TToT When I’m Not Really Feeling It
It’s not that I don’t feel thankful this week. I absolutely do – for many things.
But for some reason I am feeling irritable about posting. I was very excited to get my Soup of the Week posts back up and running, even if this week’s turned out to be a consolation prize because I never quite got around to actually making any soup. But does anyone really care about soup?
And then every time I had a great post idea or sat to write…the idea fizzled or the writing didn’t happen. Maybe I’m just feeling ambivalent toward the blog right now. It feels kind of lost at the moment. Maybe it needs to go on a long hiatus. Still debating that one.
In the meantime, I’m going to get my Thankfuls on because A) it is always good to acknowledge that which is good in life and 2) if it weren’t for the TToT, there would be a whole lot of nothing happening on this blog at all. See what I mean? Why is that?
Anyway, let’s start off by being thankful that my little kitchen mishap this week did not turn out to be much worse than it is.
While making halupki and halushki this week, I managed to splash myself with boiling water. It was completely accidental and could have happened to anyone. However. I was (perhaps stupidly) cooking in only a tank top. Wait, no! I mean I had other things on. Like pants, for example. I mean a tank top and not a tank plus another shirt on top of it. And I wasn’t wearing an apron, which I usually do. So when the hot water splashed me, there was only that one thin layer to protect me from injury. So I have a pretty nasty burn on my stomach, of all places, but it could have been a whole lot worse. No photos on this one, for obvious reasons.
We have an abundance of beautiful CSA veggies again this week. Last year I wrote a lot about all of our interesting vegetables and the cool things I cooked with them. This year, the CSA crops have earned very little attention here. It’s kind of sad, really, because we do make some amazing things with them. Maybe I started hating the CSA because of that incident with the assassin bug… It’s a real thing and it’s very scary. I snagged one amusing photo when I was putting away the vegetables tonight.
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I’m back in the kitchen again this week after doing a whole lot of not cooking while I’ve been sick. I’ve made several things that turned out well – homemade soups, some chicken, homemade halupki and halushki – and have been glad to have people to enjoy them. Want to see what this became? Come back Monday for Soup of the Week.
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I am thankful for my great Words with Friends opponents who keep me on my toes! Val and Zoe and Josie are formidable players. Any other takers? Let me know!
I am finally feeling MUCH better. Thanks to all of you for the well wishes and prayers – I’m sure it helped. I still have this infernal post-nasal drip but as long as it doesn’t turn into anything else, I can handle that and a bit of residual hoarseness. Most people I talked to today feel that way, so I’m guessing it’s just the weather around here.
Kidzilla and I finally put out all of our fall decorations this week. It finally actually feels like fall, so it put us in the mood. The silly black cat is back and the Rotten Cats still think it’s a new cat. Every year…never gets old.
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This guy is a new favorite – Kidzilla saw him at CVS and insisted we get one. Part of me wanted to say “no way” but the other part, the hopelessly bookish English major, really thought it would be awesome to have my very own Raven, so…
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We have apples and pumpkins and leaves galore, lest anyone think it’s all just creepy black Halloween here. Kidzilla likes some Halloween ghosties and pumpkins in October, then we switch to the scarecrows and turkeys for Thanksgiving in November. Our turkey statue is awesome.
We are thankful for Kidzilla’s teacher. She has been so wonderful in communicating with us about Zilla’s work and behavior in school. She seems to understand Zilla very well and has really gone that extra mile, to use a cliché, to let us know what’s happening on her end and keep Zilla on track.
We have had several opportunities over the last couple of weeks to visit with family in various settings – holiday gatherings, visits and dinners with grandparents, quick visits that we call “drive-bys,” time for Kidzilla to visit with cousins from out of town, newsy e-mails with relatives, playdates with Godparents, and more. The time with these people has been wonderful. We are blessed to have family around us.
Kidzilla gets a nod this week for always making me smile. Right now she’s across the dining room table writing a book. She’s wearing a fuzzy hot pink zip-up, purple Mardi Gras beads, and fancy red glasses. All I can think when I look at her is “Elton John.” She wanted to know what that meant so I showed her photos of him in similar outfits. She laughed and said “oh, yeah, I do look like that.”
The Hub also makes the list for always leaving me a prepared pot of coffee (all I have to do is push the brew button) and putting up with me being sick, tired, cranky, or whatever I’ve been on any given day.
Friday morning when I returned from dropping Kidzilla at school, I saw a dove in our front yard. I know that mourning doves come in pairs, so I looked for his mate and sure enough, there she was, squatting under a bush. I was able to grab a couple of shots of them before the male flew away. The female, though, remained in the yard and struck a few poses for me. 
