Adventures in Spaghetti Sauce

I haven't written because....

1. I've been very busy...and busyness gets on my nerves. It cuts into the time I normally blog and scrapbook.

and

B. Not much has happened that I can blog about - at least right now. It annoys me when my brain is so busy but the information needs to stay within the confines of my brain until further notice.

But lest you think I got sick or went missing (I'm sure you were so worried) - I thought I'd post about something...anything.

So I'll write about spaghetti sauce.

Last night I came home from work very hungry. Sometimes having a slow day at work makes me hungrier than the days when I am busy. I didn't want the standby of salad or deli meat or chicken nuggets, but I wanted to eat before any major cooking dish would have had time to cook.

So I made spaghetti. Not only is it filling, it's a great fake out for my head - making me think I've cooked when really I haven't. I pulled the beef out of the freezer and started defrosting it, I put the water on to boil for the spaghetti, and the beef had JUST started sizzling in the skillet when I realized a terrible thing.

I was out of spaghetti sauce.

I am NEVER out of spaghetti sauce. If anything, I usually have about six jars of it. Spaghetti sauce and ice cream. Two things you'll always find in my house. (Not together, of course.) Immediately I panicked. What to do? I thought of switching the plan and making sloppy joes - since the beef was already going. But I had two problems there - no hamburger buns AND no can of sloppy joe sauce. Didn't I just go grocery shopping?

Somewhere, I was convinced, I had a recipe to make spaghetti sauce. I could almost see it on the page of a Quick Cooking magazine. But I have about seven years' worth of those magazines and did NOT have time to pilfer through them all. Fortunately, I remembered it was in one of the very first issues, and I found it quickly. I had all but one of the ingredients, so I decided to go for it.

Pulled out the one can of tomato paste in my cabinet - and found that it expired in 2005. Woops. Any other weekend, I might have risked it, but this was too busy a weekend to start out with food poisoning, so I pulled out a jar of pizza sauce and a can of diced tomatoes and decided that combo would have to suffice.

I threw in all the other spices and tried valiantly to wait for it to simmer the allotted 20 minutes. I cheated a bit there and started eating after just 10 minutes, but let me tell you - that was some GOOD sauce! :)

So that's been my big adventure. Hopefully more REAL adventures are soon to follow.

REBUILDING: The Move!

As Lori puts it: "After the house that blew away and the white house and the blue house, we have our new house!" Or at least that's pretty close to what she said. Guess that means I should have taken it easy on the quotation marks.

Yes, moving day arrived for them! Fortunately it was a pretty easy move - not that much stuff. The furniture they were able to get has all arrived, been assembled (at least the pieces requiring assembly), and they're ready to go! Or rather, ready to stay!

Lori and Cassie both sounded very excited about having an evening at home to...sit on a couch...eat dinner in their own kitchen...sleep in their own rooms...talk on a real phone. Little things that we take for granted, but when you go without for almost a month, you definitely appreciate!

Midnight has sniffed around a bit and decided her favorite spot is under Cassie's bed. She's camped out for a nap!

And so begins the next phase of getting back to normal! They are finding things they need and didn't realize they didn't have...like dish soap. For now the dishes hide in the dishwasher. (Isn't that why dishwashers were made? It's sure what I use mine for!) And Lori said she finally sees why calendars are still on sale in the middle of the year. Some blow away. For now, she thinks maybe a dry erase calendar is best.

So that's the latest from life on the Kansas front! Oh - and Lori said that Mark Schultz is stopping in Dodge City to hold a benefit concert and then he's headed for the tour-o-Greensburg. I was really excited about that and then she said, "Who is Mark Schultz?" In case you second that opinion....you can go here to read the news release on the concert - and then you can pilfer around his site for a while.

Proofreading

I'm trying valiantly to spend less time in front of the TV and more time doing the things I should be doing...which would be pretty much anything EXCEPT lounging in front of the TV.

One thing I really want to complete is this book project. I've written it in its entirety (I think) - and now I'm in the proofreading stages. Being a perfectionist can be a blessing at a time like this. It can also be a curse. Right now I'm painstakingly picking through every sentence, trying to make sure I can account for everything I've said. (It's a Bible study of sorts and I want to make sure I'm accurate on my points.) I've only had to call for reinforcements twice, so that's good. Thank goodness I know some Bible scholars!

