Seven Quick Takes (Vol 7)

1. I memorized the Jabberwocky in its entirety in eighth grade just for fun. It's still in my head, with all its brillig and slithey, and manxome. I thought it might come in handy some day. So far, not so much.

2. I have been eating hot Grape Nuts cereal lately. For those of you who do not know, Grape Nuts are kind of like gravel when eaten cold. I actually laughed out loud at my husband who asked if they tasted grapey at all. Why in the world they're called that, I'll never know. But for those of you who would like to give it a try, here's the recipe for hot grape nuts: 1/2 cup Grape Nuts cereal, 1/3 to 1/2 cup of milk (depending on how juicy you want them), and a squirt of honey (again a purely personal preference). The directions I read online said you could microwave them for 30-60 seconds depending on the texture you prefer. I go sixty. It softens them up enough, but still leaves the center al dente. YUM-O! (I've been watching Food Network, can you tell? That was a little Giada, a little Rachel.)

3. My mother in law cleaned my kitchen when I took Maddy to see "Elmo Live" this week. She came over supposedly to visit with Billy and Katie and I came home to find her PULLING MY REFRIGERATOR OUT to clean behind it. She then proceeded to clean my kitchen floor with a bowl of soapy water and a rag. On her hands and knees. Besides the obvious amount of clean she left behind, I also could tell she had been there from the zip lock bags left to dry on my dish rack. Not really a habit of mine, washing used zip lock bags. I have mixed emotions on all of this. They run the gamut from grateful (who wouldn't be?) and shame. I think I will just stick with grateful. This is how she shows love. I would rather sit and chat over some sweet tea, hear what's been on your heart and mind; she would rather work her butt off to show you that she cares. Either way, it's done out of love.

4. Maddy, my three year old, is on Miralax and has been from an early age. Prayers would be appreciated. We've had a rough couple of weeks in that department.

5. I get ridiculously excited when I see OPI nail polish on sale. Seriously, though, I've had a couple of bottles since before my Maddy was born and they still work fabulously. They have yet to get all gloppy and separated. So while it's a little pricey, it's so worth it. And their colors are gorgeous!

6. I'm actually making a list of books I want to read this year. I'm the worst to see a book recommeneded by someone, think it looks like a great read and then forgetting all about it. So I'm trying to keep a notebook by me when I'm checking out blogs so that I can write down anything that looks interesting.

7. Maddy has decided she likes to clean her room. It is kind of wonderful and weird all at the same time. It's great to have her actually pick up after herself on occasion but after she picks her room up, she gets all crazy OCD and won't let her little sister touch anything for fear that Katie will wreck the now clean room. No happy mediums with this girl!