342 Days left…by Angie
27 Nov 2007
9:11 am3
So much debate about who to vote for in our next Presidential election! They are still so far away; it’s amazing how high emotions are already running. And such a variety of people and backgrounds on the docket! I have some ideas about who I’ll vote for, but I haven’t decided for sure yet. Of course, a part of me wants to vote for Mitt Romney, but I have also been interested in, and impressed with, some of the others running for office: Mike Huckabee, for instance, and (I know I’ll get in trouble with certain people for this) Barak Obama. I’m interested to know what our friends and family are thinking: Are you planning on voting (you should!) and, if so, have you already picked your candidate? Or are any of you, like me, glad that we still have plenty of time to decide?
On a lighter note, maybe we should all vote for Gladys Knight: Then we’ll have our first female, black, Mormon President all in one! …though, I don’t think “Gospel” counts as a political party.
Airport Securityby Angie
26 Nov 2007
3:11 pm0
So, last night, we were standing in the security line at the airport, getting ready to head home from Portland. I left my shoes and purse with Jim and stepped out of line to inform one of the security personnel that I have a pacemaker (which means they don’t let me through the metal detectors – they have to pat me down instead). The man I spoke with said to stand to the side for a minute and a woman would be with me shortly to screen me.
I happened to be standing near a thin, elderly woman, when the female attendant came over. The security woman walked straight up to this older lady and said kindly, “I’m here to pat you down because of your pacemaker.” The poor lady looked positively alarmed and stammered, “I-I don’t have any pacemaker!” I felt so bad for her! I jumped in and showed the woman my pacemaker card: she looked very surprised, but the harassed-looking older lady was immensely relieved. Jim and I had a good laugh about it as we headed to our gate.
That was the most eventful moment of our trip home, except perhaps our first few minutes back with Jaquie, which were filled with much joy and purring. It was a wonderful vacation, but it’s also good to be home.
Thanksgiving Feastby Angie
23 Nov 2007
10:11 pm1
What a Thanksgiving Feast we had today! We wanted to eat at about 1pm, so we all started pitching in this morning. Kelly already had the turkey brined, Kathy woke up early to start deviled eggs, and while I started toasting bread for stuffing, my sweet husband made me scrambled eggs for breakfast. He also looked up napkin-folding online and directed the folding of the cloth napkins to help make the table look lovely. We all spent the next few hours cooking, cleaning, chasing children, and asking Kelly for directions about her kitchen. We had additional guests over for dinner: Joseph & Kelly’s Bishop and his wife joined us and stayed into the evening for pie and treats.
After dinner, we shared things we were grateful for and all helped in cleaning up. Kathy, Jim, Jon, and I made a run to the store to pick up more firewood and some marshmallows, which we brought home and put to immediate use. We talked, played games, ate some more, and cleaned some more, until we were all plum tuckered out… which brings me to now. It’s only 10pm, but it’s been a long day, so I think I’ll say goodnight. Here’s hoping everyone had a wonderful, delicious Thanksgiving!
Portlandby Angie
22 Nov 2007
7:11 pm0
Here we are in Portland, visiting Joseph & Kelly (Jim’s brother and sister-in-law) for Thanksgiving. It’s a big Hoffman family gathering, since Jim’s parents and brother, Jon, are all here to celebrate with us. Jim and I left at about 7am, and were met at the Portland Airport by Jon and Roger, who had just flown in from Utah as well. Here at Joseph and Kelly’s house, we spent the afternoon cooking, chatting, and taking turns with the little boys (Isaac and baby Eli). As Kelly and I were making dinner, we sent the men out to gather firewood, so this evening we could enjoy a fire in their old-fashioned wood-burning stove.
Dinner was… Jambalaya! Ok, I’m teasing. Well, we did have jambalaya for dinner, but that’s because we’re going to have our traditional Thanksgiving feast (read: “turkey”) tomorrow, when we’ll have the whole day together to prepare it. Now that we’ve eaten and cleaned up dinner, Jim and Jon are working on our cozy fire.
Despite our delayed feast, I’d like to end my Thanksgiving Day post with some of my most precious blessings: I am so grateful for my wonderful husband, my amazing family (on both sides!), and for the gospel that has blessed every day of my life. We’ve been so blessed, in this new phase of our lives, to have a job and a fair amount of security, and a wonderful ward and new friends to help us along.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Babysittersby Angie
21 Nov 2007
9:11 am0
How do people go about finding a new babysitter for their kids? I have no experience whatsoever, and I rarely babysat other people’s kids when I was a teenager. The silly thing is, we don’t have kids… but we do have a cat; so instead, I’m having a hard time working out the whole cat-sitting thing! Do you ask a neighbor you barely know – and give them a key to your house and everything? Or ask a friend or member of the ward, who lives much further away and must therefore take a drive to come visit your pet?
As you can see, worrying is an exasperating hobby of mine, so I’m sure this is not as big a deal as I feel it is… but our cat is pretty special to us, and we are new here and don’t know many people, so this whole process is a little unnerving. Any advice?
Should I really guess?by Angie
20 Nov 2007
8:11 am2
Call me a linguistic nut, but I am confused by the phrase, “guess what…”. Don’t get me wrong – I’ve used it quite a bit myself; and perhaps the very fact that Americans in general understand the convention validates its use. However, it does tend to create a conundrum for the person being asked: should I really guess (and risk getting it right and stealing their thunder!), or just say, “I have no idea,”? Some people respond to this plight by jokingly guessing outrageous things, but – by personal experience – I have found this to be less effective, since it sometimes irritates the person who has wonderful news to tell.
I’d like to know what you think. Do you use the phrase? Why do we say it? What’s the craziest guess you’ve ever offered or received? Do we really intend for someone to guess at all?
Try-Me-Night Review: Crock-pot Meat Loafby Angie
19 Nov 2007
9:11 am0
This recipe was pretty good, but I had some problems with it. I didn’t follow it exactly (which was, I’m sure, the source problems): I had some zucchini and carrots that I wanted to use up, so I grated them and added them with the onion. I should have realized that additional veggies would add liquid, and adjusted the rest of the recipe accordingly, but I didn’t. So, the meat mixture didn’t stay in a “loaf” very well – it kind of just melted all over the top of the potatoes. Because it spread out so much, quite a bit of the mixture touched the sides of the crock-pot and was burned. I just scooped those bits out, though, when it was done cooking.
Actually, the flavor was still quite good, and we really liked the way the potatoes were cooked. It ended up more like a beef & potato casserole than meat loaf, but it was tasty anyway. I will definitely try it again, because it was super easy, but I’ll follow directions better next time 🙂
For the full recipe, visit the “Try-Me-Night Recipes” page.