My life as a transplanted Yankee

I am going to try to save my journal but I'm really not sure I have enough space on my hard drive.  Can I just save it to disks?  Will it save comments as well?

I'm think of reposting it all on blogger but my wrist hurts thinking about it!

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I see that we are losing our J-land.  I've had my shadow journal on blogger for years but I don't like it as well as aol.  I can't upload pictures the same way.  But I have lots of comments I would like to save.  I don't know how to do that.  I also haven't duplicated every entry.  So it looks like I'll have to figure out how to do that.  I clicked on the ad that said that we should know how to back up our blogs and it is blank.  The only info I could find was written in German.  I took a semester of German but I didn't study and ended up failing the course.  So I can't read it.  Any thoughts?

My blogger account is http://emmaandbella.blogspot.com if you want to bookmark it.

I want to know where you all end up.  I'm not going to quit blogging, I hope you don't either.

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The girls and I got to dress like 1790 and play pioneer all weekend.  Daniel Smith was one of the founding pioneers of Tennessee.  We was a mapmaker as well.  Good friends with Andrew Jackson also.  I demonstrated spinning and generally had fun. 

Emma got to learn how to weave a basket from her "Auntie" Cherrie.  She was beside herself with pride in that basket.  Cherrie even left Emma in charge of her booth while she went to look at all of the different booths and talk to old friends.  Emma was thrilled.  I don't know if she got to tell anyone about what she was doing but she had fun.  Nora the bobbin lace maker was right there with her so she wasn't truly alone! 

The Beggar Boys did great and had a very wonderfully enthusiastic crowd for their last performance.  They needed that boost in confidence. 

Bella spent most of the weekend with a little boy named Cody.  He didn't say much but they had fun.  Mostly they wrestled.  Don't ask.  When they weren't doing that, Emma was giving him piggy back rides. 

I got to trade some of my handspun for some pretty pink yarn and for some soap.  I like not spending money! 

I met some very nice people and really enjoyed playing dress up!  The girls loved it and can't wait to do it again.  We even stopped at Papa Murphy's on the way home last night still in our re enacting clothes.  Emma claims she was embarrassed but we were the only ones in the store.  I had sent Bella home with her daddy earlier.  She was done!

We didn't spend the night.  We live so close there isn't a good reason to sleep in a tent on the ground and to go without a shower and all that!

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1.  I'm thankful that Emma is feeling better.  She was pretty puny Sunday and Monday.

2.  I'm thankful that Lou gets to go on the Men's Retreat with church even though I'm really going to miss him. 

3.  I'm thankful that we get to do re-enacting this weekend.  I'm demonstrating spinning.  Just pray that the girls can keep themselves busy and not have meltdowns. 

4.  I'm thankful that my dryer is not broken.  The knob is just broken.  I'm really glad about that!!!!

5.  I'm thankful for my girls.  They are very sweet and most of the time fun to be with!

6.  I'm thankful for people who are willing to take my Sunday school class.  There are an average of 20 kids every week.  They are rowdy First graders!  I'm in awe of those who are willing to help us. 

7.  I'm thankful that the gas shortage seems to have slowed here in the Nashville area.  I paid $3.77 which is so much nicer than the $4.25 I paid last week.

8.  I'm thankful for our country and our freedom of speech.

9.  I'm thankful for our dogs. 

10.  I'm thankful for Facebook.  It's way too much fun!

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Bold those you have tried.
Strike through those you wouldn’t eat on a bet.
Italicize any item you’ll never eat again.
*Asterisk any items you’d be interested in trying but have not yet.
Underline anything you eat regularly (more than once a month-ish).
Mark any items you’ve never heard of with question marks

