From the files at Ten on Tuesday...

1. turkey (Dark meat, please.)
2. ham
3. dressing (Ginny's cornbread dressing seasoned with sage. Mmmmmm....)
4. sweet potato casserole (With a pecan and brown sugar topping!)
5. cranberry sauce
6. cheese straws
7. pecan pie
8. broccoli rice casserole
9. sweet potato pie with whipped topping
10. LEFTOVERS!!!!!!

I guess it's time to start exercising again.

Speaking of food, I found a recipe for an excellent - and easy - apple crisp the other day. Caleb had a math project where we taste tested red, yellow, and green apples to see which one we liked best. Caleb and I like red apples better; Jacob and Billy prefer green. (No one we've polled so far likes yellow apples.) With all the apples around, I decided it would be nice to make an apple dessert. I started to make Apple Bundles, but the recipe calls for orange juice. I wasn't sure how that would taste, and I didn't have any on hand anyway. I jumped online and searched for apple crisp on All Recipes (one of my favorite go-to places for new recipes) and found one that looked quick and delicious. I was not disappointed! Caleb loved it! Jacob wouldn't try it. (Of course Billy and I liked it.) I even had enough topping left over for a smaller one, which I think I'll make next week some time.

I made Baked Potato Soup last night and it was great! Jacob ate two servings and wanted more. He even wanted some Tony's sprinkled in his to spice it up a bit. Caleb liked his, too, but I think he preferred the Asiago Cheese Bread we picked up at Panera earlier in the day. Plus, I think he was holding out for some leftover apple crisp.

My cousin Josh and a guy he works with are coming to Dallas next week for training, and I've invited them over for dinner one night. I guess I need to talk to him soon and find out the details so we can make definite plans. I have a few ideas...

It's time again to participate in another Friday's Feast...

Appetizer
Create a new candle scent. - Billy came up with a few "guy" candle scents a while back: New Car Smell and Leather. There are so many scents out there right now that I can't imagine a new one. Maybe Baby Powder or Newborn? How about Sweet Potato Pie? Or Turkey and Dressing? (I'm a Southern girl and we don't do stuffing...) I know - Roasted Garlic!

Soup
Name one way you show affection to others. - This reminds me of a book I read a while back. The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. The two I show most easily are acts of service and giving gifts. The two I like to receive most are acts of service and words of encouragement. If you haven't read that book, I highly recommend it.

Salad
What is your favorite writing instrument? - It depends on what I'm writing. For my Day Timer, word or number puzzles, or lesson plans, I like to use a good quality mechanical pencil. For other things, I prefer either the Cross-refillable pens that Billy made me or any of my various colors of Pilot Precise V5 rolling ball pens. I like gel pens, too, but they're expensive and run out of ink quickly.

Main Course
If you were given $25 to spend anywhere online, from which site would you buy? - Probably Amazon.com. You can get lots of different things from there, and they have free shipping on a lot of things if you spend $25 or more. I'd probably use it to buy books, CDs, DVDs, or games.

Dessert
Are you dressing up for Halloween? If so, what are you going to be? - I don't dress up for Halloween. I don't like doing that, personally. Besides, I don't have time to make myself a costume because I'm usually coming down to the wire on making costumes for the boys. I usually wait until the last minute, when inspiration strikes. Last year, Caleb was spaghetti and meatballs (and the hit of the Harvest Festival at church) and Jacob was Charlie Brown (another big hit). This year, since we've been studying ancient Egypt and Israel in Caleb's history, Caleb is going as a pharaoh and Jacob is going as Joseph in his coat of many colors. We just went to Hobby Lobby yesterday evening to get my material and supplies. Guess what I'm going to be doing this weekend...

