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Friday, January 29, 2010

7 Quick Takes Friday, #48



1. Apparently, I have a problem with music. I can't seem to listen to it lately without causing either myself or my family some sort of harm or confusion. Last week, there was the run in with nasty lyrics, and this week...well this week's offense was a little different.

Justin had just gotten home from work while I finished making dinner. We had some children's music on Pandora (thanks to Gail for the recommendation!) and I was dancing around the kitchen to some funky alphabet song. (Actually it could have been a bird song, for all I remember. The beat was funky, that's all I recall. What happened next has blurred the exact details in my memory; a case of my brain trying to erase the deed from ever happening.)

Bumping and shaking my rear end to the beat, I felt a tap behind me. Knowing the husband was in that general area, I assumed it was him smacking me as he walked past. I, of course, swung my back side into the tap, trying to play along with his flirtation. Except, it wasn't him.

"Sarah!" he blurted. "You just knocked Lauren over!"

Confused, I swiveled around and sure enough: Lauren was sprawled on the floor, staring up at me with worry.

That's right. I'd slammed my hiney into my toddler's head, throwing her to the ground. All for the love of a funky beat.



2. Due to the quickly browning and nearly festering bananas on my counter yesterday, Mia and I made banana bread. (Boy. If that doesn't make you want to be invited over for a fresh, warm slice of bread, nothing will.) But I was puzzled by the recommendation I'd never noticed before at the end of the recipe: Cool and wrap tightly overnight; wait until the next morning to slice the bread. So puzzled was I, that I went ahead and tried a slice to see what the heck they were talking about. It was perfectly delicious. 3 sweet slices later, I'd gathered enough evidence to decide that the recipe was a scam. Nobody should postpone the consumption of warm banana bread.



3. Sunday night, my eyes were so, so ready to be closed for bedtime and Justin was still flipping through our 6 channels. I'd gotten ready for bed and come back to the living room to say goodnight when I saw what he'd clicked to: Masterpiece Theater...Emma...The newest version...One I'd never seen! I was so excited! This one looked really good, with modern production and wonderful actors. But, it was 11:00 at night. I was way past tired: I was dead on my feet. Still, I couldn't tear myself away. Justin went to bed with a promise from me that I'd be right behind him. I kept telling myself I'd stop once I'd seen Emma befriend Harriet. Once I'd seen Mr. Knightly get upset with Emma for meddling in Harriet's proposal. Once Mr. Elton tried to propose in the carriage. Once I'd seen Jane Fairfax. Frank Churchill! Augusta Elton!

I finally gave up after Frank Churchill. Knowing the girls would be awake early tomorrow morning no matter how late I stayed up, I went to bed an hour and a half after I'd intended to. So sad that I'd not been able to watch more.

To my great (disproportionate, astounding) joy, Betty Duffy posted yesterday that the first installment of the movie is available on the PBS website! And I somehow managed to restrain myself until bedtime to finish watching it. So wonderful. Really, I think this newest adaptation is my favorite one yet.

Notwithstanding Clueless, of course. That one is too perfect to be improved upon.



4. This weekend is supposed to be a wonderful one. Tomorrow we've planned to take Mia to the 'bouncy slides!' place as a reward for enough chores and good deeds accumulated on her sticker chart over the last few weeks. (She's been really receptive to the whole sticker chart thing, which I keep meaning to tell you guys more about. Are you interested in hearing more? Or will it bore your retinas off?) Also, we're getting together with a group of several of my high school BFF's and their husbands/babies for a long-time-no-see gathering. I'm so looking forward to this! The only thing is...

Our weather forecast looks like this:



Right above that big '6', covered by the big blue blob, is my house. And scattered within the blue blob's expanse are the houses of all my friends, and the bounce house. Wish us luck. If the party with friends falls through, I'll be sad. But if the bounce house visit falls through, Mia's disappointment will be heard far and wide. Even the silence of newfallen snow won't muffle her sobs.



5. My parents have a dog named Copper. A sweet, loyal dog who thinks he's a strapping, young boy. I went with my dad on an errand last weekend, and the strapping, young boy-dog hopped right into his normal backseat spot. He travels often, too attached to leave my dad's side for long. While my dad ran into a store, Copper and I sat in the truck waiting.

I tried to make conversation. I told him he was handsome. But he studiously avoided me, like he thought I was going to try to kidnap him or something. Never to reunite him with his daddy ever again.

"Copper," I sang. He ignored me.



"Copper!" I demanded. He merely glanced at me from the corner of his disdainful eye.



"Copper, over here buddy," I cajoled. He might as well have put his paw in my face, talk-to-the-hand style. He just wasn't going to acknowledge my presence.



"Copper, why are you so snobby?!" I couldn't believe he was ignoring me!. Then came the ultimate insult:


I'm thinking he doesn't like me.