I'm learning that there are many things I thought I knew from Scripture - but maybe I only know them from tradition. They're hard to track down for footnoting purposes! If it weren't for biblegateway.com I'd be in BIG trouble.

So I vowed to spend an hour on it tonight and ended up closer to two. Part of that was getting stuck on a Leviticus law and spending time on the phone with my Dad trying to figure it out. He knew it WITHOUT biblegateway.com - he's a smarty, that Dad of mine!

So for now, I give up reruns of Dharma and Greg in favor of the red pen and study Bibles. Hopefully it will be worth it at some point!

REBUILDING: More Pictures and Some Updates

Lori called yesterday and was very excited to report that their temporary housing (mobile home) has been delivered! They won't be able to move into it until next week because of details...you know...electricity, stuff like that. But it is there, within view, and that is a good and exciting thing!

In addition, they were able to get some new furniture! Some was donated (brand new donations, not even used!) by a disaster service. This wasn't the Mennonite Disaster Service - I'm thinking maybe Church of Christ or something like that. Part of it they were able to get through disaster relief vouchers. Anyway, they have the basics now! As nice as a home is, it's even nicer when there's something inside it! She was very excited to know she had a bed and couch and that sort of thing.

It's amazing to me to see what all wonderful donations are made through services like that - and even through the vouchers from various places. Some of the things they've gotten have been because of those kinds of relief efforts. I didn't even know this stuff existed to this degree until now! What a huge blessing!

Here are a few more pictures for you - probably the last of the tornado pictures. Julie sent me her pictures this week, and these are some of the ones she took:

This was taken at the John Deere dealership. As you can see, this one relocated from its place in the "for sale" lineup.

I felt the need to offer further proof that I did participate in real work. :) No, I'm not giving Lori a foot massage. I was helping her pick up debris in the yard. It was around this very area that I found some of Cassie's medals and pins from sports.

I had posted some pictures from Lori's school earlier (I think) - but this one cracked me up because you'll notice the roof is gone but the post it notes on the door survived. Some people from my Sunday School class said we should send this to 3M as proof of a good product!

Right before Julie and I got in the car to head home, Jeff took this picture of us in front of some rubble by the auto body shop. I don't believe it all fell like this - I think this is a scooped up pile. Still shows you the amount of stuff there was to clean!

REBUILDING: More Pictures from My Trip

Here are more of Julie's pictures - These were taken immediately following graduation.

Cassie, Me, and Lori. Yes, Cassie and I have heard we look a lot alike. I find that amusing, since I think she looks a lot like her dad - and he and I are definitely not related.

Cassie, Lori, and Jeff (or Russ, as Lori calls him now...if you missed that post, it came from a Hardees jacket he got after the tornado. It had the name Russ on the front.)

The gang's all there! Well, minus our parents, of course. Julie, Cassie, Lori, Bekah, and Jeff. I especially appreciated the wind's restyling of my hair by the time pictures rolled around.

Bits for Sunday, May 27, 2007

Ahh…a long weekend. I love long weekends. There’s something so beautifully refreshing about knowing you have extra time off work and you don’t even have to dip into the vacation supply to get it.

But then there is always the question of what should be done with this precious surplus of time. On one hand…what a wonderful opportunity to do some of those projects that should be done but just never seem to fit in with the normal daily routine. On the other hand…shouldn’t a holiday be celebrated with something fun?

Usually I make the mistake of trying to do the projects AND the fun – and then I end up needing a vacation day to recover from my holiday.

I spent much of last week contemplating my upcoming long weekend. Here was the mental list I made:

* Make and write thank you notes. Mom, please skip to the next bullet point now…I know you’ll be so embarrassed at this one. I have yet to make and write thank you notes for my birthday gifts from TWO WEEKS ago. This is very unFreelanlike. Let the record show…I was raised better than this. It’s just been too busy a month and I didn’t get it done. Still not done. Maybe tonight.

