1 In 160,000

Where's WD? He's wearing a red shirt. Not Budwieser red, Dodge red. Does that help?


No, not Kasey Kahne Dodge red, Elliott Sadler Dodge red.


Oh, nevermind.


Countdown to Daytona: 6 weeks.

The End

Yes. It's another Icarus poem. I can't help it. I like poems about good ol' Icarus. And while Auden saw his fall as a failure, Jack Gilbert in Failing and Flying sees it as not as a failure at all. He sees it as the end of a success. Much like Angie and Frank's marriage. It was good while it lasted, but in reality it could not last long. After 8 years there are no regrets from either side. It is, simply, the end.

Failing and Flying by Jack Gilbert

And So It Has Begun

I knew it was coming. There was no way to stop it. WD embraced the idea years ago. I, on the other hand, reluctantly accepted that the day would come when my child would bring home his first....homemade ornament.


Have you seen my Christmas tree? I have carefully chosen each ornament based on its color, style, and how closely it's related to my woodlands theme. There are bears, deer, pine cones, berries, fish and fishing creels. There are not ornaments made out of popsicle sticks and pipe cleaners. But that's exactly what Big pup brought home from school one day. Isn't it cute? I think he did a good job but it just doesn't "go" with my tree. Fortunately, he was happy about the idea of putting it on the wrought iron ornament tree--a kind of "island of misfit toys" for mismatched ornaments (WD's New Orleans Saints football shaped ornament, my Husky ornament, Elliott Sadler's racecar ornament, to name a few). A very nice compromise I can live with. And now I'm actually looking forward to all the homemade ornaments to come.

Little Pup Says...

It's funny to listen to Little pup express himself. He doesn't have the firmest grasp of the English language and it's always interesting to see which words he chooses to get his point across.


Me: Tonight's bath night. Are you looking forward to bath night?
LP: No, I'm looking backwards to bath night.


After seeing my hair the first thing one morning, LP: Mommy, your hair is wrinkled.

After WD came up behind me and lifted me off the ground, LP: Mommy is not an airplane! Mommy is not a toy!

And finally, my favorite, while recovering from pinkeye, LP: Mommy, your kisses are like eyedrops.

Awwww, can't he stay 3 forever?

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Brrrrrr.....it's cold out there. With high temperatures in the 30's and 40's for the next few days, it's a perfect time for a bowl of soup. My favorite is broccoli cheese soup served with a loaf of french bread to soak up all that creamy, cheesy goodness. Forget the snickerdoodles, forget the greek spinach bake, if you try only one recipe from my "cookbook" let it be this one. After all, anything with a pound of velveeta in it can't be bad.


1 lb frozen chopped broccoli
1 pint half & half
2 cups water (I use 2 cups of the water that I boiled the broccoli in)
1 lb velveeta
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup cornstarch with 1 cup cold water


Cook broccoli until tender; drain and set aside. In a large saucepan, add half & half and 2 cups of water. Then add velveeta, salt and pepper. When cheese is melted, add broccoli. Mix cornstarch and water in a small bowl and stir into hot soup to thicken. Ladle soup into a bowl, salivate, get out camera and take 36 pictures of said bowl of soup and hope that there's one picture good enough for posting.

Dedicated To The One I Love

Back from Christmas vacation! Did anyone miss me? Don't answer that.

For today's edition of Nascar Monday, you get to spend 48 seconds looking at a tattoo that I got to look at for 3 hours back in November. It's a tattoo paying homage to the late Dale Earnhardt. When you're getting a tattoo of an athlete's number, it's always a good idea to make sure that they will always have that number. Isn't that right Jr. fans?

Countdown to Daytona: 7 weeks.

Merry Christmas I

Luke 2:1-14

Caesar Augustus, the Roman Emperor, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the nation. Everyone was required to return to his ancestral home for this registration. And because Joseph was a member of the royal line, he had to go to Bethlehem, King David's ancient home--journeying there from the Galilean village of Nazareth. He took with him Mary, his fiancee, who was pregnant by this time. And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born; and she gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the village inn.

That night some shepherds were in the fields outside the village, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly an angel appeared among them, and the landscape shone bright with the glory of the Lord. They were badly frightened, but the angel reassured them. "Don't be afraid!" he said. "I bring you the most joyful news ever announced, and it is for everyone! The Saviour--a baby wrapped in a blanket, lying in a manger--has been born tonight in Bethlehem!"

Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others--the armies of heaven--praising God: "Glory to God in the highest and peace to his people on earth!"