Gilbert Grape

Posted on December 30, 2007 by vanderbiltwife

I am watching the movie What’s Eating Gilbert Grape right now. I’ve had it from Netflix for about three weeks and I was bound and determined to watch it. Even after the DVD kind of messed up when I tried to watch it when we were babysitting last week. Why?

Some of my most vivid memories are of when I was not true to myself. Is that the same for everyone? I was in seventh grade math class. The girl who sat in front of me quoted something from this movie and laughed like it was hysterical. She said something like, “You know, Gilbert Grape?” And I said yes. And laughed. Even though I had never seen it.

It still kind of disgusts me that I would do something like that, something so little and insignificant. So what if I hadn’t seen the movie? But in seventh grade it somehow mattered. Seventh grade sucked by the way. I can’t even go into the bitterness that developed in my soul that year. I think, oh, 78% of my self-esteem issues come from middle school. But anyway, that’s what Gilbert Grape makes me think of. And now I am going to finally watch it, 13 years later, and move on.

Edited to add: I wouldn’t have been allowed to see this anyway because it was PG-13, and I was allowed to see maybe two PG-13 movies before I turned 13.

Why I Hate Bowling

Posted on December 27, 2007 by vanderbiltwife

OK, I don’t really hate bowling at all. Usually I like it. Just like I love to play games. The problem is, I am the sorest sore loser in the world.

Today I went bowling with my in-laws, husband, sister-in-law, and her boyfriend. Usually I bowl around 80-100. Today my highest score was 68. I was pathetic. I think I marked once in two games. It is just so frustrating to me. I don’t care that much whether I win, but when I make an idiot of myself it makes me upset. And there was no reason for it either, I just couldn’t get into a stride and got several frames of 1. UGH.

I also adore playing games, and we play a lot when I here at the in-laws. And I lose. Almost without fail. At every game. Mr. V always says he is so competitive because his mom never let him win anything. Well, apparently it’s a family trait. And I don’t mind a little competition, but occasionally I do get tired of losing. I just don’t know how I always manage to lose everything.

I don’t have a very analytical brain is the best reason I can come up with. I can’t play any game where you have to count cards or tricks or remember what someone else did. Yes, I am really that dumb. I am so right-brained it’s ridiculous. And when it’s just Mr. V being left-brained it’s not so bad, but there’s a whole family of Mr. Vs being smarter than me. Help!

I was hoping writing this would make me less depressed about my suckiness. But it hasn’t, really. Oh well.

Farewell for now. Hope you are enjoying your Christmas goodies! I am very excited about my loot! At home, from Mr. V, I got some nonstick skillets, a game, a coat, a sugar bowl and creamer for our china, an immersion blender, and a nice knife. I got all sorts of fun things from all the parents and my sisters…can’t wait to get home and plant my herbs, watch new DVDs, wear my new jacket to work, and take a bubble bath while reading Southern Living. And my sister got a me a gorgeous new outfit for work that I can wear with the beautiful necklace my sister-in-law gave me and the new make-up from the in-laws! Sorry, just had to brag on them a little and remember happy stuff!

My Favorite Obscure Christmas Movies

Posted on December 25, 2007 by vanderbiltwife

1. Christmas Every Day

Erik Von Detten (The Princess Diaries) made this movie when he was 14 in 1996…which happens to be the same age I was in 1996! It was a made-for-TV movie made in Richmond, VA, where I grew up. Erik’s character’s little brother wishes for it to be Christmas every day…and so in Groundhog Day-fashion, they repeat the holiday over and over until they get it right! Mostly I think I liked it cause it was in Richmond and because Erik was sooooo cute.

2. The Christmas Toy

My sister and I watched this movie every single year off a taped cassette. It’s about a room of toys that come alive when the humans are away. It’s Christmas Eve, and Rugby the Tiger is trying to figure out how he will be Jaime’s present again this year. Sadly, our VHS died this year and my sister had a mental breakdown. Apparently it now sells for like $85 on eBay. A VHS!! We were also fond of the 1986 “Celebrate the season with Kraft” commercials on our tape.

3. A Muppet Family Christmas

All of the Muppets and the entire cast of Sesame Street have Christmas together at Fozzie’s mom’s house. The Swedish chef tries to cook Big Bird. Miss Piggy can’t get home from shopping because it’s snowing. Classic. Oh, and they go to Fraggle Rock.

Merry Christmas!

If you give a girl a cookie…

Posted on December 21, 2007 by vanderbiltwife

If you give a Jessie a cookie…

(Especially after she’s had broth soup for dinner)

…she will probably want a cup of tea.

