Riding My Bike

I have been very lax in exercising this summer - mostly because we have been gone so much. I have walked a couple of times a week, but nothing really strenuous. I was doing pretty good until I got a horrible case of poison ivy and had to stay in for 3 wks. But today I rode my bike about 9 mi. round trip with my family. It felt good to be back into it. I get discouraged because it is so difficult to maintain my weight. But I am trying to stay positive.

My dd is home from college this weekend, so that is really nice. I plan to enjoy her as much as possible.

Sunny Saturday in May

Continuing the Moving in May challenge, we walked about an hour today. Not really fast, but walking, anyway. I guess every little bit helps to set the pace and move toward the habit of exercising. My dear husband was willing to walk with me, even though his back is really sore from doing lots of yard work this weekend in the glorious sunshine. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, although it was quite windy. But the weather does help the mood. Signs of God;s renewal of the earth are all around us - blooming tulips, crab apple trees, flox and more. We were able to walk part of the way with my neighbor whom I don't see often anymore, now that our girls are older and don't get together as much any more.

We were able to go over to Bay City and get the sail and the dodger which we had repaired over the winter. Going up to put the boat in the water this weekend. I'm praying for good weather and hopefully we will get a chance to go out for a sail once or twice. Looking forward to spending some quality time with my husband.

My daughter is still in Mexico and doing well there. The weather is quite hot but the group seems to be surviving ok. They are stuccoing some walls for the apartments while the guys are doing more heavy construction - or de-struction, as the case may be. They are making holes in concrete walls for places to put doors. She is really getting a chance to practice her Spanish more and more. I'm praying that she has a great, rewarding and satisfying experience and feels useful to the children's home there.

My son made a delicious carrot cake tonight from scratch. It was really excellent and I was so impressed that he actually did it all, including the icing from scratch. I HAD to have a piece, even though it is not on my eating plan. But it was the best cake I think I have ever had - certainly in recent memory. He was disappointed in how it looked, but it was truly wonderful. I had to ask him to take it home with him, so I wouldn't be tempted to eat more of it. He even placed it on a Lazy Susan tray I had, which made it much easier to manage for icing. Pretty innovative idea. I know I never would have thought of that.

My husband cooked steaks on the grill for us tonight from our new beef we just purchased. It was really, really good. I never want to have to go back to buying beef from the store. This is so much better. We had asparagus, broccoli and potatoes, along with salad to go with it. Great meat. I am so fortunate to have two men that are such good cooks!

Moving in May II

More Moving in May info:

Yesterday was absolutely beautiful, and although my knee is still pretty sore, Ron and I rode our bikes for 1.5 hours - slow and steady. Boy was I tired when we got home. My legs felt like walking on Jello. But it was good to get out and enjoy the good weather and the beautiful Spring scenery. And the good news is that today my knee doesn't hurt any more than it did yesterday. So we hope to go again today. We have another absolutely breathtaking day out there.

So, as Tigger says: TTFN!!

Moving in May

The challenge from Flylady this month is called "Moving in May". We are supposed to exercise at least 15 minutes each day. This has been somewhat frustrating for me, because I hurt my knee at my Pilates class early in the month and haven't been able to do anywhere near as much as I would like. I have tried walking a little and biked a little. Tonight Ron and I biked for at least 30 minutes. Not hard, but steady. I have exercised on average about every third day. But my knee is starting to feel much better, so hopefully, I will be able to do more and more as summer comes on. I would like to lose 10 lbs. more, and it is getting tougher and tougher to stick with it. I am going to try to post my minutes here for the rest of the month.

My exercise for the previous part of the month is as follows:
5-1 60 min. Pilates
5-1 60 min. Aqua Fitness
5-4 30 min. biking
5-7 30 min. Walking
5-9 30 min. Walking
5-10 30 min. Biking
5-10 10 min. No Excuses Work Out (NEWO)

The Power of the Mind

I have run across many things this week that have to do with the power
of the mind. Experiments where a placebo has almost as big an effect as
the medication.

As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth,
so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind.
To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again.
To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over
the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.

- Henry David Thoreau

Winter Photos

This is a neat slide show from webshots.

Failure or Success at Home?