* Picture duty. I have a couple of picture projects – related to recent tornado trips – that need to be accomplished. Shouldn’t take long to do them…it’s just a matter of sitting down and actually completing the tasks. Still not done. Maybe tonight.

* Scrapbooking. What is a long weekend without a little scrapbooking thrown in? Prior to this weekend, I was behind as far as March. (For those who may not know, that is not good.) As of today I’m caught up to April – so I still need to revisit the dining room table mess just a bit more before all is said and done. I’ve been doing a little bit each day, though, so that’s good!

* Recipe catch-up. One of my birthday gifts for some of my friends this year is giving them a new recipe card each month. May’s card still isn’t done for any of them and May ends THIS WEEK! Maybe tonight? Tonight will never end, apparently.

* Movies. Again – what is a long weekend without some movie watching! It’s a staple treat for the extra time off. CHECK! Watched two movies Friday night – while scrapbooking. Hey, some things have to be multi-tasked in order to be done.

* Marathons. I pulled out the TV Guide first thing this morning to see what channels were carrying marathons tomorrow. That’s one of my favorite things about holidays. I was excited to see that Spike is carrying an all day CSI marathon. I can have my fill of Nick…sigh of happiness. (Of course I’ll have to watch WHILE scrapbooking…)

* Yard work. I lucked out yesterday because I spent most of the day at a wedding. I lucked out today because I don’t do yard work on Sundays. I will wait to see what sort of weather tomorrow delivers. If it’s nice, I have to spend some time mowing the yard and planting flowers. And if it’s really nice, I’ll get to simultaneously work on my tan! (Yes, there is a tan. You have to look carefully to notice it…but it IS there.) Stay tuned for updates!

* Sleep. CHECK! I cuddled up under my fleecy blanket and took a nap this afternoon. It was one of those naps where I slept so hard that when I woke up, I had no idea what day it was. In fact, I woke up, rolled over, looked at the clock, saw that it said 3:15, and thought it was 3:15 MONDAY AFTERNOON! I thought I’d gone to bed tonight and not awakened at all until 3:15. Now I’m good at sleeping in, but usually noon is the latest I stir without an alarm. I was devastated. I thought I’d lost my entire holiday! It took about two minutes for me to realize I’d only taken a Sunday afternoon nap…and probably slept less than two hours at that. Good grief. Even thought I feel good from that nap…I’ll probably sleep in tomorrow too…just so I have my days and nights mixed up in time to return to work.

* Write. Last night as I was cleaning the house (until midnight), I got my first over-the-top writing inspiration in a long time. So I’ve decided I should take full advantage of it while it’s here. This afternoon (after realizing that it’s not really tomorrow afternoon) I’ve been parked at my desk, surrounded by scribbled copies of my book project, proofreading and updating. Have a feeling there’s a few more hours of this ahead too.

So my mental list turned into a marathon of “MUST DO ALL OF IT!” Sigh. Once more…I need a long week instead of a long weekend!

REBUILDING posts

I know my Mom is handing out my blog site to some of you just to read updates on the family, so I thought I would introduce my new format. If you are here to read about the tornado updates and don't want to read my randomness other than that, then starting today, you can look for posts with REBUILDING at the start of the title. Anything else is just my own thing. You're welcome to read any of it, of course, but I am trying to make the tornado related posts a little bit more easily noticed.

By the same token, if you don't want to know about tornados anymore, skip anything with REBUILDING in the title! :)

And of course, anything posted prior to today is still available under its original title - all of it in the archived month of May!

REBUILDING: Updates from Kansas

With the exception of my lotsa picture posts, I've tried not to post too much about Kansas life post-tornado, partly to not overwhelm my blogging buddies and partly because it's not my own news to spill, so I don't want to be giving away everything about someone else's life.

Having said that, I know some of you are reading not to hear my opinions on American Idol, but to get updates on life for my sister and her family, so I thought I would update you on what I know that is probably okay to share.

* Lori, Jeff, and Cassie are looking forward to having a temporary home all by themselves here in the next few days. They've lived in two different homes since the night of the tornado - both times with other people who have opened up guest rooms to house them. They are, of course, very grateful for this blessing and the chance to live in a real house as opposed to a gym shelter, but they are looking forward to having a place of "their own" very soon! God has really paved the way here and provided this housing for them!