And after she has the tea….she will probably want to lay on the couch and play online for hours on end.

And since she’s been laying on the couch for hours, she will not want to go to bed.

If she doesn’t want to go to bed … she will want to eat again. And she will pronounce it so, loudly, so her husband, Mr. Vanderbilt.

And then she will come up with the brilliant idea to make potato skins. At 9:45 at night.

An hour later, she will regret this decision. But will be able to devour a yummy, gooey, fattening snack that she will devour in .0758795 seconds.

The moral of the story is: If you get the urge to make potato skins at 9:45 at night, just ignore it and go to bed. You will be less fat in the morning.

Dreaming

Posted on December 20, 2007 by vanderbiltwife

My husband swears that he has never remembered a dream. Are any of you like that? I can’t imagine that being the case. I tend to go through periods where I dream insanely, and then periods where I can’t remember anything at all. Last night’s dream I don’t remember specifically, but it was strange. I’ve never really had recurrent dreams like some people. But man, I have had some bizarre things running through my head. I’ve always thought my imagination was way too vivid for my own good.

I was very pleased to find out from the link above that many other people have had this dream: I was back in college and apparently forgot to go to class all semester, but then I had to take the final exam. That really freaked me out. I feel like this is kind of recurrent for me, mostly that I can’t figure out why I haven’t gone to class, since I was always a pretty good and responsible student. It’s never the same class or the same images, but the feeling is one I think keeps returning in a dream.

Back in the Hanson days I had a few dreams involving them, and that was always a treat. Around the same time, I was totally stuck on this guy in my youth group. He was totally the “it” guy. (I was watching our youth choir this Sunday and trying to figure out who the “it” guy is in our church youth group. Isn’t there always one?) I remember having a very vivid dream where we went out for coffee and he was all romantic and sweet and when I woke up I had that moment where I thought it was real. When I remembered it was a dream, I think I may have cried.

My sister would never let me forget it if I didn’t share my most insane dream story, however. She won’t let me forget it anyway, because she thinks it’s the funniest story in the world. Except for the time I told her to lock the doors to the car because there were signs up that said “Surveying.” And I thought someone was going to stop us and give us a survey. Stop laughing!

The summer after my freshman year in college I was a summer missionary. I worked at a youth mission camp as a counselor/worship leader/slave with three other girls. It was the best summer ever, but we slept at most from midnight to five during camp weeks. It was grueling! So at some point in this summer, I was at home and took a nap on the couch. And I had this dream.

I dreamt I was in a very old house and I was babysitting. For a whole slue of children. And all of the children looked like little round heads with triangle bodies, like bad drawings of a swaddled baby. (Recalling this dream, I always called them the “pea-sized children.”) While I was trying to baby-sit, I kept getting e-mails from the mother of these children, who was upstairs and was a known crazy lady. I think she was a painter and was supposed to be working. Well, I got to the point where she started to worry me, but I didn’t know what to do with the masses of children. So I lined them all up on the street, laying down. Then I ran upstairs, worried about the mother. And there she had killed herself, next to a painting of the Virgin Mary.

That’s when I woke up. And I was really, really scared. According to my sister, Ashley, I rushed into the room where she was and started asking, “Where’s Mom? Where’s Mom?” She said my eyes were as big as saucers. And I started going on about the pea-sized children.

Mom was at work, she told me. So I went and laid back down. And have never lived it down.

So what’s your wackiest dream?

Tour of Homes

Posted on December 17, 2007 by vanderbiltwife

So it seems I am posting more and more to this blog lately. I promise, I do have a life. I think there are two main reasons:

1. Mr. V hasn’t been home much lately so I have free reign of the computer; and

2. It has been brought to my attention a few people are actually reading this. So it seems I have succeeded in my lifelong dream of convincing others my life, or at least my random thoughts, are interesting.

I’ve also become obsessed with ohamanda‘s blog, in case you haven’t noticed. I want to be like her when I grow up.

So, because of that, while I am waiting for my Baked Cod Casserole to cook (that I am not going to eat tonight, but Adam is–I am going out with the girls. See I have a life!!), I thought I’d add myself to boomama’s tour of homes and let you see my Christmasy decorations.