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea?
3. Huevos rancheros*
4. Steak tartare*
5. Crocodile*
6. Black pudding Put a line through that one!
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp, not a big fan of fish
9. Borscht*
10. Baba ghanouj
11. Calamari
12. Pho?
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi?
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses?
17. Black truffle*
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese- not interested!
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper- not a chance!
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda ?
31. Wasabi peas – not interested!
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi?
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar- not a fan
37. Clotted cream tea*
38. Vodka jelly
39. Gumbo
40. oxtail*
* 41. Curried goat*
42. Whole insects – not a chance
43. Phaal ?
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottleworth £60/$120 or more*
46. Fugu ?
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel - - unagi (broiled eel)- not interested!
49.Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin- not interested!
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi ?
53. Abalone – not interested!
54. Paneer ?
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini*
58. Beer above 8 ABV- don’t know what ABV stands for.
59. Poutine?
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads – not interested
63. Kaolin ?
64. Currywurst ?
65. Durian ?
66. Frogs’ legs – not so much
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
 68. Haggis – not so much
 69. Fried plantain*
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette*
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe?
74. Gjetost, or brunost?
75. Roadkill – are you kidding?
76. Baijiu?
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail – I tried to try.  I couldn’t do it!
79. Lapsang souchong ?
80. Bellini ?
81. Tom yum ?
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant. *
85. Kobe beef*
86. Hare *
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse (It’s available at a restaurant in Toronto) No, no, no!
90. Criollo chocolate*
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa ?
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor*
98. Polenta*
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee*
100. Snake – not interested

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It has been a very odd week.   What a doozy.  Did you notice the full moon?  It was doing it's job. 

I'm still thankful.

Even if the worst had happened, we would still be ok.

1.  I'm thankful for little children.

2.  I'm thankful for having enough gas to last through the craziness.  I paid $4.25 a gallon and most stations are out.

3.  I'm thankful for much cooler temperatures.

4.  Chicken on the grill.

5.  Baked potatoes.

6.  Coffee.

7.  Chocolate.

8.  My girls' love of singing.  But I'm not allowed - it embarrasses them!

9.  Our great country, that though it's flawed, it is still an amazing democracy.

10.  Everyone who sent good wishes and prayers.  Everything is not back to normal but it's trying to be.

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They were wondering what lighting a candle will do for me.  Good question.  Someone can correct me if I'm wrong but the lit candle is a physical reminder of what you want to pray about.  I can say, "Sure, I'll pray for you."  I'll forget to keep the prayers coming unless I have something to remind me.  I'm sort of easily distracted.  But if I walk past the candle(s) I've lit, I say to myself, "Oh, yeah.  Pray for such and so."

There you go.  Let me know if I got it wrong!

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Thursday was a fun day but sooo hot for going to the zoo.  By the time we got to the car we were melted into a puddle.  Emma was in tears.  And we all wanted to be cool!  I didn't even try to see all of the animals.  We have a pass so we will go back soon.  Bella was so cute, she kept saying, "Thank you so much, Mommy, for taking us to the zoo."   We will go again when it cools off.

After the zoo we went to choir.  She is singing (thanks to Billy's mom) in a Prepatory Choir for kids in 1-3 grades at Blair School of Music.  She loves it.  After class she asked one of the girls her name.  She said Ella.  Emma told her her name and her mom said, "Oh her sister is named Emma."  And I said "Oh and her sister is named Bella."  We both agreed that we thought we were on the cutting edge when really we were only part of a global consciousness or something! 

Friday the kids spent most of the day on the water slide.  They worked hard at playing!  Today we took a trip to the library and to the park. 

I went to scrapbooking last night and learned how to make these cool folded paper cards to put your pictures on.  I'll post a picture of it soon.

Oh yeah, last night on my way home from scrapbooking I thought I'd get gas before the prices went nuts like everyone is saying they will.  Most of the stations between my church and my house were OUT of gas.  I found some for $3.99 and there was no one at the station.  A quarter of a mile up the road, the only station of 3 at that intersection with any gas, was packed!  It was and is crazy that the threat of shortage would cause an actual shortage. 

We had wind gusts from Ike today.  That's one strong storm!

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Or Thankful Thursday...

1.  For getting to know more spinners and knitters better.

2.  For someone regifting some clothes for the girls.

3.  For that same someone who gifted me with a stand mixer with lots of attachments.  No it isn't a Kitchenaid but free is good!

4.  For getting to go to the zoo today.

5.  For sharing each others burdens.

6.  For my family.

7.  For cameras and the way that we can record memories.

8.  For getting to go to scrapbooking this weekend.

9.  For reading and books.

10.  For the teachers at my church who really love what they are doing and love our family.

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