Yay for Pie!!

It was such a nice, relaxing Thanksgiving day for us.  Linda's back wasn't up to a hike, but she did go to the gym in the morning to stretch, foam roll and soak in the hot tub.  She had pretty bad spasms right up until 6:00 p.m. and then they totally stopped!  She was able to sleep without pain and woke up with just a little crick and tightness. 

Since Linda isn't a fan of the normal turkey-stuffing-gravy-cranberry sauce kinds of food, she decided to make exactly what she wanted and forgo feeling guilty about it. Check out her feast! 

A giant mushroom stuffed with Brussels sprouts, asparagus, tomatoes, peppers and quinoa.  Since it was a special day, she went all out and used lots of real cheese. Even though just eating vegetables might not everyone's cup of tea, she loved it.  Sarah's apple pie was also amazing.  She is really the queen of pie baking.  I wonder when Penelope will take up the rolling pin and make her first pie?  She's already helped Taylor make his famous chocolate chip cookies when she was just a wee baby.  On Thanksgiving night, the whole family snuggled on the couch munching desserts and watching National Velvet.  Did you know Elizabeth Taylor was only 12 when she filmed that movie?  Plus, her horses name was Pie which fit in with the desserts perfectly!

"I'm gonna sneak some chocolate chips while Dad's not looking"

Before she left to go to Taylor and Sarah's, the cable repairman came (on a holiday!) and fixed our TV reception.  Hopefully, three times the charm and its the last service call.  This problem was a cable that came "unhooked" in the attic.  The same exact place the repairman from last week was working. I think its more like he didn't actually hook up the downstairs TV instead of it came unhooked.  This guy was really nice and enjoyed playing with Chimi after he was done working.  Of course Chim thought he was the best visitor ever (like he does every single person who comes over!)

Since Linda took Wednesday off (and had Thursday off) she taught her three classes today, but kept everything very easy and light.  There were only two times she winced in pain and had to stop a second.  On Saturday shes getting a massage (a gift from a new friend.)  By Sunday, she hopes to get back to running.

"Please, no running...."

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's a bright, sunny (cold) and beautiful day!  Linda is standing up much straighter and is actually going to go for a local trail walk.  Definitely not a run and no serious hiking though.  Happy Thanksgiving to everyone who loves to cook and eat all the traditional TD foods.  Well, not the real traditional foods.  The early celebrators ate venison, duck, cabbage, seafood, onions and corn.. but no mention of turkey.  Mashed potatoes weren't even invented yet!  Plus, Thanksgiving was a week long feast and not just one meal.  According to this source, they used spoons and knives but no forks.  They ate with their hands.  Don't feel bad if you are one of those people who like to pick up the drumstick and gnaw away at the table.  You're just following tradition! 

Linda slipped some extra chicken into our breakfast this morning as a treat.  Chim and I made scarfing sounds while we were eating.  Both of us licked our bowls clean for a few minutes after they were empty. We are very, very thankful that we are so loved and well fed.  Now its time for a nap.  I'm going to hide so Linda doesn't make me walk outside in the cold. 

A little better

Linda has been totally resting her back, icing and heating and lightly trying to stretch all day.  She is slightly bent over and leaning to the left, but the intense pain when she moves is gone.  If she lays on her stomach on the floor, she can't even get her elbows on the ground in front of her (modified cobra pose.)  One stretch that has helped is standing in a doorway and holding on to the door frame.  If she slightly leans forward, it feels like its helping her to be able to stand up straighter.  Tomorrow she is going to take it super easy.  There are a lot of exercises on the internet that help.  This is a few of them you are supposed to do do relieve your back pain:

Sure, totally doable when you can't stand up straight

 I think if this woman had lower back pain like Linda does she would not be doing these stretches. 

"I'm so bored..."

Chimi is bummed because he hasn't had any walks today.  He keeps looking at her with sad eyes and sighing. Plus, dogs can tell when their humans are not feeling well.  I've been napping on Linda's lap off and on which I never do anymore.  It's making her feel a little happier.  She was disappointed that she stayed home from church tonight. It's the annual Thanksgiving sharing service.  You have to come prepared with lots of tissues because there will be weeping hearing the amazing testimonies.  Hopefully the service will be on a CD so she can listen to it.