Here we have a rather poor picture of the Christmas tree in our small living room. We had to put our chair in the kitchen to make room for the tree:

Pretty decorations on the entertainment center. We got the little nativity there in the gift shop of our resort in Mexico on our honeymoon. While the taxi was waiting to take us the airport. Because we were too busy vomiting to go into Cancun to shop:

Here’s the china cabinet with my grandmother’s Christmas china, and our “real” nativity on top:

An artsy picture of the coffee table decorations:

Here’s some pretty garland I bought this year for the kitchen. Except I bought half with “snow” and half without. Ask Ashley, I was both sick as a dog and trying to talk on the phone when I was shopping for it. Oops:

The sole decorated space upstairs. This little nook is at the top of the stairs. Usually I attempt to decorate the guest bedroom a little but our normal Christmastime guest isn’t coming this year, so why bother? Yes, we still have our stockings from when we were kids. At least mine isn’t as dorky as Mr. V’s. Teeheehee. I think we decided we don’t have to be grown-ups until we have kids.

I guess I didn’t take pictures of the table this year since it looks just like it did last year. Hmm, well, I just looked at last year’s picture. And it’s kind of sad and lonely. So yes, the table looks better, mainly because we painted the kitchen since then.

Anyway, off to finish my cod and go eat me some dinner and gab with the ladies.

God is love

Posted on December 17, 2007 by vanderbiltwife

The Bible is amazing by itself. It is complete. But there is so much, I think, that we don’t “get” in the modern day because we don’t have the cultural knowledge the first-century Christians did when they saw those inspired words. We can be inspired by the Holy Spirit to understand things way beyond our ability, but there are still certain aspects that only a history lesson can bring to light.

I remember hearing a preacher speak last year on the symbolism of the gifts the magi brought for baby Jesus. Myrrh was used at that time to prepare a body for burial. Now really. What would possess a person–a WISE man at that–to bring that sort of thing to a baby, but the divine leading of God?

I read today on a blog something else that made me cry at the beauty of God’s plan. It was something from a book by Brock and Bodie Thoene, and the question was: Why was Jesus born in Bethlehem? The answer: Bethlehem was where they raised the lambs that would be sacrificed in the temple at the brazen altar. The blood sacrifices for the sin of the people.

Wow.

God is really, really cool.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie Recipe

Posted on December 17, 2007 by vanderbiltwife

When I got home from our choir concert tonight I was feeling a little blue. I think the beginning of December Christmas elation has worn off. I am ready to get to PA and see all the fam and actually do the celebrating. This week is the in-between. Hardly anyone is at work, everyone else has more vacation time. No parties. No church. Nothing until we leave next Sunday.

So instead of doing something useful, I wanted to bake. And I remembered this wonderful oatmeal-chocolate chip cookie recipe I used last year. YES!

It is from The Ultimate Chocolate Cookie Book. I have baked from this with great success–but always laughing, because it has the most pretentiously detailed recipes I’ve ever seen.

One reason I love the recipe is because it says to put two cookie sheets in the oven at the same time! Brilliant! OK, so I could probably always do this, but I don’t ever think of it, so I am very grateful to Bruce and Mike (authors) for that help.

It also happens to be one of Mr. V’s favorite kinds of cookies, and maybe he will forgive me for eating the Subway cookies he left in my purse if I feed him them and send the rest off to school with him tomorrow!! Shh, he hasn’t remembered yet.

So, without further ado, here is the recipe. I’ve deleted some of their superfluous instructions because I don’t want to be here all night!

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

from The Ultimate Chocolate Cookie Book
Makes about 4 dozen

2 1/4 cups rolled oats (not quick-cooking)
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
8 T (1 stick) cool, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, plus additional for greasing baking sheets
1/2 c solid vegetable shortening (4 oz.)
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature (HA! Yeah, maybe it would be at room temperature if I ever thought about cooking in advance)
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips (I used 1 c. mini chocolate chips and 1 c. semisweet baking chocolate I cut into chunks, because that is what I had on hand)

Position the racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven; preheat the oven to 375 F. Lightly butter two large baking sheets; set aside. Whisk the oats, flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl until well combined; set aside.
Beat the butter and shortening in a large bowl, using an electric mixer at medium speed, until softened and somewhat creamy, about 1 minute. Add both sugars and continue beating until airy, pale yellowy-brown, but still a little grainy, about 2 minutes (see what I mean?!). Beat in the egg and vanilla all at once.
Turn the mixer off, pour in the oat and flour mixture, then beat at a very low speed until just incorporated. The dough should be cohesive but crumbly. Stir in the chocolate chips with a wooden spoon or spatula until distributed throughout.
Roll the dough into balls about the size of a walnut and place on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1 1/2 inches apart. Flatten the balls slightly with the back of a spoon–don’t make an indentation or let the sides crack; rather, gently push down just to take the roundness of the tops.
Bake for 8 minutes, then rotate the sheets back to front and top to bottom. Continue baking for about 8 more minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned but still soft to the touch. Cool for 3 minutes on the sheets, then transfer the cookies to wire racks and cool completely. Cool the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then butter theme again to make additional batches.

