Ellie...Elmer's girlfriend

This is Ellie. She is planning on breaking into country music. She has already made her first video, pulling out one of the old classics.

Cool Video I found

I just really love this YouTube thing. I have not seen this video in years and years. Now some nice person has decided to share their copy with the world. I know they weren't really supposed to, but it's not like this is on TV all the time. If you're not familiar, it's the Travelling Wilburys...George Harrison, Roy Orbison, Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan, and Tom Petty.

By the way, I saw something that said it is Jeff Lynne's birthday today. Todd really likes ELO, I kind of make fun of it because some of the stuff is slightly weird. But you have to admit, the guy has made some pretty amazing music. I think this is the best, but that's just me. It is kind of sad to see this because George Harrison and Roy Orbison are gone now. I hear they are soon going to be re-releasing the albums that they made. It's about time!

Introducing...Elmer!

Elmer is a character that Peanut and I created last night. He is a pretty funny guy, and he's wanting to break into the music business. Here is his first video. What do you think?

His girlfriend is working up a video of her own. We'll share it soon!

The Pantry Game

No pics today. Bubby got shots today and he was just not his happy self.

I have been fortunate to not have to cook much lately, thanks to my mom, neighbors, friends, and people from church. It has been SO great. But that is slowing down, and I have almost used up my freezer meals also. Last night my goal was to fix a meal out of just what was on hand...because I really haven't done much menu planning and my shopping has been kind of disorganized. (Todd asks me what I need from the store, I scramble around trying to think of what we need in about 15 minutes, then he goes out and buys it.) 

This is a pretty fun thing to do. You can come up with some great recipes just by using what is on hand. Last night I made chili and potato salad. Here is what I used for the chili:

1 lb. hamburger meat
1 med. onion, diced
1 clove garlic
A little veg. oil to brown those things.
16 oz. can of diced tomatoes
1/3 c. ketchup (because that was not enough tomatoes and I didn't have another can)
1 can ranch style beans
Chili powder and salt to taste (I don't know how much I used!)

The potato salad was easy. I didn't use a recipe here, either. I just tried to think what might be in a good potato salad.

1 can sliced new potatoes (then I chopped them a little smaller)
1/2 c. chopped celery
1/2 c. Miracle Whip
Chopped roasted red pepper, out of a jar that we use for sandwiches
1 tbsp. pickle relish

The potato salad was really good. It would have been nice with a chopped boiled egg, I think, but I didn't have time for all that. The reason I had a can of potatoes was because I had seen a recipe for potato salad in Quick Cooking that used them, and I had meant to make it back in the summer.

I have a bunch of odds and ends in my pantry, so it might be interesting to try to use all that up in the next couple of weeks.

Another Old Poem

Here is a second poem I found in my searching. Peanut and I got a kick out of it. It was also written in the 1800s. So cute! It must have been popular to write poetry in 'baby talk.' Maybe so people could recite it, and it would be entertaining?

ONLY A BABY
Author Unknown

ONLY a baby
'Thout any hair,
'Cept just a little
Fuzz here and there.

Only a baby,
Name you have none,
Barefooted and dimpled,
Sweet little one.

Only a baby,
Teeth none at all;
What are you good for,
Only to squall?

Only a baby,
Just a week old;
What are you here for,
You little scold?

BABY'S REPLY.

Only a baby!
What sood I be?
Lots o' big folks
Been little like me.

Ain't dot any hair?
'Es I have, so;
S'pos'n' I hadn't,
Dess it tood drow.

Not any teeth --
Wouldn't have one;
Don't dit my dinner
Gnawin' a bone.

What am I here for?
'At's petty mean;
Who's dot a better right
'T ever you've seen?

What am I dood for,
Did you say?
Eber so many sings
Ebery day.

Tourse I squall at times,
Sometimes I bawl;
Zey dassn't spant me,
Taus I'm so small.

Only a baby!
'Es, sir, 'at 's true;
'N' if you only tood,
You'd be one, too.

'At 's all I've to say,
You're mos' too old;
Dess I'll det into bed,
Toes dettin' cold.

An old poem

I found a cute poem last night. I think this is a poem that my Aunt Lee used to recite. It is very close, anyway. It was written in the 1800s. We are not experiencing this kind of sibling rivalry at our house! I hadn't thought of this poem in a long time, but yesterday I told Bubby I couldn't give him any "tandy." It all came back, so I had to go look it up!

THE NEW BABY

I'se a poor little sorrowful baby,
For Bidget is way down tairs,
The titten has statched my finder,
And dolly won't say her payers.
Ain't seen my bootiful mamma
Since ever so long adoe,
And I ain't her tunningest baby
No longer, for Bidget says so.

My mamma's dot a new baby;
Dod dived it, he did, yesterday;
And it kies, and it kies, so defful,
I wish he would tate it away.
Don't want no sweet little sister,
I want my dood mamma, I do,
I want her to tis me, and tis me,
And tall me her pessus Lulu.

Oh, here tums nurse wis the baby!
It sees me yite out of its eyes;
I dess we will keep it, and dive it
Some tandy whenever it kies;
I dess I will dive it my dolly
To play wis 'most every day;
And I dess, I dess -- say, Bidget,
Ask Dod not to tate it away.

Why do we have Christmas?

Not that we haven't talked a lot about Chrismas around here, but I thought I would get a feel for where Junior is in his understanding.

Interview
Mama: Why do we have Christmas?
Junior: Because it's fun and you get lots and lots of presents and it's about God and you get lots of presents. It's special.
Mama: What do you mean it's about God? (trying to help him out here...)
Junior: What you do is you make a Christmas list and you give it to Santa and then he brings you what the Christmas list says.
Mama: Help me out here, son. What is Christmas all about?
Junior: It's about sharing. God gave us baby Jesus. That was the first Christmas. Jesus is the Son of God.

Third time is the charm.

This was very revealing, because we really try to emphasize that Christmas is Jesus' birthday. Just goes to show what part of the message is coming across!