You can just see the back of the male on this zoomed-in shot…he’s to the right of the base of the tall, nearly leafless bush.
The female is easier to see in this shot from the other side of the garden bed. She looks more than a little bit like my Grandmother. Hmm…perhaps my Grandparents came to visit me.
Update: the doves seem to have moved in at least semi-permanently. The Hub has found them perched on my car at least twice now since yesterday. No photos yet.
I think that will do it. What moments have made you thankful and glad this week? Share ’em or link ’em! And a prize for you if you can the source of the A) and 2) listing method…it’s a TV show.
Have a great week ahead!
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Maybe they are going to make a nest there. I used to get into decorating but not so much. Maybe for christmas sometimes. The last two years I have really struggled to even do that. I will be back monday as I am contemplating soup. I have to hit the farmers market Monday too so I can get lots of fresh stuff!
My Mom always had cute decorations for seasons – just a few things here or there, but it really made the house feel festive, no matter what the season. I always wanted to do it, but never quite got into it. I find it much more fun with Kidzilla’s help. I completely understand those days when it feels like just too much, though.
Soup will be great – see you then!
First of all, I am SO GLAD you are feeling better and that you’ve been able to get busy in the kitchen again (that sounds dirty–like your radishes). I don’t know what those two h words you used are! Post?
How wonderful that K has a supportive teacher this year! I know last year was rotten so you must be doubly relieved. I read an interesting article this week on how the rise of ADHD can be partially attributed to how long we demand our children sit still in school. Not a new idea, but the idea hit me strongly again when I read the article. In was in the Washington Post.
And, I like your raven.
How funny is that butt-radish??? Clearly, my sense of humor has not evolved past teenage boy.
Halupki and halushki? Ah…good stuff. Yes, I can post. Didn’t occur to me to do so, but that could be good.
Last year was definitely tough. We are all learning as we go. I think I saw that article – back in the summer? There was a follow-up to in October, too. Interesting for sure.
I love my raven…he is so cool!
butt radish? I was thinking you had some balls to post it! hahhahaha… oh well so what if Im the only one laughing!? and I care about soup! Soup is the food of my soul! Girls without colons like them some soup…. got any really good low fiber low dairy… you know kinda smooth ( some stuff is ok but no barley or cruciferous veg) but nondairy… hows that for impossible request… I am good with butternut and some tomatoe and basic hospital clear…. So glad you posted! OH and I dont recall the “new-old” halloween cat… but he is so cute! I love the rotten cats think he’s real! Dont they think the raven is real?
Oh my – I hadn’t actually thought that! But I definitely thought butt…so I’m laughing right there with you.
I agree with your definition of soup – it is the food of the soul. OK, I like a challenge and I love reader requests. So far, I have one from May for cream of mushroom and Kidzilla has asked for tomato.
For you…I have to see what I can come up with. Butternut would definitely fit the bill. Mushrooms are pretty low fiber – I can work with the dairy on that mushroom soup. How about potatoes? Do you like beets? And if greens are well-cooked, that would work, yes?
The Halloween Cat is a cheesy decoration we picked up at the supermarket a couple of years ago. The Rotten Cats are convinced he is real. That story has appeared here http://www.themeaningofme.com/how-the-rotten-cats-celebrate-autumn/ and here http://www.themeaningofme.com/scary-new-cat/. The Rotten Cats at their best!
I looooooove mushroom soup… greens are tough… even over cooked ones…you know what? I really want mushroom soup… I can eat dairy just in real moderation but I can modify dairy in soups too… work on the mushrooms please!!!! and anything else you think of… potatoes are a staple and beets are great! Now Im off to read about my favorite scandalous kitties…
The beet and carrot soup on my Soup of the Week roundup is possibly the best soup I’ve ever had. It has balsamic vinegar in it and beet and carrot…very unique. If you like beets, this is a must-try.
May requested the mushroom soup so I think after Monday’s, which is already planned, I’m going to tackle the mushroom next week.
LOL Me too Zoe! Me too! (ok. got to leave a proper comment down below) Hey! No pun intended I promise!
I know what you mean about blogging, Lisa. It’s hard work and sometimes you’re just not feeling it. I’ve been thinking recently how excited I was about my blog in the beginning, but how lately it just hasn’t seemed that inspiring to me. Maybe this is just a passing malaise? Maybe it’s the result of blogging becoming a habit (there was an interesting article in The NY Times a few weeks ago about how doing things less often makes them more interesting. Maybe this is the secret to blogging?)? I don’t know. Whatever it is, I hope it passes. 🙂
As for your adventures with your CSA box, I’ve faced off with some pretty dangerous insects myself. The worst is kale (or any green) infested with aphids…or maybe broccoli because there the aphids are the invisible enemy.