There you have it, the most detailed cookie recipe you never knew you wanted.

But it does make a delicious cookie.

Some of these are a little more done than I would have liked. Maybe I did not rotate the sheets well enough or should cook them for 7.34 minutes each time instead of 8.

My Favorite Christmas Memory

Posted on December 16, 2007 by vanderbiltwife

When I woke up on Christmas Eve 1998, there was no power. When I looked out my window to the back yard of our home in Richmond, VA, everything was crystal. We had the biggest ice storm I’d ever seen. I was 16.

My main concern was that the dogwood tree in our back yard would snap in half. I loved that tree for some reason, loved seeing it outside my window every morning during every season. My parents’ main concern was that we didn’t have power and would freeze to death! We always spent Christmas at home–just my parents, my younger sister, and me–so thankfully we didn’t have to cancel travel or anything. They did cancel the Christmas Eve service at church, which did away with our annual Christmas Eve dinner with a few family friends, sadly.

We sat around and played board games in the family room with a fire going for a few hours, and then our power came back on. We always joked that someone important from the power company lived on our line, because neighbors would be out for days while ours always came right back on. Little did we know good family friends were without power for almost a week while we merrily scampered around the house, “iced” in.

My family was very heavy on Christmas traditions, and we don’t give them up easily. So Ashley and I decided we needed to still have our Christmas Eve service. We sang the song our youth choir was supposed to have sang that night, we read the Christmas story in the Bible, and all four of us lit candles, went onto the porch, and sang “Silent Night.” I specifically remember having a special Christmas Eve dinner. I think we had Cornish game hens, which is what Mom cooked for Dad their first Christmas Eve together. (I am not sure how this happened since I don’t think we could get to the store! Maybe it was what we were supposed to have the next day.)

I have nothing but amazing Christmas memories from growing up (except from the years we went somewhere else, like Grandma and Grandpa’s–they hate Christmas–and Disney World, where Ashley and Dad fought the whole time). My parents did a remarkable job of spoiling us rotten while keeping it in our minds that it was about the Christ child. This is my fourth Christmas away from home and I still ache to be with Mom, Dad, and Ash, going through all our Christmasy rituals and going to eat Chinese food with the friends on Christmas Eve. Maybe sometime I will get used to be grown up. But not yet.

PINK

Posted on December 13, 2007 by vanderbiltwife

You know how some people are impossible to buy for (MEN) and some people are just so easy you have to make yourself stop buying? My sister is one of those just-too-easy people. I guess we know each other very well–like, our whole lives–and the fact that I adore her to pieces just makes it hard to stop buying!! My best friend has an older sister who is a lawyer in Boston and her sister spoils her insanely. They frequently take vacations to the Bahamas that her sister pays for entirely. I wish I had the kind of job where I could do that for my baby sis! (Who is almost 23…not such a baby!)

Ohamanda posted this challenge to create the ultimate gift basket, real or imaginary. So Ashley, if I could buy you a wonderful, themed gift this Christmas, this would be it. I call it “Girl Power.”

Have I mentioned the child loves pink? She is the girliest girl in the world. So first it would have to go under a pink Christmas tree just like mine:

I got mine at Big Lots for $18.

In good girly-girl fashion, she loves to drink tea. These blooming teas from Teaposy are so, so cool. Bed Bath and Beyond sells these for $18 :

And I love this velvet manicure lapdesk…in pink, of course, and monogrammed with “A.” It’s from Pottery Barn Teen…and sadly it seems to be discontinued!! Oh no! Well, since this is a fantasy we’ll just ignore that problem:

How funny is this chair shaped like a high heel? It’s $149 at highheelshoestore.

This adorable vintage bathing suit:

Would be perfect for a trip to here. I think we could have a pretty rocking time here for about $5000:

And she might need this dress to go out dancing in:

And you know, to top it all off, I’d put the keys to this inside a small box wrapped in 5 other bigger boxes.

Unfortunately, I found this bit of info:

An interesting thing about the Mary Kay pink: Regular customers cannot buy a pink Cadillac from GM, nor have one painted by a GM dealer. It is an exclusive shade owned by the cosmetics company.

Hmmm…guess I will have to check out eBay!

And I think if I could figure out a way to get her a date with:

I would be her hero. (Our Dad would love the tattoos…LOL. I don’t think Johnny here is a “college boy,” which is Daddy’s requirement for a man to be marriage material.)