.. or a meme and how it relates to the sniffles?

Nan tagged me for a meme over the weekend, but while I expected to complete it earlier this week, I was hit hard with some sort of viral nastiness. So, since my week thus far as been nothing but viral nastiness, I bring you my meme..

Write your own six word memoir. Post it on your blog, including an illustration if you’d like. Link to the person that tagged you in your post and to the original post if possible so that it can be tracked as it travels across the blogosphere. Tag at least five more blogs with links. Leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play!

• Nyquil
• Sniffling - Sneezing
• coughing - Aching
• Stuffyhead - Fever
• So You Can Rest - or not.

So now I'm tagging, hmm.. Cass, Loren, Beth, Daisy, and KaKi. And yes I know I cheated.. I used way more than six words.

If I weren't so sick this week, perhaps my meme would look different. But being this sick has its benefits. I'm nearly finished with a pair of socks that I started to knit on the way to PA on Saturday. And I finished The Kite Runner (not as good as A Thousand Splendid Suns, but only slightly so).

I know lots of family have been visiting hoping for our pictures of Grammy's 80th birthday party from last weekend, but I haven't gotten around to downsizing them from their original 20+meg size yet. Viral nastiness leaves little patience/energy for sitting at a computer futzing in Photoshop. But I am hoping that Richard will set aside some time before the weekend to show me how to do them as a batch.. all 150 of them so I can upload them to Flickr. I even have some video - my favorite is Danny and Jay playing Guitar Hero (who knew Danny could rock like that?) But the funniest one is the one where I zoom in on the "meter" and watch it quickly plunge to red while they try to do Slayer on "easy mode" - it was hilarious! For an idea of how hard this song is, here is a video of someone playing it on expert mode (omg!) And by the way, I must buy Guitar Hero, as soon as financially possible - I'm addicted.

Picture taken at 7AM this morning, of my dining room window. As always, click for big.

It's c-c-cold.
Brrrrrrr.
I wish I had fur.
I wish I was a bear with furry furry hair.
It's cold...It's c-c-cold.

~ Barney The Dinosaur

Carla = Bad Blogger. You know its bad when you're actually expecting that phone call when it comes (thanks Janet!) There are no real reasons however, for my little hiatus. Sure I've been sick (again), but there is also this little thing going on called the democratic primary (maybe you've heard of it?) in which I'm ever so slightly obsessed. Polls, pundits, blogs... goodness, I wish it were November already. I'm dreadfully behind in personal emails, responding to blog comments, and my bloglines "need to read" list is at a record high.

Today school was canceled, surely because of the sub zero wind chill, so I'm off to coerce the tribe into stepping away from the XBox, to watch a movie with me.

I think I have them. I haven't been able to really concentrate on a project for several days now. I've started and ripped three socks. Started and ripped two hats and a scarf. I've even tried to spin, thinking that would be the creative cure, but it just didn't hit the spot. Bleh.. I hate this time of year. It even affects my blogging.

I did manage to finish something. That something red I was knitting last week? It was a secret Gretel for Kris since she asked for one. Connor and I had a little photo shoot before I shipped it off, but I only managed to get decent shots with the flash on...

I don't usually like using the flash, but the rest of the pictures from our "shoot" came out like this...

I haven't even cooked anything interesting this past week. This is a serious case of the blahs.

The kids have a snow day today and the endless fighting and yelling has been non stop. I need chocolate, some calgon and earplugs, STAT!

I'm not a big fan of Bo, but Joan Osborne.. Thats a different story..

Posting from Jill's house today. But we'll be traveling back home shortly, to get ready for the Llamies arrival. We plan to bring in the new year with style.

Daisy had a great post yesterday about the feast of St Stephen.. a very interesting read. But it also included an oooooold vid of St Stephen from youtube. Old, but oh so good. I turned it up and twirled all the way to the coffee maker for a refill.

And if religious debate is your thing, there is a good one in the comments.

Benazir Bhutto was assassinated this morning. This is sad. And scary. I can't organize my thoughts on this.

I finished a sock last night. More on that later if the natural light improves.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Loren tagged me for this meme.. simply show your desktop. Its a mess huh? Unlike Loren, who cleaned hers up first.. I just went ahead and grabbed mine. I got my wallpaper from helloyarn.com (just in case you'd like your very own colorful and fibery desktop!) Now.. who will I tag? Hmm... Nan, Kelly, Nancy, and Lisa (who is trying to blog more, so here is an excuse to blog Lisa!)

A few days ago I was talking on my September 98 Moms list that I would likely mix up a batch of banana bread since we had some ripening bananas that no one wanted. Fellow list member, and friend, Lisa, passed on this recipe to try instead.

I whipped these up quickly (literally, under 10 minutes!) and they were fresh out of the oven when the kids got off the bus this afternoon. My four, and two neighborhood friends all gave them a big thumbs up!

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

2 extra ripe, medium bananas, peeled
2 eggs
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup margarine, melted
1 cup chocolate chips*
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

Puree bananas in blender. (Note: I just mash mine with a fork.) In
medium bowl, combine bananas, eggs, sugar and margarine until well
blended. Stir in chocolate chips and vanilla. In large bowl, combine
flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Stir banana mixture into
flour mixture until evenly moistened. Spoon batter into well greased
muffin pan. Bake at 350 degrees 25 - 30 minutes or until wooden pick
inserted in center comes out clean. Makes 12 muffins.

*original recipe called for blueberries

The only thing I may change the next time I make these, is to use slightly less chocolate chips, or maybe add some nuts to the batter. Additionally, I used butter instead of margarine, and I don't think it made a difference.

Also, Lisa reports that the original recipe can be credited to Great American Favorite Brand Name Cookbook