Katy, that’s kind of the way I’ve been feeling. I can’t put my finger on it. It’s not that I don’t want to do it anymore…but I don’t want to do it anymore. It’s definitely not over-posting with me – I have been posting far less than I used to. It could be that the reason behind my blog has kind of changed in recent months, too. I may just need a different focus. Can’t figure it out.
And then there’s the part where I feel like all I get is feedback (mostly indirect, but still) that suggests I’m doing it “wrong” – I don’t have a “niche,” I don’t do it for money, don’t work social media, am not a “real” writer, and so on. So I’m just trying to figure it all out right now. I hope it passes, too!
The insects are definitely the downside of the CSA deliveries. I have not seen any aphid-infested kale (so far). Broccoli makes me nervous for exactly that reason – I always soak my broccoli in lukewarm salt water to draw out any pests. Why? Because my Mother told me that’s what you’re supposed to do! 😀
Blech! I’m kind of grossed out by the idea of invisible aphids in your broccoli now! Nope. Clean veggies for me, thanks!
I’ve never really ‘gotten’ it with soup. I feel highly ambivalent (and how’s that for a paradox) towards it. But I’m glad you like it and enjoy cooking it, and that you get so much out of it 🙂
The silly cat is awesome. I think that seeing the rotten cats respond to it would be vlog-worthy.
Good for Kidzilla’s teacher. Sounds like a keeper to me!
Bless your Fab Hub’s boots. He’s a star, and you share lovely, positive things about him. It’s quite inspiring.
I’d play WWF with you but I deleted it on FB and I think I have to pay for it on my phone…where do you play?
I have never seen evidence of aphids in my broccoli – I promise.
I love soup. Don’t know why – I think it’s comforting. The Hub used to hate soup, but I’ve converted him. I really love soup when it gives me a way to use veggies that might otherwise get wasted – that’s a huge win in my book.
I would love to get the cats in action with the fake cat. Problem with those Rotten boys is that whenever they do something particularly video-worthy, they STOP before I can hit the record button.
The Hub really is a star. I suppose it might sound like he’s Mr. Perfect sometimes – he’s not. Nobody is. But he’s pretty darn good. Of course he does things that drive me insane (and I him) but we are a good match and we know it. I don’t know if anybody has ever used the word inspiring about our relationship, but I think that must be a pretty huge compliment.
I play WWF on my phone and it’s free. The Hub says there is a paid version that removes ads, but I like free and the ads really don’t bother me. I downloaded Words With Friends Free from my Google Play store. E-mail me if you want to give it a go and I’ll send you my username.
I always turn broccoli upside-down before I buy it, because ONE TIME, I bought some with little bugs in it. Maybe aphids? They were grey-green, blended in with the broccoli, and were on the underside of it. Bleh! I brought home some Romaine from the store one time, and there was a rather large grasshopper buried down inside and quite alive. I refuse to buy Romaine now unless it is already cut up and bagged.
I’m SO HAPPY you are feeling better! Maybe you’ve had yours for the entire winter “sick” season and will have smooth sailing from now on.
If the Rotten Cats fall for that Halloween cat decoration, what on earth do they think about that raven?!
I think it’s awesome that Zilla’s teacher is so caring with her! She’s going to have such a great year!
The sound of mourning doves reminds me of spending the weekend at my great aunts’ house when I was young (the one who had a pet chicken and her sister). There were a lot of them in their town, and when I hear that call, I’m always carried back to those happy times with my great aunts.
OK, now I kinda don’t want to buy vegetables again ever. *shudders* Just the thought of bugs makes me very upset. I feel an anxiety attack coming on. The assassin bug entered our lives hidden in beet greens – which I quite like to use. No more. Now the Hub has to cut them off the beets at the farm when he picks them up. Oh, and did I mention that I refuse to go to the farm for pickup anymore? I am such a baby.
I hope you’re right about the sick being over and done with. I still have this residual hoarseness, but I know better than to think it will go away instantly. I’d really like my real voice back, though…
So far, the cats have completely ignored the Raven. The Hub put it directly in front of Cat One to see what happened and he barely moved. Of course, Cat One barely moves ever, so there’s that.
Zilla’s teacher is fantastic. I think it doesn’t hurt that she has a whole bunch of education and degrees to her credit that are quite frankly, great where Zilla’s needs are concerned. What I like most is that she seems committed to helping Zilla improve on her rougher areas, not just point out that she’s not doing something right.
