PractiGal: 7 Quick Takes Friday

I'm following Jennifer's lead here -- I really enjoy her blog. Since I haven't posted in months, this is a nice way to get my feet wet again...

1. I made the worst ever potato-leek soup yesterday. It looks like applesauce and has zero flavor. If I had no teeth or tastebuds, I bet I'd think it was great.

2. Winter hasn't officially begun, but we've already had pneumonia and a stomach bug sweep through our house. Maybe we'll be healthy for a while now?

3. I'm eBaying like a mad woman. Mainly kitchen stuff that I bought cheap before my son was born. Anyone need knives? A lovely sauce pan? Christmas dishes?

4. I have a bunch of furry red toys to sell, too. But it doesn't look like they're catching on! So I'll probably be returning them to the store... Oh well, there go my plans to profit from Elmo mania.

5.No response back from mall management on my bearded Santa plea. Sounds like discrimination against authentically bearded Santas, if you ask me!

6. After years of sitting around collecting dust, the stuffed animals in our house have taken center stage. Our 4.5-year-old brings them with us everywhere. He talks to and about them constantly. They are his playmates. We even throw birthday parties for them. In fact, Ice Cap, the polar bear, has celebrated more birthdays in the past few months than my son has celebrated in his life!

7. Taking things a step further, after a recent reading of Duck for President, the stuffed animals in our house staged an election for their very own president. There were ballot boxes and podiums, and secret ballots were cast. I was under the impression that Puppy and Fluffy (a turtle) were the candidates, so I cast my vote for Puppy, figuring he'd take office with plenty of energy and enthusiasm. I thought he'd be less likely than Fluffy to drag his heels on the important decisions he'd be making. Imagine my surprise when my son announced the next morning that the winner was not Puppy OR Fluffy! The winner was George Bush.

Then, my little artist decided to take on the task of creating the all-important presidential plate. We saw one on tv a few weeks ago, and there was talk among the adults about how tacky it was. (Apparently the little person here thought it was pretty cool.) But then, I'm not into the whole collectible plate thing. Or at least I wasn't before I saw my son's creation. He needed a picture of Bush to use as his guide, along with a clean canvas, of course. I think this particular presidential plate is a keeper. (Click below to see the finished product)