7 Quick Takes: September 4th (Vol. 14)

Noah had his very first piano lesson this week, and has been practicing faithfully on our newly refinished piano.

If you missed out how the pictured piano went from multi-colored to high gloss black, make sure to check out the renovation.

~ 2 ~

My friend Misty informed me that she reads three blogs every morning, with mine being one of them. (Apparently my blog must not really make her feel too bad about herself.)

She told me one day this week that she was perturbed because one of the blogs did not have a new post that day. She pointed out that my blog also did not have a new post that day, and that it just throws off her morning. Somehow, based on how many days I miss posting, I’m thinking that I throw off her morning a lot.

Sorry about that, Misty.

~ 3 ~

Just today, for the first time ever, I made bread and butter pickles. Now, I have to admit, I usually think sweet pickles are disgusting (though I love dill pickles). But, when I had some of this particular recipe last week at my Mom’s house, I was shocked. Not only did I like them, I liked them enough to make them! (I’ll post a recipe soon.)

Of course, it did help that I had a personal shopper (my Mom) who went and bought everything I needed for it and brought it to me.

I kind of wonder if I could pay her to be my personal shopper in general, because that was really handy. Really, really handy.

~ 4 ~

My Mom didn’t, however, pick up the celery seed or mustard seed that I needed for the recipe. She suggested that I go to a local natural food store and check out what they offered in bins, rather than buying a big bottle at the grocery store when I only needed one teaspoon.

They didn’t have the celery seed that I needed (I bought a half size spice jar for $2.50 at the store), but they did have mustard seed. Just to be sure I had enough of that mustard seed, I even bought three times what I needed — three teaspoons.

My big total at the natural food store?

$0.22.

I paid my quarter, left three pennies in the penny dish, and left as a happy camper.

(Mental note: Next time I need a herb or spice, but just a small amount, make sure to check out the natural food store.)

~ 5 ~

I recently got out a yellow index card and a robin’s egg blue sharpie marker. On it, I wrote the depression era motto:

use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without

I posted it on the bulletin board that we all walk by many times throughout the day. I’m hoping it will be a much needed reminder.

~ 6 ~

Last weekend, Eric and I watched the movie The Singles Ward. We both really enjoyed it. It was nice to watch a movie that was both funny and sweet and totally clean.

Of course, it did help that I have known (and am friends with) many Mormons (LDS). So, there were times when we had to stop the movie and I would make some explanations about what was happening or to explain a joke. Still, it was refreshing to watch a movie that we wouldn’t have had to shut off if they kids had woken up and come into the living room.

~ 7 ~

In what was surely a sign of the Internet savvy times we live in, I had a funny conversation with four year old Molly this summer.

It would seem that she really enjoyed a little girl that she met at Vacation Bible School. So, one day right after VBS, Molly excitedly told me, “Mom — I met a girl named Cathryn and she is the most beautiful Cathryn ever.”

“How nice!” I told her.

“Yeah, and do you know what?”

“What?”

“I asked her if she wanted to be my friend, and do you know what, Mom?” (insert dramatic pause) “She accepted my friend request!”