7 Quick Takes (Vol 5)

Here are my 7 Quick Takes. Thanks Jennifer over at Conversion Diary for this continuing bit of weekly fun.

-1-

One of my absolute favorite things is dinner with my family. We have always made it a practice at our house to sit down together for dinner. Now obviously that hasn't always happened because someone had to be someplace else. But, when we are all here we eat together. My girls tell me that this is really a very unusual thing amongst their friends, that most of them don't sit down to dinner with the rest of their family. How sad that is. Some of the best times (and some of the worst for that matter) have happened when we were sitting down at the table. The conversation, especially now that they are all adults is so much fun. There is so much laughter. It just makes my "mother's heart" sing for the rest of the evening when we have had so much fun together at dinner. We had a great time at breakfast and at lunch on Christmas day. So much laughter. It was great.

Daughter Ashley cracking up at something.

-2-

I hate taking down the Christmas decorations. That is when I wonder why I go to all this trouble of decorating. However, I also look at the taking down process as a time when I can give the house a thorough cleaning (we know how much I love cleaning). Now that the whole house vacuum cleaner is working correctly again I can really vacuum. If I could just get motivated to actually take everything down I would be doing great. That motivation just hasn't showed up yet. Maybe tomorrow.

-3-

Is it just me or are there fewer movies being produced that you want to see more than once? We rarely go to see movies in the theater (we are "Netflixers" most of the time) so when I do go to see a movie that I pay good money for I want something that I really enjoy. That just doesn't seem to happen these days. We went to see "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" on New Years Eve. The reviews had been good and I have to say that the movie was OK but not great. It was about 30 minutes too long and there were times when I would say to myself, "what the heck does THAT have to do with the story line". I may also be one of the few people in the world who thinks Brad Pitt is a one dimensional actor. Whatever movie he is in it is always the same facial expression, the same timing, the same same. He just gets paid so much and gets so much "air time" because he is so pretty (and because of Angelina Jolie).

I remember fondly the days when I would go to see a movie and then couldn't wait to go and see it again (the summer I saw "Star Wars" 7 times comes to mind). The last movie that I can remember that brought me that much enthusiasm was "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King". Perhaps it is a function of age but I don't think so. I like movies, I like them a lot. It is just that my time is precious and I don't want to waste it. There just aren't many great movies anymore. Trust me, I watch old movies on Turner Classic Movies, I know a good movie when I see one.....and when I don't.

-4-

Sometimes I have trouble remembering that I was 17 (almost 18) once and what that felt like. So, I get up at 6:45a on New Year's Day, yes I let myself sleep in a little for those of you who are going to bug me. So, I am ambling downstairs to start the elixir of life brewing and I see that there is light coming from my youngest's room. Hmmmm, they got home really late last night, or really early depending on how you look at it (1:30a which was when I told her she had to be home). They must have fallen asleep and didn't turn the light off......Silly me.......she and her friend never went to bed. D'OH!!!! Now it would NEVER occur to me that someone would forgo going to bed. I LOVE bed. I love my flannel sheets and my silk comforter that my wonderful hubby brought back all the way from China. No way would I pass that up just to TALK all night. What were they thinking. Oh.....yeah.....they are 17 and can still do that and not look like the Creature from the Black Lagoon come morning.

-5-

I love journaling. I love having a place where I can be totally open, totally honest. It is so freeing. I had a friend who, years ago, gave me a great piece of advice as far as my journal was concerned (thanks Diana!). I had been reluctant to put down anything and everything in my journal. What if my kids, in later years read that I was angry with someone or upset about something. She encouraged me to put down what ever I wanted. If I had a fight with someone, journal it. But also be sure to journal the resolution of the fight. Don't stress about what someone else will think, it is YOUR journal. You can go here to see a longer post about my journaling.
One of the things that I anticipate the most about the new year is starting on a new journal. My journals start out the year looking like the skinny one on the right and end up looking like the bloated one on the left.
The other thing I anticipate is putting the old journal on the shelf with all of it's mates. Excitement! This year I have to start a new shelf.

-6-

Do you have any foods that you absolutely hate? Something that you refuse to eat? I hate, loath, and filled with disgust at the thought of liver. I am shivering just at the thought. My mom used to serve it once a month when I was growing up. I knew that smell....bacon and onions ruined by liver. There was no escape. I had to eat it. And let me tell you that there is nothing that can make that stuff any better. Not ketchup, not A1 sauce, not Heinz 57. Nothing. I vowed that when I "grew up" I would never eat liver again and would never serve it to my kids. I have kept that vow. Just thought I would let you know. It popped into my head this morning and then flew out of my fingers. The strange thing is that I absolutely LOVE liverwurst which is also liver. One of the great pleasures in life is a liverwurst and sweet pickle sandwich with mayo. YUM! Go figure.

-7-

I have to have the annual mammogram this morning (TMI?). Such a lovely thing to start the year off with. I am sure that it will generate some sort of blog post later. You have to approach these kinds of tests with some sort of humor.