"No success can compensate for failure in the home"
~David O. MacKay

This is an appropriate quote to start my first post for 2008. This is my one and only New Year's Resolution - to improve our home life. This year I will continue to focus on restoring our marriage and making our home a haven for my family. 2007 was very difficult in many,many ways, but we are on our way to a healthier marriage and family for 2008. The Lord is truly faithful and can resurrect new life from any failure, disappointment or crisis.

"For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans for a hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11. This will be my verse for this year. I have to keep reminding myself that my life has a purpose and I have a reason for being. It is a God-given gift - not something I have earned or deserve. But it is a gift to be used as a blessing.

Our First Snow

Today I woke up to a beautiful blanket of white snow. I've been really running around lately trying to get things done, so I hadn't watched the weather - so....the white blanket was a big, WONDERFUL surprise. It made everything look so clean and fresh. It made me think of the way we all need a fresh clean start and that God, in his grace and mercy, gives us that opportunity with each new day. And boy did I need a new start today. The last week has been really difficult - and last night in particular was. I couldn't sleep, so stayed up till 2 a.m., which I knew I would pay for this morning. I have been in the doldrums for several days, wondering if life is really worth much and is anything that I do worth much. And so - the early morning SNOW - gave me the assurance that we can start again with each new day. We don't have to wait until Jan. 1st or some other monumental occasion. Just start with today. I have sort of unwittingly been fasting today. And I feel refreshed and renewed. Thank You Lord for your gift of snow and grace and mercy!

21 This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. 22 Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:21-36

The entrance

The entrance, originally uploaded by bitprocessor.

I love this photo - the black and white and the shimmering light off the cobblestones. Plus - a DOOR! Of course I am enamored with doors and entrances of all types. Great job!

Memories for Those Born in 1955

I was born in 1955, so I thought I would add a few memories here - an idea I got from one of the Yahoo Groups I am a member of:

One of my favorite toys was the hul-a-hoop.

The first Barbies came out in 1958 or 9 and I got my first one in 1959.

I remember being in 1st grade when JFK was assassinated. Everything stopped to watch the news.

When I learned to drive gas was 19 cents a gallon.

I remember phone party-lines where you could listen in on your neighbor's conversations!

The Monkees and Herman's Hermits were popular musicians when I was in Jr. High.

There were many corner stores that sold penny candy- things like wax lips, necco wafers, candy dos and more

Milk came in glass jugs

Disposable diapers were just about unheard of

Other popular toys- Tiny Tears, Chatty Cathy, Raggedy Ann, Radio Flyer wagons, metal skates with keys, tea sets, Easy Bake Ovens

In grade school we all learned the drill procedure in the event of an atomic bomb attack – duck under your desk and cover your head

Many places did not have an area code, and telephone numbers were often associated with names and letters .Stanley eight and so on

All phones were rotary dials will bells for ringers

Most children’s records were done on heavy vinyl and played at 78 rpm

No video recordings- cartoons waited till Saturday morning

No air popped popcorn- it was in a pot with oil or the new invention of Jiffy Pop.

View Masters were new toys and cool

Silly Putty was new and cool

Etch a Scetch was cool

There were pinball games but no video games

Microwaves were incredibly expensive and very few owned them. Same was true for air conditioners


Car seats were unheard of and most of us rode around in the back of the station wagon, free as a bird

Everyone played in the neighborhood- softball, kick-the-can and hide and seek were spontaneous events

real paper dolls

milk being delivered to door

Captain Kangaroo

black and white tvs, we got 3 channels

portable record players

stingray bikes

clackers

Cocoa cola came in glass bottles

drive in movies

Drive ins - they put the food tray on your car window

Completed "Things I Love" Art Page

Here are the instructions from Wrapped Emotions: http://wrappedemotions.blogspot.com/

With Thanksgiving being next week everyone begins to ask the traditional question..."For what are you thankful?" This week let's put a little twist on that thought.

What do you love today?

For this week's prompt you will need to set aside a small block of uninterrupted time. *gasp* You can do it. You need to do it. Allow whatever amount of time you think it will take to complete the project. Get any art supplies ready ahead of time. Open your art journal to a clean page, date it and begin listing the things you love today...or whatever day you do the project.