You can't feel sad with puppies on your lap!

Back Woes

"Try this stretch Nana, it helps my back"

Linda was just commenting to friend on Monday that her back has never felt better.  For the last 5-6 years, Linda has had on and off back issues.  Some so severe that she can't stand up straight or take the steps in a normal fashion.  It leveled off to just pain when sitting, standing or laying down for longer than 15 minutes.  That is something she can (and has) lived with.  There was no pain at all during movement.  Walking, Body Pump, Body Combat, running, stretching all were strangely pain free.  It is only when she is inactive for any period of time that her back hurts. 

This is totally true for Linda

Yesterday she taught her Sculpt class and felt great.  She taught a TKD class and felt great.  She did a half hour of foam rolling and stretching. She taught her Body Combat class and felt super-great.  Even the jumps and kicks were easy and pain-free.  Right after Combat she runs down the hall to immediately teach Aqua boot camp.  Linda teaches most of the classes from the pool deck so people can see what she is doing.  Half-way through class her shoe came untied.  She bent over to tie it and WHAM! her lower back seized up.  It felt like someone slipped a knife in her back.  Not only was she frozen bent over, she couldn't even move 1".  There is a chair that she uses to show suspension (or feet not touching the bottom of the pool) movements, so she eased into a sitting position and kept calling out moves.  Nope.  It got so bad she couldn't take a breath without pain and then she started crying... right in front of the class. There was only 2 people and 1 had already left because the pool was freezing cold, so the remaining super-nice man helped her into the hot tub to try and loosen the seized muscles.  He also made sure she was OK enough to drive home. 

This is what Linda wants to get Tierney for Christmas.

A night of prayer, icing, heating and anti-informatory drugs helped.  This morning she can walk and move, but she is slightly bent over and can't straighten up all the way.  The pain is just a hard, dull ache, but she hasn't tried bending all the way over or twisting yet. She only got volunteers for two of her three classes today (thanks Kelly and Laura) so she is responsible for teaching the one that no one offered to cover.   No joke, she is going to be sitting in a chair calling out the moves.  She is not risking hurting herself further and having to be out of work for weeks. 

So true! 

Since pictures of her crooked, bent and swollen back would be boring, we just posted some saved pictures from our library.

Tierney and her BFF Lindsay.  Two amazingly beautiful girls.

It's a Bird, It's a Plane..

It's the US Navy blimp!  The blimp flew right over Linda's head today as she was leaving the library. Everyone stopped to look at it and take pictures. When she got home, she googled the blimp to see why it was in the area.  Its called the MZ-3A blimp and is part of the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory.  She especially loved reading the part where it said: "What the blimp was doing in the area is unknown."   A secret mission (or maybe just a wrong turn and they were lost.)

When Linda got home from teaching Pump and Combat (and stopping to return some books) she decided to layer-up and run her miles outside instead of going back to the gym this afternoon to use the treadmill.  Once she got going, she warmed up enough to be comfortable. The trick is to keep running and not stop to walk.  Her feet are the only thing that froze.  She needs to buy some winter running socks and not the little white shorty socks she usually wears. 

Ohhh... these would be perfect!

After running, she went to see the Hunger Games movie.  It was good, but not the oh-my-gosh-I-would-see-it-four-times good.  There were definitely some touching moments and great special effects.  What was super creepy was watching the scary parts alone.  Not only just that she went alone to the movies, she was totally alone... the only person in the entire theater (and it was a giant theater!)

Not really, going to the movies alone is better.  You don't have to share your popcorn.

See Linda Run. Run, run, run

Since all the other bloggers are talking about how cold it is, I'm going to throw in my two-cents.  It's cold.  Freezing.  The kind where it hurts a little to breath in deep.  Our walks are 10 minutes at the most and both Chim and I are not spending any extra time sniffing around the backyard.  Linda has some amazing coats, so she can keep warm. Two are LL Bean parkas, rated to keep you toasty -50 degrees zero.  The other warm coat is a lined hooded knee length dressy coat.  Plus she has a shelf of scarves, warm boots and one ski mitten and one ski glove.  Somehow she lost the matching pairs, but at least she has a right and left!