Opa! (It's good!)
Several weekends ago, Billy took the boys and me to the 50th annual Greek Food Festival in North Dallas. It was held on the campus of a beautiful Greek Orthodox church, which we were able to tour. There was festive music, and the students who attend the private school there wore traditional costumes and danced on a stage outside. There was an agora (marketplace) where you could buy artwork, pottery, jewelry, and food items from Greece. Billy bought a Greek coffeepot, some Greek coffee, and some loukoum, a soft gel-like candy that I'm not too wild about. I got an apron that says Opa! across the front. The highlight was the great food. There were food booths with all sorts of offerings. First we tried tiropita, goat cheese either fried or baked in filo. It was good, but I couldn't eat much of it. I wanted to try something a little heartier, so we found a booth with chicken souvlaki - grilled, marinated chicken on a skewer wrapped in fresh pita bread and topped with diced tomatoes, red onions, and tzatziki (a delicious cucumber yogurt sauce). It was so good! The boys liked it, too. Caleb told me he wanted to have that again soon. When we study ancient Greece, I'll try my best to make that for supper one night. (We've been eating food from other cultures as we've studied them. It's been good, and fun, for the boys to try - and actually like - some foods from other cultures.)

All this talk about Greek food makes me want to go to Fadi's Mediterranean Grill soon! While they don't serve true Greek food there, it's similar. And it's really good. And healthy. I have an idea: Caleb's studying ancient Israel right now. It would be fun to go to Fadi's and eat there instead of trying to make my own hummus or baba ghanouge (BA-ba guh-NOOSH). (Those are so much fun to say!) Mmmmmm. I can already taste their roasted cauliflower...

Today's Ten on Tuesday wants to know what your 10 favorite movies from your own collection are. Here are mine, in no particular order:

1. The Princess Bride - This has some of the best quotes:
"Inconceivable!"
"You've been mostly dead all day."
"You killed my father. Prepare to die."
"Mawwiage is what bwings us togevuh today." (And many more from the wedding scene!)
Of course, it lost its quotability power once Napoleon Dynamite (which I don't have) came along. But it's still one of the best movies around.

2. Remember the Titans - I'm not a big fan of most sports movies, but this is so much more than that.

3. Steel Magnolias - Another very quotable movie:
"Looks like two pigs fighting under a blanket!"
"That which does not kill us makes us stronger."
"That sanctuary looks like it's been hosed down with Pepto Bismol!"
"I'm not crazy, M'Lynn, I've just been in a very bad mood for 40 years!"
"The only reason people are nice to me is because I have more money than God."
"The only thing that separates us from the animals is our ability to accessorize."
I need to watch this movie again. It's been too long!

4. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl - Johnny Depp is superb as Captain Jack Sparrow! The only other person who I think could've pulled it off would've been maybe Val Kilmer. I'm looking forward to the next two Pirates movies!

5. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Another movie Johnny Depp was great in! And the fact that it's a Tim Burton film doesn't hurt, either. He's delightfully twisted. I have other Depp/Burton flicks, Depp flicks, and Burton flicks, but this is my favorite.

6. The Lord of the Rings trilogy - I have to count this as one because it's all one story. Billy and I watched the whole thing one lazy Saturday. It was great. Now we can play our "Trivial Pursuit: Lord of the Rings" edition better.

7. The Breakfast Club - This is my favorite "Brat Pack" movie. Not only is a great story played out by great actors, but it has some great music.

8. O Brother, Where Art Thou? - This has some great quotes, which are too unique to remember correctly, and some fun music. I love The Soggy Bottom Boys' "Man of Constant Sorrow".

9. Braveheart - This is a great movie with some great music, but I have to look away when things get too gruesome.

10. A Christmas Story - Isn't this everyone's favorite holiday classic? And it's got some great quotes, too - most memorably, the oft-spoken "You'll shoot your eye out!"

There are so many more good ones we have, but these are my favorites. A good mix, I think.

Friday's Feast has a good list today.

Appetizer
On average, approximately how many times per day do you yawn?
I'd have to say 2 or 3, maybe. That's not reallly something I keep up with. However, just reading and answering this question made me yawn twice. Is this making you yawn, too? It's contagious, you know.

Soup
What was your most memorable school field trip?
Probably the time I was in first grade and my class went to the bread bakery. I remember being terrified of the huge vat of bread dough that was being mixed at the time. I was too short to see over the edge, so someone picked me up. I think I cried, afraid they were going to throw me in there.

I also went to the Coca-Cola bottling plant once when I was around that age. I don't have many memories about it, so it must not have been too scary.

More recently, I've taken Caleb on field trips to The Money Factory, the zoo, the aquarium, and Texas Discovery Gardens. I'm still anticipating a trip to Fossil Rim, hopefully in the fall when things cool down a little. We'd also like to go back to visit the Dallas World Aquarium. It's been more than 2 years since we were last there, and they were building a new exhibit then. I bet it's finished now!

