Death by Bullet

I dream. I dream almost every night. I have one recurring dream that most people would probably call a nightmare. Maybe if I share, I won't have it anymore.

I am in a girl's bathroom. I know it's a girl's bathroom because, well, I am a girl and the walls are pink and red and the floor is gray. The walls and floor are cement. There is a sink directly to my left and next to it along the same wall are 3, beige stalls with the largest one at the end. There is a large window straight ahead and the sun is shining through the window in streams of light (like you see through clouds on a semi-overcast day). This is the only light in the room.

I walk into the large stall (I assume it is for the handicap) and I hear someone else enter the bathroom. I walk out of the stall and as I am washing my hands, I am shot in the back. It doesn't hurt too bad, it just burns. I drop to the floor, which actually hurts more. I am laying there on my side with my back to the door and I can feel myself slowly leaving my body. I don't catch a glimpse of the other person before they leave, all I hear is the door close behind them. I am alone and I think about my family. I can feel my breathing slow down and the heat of my own blood pooling around my face. I am not afraid.

I always wake up right at this point...

Maybe I ought to write murder-mysteries.

Soy Chicken & Broccoli Bake

This is one of my favorite recipes... I went to make it tonight and discovered that I had forgot to buy rice at the grocery store on Monday (refer to pet peeve #1)!

Soy Sauce Chicken
1 pkg drumsticks
1 pkg wings
2 cups soy sauce
2 tbsp sugar
1 pkg saltine crackers

Marinate chicken in soy sauce and sugar for 2 hours. Drain chicken and save marinade. Roll chicken in crushed saltine crackers and place in baking dish. Pour 1/2 remaining marinade over chicken and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Broccoli Bake
1 pkg frozen broccoli
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 1/2 cups cooked rice
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Mix thawed broccoli, soup, rice in bowl. Pour into a baking dish and spread out evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Separate eggs, beat whites until fluffy, beat yolks and combine with whites and shredded cheese. Pour and spread over broccoli bake and continue cooking for an additional 20 minutes.

Serve both dishes together.

Reading and Writing

I love to read. Love it, love it. I am like a kid in a candy store when I go to Borders. So many books to choose from. I usually rely on the English teacher at school to recommend books for me to read. He has picked a couple of stinkers, in my opinion, but overall I have enjoyed his choices.

I don't have a favorite author and I don't have a certain type of book I like. I will pretty much read anything that is put in front of me. I have a list of books that I would like to read and a list of books that I would like to have in my library. I would like to one day have an official library, with a fireplace and a bar, a nice cushy chair and walls lined with lots and lots of books!

I thought it might be fun to blog about new books that I have read. Right now I am reading "The World According to Garp", by John Irving. You will see a review sometime next week.

Because life with a family can get crazy at times and I do have to start work early in the morning (which means I cannot stay up too late reading), I am hoping to read a book and post a review every couple of weeks. If a book is taking me longer to read, I will just post a review on a book that I have already read.

Since I love to read and I love to write, I have a couple of things I would like to accomplish before I die. A short term and long term goal... I would like to join or start my own book club and I would like to compile a book of short stories or maybe even a book series for kids. In the meantime, I will read and blog and read and blog!

Pet Peeve #1

Unlike most people, I like Mondays. For me, I have been refreshed by the weekend and work goes by really fast. For whatever reason, they have a bad rap. I thought it would be appropriate to use Mondays to talk about my personal pet peeves...

Pet Peeve #1 - Grocery Shopping

I like to grocery shop. I like to plan my weekly menu, write a list of items and do the actual shopping. I like to have food in my house, with healthy snacks for my kids to eat. I like to cook. What I don't like, my pet peeve for today, is getting home and realizing that I forgot the one essential item to prepare the meal for that night's dinner. If you are anything like me, I crave certain foods. I can see and smell dinner. I don't like changing dinner plans since I have given it some serious thought during the day. Today was one of those days. I had to make a special trip back to the grocery store for one lone item... Arg!

Sour Patch Kid

I took an integrated science class at USU with my brother Matt. The professor used to give us a pop quiz every week. It was only one question. One week, the question was, "What are Saturn's rings made of?". My answer was, "Gas & rocks."

I remember picking Jill, who was 4 years old at the time, up from daycare afterward and told her that I had a pop quiz in class. I told her about the quiz, both the question and the answer. Jill said, "Mom, the right answer is ice. You got it wrong."

I laughed because I was confident I was right and after all, she was only 4 years old. SHE WAS RIGHT... The first of many times my daughter has proven to me that I don't know as much as I think I do.

Something New Saturday #1 - Shaun the Sheep

For those of you with kids or grandkids (or you are just a kid at heart), you ought to check out "Shaun the Sheep". Jace received the movie from his grandma this year for his birthday. Too funny.

I first saw Shaun in one of the Wallace and Gromit episodes and until this week, I hadn't seen him in any of his own videos. It is really amazing how the makers put these films together. Lots of hard work and patience! I have now seen 4 of the 40 episodes with a plan to collect them all. Here is a clip for your viewing pleasure...

Photo Friday #1 - Tip of the Iceberg

I have been sitting here for some time tonight trying to think of something interesting and entertaining to blog about. I finished a blog about cereal - lame. I finished a blog about books and reading - lame. I finished a blog about work - lame. I think by Friday I have usually run out of brainergy; this is the night that I have the most trouble with writing. To solve my problem for now and future Fridays, I will designate Friday's post to a picture. It may be of family, something funny, or something I think is thought provoking. Let it begin...

The Essence of Imagination

"What we can easily see is only a small percentage of what is possible.
Imagination is having the vision to see what is just below the surface;
to picture that which is essential, but invisible to the eye."

I first saw this motivational poster in the training building at Convergys. I was immediately captivated by the picture and the message. At some point I would like to have a nice copy of this hanging in my computer room. Even though I know it is not a "real" picture, it sure puts into perspective how much more there can be of something even though you can't see it. While this poster talks of imagination I like to apply it to people; like what you see on the surface is only a small percentage of what is really there.