She has two of these, one 15 years old and one she got almost half price 3 years ago.  If you are one of those people who get cold, you need to order a Baxter State parka today.  (No this isn't a sponsored post, but Linda would love this coat in red if LL Bean is reading this blog!!)

This morning Linda went to the gym before church.  She had her best run ever!  Once she got going, she was able to bring the speed up to 7.5, which is super fast for her.  If her orthopedic surgeon knew she was running that fast with a metal and plastic knee replacement, he would probably yell at her.  Since she has absolutely no pain whatsoever in either one of her knees, she figures she might as well use them for what they were made for.

Linda's fast speed is most runners warm-up speed, but she is happy to be moving without pain

What we are watching...part 2

Last Thursday and (the two weeks before that too) a cable repair man came to "fix" our cable TV reception.  As previously reported, the guy on Thursday was the first one to actually figure out the issue was in the attic garage and replaced the broken parts.  He made fun of all the other guys who weren't very good at their jobs and he even boasted a bit on how much better he was.  Except he wasn't. Last night Linda tried to turn on the downstairs Fred Flintstone TV (the only one that actually worked during the 2-3 week outage upstairs) and now that one says "no data" and does not get reception!  She is getting to be quite a pro on trying to troubleshoot what could be wrong but all the DIY tips didn't restore the service.  REALLY Cox Cable?  You have one job, to provide cable reception to people paying a lot of $$ and you can't get it right.  Now Linda has to go through the whole 20 minute hold for an agent process, schedule a time where she can be home for 3 hours waiting for them to come and then probably, find out her upstairs TV's don't work when he leaves.  I guess Linda should have asked him to check the reception on that set before he left, but since it was working when he got there it didn't cross her mind.  She is going to ask Taylor to draft an official "I better get a few free months" email because my service has been stinky. 

Linda is going to the gym to run (maybe with Tierney and Taylor!) before church.  It is 23 degrees out right now.  Linda is the person at church who wears her coat AND has a big blanket to cover her lap and legs during service.  If she ran outside, she would have to buy this to wear in church or she would be an ice cube when Pastor says "Turn and face the person next to you and say....."

Play Date

Who needs fancy toys?

We had a surprise visitor today!  Linda picked Penelope up after work and bought her back to our house for some "pup" time.  The time went by fast and they kept so busy.  Penny helped Linda fold laundry (she actually picks each piece up and softly puts it down in a new spot); they watched one of her favorite shows (which Penny napped through); ate dinner; read books; and played with her favorite toy... the wicker coasters.  Ever since she could walk Penny has loved the coasters.  For about 45 minutes they threw them all over the house.  One time Penny hit Linda in the chest with a coaster and yelled " OH....Good One!!"  They were both laughing so hard.  When Taylor and Sarah came over, she wanted to keep playing with them. 

Good One!!

Sheba Memories

Linda was going through some older pictures and found this one of Sheba.  She was the cutest puppy, but the most strong-willed dog to ever live.  Siberian Huskies are known for their independence and rebellion, but Linda didn't do her homework before she decided that was the dog she wanted.  Snickers was a few years old and needed a playmate and a friend had a litter of pups.  Boy, she got more than they bargained for!  Sheba was a beautiful dog and very sweet in her temperament.  She never bit or growled in an angry way.