No typing on the computer and printing words. It should be done in your handwriting. Make it neat, make it sloppy, make it uniquely yours. Doodle the words, fine line print, bold line print, scribble. Write horizontally, diagonally, backwards, upside down. Give the page some color and pop...paint the page first...collage the page first...color the page with marker. Do not be limited by these suggestions. But WRITE the lists...no typing and printing. What is important is that you know what you love today.

One more twist...in a creative way include a wrapper from one of the things you love today (or the day you do this). Remember, if a week's project is not completed on an actual journal page, take the time to lovingly place each one into your art journal.

So...What do you love today?

Since it is hard to read what I wrote in gel pen, you can read the list here:
Things I love today are:
my husband, my children, my Lord, memories of butterfly kisses from my children, seeing my children succeed and enjoy life, my close friends. And for the more trivial - not necessarily "love" but like or enjoy extremely : watching the Hornblower movies on the pull-out couch with my family, long walks in the woods, long bike rides, good music - my son's music, my daughters' creations, getting compliments, being told that I am loved, hearing from my son, our property up North on Long Lake, being called "skinny", talking for hours with my good friend, drinking great coffee, looking at books, creating art, listening to my daughter play the piano, dreaming about the future, sunsets on Long Lake, autumn leaves crunching under my feet as I walk, one perfect, tiny crimson leaf lying amid thousands of dried up brown leaves, white birch bark among multiple dark tree trunks, shopping for cute clothes for myself for the first time in years, reading good books, altered anything! still!, going to the art fair and meeting the artists, hand-made, hand-embellished wool felted hats.........

The wrapper I chose is the cup wrapper from a couple of coffees enjoyed with friends - one from Starbucks and the other from Barnes and Noble. Barnes and Noble is a place I love to spend time because I can combine my love of looking at good books, drinking great coffee and spending time with friends or family. I simply scanned them in, along with the cover of a soap container (Mary Engelbright) given to me by my best friend.

The scanned Clinique wrapper represents my new interest in wearing make-up and trying to look my best. And the bicycle - well that is probably obvious.

I have recently lost over 40 pounds and hope to lose 20 more. All of this is part of my trying to re-frame my life. I am trying to re-discover the creative part of me. So finding this creative outlet with Wrapped Emotions seems to really fit. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Things I Love Today

This is the first post since a year ago - what have I been doing? Mostly trying to stay alive and re-frame my life into a new one. I had an earth-shattering experience last March that I won't go into here, but suffice it to say that my old world completely crumbled and I have been trying to find myself in this new world I call "life". It has been a long, difficult struggle and will probably continue to be so for some time. But the fact that I can at least write again suggests that I am starting to live in this new world instead of stand by and look at it.

Things I love today are:
my husband, my children, my Lord, memories of butterfly kisses from my children, seeing my children succeed and enjoy life, my close friends. And for the more trivial - not necessarily "love" but like or enjoy extremely : watching the Hornblower movies on the pull-out couch with my family, long walks in the woods, long bike rides, good music - my son's music, my daughters' creations, getting compliments, being told that I am loved, hearing from my son, our property up North on Long Lake, being called "skinny", talking for hours with my good friend, drinking great coffee, looking at books, creating art, listening to my daughter play the piano, dreaming about the future, sunsets on Long Lake, autumn leaves crunching under my feet as I walk, one perfect, tiny crimson leaf lying amid thousands of dried up brown leaves, white birch bark among multiple dark tree trunks, shopping for cute clothes for myself for the first time in years, reading good books, altered anything! still!, going to the art fair and meeting the artists, hand-made, hand-embellished wool felted hats........

That's it for tonight. I'll try to do art tomorrow.

Pumpkin Carving Extrordinaire

J and I went out to B's to carve pumpkins with her family and with the 2 Korean boys that she tutors in English. It was their first time to ever experience the American tradition of carving pumkins. I also picked up another youngster who is Chandler's age, and we stopped at the grocery store for goodies to share and pumpkins to carve. Actually, I was supposed to stop at a farmer's place on the way out there, but when the little guy caught sight of this very LARGE pumpkin, he just had to have it. And since his dad had given me $3 and it cost - you guessed it -$3 - I gladly took the opportunity to save myself a stop at the farmer's house. I just got one for Jess at the same time. The only problem was that my little charge couldn't CARRY his pumkin, so I had to carry TWO!

