Popcorn Popping

Being the mother I am, I decided to do something traditional and memorable for Halloween. I decided we would make popcorn balls-real, old fashioned, homemade popcorn balls. No microwave popcorn, no air popped popcorn, we would use real pan popped popcorn. Sorry - I don't have a wood burning stove or an open fire to do it truly the traditional way. But...I pulled out an old saucepan with a slightly wobbly handle and a secure lid. I also grabbed my trusty screwdriver. I tightened up the handle and rallied my forces, William and Rebekah. We heated our oil, patiently waited until the single kernel popped then we went wild shaking and popping our corn. We'd almost filled my biggest bowl . We were on our last batch of popcorn when calamity struck. Rebekah was at the helm. She'd perfected her technique and she was looking fine when she let out a small shriek. I was busy putting together the ingredients for the syrup but I looked over to see the handle from the pan lid in her hand the lid still on the pan. The popcorn was just beginning to pop like crazy. I grabbed a hot pad rushed in to save the day. I slapped the hot pad on top of the lid and grasp the pan handle only to have it come completely off in my hand. I let out a shriek. By then the popcorn was pushing the lid off the pan! Fortunately another hot pad was handy and I pulled the pan and popping corn off the heat where it continued to push the lid up and popcorn began to hop out onto the stove top and counter. William, Rebekah, and I looked at each other and started to laugh. We laughed until our sides hurt and everyone else in the house had come running to see what was going on. After all the excitement we decided to just pour the hot syrup over the popcorn in a cookie sheet - we will have popcorn bars instead of balls! But William and Bekah will always remember our popping experience. Happy Halloween!

I sat down last night and composed a lyrical, insightful, and thought provoking entry and then sent it off to blog oblivion - in other words it is not wandering in cyberspace. So I will try again.
I can tell that it is autumn time because of the stack of pre-Christmas catalogs I am getting in the mail. Isn't it interesting how you can think you desperately need something that you didn't even know existed until you saw it in full color in a slick catalog. I find myself wanting toys for my children - toys that they have outgrown years ago.
I am half in love with placemats from Sweden that are so expensive that I could probably fly to Stockholm and have some custom-made for less than I would spend if I ordered them from my very lovely catalog. I've already gained two pounds of pre-holiday weight drooling over my Sees' and Swiss Colony catalogs. We won't even talk about the Meduri catalog - and as a rule I don't even like dried fruit! The clothes catalogs haven't even arrived yet. Life was easier when the only catalog that tempted me was the old Sears Christmas Wishbook.

I will try to think about other things like Stephen's mission call that should arrive in less than 10 days and the fact that David will be home in less than five weeks! Then Christmas will creep up on me and it will be too late to order from catalogs and I will have to do all my shopping at Wally's World.

I am home this evening after spending the last two days being spiritually fed.
One special thought lingers with me....

I have wept in the night
for the shortness of sight
that to somebody's need made me blind;
But I never have yet
felt a tinge of regret for being
a little too kind.
(Author Unknown)

So I am going to "go and do something today". Please feel free to share what you have done for someone else today! Right now I have a little daughter who would like a lap to snuggle on - I'm happy to oblige.