* They do also have vehicles to drive. I know I said that Cassie got a car, but they also have their own transportation, so that is good! In addition to the cars they have purchased, they've been given some "loaner" vehicles for the short term, which is nice when driving through nail-infested streets. They can drive the older cars until things are a little bit more cleaned up.

* Speaking of cleaned up - I believe the goal for the main cleaning of the town is June 21st. They're (they being town officials, I guess) have set that as a goal to have the aftermath cleaned up so they can move ahead to the official rebuilding. Lori indicated many properties are already cleaned. She was surprised at how quickly that was happening.

* Prayer Requests:

1. Wisdom and clarity on the insurance work. As far as I know, they are all still working on filling out those never ending forms for the insurance company to itemize what was in their home. There's a lot to remember - and their minds are full right now.

2. Transition to the new home. While it is a great thing to be able to live on their own - there will be a lot of emptiness in the house until they can get a home of "stuff" built up again. Their goal is to be wise in deciding what is a "right now" purchase and what things can wait. I know that they also want to help businesses in town rebuild by purchasing what they can from local companies.

3. Church decisions. I believe they have a decision making meeting in a couple of weeks. Please pray that the congregation will be united in decisions that affect everyone - and that the right choices will be made regarding the rebuilding of both the church and parsonage.

4. Comfort. As life settles back in to whatever "normal" will be, please pray that they will be able to find peace from the anxiety that is sure to creep in. I'm sure that over time, remembering a lost item, a restructuring of finances, a change of scenery, fatigue, and uncertainty (not to mention future bad weather) will bring about some tough times.

They really do appreciate all your prayers!!!

I'm Glad I Kept Watching

Well - I had that rough patch earlier in the season where I threatened to quit watching if Haley kept staying in the competition. But after the results tonight, I was really glad Jessica convinced me to keep watching. It was perhaps one of the most predictable finales, but great results. I was so glad to see Jordin win and I hope this begins a lifetime of amazing music from her. I'd buy her music...and so far I've only got Clay's music. (This is strictly because I've been too lazy to buy Carrie's.)

* Loved Melinda's song with the Winans. She absolutely shone- so in her element there. Good job, Melinda! I hope she goes on to a soaring career too.

* Loved Carrie's performance. I like that song and she has probably the best, purest voice of any of the Idol winners. (With Jordin right behind her of course.) And she is just a stunning young lady.

* Loved the return of Sanjaya's crying fan. Good grief, girlie.

* Loved Simon and Ryan being up for the "best buddies" award - as well as the actual winners. So sad, yet so funny.

* Didn't love Haley's return. (Put that there just for you, Phats.) I could pick her out from a distance just by looking for the shortest skirt.

* Didn't love Bette Middler's performance. Angela was watching with me and told me back in the day, she could sing. I said "Well it apparently is no longer back in the day." And what was up with the flying and flitting? That could have been cut out completely and we could have ended the show on time!

* Didn't love the return of big bird - the old lady in the spandex? Scary enough the first time around. Definitely didn't need to see that again!

* Didn't love the way the whole show seemed to be about everyone but the final two. I loved that they brought back memories from the auditions and past winners from the show...but I wish Jordin and Blake - and perhaps the rest of the top 12 - could have had a little bit more of the attention for this last show.

But with all my loves and didn't loves...I loved the outcome. You go, Miss Jordin!!! You're a good pick all around. And Blake - a classy runner up. I hope you have just as great a career.

The Final Idol Post...Well, Almost

I know I've posted a trillion times today, but how can I NOT post on the last round of Idol?

Here's a shocker for you...I cried. I cried because Blake is sweet and such a performer and I want him to do well...and I know he will.

But I still want Jordin to win. When she finished her final song, I was bawling right alongside her. She's amazing. You go girl.

I loved seeing Phil...and Chris Richardson...and Melinda...and I'll leave it to Phats to guess which one I rolled my eyes at when I caught a little glimpse...

Great job by Daughtry at the end too. He's my reminder that Melinda still has a great chance at a great career. He went home well before his time.

Visiting Kansas...Graduation!