THE GIANT PUMPKIN!


















THE GANG CARVES PUMPKINS!

It was pretty funny watching them all get really grossed out by the pumpkin guts. They found out that it was a lot of work to clean those huge pumpkins out. And carving through the thick skins was more than a little difficult. They perservered, however.



Here is Harry pulling off the top to the sounds of "ooewe!!"











J & E were downstairs stenciling on theirs to make spiders and turkeys. Theirs turned out pretty neat.

DOORS

Doors are fascinating to me these days. Here is one off the internet - from France.... The next one is from Bay City. They seem to indicate portals which can take you wherever you want to go - seems that there must be something very interesting on the other side.

Jesus said in Luke 13:24, "Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able."

And also, in Matthew 7: 13-14 -
"Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. "



Jesus had a lot to say about doors. Probably the most important thing he said with regard to doors is found in John 10:9, "I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture."

As for me, I guess I am searching for which door I should choose. Not about my faith - that is firm and solid. However... while much of my life is pretty satisfying, there still seems to be a void - so... for today, the subject is DOORS.

THANKSGIVING 06

We had 13 in for Thanksgiving dinner, which included my mother-in-law and father-in-law, which is truly a blessing, since this time last year, we weren't sure how my mil would be doing, as her health has been in decline. We were very thankful to have her with us this year.






DOUG AND MAGGIE
AFTER DINNER CONVERSATION.......
Just what is it that makes jello not gel when it has fresh pineapple in it?? Let's check out the biology text....


Also, my son was home. This was a true blessing to me as well. I never get as much time with him as I would like, and it is always a joy to have him here.














RYAN WATCHING TV AFTER DINNER

He will be a Senior at school this next semester, and he will be out in the world before we know it. BTW, here is a link to the latest article about him at school.

MEET THE MUSICIAN:
http://www.hillsdale.edu/collegian06/default.asp?issue=110906§=arts&item=meet_the

Also, Ron's sister was here with her boyfriend and her two sons. We also hosted my friend and neighbor and her daughter. We had lots and lots of pies. It seems everyone this year wanted to make pies. We had 2 apple, 3 pumpkin, AND a pan of brownies - WOW!










JAN AND CRAIG










RON AND KIDS WALK OUT AT CITY FOREST















BOYS PLAYING FOOTBALL














And then there were the animals. Jan's dog, our dog, our cat and our 2 guinea pigs made for exciting times. I think all survived unscathed (although haven't checked the pigs cages lately : ).



RON, PHILIP AND FEZZIK



















JESS ON TOBOGGAN RUN AT CITY FOREST

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays, because it is truly a time to be with family and friends and appreciate all the blessings we have from our Heavenly Father. Even though we struggle often, there is always something to give thanks about. To have a healthy and safe holiday, with so many of us here to enjoy it, good food, good friends, family and a warm, comfortable home in which to enjoy it. Richness beyond what most in the world are able to have.

I am so thankful for our freedom to celebrate in peace here in this country and for the troops who are serving over seas. We just recently heard about a school (which we had supported being rebuilt about 2 years ago) had just been bombed by the Taliban in Afghanistan and most of the children and both teachers were killed. Just senseless! True proof that evil is rampant in our world and, as the Bible says, "Satan is prowling around seeking those whom he may devour." Our heart aches for the families of those innocent ones. I pray comfort for them during this difficult time.

PHOTOS BY KATY and ME!

Kate's Trio Qualifies for Nationals!

Katy's trio swam at the North Zone Regional Synchro competition in Chicago and they placed 3rd! So that means they qualified for nationals held in Seattle, Washington. Wow! That is awesome.