 She would actually talk back to Linda whenever she was corrected.  Sheba always had to have the last word (or wolf howl in her case) in any situation.  She was also allergic to grass.  See that bare fur spot on her side?  She had to go to the vet weekly for a special allergy dip to try and combat her skin condition.  Sheba escaped our backyard by digging under the fence, going over the fence and actually chewing through the wood slats to make a hole big enough to escape.  Eventually, Linda had an electric cattle fence put around the yard perimeter to deter her from going close to it.  The yellow wire holders are still up on parts of our fence today! Linda blocked out the number of times she had to bail her out of the pound or drive 5 miles away to rescue her from someone who found her in their yard.  One night she dug under the fence and ran a mile away to a persons yard who was grilling steaks on their deck!  The man was giving her bites of food keeping her on the deck until Linda got there.  She also HATED to sleep inside the house at night during the winter.  Linda had to drag her by the scruff of the neck out of her doghouse.  She loved the snow and freezing weather!  Sheba also wanted to eat our cats, but Chip and Licorice were both able to scare her into submission with one swat of their paw.   It was a sad day when Sheba got deathly sick from a septic blood infection.  The vet said that there was a good chance that even a transfusion and surgery wouldn't save her, so she went to dog heaven.  

She is probably reunited with Snickers and creating havoc wherever she goes.  I never met her, but if Snickers liked her, I would have too. 

The Healing (and the) Ring

The repair man came to fix our broken cable TV reception this afternoon.  He was very proficient and quick in finding the problem.  It was a broken cable in the garage attic.  All the times repair man have come to our house trying to fix it, he was the first one to actually pinpoint the issue.  So far, the reception is perfect and it seems to have done the trick.

You may be wondering why there hasn't been any food pictures on the blog lately.  Linda is still cooking, but its just the same things she always makes.  Roasted veggies, grains, fish and Mediterranean dips.. oh, and baking. Today she made apple spice caramel bars.  She followed the recipe exactly, and they just didn't taste right.  She feels bad about throwing them away, but unless you LOVE sweet, sweet, super sweet desserts, they are inedible.  Well, not really inedible.  Linda ate a chuck of it and now her teeth are hurting. 

Maybe if she scrapes off the icing and caramel bites it would be better. 

OK, long amazing story next:  Linda had an incredible answer to prayer last night!  She still gets goose pimples when she thinks of what happened.  Last Thursday, she smashed the outside of her right hand.  The ring finger and pinky finger were double their normal size and black and blue.  Some of the bruising went away, but her finger was still gigantic a week later.  Normally this wouldn't be a problem, but she was wearing her Mom's antique wedding ring on the sprained finger.  The ring was cutting into the swollen skin and rubbing it raw.  It was so tight that she couldn't even spin the ring and her finger was bluish.  During Wednesday night prayer, she was crying a little bit thinking she would have to have the cherished ring cut off by a jeweler.  She could barely bend her finger and it was pretty painful.  Instead, she prayed that God would take the swelling away so she could get the ring off.  Not like next week, but right then!  Even though the finger didn't change size, she kept believing it was healed.  

When she got home from church, she remembered that she prayed for healing.  She looked at her finger and it was still gigantic.  For some reason, she felt like she should just believe anyway and take the ring off.  Totally impossibly since the ring didn't change size and neither did her finger. Except nothing is impossible for God because as she gently pulled,  the ring seemed to grow and it smoothly slid off over her knuckle!  

Last night after God took the ring off. You can still see the mangled finger and the grooves the ring made in Linda's finger.

Look how small the ring is that came off the giant finger!   Linda was expecting God to heal her finger, not make a solid gold ring swell and then go back to normal size!

God doesn't always answer prayer the way we think it should but His ways are better than ours! This is from 24 hours after it came off,  She was just checking that the ring was still small and the knuckle busted up.  Yep.

Nothing is too hard for God!  If Linda was the person reading about this on a strangers blog, she might not believe the story either... but it happened exactly like she told it.  No using ice cubes, oil, or Vaseline, to get it to come off.  God just released if from her finger.  Maybe like a camel flying through the eye of a needle, yeh?

Waking up

Imagine if you got to wake up every morning and came face-to-face with this much cuteness?  This is what Linda gets to see as soon as she opens the bedroom door.  I'm not crazy about her turning on the light to take a picture, but I'm always smiling and happy to see her.  She knows now to have the iPhone ready just in case I'm doing an adorable pose.  And yes, I still need to get a haircut. 