The last thing that Julie and I did before leaving Kansas to fly back to Indiana was attend the high school graduation. It had to be relocated to a tent on the golf course...or rather a series of tents on the golf course. Cassie's boyfriend, Alex, graduated, and Cassie was an usher.

I think Lori said another school district paid for the tent and chair rentals so the school could have a graduation. All the graduates were given an allotment to spend at Maurice's (ushers too!) so they could have new clothes for graduation, and a barbecue was provided following graduation for all the graduates and guests. Each graduate was even given a personal cake - in case previously arranged open house plans couldn't be replaced.

Here is a slide show and brief bio of each of the graduates - as listed in the Wichita Eagle.

And below is Miss Cassie at her ushering post.

Visiting Kansas...New Growth

This is a tree in Jeff and Lori's yard - you can see on the back branch the bark that was stripped away - and then over on the right, you can see brand new leaves budding. Sorry that the one in front is so fuzzy. It was SO BRIGHT outside that I couldn't see my screen enough to know what kind of an image I was getting.

You've probably seen or heard on the news that even longtime Greensburg residents are lost in their own town - without landmarks to let them know where they're walking or driving. By the time we arrived, these makeshift street signs had been put up - replacing the originals that are who knows where by now.

This sign hung outside the high school - symbolizing hope for the future of the Greensburg Rangers!

Visiting Kansas...Work Day!

The day before we left, Julie and I drove over to Greensburg to help as part of the official cleanup crew. We had to sign in with Mennonite Disaster Service - the group that has been doing so much to help my family and the church members. We got to wear little volunteer stickers, got a free t-shirt, and they had snacks and gloves for everyone.

I turned this white piece over and found it was a piece of Cassie's bedroom wall - as is the little blue piece beside it. That's how completely the house was torn apart - the plaster walls were just little bits. We spent the entire morning picking up debris like this - much of it just bits of wall and insulation.

PROOF that I can do manual labor! I still much prefer the kitchen and scrapbooking - but was very happy to have the opportunity to pitch in and help my sister!

Visiting Kansas...Trying to Save Stuff

Here is a photo sleeve that had gotten wet. You can't see it really well, but I'm pointing to chips of glass that were actually underneath the plastic protector. You can also see the water inside the sleeve...obviously this photo didn't make it. I was just amazed that bits of broken glass were lodged inside.

Here is a journal that Mom made for my brother in law as a joke a few years ago. He's been writing in it and I was so excited to see that it made it through the storm. It was pretty wet and some of the ink had bled, but it was completely salvageable!

The yearbooks, on the other hand...didn't fare quite so well. I think one of these was Lori's and the rest were Cassie's. They were attempting to dry and save them. Not sure the final outcome.

Visiting Kansas...Cleanup!

In the evenings - well, any spare time, really - Lori worked on trying to clean up whatever treasures had been salvaged along the way. Nearly everything they found was wet and mud-caked, so cleaning was a big chore. Here she is in the kitchen of the house where they are staying temporarily, washing some of the dishes that survived the great collapse into the basement. Like the shirt? Used to be mine. Fits her 1000 times better. Sometimes you just gotta give up believing you'll ever be THAT little and give away the clothes to someone who actually IS that size. :)

After the washing extravaganza, Lori and Julie joined me in the driveway for the great picture salvage. With the exception of two or three, no complete albums survived the tornado, but some pictures were able to be saved from random sleeves of albums. Julie and I were pulling out the ones that were dry and not mud-smeared.

Here I am working on the picture project. I found some good ones! And what more perfect project for me! Give the scrapper girl some pictures to pilfer through! :)

Visiting Kansas...The Humor

I posted the picture of Lori's yard sale sign that she put out front. Here was another sign I found during my tour - o - town. I thought it was kind of funny. This was at the edge of a pile of bricks that had been the bed and breakfast. In case you can't read the sign clearly, it says "Bring your own bed. Fresh air."

Visiting Kansas...the Storm Shelter

The church basement survived the tornado with relatively little damage (comparatively speaking). It now serves as a functional storm shelter, should another storm show up while people are in the town.