Mexico Mission Trip

We were able to go to Reynosa, Mexico, along with another family to help out in a children's home over Spring Break. It is the same place that Katy and Ryan had been (Ryan - 3 times) and so we felt it was a great opportunity for a family mission trip. We had never really been on a mission trip together, although Ryan couldn't go, since he was still away at school. I spent a lot of time fretting over what it would be like, since we didn't really have a good idea of what we would be doing. The men knew that they would be framing and drywalling, but we weren't sure what we ladies would be doing. I was also concerned that it would be too hot for me, since I have been having major hot flashes over the past few months (ain't 50 grand!) and that I wouldn't be able to hold up to hard work. Well, in the end, the Lord was gracious, providing wonderful weather and upholding me throughout the week. It was truly a great and rewarding experience. I am so glad that we were able to go.

FOUR

A list - A list - a good idea.

4 Jobs You Have Had

1. Homeschooling Mom - Current
2. Senior Research Chemist - The Dow Chemical Co.
3. Sales/Service Clerk for Sears - worked my way through school
4. Accounting Clerk - Texas Dept. of Health

4 Movies You Could Watch Over and Over

1. Pride and Prejudice - yes, the 5 hour version
2. Star Wars - the original
3. Finding Neverland
4. Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree - if you have to watch one over and over, this is it!

4 Places You Have Lived

1. McComb, MS
2. Austin, TX
3. Baton Rouge, LA
4. Newark, OH

4 TV Shows You Love to Watch

1. The Carol Duvall Show
2. DIY Scrapbooking
3. Decorating Cents
4. Andy of Maybury

4 Places You Have Been on Vacation

1. Hawaii
2. The Smoky Mountains
3. Destin, Florida
4. Cheboygan, MI

4 Websites You Visit Daily

1. None, really. Ideally, my email. But if I did --
2. Two Peas
3. My son's blog
4. My daughter's blog.

4 of Your Favorite Foods

1. Lobster (New England, only - and fresh!)
2. Stir Fry - my husband's recipe
3. Spaghetti - my son's specialty
4. Chinese - any kind - especially my Chinese teacher, Pat's

4 Places You'd Rather Be Right Now

1. In my dining room, scrapping or making altered art!
2. Visiting my Aunt Mary in Mississippi
3. At Barnes and Noble having coffee with a friend.
4. In Shanghai visiting my friend, Patty.

4 Bloggers You Are Tagging

None - no one reads my blog!

Christmas 2005

Christmas Morning and my three chicks are home safely in my nest. I don't think I will ever feel totally at ease when they are scattered about the world doing their own things. Even though I know intellectually that it is time for them to start spreading their wings and flying, I still feel most comfortable inside when they are under my roof.

Ryan is home for a few weeks from Hillsdale College where he is majoring in English. He has always had a passion for words - being a very verbal child right from the start. His real and most driving passion is his music. He has become quite an accomplished guitar player and song writer. I am constantly amazed at how good he sounds and how good the songs are that he writes. So he will be knocking around here until mid-January.

Kate is taking a break from gymnastics since she hurt her shoulder. She is wrestling with whether she wants to quit altogether at this point. She doesn't have that many more months left, and it seems like this might be a good time to just move on. I am not opposed to it, since I only have her home for one more year. She will be a senior next year. And she still has syncro.

Jess is just busy being 11 - preteen through and through. She thrives on her friendships, pets and activities - both gymnastics, synchronized swimming and piano.

We had a very nice Christmas this year. We started off with the proverbial "bang" with a visit from our friends from Shanghai. They moved away last Christmas and we got to spend a couple of fast and furious days with them here. We had a little welcome home gathering here that was a lot of fun. Everyone enjoyed being together and catching up. It was hard for me to grasp that they would be leaving again so soon. Patty and I got to go to coffee at our old haunt, Barnes and Noble, and talk about just "stuff". It was like they had never left. I really look forward to them returning in 2 more years!

Next, we had our Christmas here and we got up around 8 a.m. and opened gifts for a while. Then we all loaded up and went to church. In some ways I was sort of dreading having to go out and interrupt our family time, but in the end, it was really great. It was very worshipful being in church and seemed actually more like a real Christmas. Billy preached a great sermon on 9 non-returnable gifts using CRISTMAS as an acrostic. Then Ben showed a slide presentation of the orphans in Mexico opening the gifts that we sent them. That was really touching to see. Just singing the old carols and being with close friends worshipping was really uplifting.