Mourning doves remind me of my Grandmother’s house on my Father’s side – there were always doves at her place. But I’m sure these two are my other Grandparents visiting to tell me something…what, I have no idea.
I’m thankful that i found you. Or you found me. That we were found.
And for literary icons like a raven.
I have a few funk-busting suggestions for the wayward blogger, because I often become one. Don’t we all? Drop me an email if you’d like a suggestion or three. I’d hate for you to go silent. And that’s purely selfish, but I won’t apologize.
Thanks, Eli. I don’t remember how the finding happened. Glad it did, though, definitely. I think it was initially Andrea’s doing, albeit unintentionally. I am particularly grateful for your post regarding superhero bodily fluids. I would never have known that were it not for your blog. (Everybody please click over to Eli’s Go Ask Daddy post because they are fantastic!
How awesome is my raven? I am not generally a person who covets the possessions of others, but a colleague of mine has always had a raven in his classroom and I quite loved it. When Kidzilla spotted this guy at the drugstore, I was not about to say no to her urging to purchase it. Now. Why my six year old daughter wants a fake raven is a whole other question…
I am going to e-mail you for funk-busting ideas. I don’t really want to go silent but I am definitely at some kind of crossroads here. It is very nice to know that there are people who would miss me if I did – so thanks for that!
OK. You really got me in the first 4 paragraphs! I care about soup! I keep telling myself that once I’m settled into my own digs I’m going to prepare all sorts of wonderful soups. Soup and bread. I also want to bake from scratch some artisan breads. One day I tell myself. One day:)
Congrats on the decorating thing. I love the idea of seasonal decorations but somehow have never gotten into actually doing it. Love the Raven. Good for Kidzilla for spotting it!
How funny your “seeing” Elton John in your daugher’s outfit. Does indeed sound like the Elton from back then lol
Cool. The Hub recognizes the importance of coffee and makes sure it is prepared and ready to go for you. Go Hub!!
I love the pics of the mourning doves. When I lived in FL we had 2 that would come in the early mornings without fail to sit on our carport. For a week I would look for them when I was doing my morning running. You’re right. Sometimes there would only be one and I would wonder where the other was. I wrote a post about it. Hm….thanks for reminding me. May have to dig it up.
I get the ambivalence thing with blog writing. It’s both a challenge and a chore. Hope you stick with it:)
First, let me address the coffee – because coffee should always be a priority. Coffee is very important to my Hub and he makes the best coffee on the planet, no joke. My Mom has given up Dunkin Donuts because his is so good. They work at the same place and several times a week he takes coffee to her! She often comes to our place to visit and is always glad to have coffee. We don’t know what it is but his coffee is legendary. Anyone who drinks it says it’s true – it’s just the best you’ll ever have. So I am very glad that he makes sure the pot is prepared every day. I am bad at coffee – I can do it just the way he tells me, but it’s still not the same.
Next, you are sweet! I love that you care about soup! 🙂 You know what, when you have your own digs you probably will make soup. It’s good, satisfying, generally pretty cheap. And you bring up bread – this is a project I am hoping to tackle, too. I love good bread and I’m really tired of spending a ton of money on it at the market bakery. And I really hate when they don’t have the one I want! This way I can do my own thing.
Isn’t that Raven fabulous??? She is such a cool kid. The Elton John thing had me in stitches.
Several people have told me in comments and in e-mail that they have similar blog-malaise experiences. I think I just need to figure out where I’m going with it next, that’s all.
I look forward to those soup recipes, Lisa. Will be conferring with you on that!!
OH, yay! That’s great, Michelle. I had no idea the soup would actually be so popular. Please send me your ideas!
I really love soup!
It seems that more people love soup than I thought, Val! It’s so easy to make and I love having it in the fridge for lunches all week. It also freezes well…if there are any leftovers!
I’m sorry to hear about your burn! That boiling water can be dangerous. My adult niece burnt her leg with boiling water this summer and had to visit the hospital for a few days. Scary stuff. Sorry your sickness is still lingering. I’m feeling that over here as well. I’m better from the wipe me out/knock me down fever and yet still feel like I’m functioning at about 90% instead of the full 100%. Funny how being sick and sleeping can leave us feeling even more tired instead of refreshed. I’m super thankful this week that the rest of my family avoided illness and that my boys have Monday as a day off from school. I love your raven along with all the decorations you’ve showed us on here. I still need to set our stuff out although we’re on track to get yet another round of rain today and tomorrow so it may be inside decor only around here. You have to follow your heart in regards to your blog but I’d certainly miss reading your posts. I like soup but it is a tough sell for my insanely picky boys (husband included).