Chimi gave Linda a little scare earlier.  He was sound asleep on her lap having a really bad dream.  Between the sleep growling and leg kicking, she was afraid he would wake up startled and lunge at her.  Linda has read stories about totally submissive, tame dogs coming out of a deep sleep and acting crazy.  She sang him little songs to slowly wake him up.  This is his sleepy I just woke up face.

Do you really have to point that camera in my eye?

This is what we are currently watching

About a month ago, Linda had to have the cable TV repairman come to the house because she wasn't getting any TV reception.  It had been going off and on for weeks, but she finally decided it was stupid to keep paying for cable when it didn't work.  Well, he fixed it great.. and it worked for exactly one day.  It's now more off than on and tonight it says "NO DATA" on any of the channels and all we have is the dreaded black screen. The past 3 weeks, Linda has tried to contact Cox service through live chat (all agents are always busy, no exceptions); online help (a million steps that never work); phone (the average 3 minute wait time on the recording has been upwards of 20 minutes before she hangs up) and email (we are sorry for your problem, would you like to buy more services from us?)  She is fed up and tired of terrible service.  Currently, she is on hold again for a service person.  Her cell phone has reached 15 minutes holding (remember,only a 3 minute wait!!)  

Finally, 32 minutes later...A live person!  Except nothing they could do could fix the signal.  Its too low coming into the house, its not a TV set or cable box issue. If she wants to keep Cox, they have to drill a hole into the house, attach a "booster" box and rewire everything.  Or... she could just cancel the TV cable reception all together.  Is there anything actually on TV worth watching?  She would still be able to watch older TV shows and movies on Netflix, so maybe that is the way to go.  The downstairs Fred Flintstone TV actually gets OK reception, its just the upstairs luxury 30" TV that doesn't work.  

Penny petting the fish at the aquarium is way better than a dumb TV show anyway

Plus, she could always just sync her photos from the laptop to the TV and watch a slide show of all her pictures. 

"Look, I'm flying in an air-a-plane Nana!

Road Stress

Sleeping off the stress

Chimi had a rough day.  All he wanted to do tonight was cuddle with Linda on her lap and stay under the covers.  The road workers were making a lot of noise; driving their work pickup trucks on the sidewalk; and the smell of the hot tar made him woozy.  Linda tried to walk him a few times, but he was too scared and just wanted to go home. I wouldn't even come near the front door so she didn't try to take me out at all.  It's a good thing we have such a big fenced backyard for us to roam around in when we don't get a walk.  There are dogs in our neighborhood who never, ever get taken on walks.  Its so sad.  Two houses across the street have dogs and in all the years they've lived there, Linda never has seen them out for a walk.

Penny and Sarah made some pretty Christmas ornaments today.  Sarah sent this photo of Penny practicing hanging the stars.  Now they just have to go cut down their tree!  She'll be so excited to decorate this year since she can help.

I love how she buttoned her sweater crooked and is wearing zebra P.J's.  She was so funny the other night when they came over.  Her feet get hot, so she has to take her shoes and socks off.  She insisted Linda take her slippers off too, and proceeded to help her remove them throughout the visit.  "Off, Nana.  Shoes off!" 

"When will our road be back to normal??"

Nite-Nite Choop

Linda was going through the pictures she has of me earlier today.  Almost all of them involve me being under the covers or tucked in one of my beds. 

Napping in the kitchen

Are you my mother?

Chimi destroyed this bed.  There was about a 2" piece left of the fabric.

Napping in the hall

It just can't be morning yet!

One of the rare times I'm resting on the floor

As you can tell, I need another haircut

My favorite spot to nap...next to the sliding glass door

The den bed

Penny was so cute last night saying "Nite-Nite" to me when she left.  She came up the stairs right into the kitchen to say goodbye.  It's not so strange that she knew just where to find me.  I stay in my bed when we have people at our house.  Linda says I act more like a cat than a dog. Chimi is the company lover and wants to be in the middle of the action. 

Baby Noah, won't you come down and play with me?

P.S.  Do you see a part of Friday's post across the pictures?  I can't get it to go away. 