Salad
Fill in the blank: I was extremely blah this week.
Without going into too many details, I was sick earlier in the week. I'm much better now. One thing, though. I seem to have hurt my ankle somehow. I think I stepped on it wrong last weekend because it was sore to the touch on Sunday. Then Monday I lost my balance and fell, scraping my knee and straining my ankle again. It's still sore and I noticed it's a little swollen. Hmmm.

Main Course
Which color do you think of when you hear the word "soothing"?
Pastels, most notably mint green. And that makes me think of mint chocolate chip ice cream. Or Guy's "Breath Mint Pie" that he made on "The Next Food Network Star". I want to make that!

Dessert
What is something that, if you had to, you could save up the money to buy within one month?
A new item of furniture, I guess, or maybe new bedding. A new outfit. A computer program or piece of computer equipment.

Happy Hunting
Well, we've started the process of house hunting. I've been scouring realtor.com for houses in the area, writing down info about the ones that have potential. Last weekend, we drove around different neighborhoods to see what areas looked okay and which ones didn't. I've contacted a realtor friend, who's in the process of connecting us with a good local realtor so we can start looking at houses next week. Next week! I really hope we find something. The boys need a yard to play in, Billy needs a room he can study in without taking over the bedroom, and I need a kitchen I can really cook in. Not to mention all the space we need. We've really outgrown this apartment, especially now that I'm a Pampered Chef consultant. I need a place to store all my new products and my business materials.

Seeing Stars
I just happened to go into our neighborhood Lifeway a few days before Father's Day to find something for Billy. While I was there the clerk handed me a flyer announcing that Lisa Whelchel (Blair, The Facts of Life) would be there the following Monday to meet and greet and sign copies of her books. I grew up watching (and loving) her show, and I knew she had written several Christian books, so I checked out some local libraries online to see what was available. I found Creative Correction, which I decided I needed to have - along with a few other books I'm adding to my wish list. I made it to the book signing, met Lisa, and chatted with her a little while one of the store employees tried to track down a paperback copy of the book, which had a special section on toddlers. There wasn't a copy of it in the store, so Lisa told me about her website, that I could order her books that way, and that she would sign it for me before mailing it. I did, she did, and I got it earlier this week. It's humorous - and full of really good ideas.

I saw my faculty wife advisor for my self-study program yesterday and showed her the book. It's not on the list of approved books, but she told me to finish reading it, write a good review of it, and she'll allow it to be one of my 4 selections for Marriage and Family. She said I also ought to request the book be added to the reading list after I write my review. I think I will. The self-study leader has been asking for new titles to include in the updated list, and they're still working on revising it. (I know. I'm privy to the meetings, being the SWIM Secretary...)

Her name was Mallory, and she wanted to play racquetball with me yesterday. I'm not sure why an Irish Setter was inside the fitness center, but there she was, leashed and standing behind the clear back wall of my racquetball court, barking at the little blue ball I was hitting around the room. When the ball went left, so did she; when it went right, she eagerly followed. Her excited barking caught the attention of some other club members, and before too long there was a crowd of 7 or 8 people watching Mallory "chase" my ball as I played. It was funny, but kind of embarrassing - having all those people watching my spastic attempts to hit that ball again and again. At least I didn't notice who was there. My safety goggles blur my vision more than not wearing my glasses, so nothing was really clearly visible. I am sure that Mallory was an Irish Setter, though. Those are one of my favorite types of dog.

Top Ten List
Speaking of Irish Setters, I feel like launching in to my own top ten list - Ten Favorite Dog Breeds. Want to play along?

1. Greyhound
2. Afghan (dog, not blanket)
3. Irish Setter
4. Golden Retriever
5. Boxer
6. Daschund
7. Sharpei (I love the wrinkles!)
8. Great Dane
9. Weimeraner (gorgeous blue eyes!)
10. Komondor (looks like a dog with dreadlocks!)

Notice there aren't too many small dogs on there? I like 'em big - and unique. If I could own the dog of my choice, it would be a greyhound. I'd love to be able to afford to rescue greyhounds that can no longer race. They're so beautiful and graceful, and I think they're supposed to have good dispositions.

