed with tobacco . . . yuck!

Our final entrant in the deconstruction is . . . . .(drum roll, please!) . . . .

Green Bean Salad with Creamy Mushroom Vinaigrette and Crispy Shallots. Okay - this one sounds like something that I might actually try. Maybe. If I was dining at a haute cuisine place. Which will happen when pigs fly!

Well, there you have the "deconstructed" green bean casserole. Personally, I sort of like the classic casserole the way it is! What do you think?

Note: Hubby HATES the green bean casserole so I never have made it. I do tend to take seconds at family dinners when it is present though!

Skor Update: Well, the neutering went well and the little bugger is back home. Last night he wanted to play, play, play. Of course, the vet said to lay of the heavy play until today so . . . Skor wasn't too happy. He kept bringing his toy (wet from its recent bath in the water dish) onto the bed (and usually onto my neck, arm, or other exposed skin) to try to get us to play. Ummmm - Skor? Three in the morning - NOT my best playing time!

Trisha

Voice Update: Doing well. I just listened to my most recent podcast at http://l2lwithsd.podbean.com and while I think it was pretty good, the beginning was cut off and I HATE the sound of my voice. The pitch is just sort of annoying! Oh well! Speech today - we will see how loose my throat is today!

The Purse (and other stuff, too!)

Hi All!

I just want to say that the purse pictures are FINALLY here! Sorry about the wait. Apparently, the rechargeable batteries I have been using are bad OR the charger is bad OR something! I just couldn't get the darn rechargeables to work so I had to scrounge some "regular" batteries for the camera!

Anyway - here is the purse from the top - I am happy that it zips!

The blue thing you see in the left hand side is my handy-dandy watch. Since I can't wear watches, I keep one on my purse so I know what time it is. Of course, I haven't reset it since the time change . . .

Here is the purse from the back - it has a back pocket - perfect for stuffing receipts and stuff into while on the run (so to speak, I don't plan on running from the law any time soon!).

Here is the purse from the front. The clasp just closed yet another outside pocket. Notice the little feet on the bottom. I like those- they let me think they will help keep the purse bottom a bit cleaner. I know, I know. Just let me keep my illusions for a while longer!

The purse came with a little scarf tied on the handles - I guess that is the style - but, I took it off because it just wasn't MY style! Speaking of handles - these are super. I can put them over my shoulder or on my arm and they work perfectly.

Enough purse drooling!

I have something that I need to apologize for - I am a bad comment returner. Several times people have asked me things in comments and . . . I have totally ignored them! I am SOOOO SORRY! I don't mean to ignore you - I just seem to have a problem with responding to comments.

There was one woman who asked if she could use my podcasts on her website and I never responded. I spent over 30 minutes this morning looking for her comment and it seems to be lost in the blogosphere! I really did want to respond to that woman and to check out her site but . . . .

If you happen to be that woman and you are reading my blog, PLEASE leave me another comment. I promise to respond this time!

Speaking of podcasts - I have posted my 23rd podcast. It has been a long time since my last podcast because I have been struggling with my "two worlds" and trying to decide if I should continue podcasting or not. Thanks to Renee's helpful and positive comments at the SD symposium this weekend, I decided to keep going. That meant that I had to find a new host (podcastspot is closing down!). I am now at Podbean.com (http://l2lwithsd.podbean.com/) and am trying to get all of my old podcasts moved to the new place. New stuff to learn - fun fun!

Yesterday I also signed up for a website with doteasy.com for my sd support group. I haven't gotten my log-on info yet (they have to make sure they can get the money first) but I am looking forward to "playing" with that as well.

I was a very busy girl yesterday!

Oh - Skor update: he is at the vet's again. This time it is for his neuter surgery. I am sure he will LOVE me when he gets back home!

Trisha

Voice Update: My voice is doing well. I am doing some massage and a little inhalation voicing just for old-times sake!