Here is a picture of the concrete slab that was the floor to the upstairs of the church. At the edge of the slab, you can see the makeshift railings that have been put up to aid people in going up and down the cement steps. At the bottom of the picture, you can see the bathroom linoleum still holding strong. (With all due respect to the linoleum-picker-outers...maybe next time the church can upgrade to something else.)

Here is a picture from the hallway of the church basement. You can see that some ceiling tile went the way of all the ceiling tile...and the carpet had to be ripped out because of water damage, but some decorations still survived. Remember the pictures earlier where I pointed out their van that had been parked under the carport of the church, and there was another car there that I didn't recognize? It belonged to someone (or maybe a couple of someones) who took shelter in this basement during the tornado and actually spent the night there - they were discovered the next day during search and rescue.

Visiting Kansas...at the Golf Course

I know, I know. I said I was going to help and then I ended up on a golf course! How'd that happen? The first full day that Julie and I were in Kansas, Cassie's boyfriend - Alex - played in a school golf tournament. I think I mentioned in an earlier post that some golf companies had donated new sets of golf clubs, new golf balls, new hats, and new towels (and shoes, maybe?) to the team so they could finish their season.

Here's Alex (in the red shirt) playing toward the end of the round - we only showed up for the end. Apparently he's pretty good. I know nothing about golf, so I really could not be the judge of that. But I believe what I hear...so he's good.

Cassie and yours truly...proof that I actually visited a golf course. Not one of my finer photos, but hey, still proof that I showed up. (Pink purse, orange shirt...bad combo.)

I don't know how long this will be up, but if you go to KAKE-TV, the ABC affiliate out of Wichita, there are a series of video clips about the tornado, and toward the bottom (at least right now that's where it is) of the list is a clip about the golf team, their season, and the donations they received.

First Class...Right Flight!

I do have pictures from my time in Kansas, and I do have them scanned in...but I have to go to a party, so I'll have to post them later. (Sigh...my busy social life...HA!) ANYWAY, in the post below are some pictures from the big 2-9, and here are some pictures of the flight portions of my trip to Kansas.

Julie (on the left, in case you weren't sure) and I ended up being able to sit together on every flight. On this, our first flight, our seats were supposed to be apart - each of us in the middle of a 3 seat row, one in front of the other. BUT - when I got to my row, some old lady had gotten her seat mixed up and took a young guy's seat. So he, in turn, took mine. SO - the flight attendant just told me to sit across the aisle in one of the two seater seats. NO PROBLEM! By the time the plane door closed, no one had come to sit by me, so Julie asked if she could switch and sit by me. The less than personable attendant waved her over. YAY!!!! We flew coach on this one.

When we arrived at the Memphis airport on Saturday for the last leg of our journey home, we were told we had to check in at the gate for seat assignments...something we found odd, because Julie had arranged all that. The lady handed us our boarding passes and we left to find food (priorities, you know). When the plane began boarding, we realized the seats were FIRST CLASS. Julie insisted that was a mistake, and the lady insisted that it wasn't. So YAY - we got to fly that last one first class!!! My first time ever! (You know...since it was only my second flight round!)

Above - Bekah in first class by the window. Below - Julie in first class by the lovey dovey old couple. He was way older than she, but they held hands the whole time. It was so cute. Also cute was when she tried to open her chip bag and they flew everywhere. We kept our laughing hidden.

Below - apparently in first class, you drink from REAL GLASS glasses. (I know someone is laughing at me right now. HEY. It was my first time, okay?) I had to stick with water (ick to my no pop for a year vow). But water out of a glass glass is very fun. Cheers!

PS - the title of my post comes from a Mark Lowry song called "First Class, Wrong Flight" - in honor of a time he was bumped to first class and then found out he was not on the right plane. At least we were in the right spot!

Birthday Girl!

Christina - this one is for you. Remember my trip to Ivanhoes for my birthday? STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE.

You must try this. It took me three meals to finish it. So worth the fat grams.

My gift from Marie - well, part of my gift from Marie.

This is a book called Beautiful by Beth Redman. Can't wait to read it!

Braeya, of course, thought the bag was for her. She probably thought there was food inside.

What a helper girl. (Eyeroll.)