Idol Chatter
So Paris has left us. I liked her singing voice, but she could get pretty annoying. I'm sure she's going to be making a record soon.

I'd like to see Taylor go next, but if things keep playing out like they have been, it'll be Elliot. Speaking of Elliot, I enjoyed his version of Michael Buble's "Home". "On Broadway", not so much. I was more impressed with Taylor's second song (a Beatles tune) than his first one. He's too spastic at times. He needs to entertain in Vegas or Branson. I think most people like him because of his "moves", but they're not going to be seeing them on the radio.

Katherine didn't do very well on either song, but she's usually good. She'll probably be in the top 2 against my all-time favorite, Chris. He did well on his first song, but the second one wasn't that great. Did he learn nothing from Andrea Bocelli? Maybe he should've practiced that one laying on the floor so he wouldn't have been singing from his throat and ending up cracking a little.

Next week is Elvis week, one I'm not particularly looking forward to. It'll probably be a good week for Taylor and a bad one for Elliot. By the way, does anyone know if each contestant will be singing two songs, or will they just sing one and have a 30-minute show?

The Other Two
I've recently become a big Survivor (my second season to watch), but I don't think I've written anything about it. Here's the short version: I miss Austin, Nick, and Sally. I was really hoping they'd be able to hold it together against the "other" tribe, but they were cast off one by one by one. Now we're down to the final four: Terry (my favorite), Cirie (my second favorite now), Danielle (the backstabbing user), and Aras (the jerk). The latter 3 have been too wise to Terry's game. He'd most likely win if he could've taken Courtney or Shane to the final two, but the other tribemates have sent them packing the last two weeks. Now he's up against some tougher competition for popularity. (I think he definitely scored big points with Shane on last night's episode, including him and his son on the overnight to a house and lots of food. He scored points with Cirie, too, letting her husband stay overnight at camp. Terry really made good choices.)

Let's talk strategy: Terry still has the immunity idol for next week, so technically he doesn't have to win the immunity challenge. But, if he does win the challenge, he can handpick one person to take to the final three. If he loses it, it could be anyone. I really see Terry making it to the final two, just because he's stronger than everyone else. The only real threat to that is Aras, but I think Terry can pull it out.

Then there's the final two. Let's say Terry does make it. Who does he take with him?
Cirie is probably more likeable than any of them; she may win over Terry, who has ruffled some feathers and frustrated other tribemates with his constant winning.
Danielle is not liked by everyone because her backstabbing is obvious. Terry may win over her.
Aras is liked by some; not by others. It's a hard call.

So what about the jury members:
Austin - a pretty sure vote for Terry; maybe for Cirie or Danielle; undecided about Aras
Sally - another pretty sure vote for Terry; possibly for Cirie or Danielle; probably not for Aras
Bruce - maybe a vote for Terry; more likely to vote for Aras or Danielle
Courtney - pretty certain she'd vote for Terry after being ridiculed by her "solid" tribemates, then stabbed in the back by them
Shane - he owes Terry for his night with his son, plus his "solid" tribemates stabbed him in the back

I think that's all of them. Of who's still remaining, I think Cirie would vote for Aras or Terry, but not Danielle. Danielle would probably vote for Aras or Cirie, but not Terry (even though she's ready to use him now to get to the final three). Aras would vote for anyone but Terry.

Another thing to consider: the final vote is live, after the shows have aired. All the contestants get to see all the episodes, the interviews, etc. Seeing some things may change their thinking in the end.

My vote, like it really even counts: Terry.

I'm a long-time fan of The Amazing Race, although I didn't enjoy watching the family edition last season. It wasn't that interesting since they stayed mostly in the U.S., all the teams I liked were eliminated early, and the team that won was one of my least favorites.

It took me a while to get into this season, but it has proven itself again. I had a hard time picking a team this go around, but I've settled on the hippies. They're fun, they're not mean-spirited, and they've really enjoyed all the places they've visited. They took the time to see things, not rush around with their sole focus being to win. Unfortunately the team I can't stand (and haven't liked from the beginning), the perverted frat boys, have been doing really well. (I haven't watched my tape of this week's episode, so please don't tell me what happened!) Of the teams left, I only like the hippies. At least Fran and Barry, the retired couple, made it to 5th place. I enjoy seeing the older, experienced teams go far in the race.