I'm so special.

I must be a very important person. Cindy McCain called me twice last night (different topics each time), and John McCain called me today. Of course, I had already cast my vote for him by the time he called, but still it was kind of him to think of me.

Voting for a Boat

Today was Virginia's Primary, and so I bundled up the girls and we walked to our polling station (local church) to do our civic duty. Just like last time, after I'm done, and we're leaving, K wants to know where the boat is. "Next week, let's go to see a boat on water," she says in such a sweet, polite voice. I had explained before we even left the house that there would be no boat, but I guess she didn't believe me. S had the same disappointment when she was three years old too. But now she's old enough to start to understand what it's all about - not boats, but picking the person you think will do the best job. It's cool to see her start to see things outside of her own little world.

Let's Have Some More Meetings!

I got to go to a Relief Society Board meeting after church today! Yes, that's right, I was excited to go. I've been looking forward to it ever since I received notice of it a few weeks ago. Why? Well, by staying at church, I got to miss that whole take three tired, cranky, hungry children home from church thing. I hate that hour after church. Everyone's shrieking for food (myself included) and usually I don't have the foresight to have anything decent prepared ahead. Coats, shoes, and tights are strewn everywhere. The kitchen is still a mess from breakfast. The baby is always desperate to be nursed. It's all a real joy. For the past few years, Jeryl has had monthly after-church meetings, and sometimes been in the choir, and so I have had to do it all by myself.

But not today! My husband had to take the kids home by himself this time, while I got to stay and have a lunch meeting. I must say that I ate better than my family did, for there really was nothing much to eat (other than our food storage, of course). But Jeryl did really well. When I got home, everyone had been fed, and he had even done all of the dishes, which I usually don't get done so quickly.

How come I keep losing my links and stuff on the side? Very annoying.

On Time

Ever since sandal weather ended and coat and socks and shoes weather began, we have been late to S's Friday morning dance class. It starts at 10:00. I don't know what I'm going to do when she has to be at school by 8:00 next year, but I'll worry about that later. It's harder to get there by 10:00 than it is to get to church by 9:00. It's not like we sleep late either. And I'm normally a punctual person. Maybe it's because that extra hour gives me a false sense of security, and I start doing other things I don't do on Sunday mornings, like check my email . . . . The cold weather gear really does slow things down, too. That's what I hate most about winter.

Anyway, I hate rushing in late, and S even said recently that she didn't want to be the last one there anymore! Ouch. So this morning, I told myself that we had to leave the house at 9:30 (it's about 3 miles away). So we left at 9:45, and arrived early. S was confused! She could see the 9:30 class in progress on the waiting room tvs, and kept trying to go in with them. She had totally forgotten what it was like to not be late.

I'm melting . . .

At the park today, it looked like it was about to rain, and since we walked, I told the girls we were leaving so as not to be caught in a downpour. K became very alarmed that it might rain on her, and walked the entire way home trying to protect her head with her hand.

It didn't rain after all. I wonder what she would have done when she found out that one hand won't keep you dry.

West Virginia McCain Supporters

Today, WV delegates at the Republican convention saw that Romney was poised to win. Huckabee was second and McCain was third. So McCain supporters struck a backroom deal and all voted for Huckabee, and thus propelled him into first place, costing Romney a win.

I am disgusted!! To vote for someone you don't support just to keep someone else from winning shows a complete lack of integrity. How can people be so low? If Romney loses the nomination over these delegates, I'm just gonna be sick. I can hardly imagine how he would feel about it.

I'm frustrated that I don't get to vote today! Why doesn't Virginia get with the rest of the pack? The race outcomes will likely be decided by this evening, without many Americans having had a say. I would like to have more than two candidates to choose from on Election Day.

Did you really mean to say that?

Question: Is it ever a good idea to say to your eight-months-pregnant wife, "You know, your butt has gotten bigger."

Is it unreasonable to expect your wife to understand that you were paying her a compliment, because you like what pregnancy has done to her?

Well, gentle readers, it has been over five years since that ill-considered remark was made, and the matter is still under discussion. The husband now says he understands that it was a mistake to have said it, but still tries to defend himself. The wife should have known that her behind was so small before, and that there was no way that it could get too big. The wife thinks that her husband was insane to say something like that, and thinks that she showed remarkable restraint in only shedding a few tears about it.

This is Serious!

Oreo quality has been compromised! They have taken out the transfats!!!



First, let me just say that I am actually quite opposed to transfats, and have been for years, even before it was the trendy. I haven't bought Crisco or margarine in years.

******power outage that lasted all afternoon**********

Secondly, I am a dessert snob. If I'm gonna eat high calorie food, it had better be good, and I don't think that 98 percent of what's sold in the store is good. Homemade-from-scratch is so much better! Not that I won't eat store stuff if it's around - I'm weak. But I try to save my calories for the good stuff.

But, Oreos, they're the other 2 percent! How delicious! How scrumptious! What melt-in-your-mouth goodness! There's some indefinable tastiness that makes me say every time I eat them, "WHAT makes these so good?!" I know it's the hydrogenated fat, but who cares? It's worth it! Definitely the best sweet you can buy at the grocery store (not counting ice cream - I am only counting desserts that you chew). I can eat a whole package in . . . a very short period of time. I pretty much have had to stop buying them very often, because I have no self-control.

But yesterday my husband bought a package on his way home from work. It's probably been months since we've had any. After supper (can't believe I waited that long), I bit in, and disappointment followed. That special something was gone. I mean, they were good, but nothing special. I grabbed the package, read the label, and sure enough, the hydrogenated oils are gone! Not even the trace kind that most manufacturers put in, and still round down to "zero transfats" on the label. And they're just not the same.