Ikeyness + the weekend + other stuff, also

1. I heard from Miss Jana and they're ok in Baton Rouge.

2. I think we got more weather off of Ike than my parents did in Austin, unfortunately. After multiple days at 100+ degrees, they were hoping for rain and it didn't come. In fact, Ginny rescheduled Bailey's birthday party for nothing! In our yard, however, trees were downed with high Ike winds.

3. Galveston and that section of the Texas coast looks awful! It's heartbreaking.

4. Houston also looks terrible and also FEMA isn't all that.

5. This weekend we organized stuff in our bedroom and the little girls' bedroom and I cooked a lot--Greek food (tiropeta, chicken, green beans, potatoes, salad) and a black plum upside down cake.

6. After church I was holding our friend, C.'s baby, and the baby started to cry and I got her to stop. I still got it! Babies love me!!

7. I seriously *Loved* this essay by Bret Anthony Johnston about memories of hurricane parties.


8. My home town showed up in Money Magazine in a list of "6 Terrific Towns on the Water" to retire to. I beg to differ with the "terrific town" part of that, as do I guess my parents who moved to Austin to retire, but the photo they ran with the article was a really bad one. Marble Falls is really beautiful and the photo doesn't do it justice.

9. The economy is sucking, but it is *so* fun to talk to Jamie about it. I want to take some classes now.

10. America's team won last night, y'all!

11. My sister, Amy, had a deep fried twinkie at the LA county fair and reports it was tasty! I could have sworn that deep fried twinkies were discussed over at Ennui Central but I can't find it.

12. I had to wear a hard hat at a construction zone today and I got serious hat hair from it.

13. Jamie's currently reading The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky and I'm reading Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks which I highly recommend. So good!!

14. Sounds like Jordan had a really fun day at school after the testing was over.

15. We're having cheese enchiladas for dinner tonight made with Rob Walsh's chili gravy recipe I found on the Homestick Texan Blog, with homemade salsa and guacamole. Because I have to make my own mexican food here!!!