6. Which brings me to this: I'm not really much of a dog-lover. Copper is sweet (if a bit suspicious) and a really good-natured, smart dog, but I'm always happy to come home to my dogless house. And it's strange because I always had and loved dogs as a child. I think I'm just too unwilling to let an animal take up my ever-decreasing time, and I've never met a dog who wasn't high maintenance. Or maybe it's me who's a high-maintenance pet owner. Whatever the case, I'm happy with our (outdoor, for the love of pete) cat.

What do you find yourself liking more...cats or dogs? And why, pray tell?



7. Mia has this habit of walking through the door and stopping in her tracks to throw off her coat and shoes. Then they're left in a heap right where the rest of us need to walk. I finally got some sort of brain in my head and realized I could just tell her not to do that instead of wait for it to happen and get frustrated about it.

So that's what I did. When you get inside, Mia, please put your coat on the chair and your shoes someplace out of the middle of the floor so we don't trip over them.

She listened.



It might not be exactly what I had in mind, but it's a step in the right direction.


Thanks for shootin' the breeze with me today, and have a gorgeous weekend! Stop over at Conversion Diary for more Quick Takes!

23 comments:

  1. 7 quick takes later, and I'm still laughing out loud over Lauren's rump-run-in!

    Also, I would love to come over for banana bread! How do you keep yours from being too mushy in the center?

    Also, I hope you're able to do all the fun things you have planned! (And I would actually be interested in hearing about the sticker chart. I really like to plan ahead!)

    Also, I'm feeling you on the dog. Maybe it's just a kid thing to love dogs...

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  2. I've run over my kids too, particularly when I am pregnant and cannot see who is running around under my belly! And I so agree that bananna bread should be eaten warm!

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  3. I'm sorry for you and Lauren, but that gave me the best laugh....thanks! Oh and if it weren't for the snow you can bet your bottom dollar that I'd come over for some banana bread...yum! Well I hope this weather doesn't ruin your weekend plans, sounds like a lot of fun! Oh and as for the charts thing, do you think that would work for potty training? I really don't want to have 2 kids in diapers at the same time.....
    The whole dog thing cracked me up too...I like dogs and cats, but we went with a cat because it's a little less work. Maybe one day when the kids are bigger we'll get that dog we've been wanting(more Travis than me)
    I love how kids interpret instructions....at least she listens!

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  4. I totally agree...banana bread is best when it's warm.

    And Copper is a very sweet dog. We bonded a little bit during our brief visits! But I'm definitely more of a dog person than a cat person. Although, if we had an outdoor cat I could change my mind. It's just all the pooping and peeing in the house (litterbox or no) that turns me off.

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  5. Great takes, as always, Sarah!

    A random reply to your banana bread post--I learned last week that if you separate your bananas as soon as you get them home from the store they won't go brown as fast. We tried this technique and it worked...but then you won't have ingredients for that luscious bread, so perhaps it's not the best tip.

    I loved the "Copper" photos. Very cute--reminds me of the Pioneer Woman's basset posts, which I adore reading, too.

    I love dogs, but I love them most at other people's homes. I adore my two kitties because they are low maintenance, they use a litter box and don't have to be taken out for walks and they're oh so fuzzy.

    Have a great weekend!

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  6. That booty-bump story may be cracking me up ALL DAY. People will think I'm crazy, but whatever.

    If it makes you feel any better, though, yesterday I was sitting at my desk and felt a slobbery tongue on my leg. Thinking it was the dog, I very nearly kicked roughly at the offending face before I realized it was, in fact, MY BABY. I don't know who would have felt worse if I had actually kicked her... but I'm betting she would have gotten over it first!

    And okay, banana bread? Emma? DOG FREE HOUSEHOLD? That settles it. I am coming to live with you.

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  7. I have a few comments but I'm having a hard time concentrating because i just read PW's chocolate cupcake post and all I can think about is ganache. And now banana bread covered in ganache.

    I love dogs. No cats please, only dogs.

    Snow? Eww! I got flooded into my driveway this morning- from rain. Not snow.

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  8. My daughter also likes to put her shoes on the table. I don't really like it that there is then dirt on the table...but at least the shoes are not all over floor!

    Also: dancing/hiney bumping--totally something I would have done.

    I am a very low maintenance pet person. If we ever get a pet again, I'm thinking it will be an outside cat. Or a fish in a bowl. Something I really have to do very little with. I already have three small beings depending on me for their every need. I don't think I can handle another one right now.

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  9. No pets here. I didn't grow up with them, and we have enough little people in this house demanding attention and care that I have no desire to add to that. But, husband and kids want a cat in a bad way. For now I am holding firm in my resistance.

    Good luck with your weekend plans. We are just dealing with excessive rain here, thank goodness.

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  10. Hope your outings come off without a hitch this weekend. And you have to acknowledge you can't trip over her shoes where she now leaves them.

    Great list, thank you!