Later on, after church, all of us pitched in together for a cooperative effort to make Christmas dinner. Ron had already spent much of Saturday cooking pumpkin pies, Christmas fruit cookies, Sweet Potato Pudding and Congealed Salad, as is becoming his tradition. So on Christmas Day all we needed to do was to cook the turkey, stuffing, beans, mashed potatoes and rolls. I acutally successfully stuffed my first turkey. It turned out quite delicious, which was a relief, since the one I cooked at Thanksgiving was less than desirable. All these years, either my mom and dad or Ron's mom had made the turkey. So I wasn't sure how it would turn out. But I was determined to try to succeed, since we all love turkey. In the end, all turned out great. It was one of our better Christmas dinners.

Ron's parents came over for the evening, and we all had a really nice time. Ron's p's gave him a really nice GPS system to use on the boat, although it is a hand held and can be used for other things as well. I think they really enjoyed the dinner, too.

Key gifts this year were: Ryan's banjo, Katy's coat and ski pants, Jess' Harry Potter movies, Ron's snow shovel (LOL) and my Altered Journal Book. There were lots of other great things, but we will limit the list to the above for now. The best gift of all was just being together as a family and celebrating the birth of Christ and our salvation in Him.

An Authentic Thanksgiving

Jessica as Mary Brewster in the children's 1st Thanksgiving skit.

Alex and Ethan out by the fire at Indian Camp.

Ron and Chandler - our two Indians.

Sue teaching our younger Pilgrims how to make butter from cream - it really works!

Our Thanksgiving table with a shell of salt and a shell with five kernels of corn.

And some of the pilgrims.



















We had a truly authentic Thanksgiving out at my friend Brenda's house. It was really awesome. We started out at the Indian Camp outside, which Stacey had set up with a teepee, cooking fire, bow and arrows, duck and squirrel cooking on a spit over the fire - after skinning the squirrel first. Everyone was to come either as a Pilgrim or an Indian. I spent lots of hours making our costumes and they turned out alright. Ron's Indian costume was only a 30 minute job - can you tell? He and Chandler were our only Indians though. It was a beautiful day - not too hot, not too cold. It was pretty nifty watching Stacey skin the squirrel. Some thought it was really disgusting and others thought it was pretty cool. Brenda commented that had she lived back then, she would have probably died of starvation! As for me, it was really no big deal, as my Dad gave me my 1st squirrel gun when I was only 10. (I still remember going hunting with him and being totally overwhelmed by the kick of that 410 shotgun. I never actually hit anything. But growing up in rural Mississippi, I experienced lots of hunting, fishing and eating "game". My Uncle Jack was a prolific hunter and fisherman, bringing home lots of dove, quail, deer, and lots of trout. Daddy never really got a lot of chances to go hunting. But he did pass his hunting and fishing bug on to my little brother, Michael.)
After our time out at the Indian camp, we went inside to an authentic Thanksgiving meal using authentic recipes - at least as close as we could come. We researched the recipes and each family prepared some of the dishes. Our menu was as follows:
Roast turkey (of course), venison stew, roast duck and squirrel.
Smoked oysters, pickled eel and baked mussels.
Stewed pumpkin, sweet potato pudding, hominy, boiled onions, and succotash.
Cornbread - but not like what we eat today. You boil the cornmeal first, then mix in whole
wheat flour, then dip out onto a cooking sheet like biscuits and then bake.
Regular yeast bread - homemade by Sue - ymmm.
Butter, made by shaking cream in a jar.
Surprisingly, most everything was pretty good. No one went hungry. I liked everything except the hominy. Nothing was really sweet. Back in those days, sweetener of any sort was scarce. Before we ate, we each took our 5 kernels of corn and shared what we were thankful for. In the end, the little pile of kernels represented our blessings.
After the meal, we sang some scripture songs, and then the TT's put on a play about the original Pilgrims and the signing of the Mayflower Compact. It was quite good. It was a little comical to see "Bogey", the pet dog, wandering in and out of the play. I guess they had pets back then! All in all, it was a really good time with good friends, good food and lots of laughter. It really causes you to stop and thank God for your blessings. My bowl of kernels runneth over.