The burn is definitely far less severe than it could have been. I don’t think I’m not cautious in the kitchen, but I was definitely rushing that day and maybe not remembering that you know, water splashes. Duh. That’s terrible about your niece! I had a teacher years ago who had a terrible accident – a pot of boiling water somehow spilled all down the front of her when she was cooking and she was very badly burned from chest to feet. Horrible.
I am definitely feeling like I may finally be over all of this very soon. Your description of feeling like you’re operating at just below full capacity is exactly how I’ve felt for weeks. And I definitely felt like the resting and sleeping and being sick made me feel entirely fatigued. I think when your body is in need of it, though, it finds ways to tell. I’m much more myself now, though, and so glad!
Kidzilla’s school is not closed for Columbus day on Monday – not sure why except that some years they take that holiday somewhere else. We have a bit longer at Thanksgiving, I think, than most around here.
I really would miss the people I’ve come to know through the blog, Jean, and thanks for your sweet words that you’d miss reading me! I think I may just be in a period of shifting focus. I’ll figure it out.
My Husband refused to eat soup when I met him. I don’t know how or when along the line I got him to agree to try it again, but now he eats most soups I make pretty willingly. Keep on trying! And if the men in your house won’t eat it, well, then more for you!
Love the raven!!! I now want one, too 🙂 I’m so glad that Zilla has a teacher she gets along with. Lily likes her teacher, too, which I am definitely thankful for. Now we only need to get her to keep her religion to herself and I’m happy. I’m definitely a fan of soup, and had some for dinner this week. I’m always happy to try out something new!! Hugs to you, and hope your week is going to be awesome!!
PS: thank you so, so much for the chocolate cake recipes! I’m totally going to try them out!
PPS: have you started to give Zilla an allowance? Lily’s getting hers since school started, and she’s saving to buy her first Lego set all by herself with her own money 🙂
Yay for the cake! Let me know how they turn out. Hard to choose one – both are good!
Yes, we just gave Zilla her first allowance. We didn’t quite get it together on our end at the start of school, but we started with the first full week in October so she just got her first on Friday. I’m pretty sure a Lego set will make the potential purchase list – Zilla absolutely loves them. And of course, they come in nine shades of pink now, so she’s thrilled. So much fun having our girls in first grade and earning their first cash at the same time!
My thankful moment this week is hearing about those doves of yours. It reminds me of some birds that nested in my backyard when I was a little boy. They made a nest and protected their area, even if that meant swooping down at me when I got too close. It was really fun as a little kid to keep watching them during the summer. Good times. Anyway, your story reminded me of that time in my life. Thanks for that.
That’s so cool, Steve! Glad the doves brought that memory back for you. They are pretty cool. The male seems kind of skittish, but the female just sits very nicely in the garden bed. Kind of makes me wonder about their little bird relationship.
I don’t even know where to begin.
Oh, wait…YOU ARE FEELING BETTER!!! Finally! It had to happen one of these TToTs. Now I pray that it sticks.
Awesome raven and cat to scare the cats. We don’t decorate for holidays besides Christmas. I just don’t have the time. And shoot, the house isn’t even decorated as a normal house, so no one would expect holiday decor. 🙂
Oh how I enjoy soup. Too bad my kids only tolerate it. The youngest won’t even put soup in his mouth, regardless of the kind. If you ask him what food he hates the most, he will say soup.
Glad you are enjoying some time with relatives. Our closest relative is 2 hours away, so we don’t get to see them nearly as much as we’d like.
Yup it’s true! I feel much better – just can’t get the hoarse voice to go away. Eventually, this too shall pass.
I never decorated for anything but Christmas, but now that I am not bound to a full-time work schedule and Kidzilla is insistent, we manage to get a few things up. I would be just as fine without it…I mean it all has to get dusted (yeah, like that happens) and eventually has to get put away again. But she loves it, so we do it!
That’s how my Husband was with soup, but somewhere along the line I got him to put butternut squash soup and a roasted red pepper and tomato one in his mouth and from there I just kept giving him things to try. Who knows? In the meantime, whether anybody else eats it or not, I just love having it around – makes lunch so no-brainer for me.
I sometimes think too much time with relatives is…well too much time with relatives. You know how that goes. But if we couldn’t see them, I know we’d be sad. Two hours is just long enough to make it relatively inconvenient to just go, isn’t it? (Ha – see what I did there? I punned. Go me.)