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  11. That's funny, I just promised Katherine we'd make banana bread tomorrow. I hope ours turns out as well as yours did. You should post your recipe!

    I'm a cat person. There's just something about dogs that unnerves me.

    And knocking over Lauren? Oh! I'm giggling!

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  12. I've knocked my kids over with my butt a few times too, poor things :) I love that she looked worried, like she was thinking, "Rear ends have many purposes, but not to clothes-line me!"

    Banana bread.........mmmmmm......

    Copper looks so... lively. We grew up with both a cat and dog, and neither of them was very high-maintenance. My husband's dog, however, is extremely needy. I felt like I had three children long before Noah came along, know what I'm sayin'? So me, I'm a cat person. Unfortunately, hubby and son #1 have mad allergies to them :(

    #7 made me laugh because I tried coaching Eli to put his shoes away earlier this week and guess what? I still haven't found them. Seriously.

    Hope everything works out for your BFF/Bouncy Slide Get-Together! Stay warm and have fun!

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  13. I almost stopped reading after #1 because, really, if that's all I read today then the day would be made!

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  14. Good luck braving the snow storm.....we've had our fair share, so I'm trying to empathize.....well, I can definitely empathize, but sympathize, not so much ;)

    That story about the music CRACKED ME UP :) Too funny!

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  15. God made cats for one purpose.

    Target practice.

    I know it is impossible to resist the urge of warm banana bread, but seriously, try. The flavours meld and it does get better after aging as do most loaves.
    Plus, they are waaay easier to slice.

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  16. Definitely have knocked some kiddos over...glad I'm not the only one!!

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  17. Oh, man. How can I add anything that hasn't been said? Your musical stories are too funny!

    I think on the banana bread, it would be important to do an experiment. 2 loaves, one according to the directions, and one fresh out of the oven. Either way, sounds amazing. AND I haven't found a good banana bread recipe in a while, so you should share. (The ones I have dry out the bread. It can't be me. It has to be the recipe.)

    Also good luck with that forecast. I feel your pain, but part of me is so thankful to be able to get out of the house this weekend that I'm largely just glad it's not the forecast here!

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  18. No question: dogs. Sorry. Of course the best dog in the world, my first baby, Havoc, died 16 months ago, so we are pet free at present. And banana bread should always be eaten warm, although I make enough muffins to last my daughter at least a week so she has to eat them refridgerated after that first day. She doesn't seem to mind much as long as I've put in enough chocolate chips.

    Thanks for the comment

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  19. I was laughing out loud about Lauren getting hit with your hiney! That's hysterical! And I'm definitely a dog person. Our dog, Heidi, was mine before we got married but she definitely favors my husband now...ever since Molly came along. It's like I cheated on her. Everyday I have to endure her "how could you?" stares. But she seems to like Molly. By the way, I posted a video of Molly rolling over on my blog. I don't know which I'm more proud of, Molly rolling over or me figuring out how to upload a video & post it on the blog! Big milestones for us both :)

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  20. We have a dog named Copper, too! And then we have five and a half other dogs. I think it is safe to say we are dog people over here, but seriously, we have TOO MANY. I think 3 would be a nice number to settle on, that way we would have more kids than dogs.

    So sorry about the snow.

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  21. I thought your post the other day about frantically trying to check on your blog comments for fear of offending someone by not accepting their comment was comical - until you didn't accept my comment on this one! Now I understand the frustration of one whose comment was rejected. :(
    Oh the blog drama.

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  22. Gail - I'm so sorry! I swear I didn't delete a comment from you...that I know of! I've heard from friends before that their comments don't post to my blog and they assumed I didn't accept it. Not so! I accept everything! (Barring the obscene and spammy, of course, and those which the commenter tells me to delete ;)) Even if I disagree or am offended, which you've never done :) If you commented here and it isn't showing up it's because it didn't go thru right, or I somehow accidentally rejected it. Though I can't see that happening..I LOVE comments! I'm so sorry if it didn't show up, and I have no idea what to do about it!

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  23. Haha, I figured you probably didn't get it and was quite embarrassed that I sent that second comment after I sent it. But I felt all neurotic like, what did I say to offend her? Was my comment too long? Do I need to stop reading this blog?? My husband's answer to his blog obessessed wife was that I should stop reading ALL blogs in protest.
    Anyway, the recap of what I had tried to say was, 1. I thought it was so cool to get a shout out in your post. 2. Did you look up Elizabeth Mitchell and did you love her? 3. Thanks for the link to Emma - I've read the book but never seen a production and it's lots of fun! (we only have 6 or fewer channels too!) and 4. I've proclaimed this year the year of the pet for our family, but haven't been able to decide on cat or dog. I've never had a dog but I'm intrigued by the crumb eliminating potential in a dog.
    Have a good week! Sorry for being an insecure moron.

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Hmm...And how did that make you FEEL?