New Years Eve - An Ode to Bread and Cheese

New Years Eve is fondue night at the Lula O household.

Cheese fondue is our favorite:

2 tsp. dried mustard, 1/3 cup flour (Mix these two together in your fondue pot). Add -- 2 cups half n' half, slowly until smooth, 2-3 tsp Worcestershire, and 2-3 cups of shredded sharp cheddar.

Stir until melted. Keep on low heat. Serve with diced french bread, cubed cheese, cauliflower, broccoli, sliced apples, more bread....Just about anything - except for maybe my son's old shoe - is good with cheese on it.

We also have another pot of peanut oil for diced chicken and steak, served with a variety of whatever sauces you carnivores eat...

I always feel like a beached whale after eating this stuff, because I eat mostly the bread.

Bread and cheese.....Hmmm....Is there anything better?

Happy New Year...Try not to drink too much, you party animals.

Welcome to the World - Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston!

Since the Palins like to name their male family members after parts of speech words that start with the letter T, here’s some other more common names for the Palin heir that were rejected.

- Trace - Trey - Ty (Could have confused many a teacher and spelled it Thai! Double points!) - Treb - Trek - Tipper

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Names the new parents considered until the last moment–

- Techh - Tundraa - Tempp - Tickk - Tonsill - Tatterr - Traderr - Trainerr - Trailerr
- Tripp (Whoops! They picked that one. I wonder how many times his name will be misspelled. Like a Gazillion!)

I can already hear the phrases written in the back of his yearbook every May -
“Don’t ‘tripp’. Have a nice fall!”
“Did I ‘tripp’ ya too much this year?”
“Are you leaving on a ‘tripp’ this summer?”
“Watch out for that ‘tripp’taphen. Those turkey’s make you tired.”
**

My name means Celtic fortress so what do I know, and my two boys are named Saxon and Nash.... so I probably shouldn’t tease. Funky names are definitely on the rise with this new generation of kids. Last names are now first names. (Remember Linda Tripp? Anyone?) School teacher’s are no longer the ones that cringe.

Poor school teachers...

And it could've been worse. He could've been named Zamboni.

Dave Barry's Year in Review - Bailing out of 2008

How weird a year was it?
Here's how weird:
• O.J. actually got convicted of something.

• Gasoline hit $4 a gallon -- and those were the good times.

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• On several occasions, Saturday Night Live was funny.

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• There were a few days there in October when you could not completely rule out the possibility that the next Treasury Secretary would be Joe the Plumber.

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• Finally, and most weirdly, for the first time in history, the voters elected a president who -- despite the skeptics who said such a thing would never happen in the United States -- was neither a Bush NOR a Clinton.

Of course not all the events of 2008 were weird. Some were depressing. The only U.S. industries that had a good year were campaign consultants and foreclosure lawyers. Everybody else got financially whacked. Millions of people started out the year with enough money in their 401(k)'s to think about retiring on, and ended up with maybe enough for a medium Slurpee.

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So we can be grateful that 2008 is almost over. But before we leave it behind, let's take a few minutes to look back and see if we can find some small nuggets of amusement. Why not? We paid for it, starting with . .

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For the rest of the article click here.

What makes Bush sweat

While reading the current People magazine I came across this question in
an interview with President Bush.

Interviewer: "Which moments from the last eight years do you revisit most often?"

Bush: "I definitely think about the familes I've met of the fallen soldiers-about the compassion, love and determination of the families, to make sure that the Commander-in-Chief hears their stories and knows their pride.

I think about throwing out that pitch at the World Series in 2001. My heart was racing when I got to the mound. Didn't want to bounce it. Didn't want to let the fans down. My heart was pumping so hard, I wasn't sure if I could lift my arm. I never felt that anxious any other time during my presidency, curiously enough."

Really? That is what made you the most anxious and one of the things you revisit most often? Not visiting the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina? Not the moment you found out about 911? Not when you declared war or when they captured Hussein? Am I surprised he said this? At first yes, until I remembered this is President Bush.

"The Politics of Prayer"

This guy (not Obama) keeps appearing in the newspapers like Brittany Spears appears in traffic court. Nobody understands why either keeps happening.

Who is Rick Warren and why is it such a big deal Obama 'saddled' him with the job of giving the invocation at his inauguration in a few weeks?

The Reverend Rick Warren is the founder of the Saddleback Church in California. Some people compare him to Billy Graham in that he's immensely popular and appeals to a wide range of people. The only other time I've heard of him is when he held that 'friendly' forum for both McCain and Obama before the election, in which he asked supposedly unscripted faith-based questions to each of the two candidates separately. (Unscripted means McCain answered the questions so well - and he went second on the program - I was sure he got to hear them first.)

Warren supported California's Proposition 8, not very well according to some conservative Christians, who from what I've read continually complain he's is not 'conservative' enough, whatever that means. They say he's not made these hot topics the cornerstone of his ministry. He apparently tithes 90 percent of his considerable income to charitable causes. (So he gets 10 million instead of 100 million. Hmmm...) I wonder how much he gave to the Prop 8 campaign?

He says he's against gay marriage. But wasn't Obama as well? What did Biden say in the VP debate, that they - meaning he and Obama - are for civil unions but not gay 'marriage'? During his campaign Obama said that he believed marriage to be the union “between one man and one woman,” but when Prop 8 passed didn't he say he was disappointed? Ah, typical politician.

By inviting Rev. Warren to be part of his inauguration, he's trying to have it both ways, and that's what all the hullabaloo is about. Some of his ardent supporters aren't happy about it.
Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen accused Obama of condoning a man who “dehumanizes” homosexuals. NPR talk-show host Diane Rehm called some of Warren’s comments on gays “ugly.”

In light of some of these reactions, what exactly is Obama's motive in selecting Warren I wonder? Is Obama just trying to build bridges to a greater good? Or is it a calculated political move to further his rockstar status?

Perhaps he is trying to compile an inauguration that embodies the diversity that is America today. His choice for closing prayer, or final blessing, in some religious traditions the most important prayer of all, is the Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery. An African-American, 87 years old, a Methodist well-known for his civil rights work with Martin Luther King. A gay rights supporter and some say a "lifelong champion of equality for all."

In all honesty, I think it's both. A calculated move and an olive branch. So I will add my words to what's already been said, brilliant move Obama.

*****A side note - in the picture above, which one is cute as a button?? Ah....no contest I'm afraid.)

Just an unrelated side note -

If anybody's interested - some friends and I have started a book review, reading/writing blog called Strictly Letters. We're looking to add people who would be willing to participate. If you or someone you know is interested, check out the What's up for 2009 post, leave a comment with your blog name, email and url and we'll make you an author so you can post reviews of what you've read in 2009.

This is a fun way to increase your reading volume, find out what people like or don't like, and if you're interested in writing, a way to practice and get some feedback.

Hope to see you there ladies!!

Not too far into the future...

And we thought the photographer that built a fire under it for just the perfect shot was bad.

Thanks Steve Benson