Back in the Day

Not this far back in the day though

Linda stayed up late last night.  She actually didn't fall asleep until 1:15 am.  All the coffee she drank with Cris yesterday kept her wired for hours.  For some reason, she started reading about the movie mogul Cecil B. De Mille and found out he is from her very own home town, Pompton Lakes.  He went to church at Christ Church (and did the Bible readings from the pulpit), which is the exact same church that Linda went to her Brownie and Girl Scout meetings!  At this church, he was said to have the inspiration to make "The Ten Commandments" & "The King of Kings" movie.  Mr. De Mille supported the church financially right up to his death.

The Henry C. DeMille School at Pompton Lake (note singular) was another thing. It was an upscale institution with tennis courts and all the amenities that implies. Mrs. De Mille was headmistress and manager," continued the article. "The Oak Ridge Manor Nursing Home on Terhune Drive popularly linked to the De Mille - See more at: http://www.northjersey.com/community/history/back_in_the_day/130098403_Sept__18__1991_De_Mille_s_Pompton_Lakes_roots_recalled.html#sthash.5GBSbrpU.dpufAfter drinking about 32 cups of coffee yesterday (not really that many, but she sat and drank coffee with Cris for 2 hours, so it seems like that much) Linda couldn't fall asleep until 1:15 a.m.  That is so unusual for her since she likes her bedtime to be before 9:30 so she can get up early and be energetic all day.  She spent some of the night researching Cecil B. De Mille, the man behind "The Ten Commandments" (who of course wasn't the actual man, that would be Moses receiving them from God... but the man who made the first movie.)  Anyway, Mr. De Mille lived in Linda's little home town of Pompton Lakes.  The very church that he went to and was a life-long supporter of was the same church where Linda went to her Brownie and Girl Scout meetings!  While he was attending the church, he got the inspiration to make "The Ten Commandments" and the "King of Kings" movie. 

Christ Church, Pompton Lakes

His Mom also ran a girls school on 76 acres in Pompton Lakes.  The very swanky school was a block from the elementary school where Linda went to Kindergarten, but is long gone now. 

In other interesting Pompton Lakes facts: Annie Oakley once lived in the small town and so did Joe Luis, the boxer.  Linda's Daddy was actually a sparring partner for Joe Luis back in the day.

 Back in the Day

The Henry C. DeMille School at Pompton Lake (note singular) was another thing. It was an upscale institution with tennis courts and all the amenities that implies. Mrs. De Mille was headmistress and manager," continued the article. "The Oak Ridge Manor Nursing Home on Terhune Drive popularly linked to the De Mille estate may not be a part of it. The gatehouse and historical marker across the street are correct."
"Cecil DeMille loved his home. His father had been a vestryman, a lay reader and supporter of Christ Church, Pompton Lakes. It was here that young Cecil was the sole member at a service one night and was impressed when a visiting preacher did the whole service anyway. C.B. credited his parents and attendance at Christ Church as inspirations for his making ‘King of Kings’ and the ‘Ten Commandments.’ H
- See more at: http://www.northjersey.com/community/history/back_in_the_day/130098403_Sept__18__1991_De_Mille_s_Pompton_Lakes_roots_recalled.html#sthash.5GBSbrpU.dpuf

The Henry C. DeMille School at Pompton Lake (note singular) was another thing. It was an upscale institution with tennis courts and all the amenities that implies. Mrs. De Mille was headmistress and manager," continued the article. "The Oak Ridge Manor Nursing Home on Terhune Drive popularly linked to the De Mille estate may not be a part of it. The gatehouse and historical marker across the street are correct."
"Cecil DeMille loved his home. His father had been a vestryman, a lay reader and supporter of Christ Church, Pompton Lakes. It was here that young Cecil was the sole member at a service one night and was impressed when a visiting preacher did the whole service anyway. C.B. credited his parents and attendance at Christ Church as inspirations for his making ‘King of Kings’ and the ‘Ten Commandments.’ H
- See more at: http://www.northjersey.com/community/history/back_in_the_day/130098403_Sept__18__1991_De_Mille_s_Pompton_Lakes_roots_recalled.html#sthash.5GBSbrpU.dpuf

