The Sunday Sip

It's almost 8am and I don't have my coffee yet. There's something wrong with this. Hopefully Hubby will be home from set-up at church and this travesty will be remedied. Yes, I could make it myself, but he does it better than I. So, if you've joined me with cup in hand, feel sad for me and the empty spot next to me where my coffee should be.

Is There Truly A Last Nerve?
Dudette's been sick this week. In face, it's a bookend sickness. On Monday she was throwing up. Friday she was pooping. In between, she felt pretty good. The problem with Friday's explosions is that a) they smelled absolutely putrid and b) the whole experience made her feel like throwing up. So much so that it's scarred her.

Every single time she needs to use the bathroom now she needs me there just in case it makes her feel like she's going to throw up. Even when she pees. At 6am. Two mornings in a row. Being woken up at random hours of the night to go watch someone use the bathroom is getting on my last nerve. I never believed in that very last one, but she's found it.

Everyone Will Let You Down

 I'm from Chicago. We don't really do college sports up there (because we don't really have stellar teams). Instead, we have the Bulls, Bears, Cubs, Sox and Blackhawks. When I was dating Hubby, I learned what college sports were. He's a Penn State man. I soon learned that if their game was shown on the television, we were staying home. Joe Paterno was a man he respected and thought highly of.

The dust from the horrendous situation at Penn State will take a long time to settle and I don't want to go into any of it. What I did think of as soon as the news broke, however, is something my dad told me when Hubby and I started dating seriously. He was weeding his vegetable garden and I was pretending to help.

He looked up at me, squinting a little and said, "La Pipe, you need to know that at some point he will let you down and disappoint you. Everyone will. Even me. The only person that will never, ever let you down is God."

When we choose heroes, we need to remember that. Because unless our hero is God, we're going to get let down.

La Pipe

Are you wondering what that means? Only two people in this world call me that. I was born outside Paris on April 25, the same day as my older brother, who was born two years earlier. My parents called me 'La Petite,' which means 'the little one' in French. My brother, who could not yet say La Petite, instead called me La Pipe (pronounced peep), so my parents started using it. I kinda look like a La Pipe there, don't I.

Outlander

Do you read? My world isn't right if I don't get at least a dozen pages in a day. At the moment I have nine books stacked up by my bedside table. I've started re-reading Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. I almost didn't get them read them the first time I tried. The first book started out more akin to an historical Harlequin romance and that's not my style.

However, the character development had drawn me in enough that I was willing to try the second book. It was here that Diana caught her stride. This series is historical fiction with a splash of science fiction thrown in for good measure. It's engaging, enlightening and entertaining. Enough so, that I'm reading them again. But that has nothing to do with the fact that book eight comes out in two weeks. Have I mentioned that it's about Scottish men? In kilts? Enough said.

The real reason I'm reading the series again, however, is because I found someone who is cooking through the dishes in the book. The Outlander Kitchen is fantastic. Not only do I get to relive the moment in the book that involves the food in question, but Theresa, the site's author, re-creates the recipe in as authentic a manner as possible. To read the books now and be able to visualize the foods so clearly, and even make them if I want, is so very much fun.

And Then There Were Leaves

Lots of leaves. We raked up all of them a week ago and they're back. The leaves on the deck have been swept over and over, day after day. And they'll be back again. And again. A word of advice. Never buy a house in August. Wait until November when all the leaves are falling. Only then do you truly know what you've gotten yourself into. I hate raking leaves.

Dish of the Week

It's not fair to include a tried and true family favorite with other dishes. The White Bean Turkey Chili wins hands down. It's perfect for this time of year, whether you use leftover turkey or a roasted chicken. It's just good, warm, hearty, tasty food. Sometimes the best stuff isn't fancy.

Anyhoo, that's my week. Hubby's home and I am now sipping coffee along with you. It's time to push away from the computer though. There's a book calling my name. Be good to each other.