The Henry C. DeMille School at Pompton Lake (note singular) was another thing. It was an upscale institution with tennis courts and all the amenities that implies. Mrs. De Mille was headmistress and manager," continued the article. "The Oak Ridge Manor Nursing Home on Terhune Drive popularly linked to the De Mille - See more at: http://www.northjersey.com/community/history/back_in_the_day/130098403_Sept__18__1991_De_Mille_s_Pompton_Lakes_roots_recalled.html#sthash.5GBSbrpU.dpuf

The Henry C. DeMille School at Pompton Lake (note singular) was another thing. It was an upscale institution with tennis courts and all the amenities that implies. Mrs. De Mille was headmistress and manager," continued the article. "The Oak Ridge Manor Nursing Home on Terhune Drive popularly linked to the De Mille - See more at: http://www.northjersey.com/community/history/back_in_the_day/130098403_Sept__18__1991_De_Mille_s_Pompton_Lakes_roots_recalled.html#sthash.5GBSbrpU.dpuf

The Henry C. DeMille School at Pompton Lake (note singular) was another thing. It was an upscale institution with tennis courts and all the amenities that implies. Mrs. De Mille was headmistress and manager," continued the article. "The Oak Ridge Manor Nursing Home on Terhune Drive popularly linked to the De Mille - See more at: http://www.northjersey.com/community/history/back_in_the_day/130098403_Sept__18__1991_De_Mille_s_Pompton_Lakes_roots_recalled.html#sthash.5GBSbrpU.dpuf

The Henry C. DeMille School at Pompton Lake (note singular) was another thing. It was an upscale institution with tennis courts and all the amenities that implies. Mrs. De Mille was headmistress and manager," continued the article. "The Oak Ridge Manor Nursing Home on Terhune Drive popularly linked to the De Mille - See more at: http://www.northjersey.com/community/history/back_in_the_day/130098403_Sept__18__1991_De_Mille_s_Pompton_Lakes_roots_recalled.html#sthash.5GBSbrpU.dpuf

Like This!

  Every Thursday Linda usually spends time with Penny, but she had prior plans with Mommy and Daddy being cool and eating fun food. 

"I missed seeing you today Nana!  I'll tell you all about it this weekend."

Instead, Linda met her very good friend Cris for brunch after her morning class.

They were laughing about taking a "selfie"

There is an article getting passed around the internet about people being so "Look at me! I'm so cute! Like my FB status!" and posting stickers on their cars announcing "Look how far I can run!" It was pretty funny, especially reading the comments about how mad it made some of the readers.  Linda is always writing about her cooking like she is some great TV cooking star and bragging about her 3 mile runs.  Really, its pretty funny and so true.  She doesn't want any kudos or Wows! aren't you special, especially since 3 miles is a warm-up for most runners.  But why else do a blog or update your FB status unless you want attention?  (She says this blog is a way to keep a fun record of the last 6 years of our lives and not for back-pats.  Sure....)

She may not be a TV chef, but she is a blogger so she has to post what she ate for dinner:

Monday's roasted veggies mixed with quinoa and vegetable broth. Be jealous Rachel Ray.

While it was simmering, she baked some yummy breads.  A few weeks ago she made the lemon/basil bread and a few days later the pumpkin-chocolate chip loaf.  It was much easier making them one at a time.  Doing them both at once and having to wash bowls and beaters in-between so the tastes didn't mix was annoying.  Plus, the $8 lemon zester she bought was a waste of money.  Either she has no clue on how to zest a lemon or the tool was inferior.  If she is going to keep making the bread, she also needs a basil chopper since it takes so long to mince it with a knife.  I wish there was an app that could let you smell how wonderful the kitchen smells right now.  (Linda read that there actually is a way that DVD's can be infused with scents of pizza or popcorn to go along with the ads before the movie. As your DVD player heats up, the smells waft into your living room.)

Why did the lemon loaf sink and the pumpkin loaf burst open?