He Shall From Time To Time

Tonight is the State of the Union Address, and for once I'm actually excited to watch it! Having been subjected to, shall we say...less than eloquent speeches for most of my adult life, I am looking forward to hearing from someone who has proven himself to be a gifted public speaker. (Whether you agree with what he has to say is an entirely different matter, the guy knows his oratory!)

So I thought I would share with you a few bits of trivia about this well known speech:

• Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution states: He shall from time to time give to the Congress information of the state of the union, and recommend to their consideration such matters as he shall judge necessary and expedient...
• This doesn't mean that it has to be a speech! After Washington (who gave the shortest state of the union speech, only 833 words!) and Adams delivered their speeches, Thomas Jefferson chose to deliver his to the Congress in writing. (We all know he was good with the pen, after all!) The subsequent presidents followed Jefferson's lead until Woodrow Wilson chose to deliver his in person. All presidents since Wilson have chosen to deliver theirs in person as well.
• Calvin Coolidge was the first president to have his speech broadcast over the radio. Harry S. Truman was the first to give his speech on television.
• Truman gave the longest speech, at over 25,000 words! Franklin D. Roosevelt gave the most speeches, 12. He is also the one to move the speech from afternoon to evening so that more Americans could hear it. (So blame him tonight when there's nothing on TV!

I encourage you all to take part in this small display of our Constitution at work. Plus, people might be talking about it around the watercooler tomorrow, and you don't want to look like an idiot!

Here is a cute recipe, from the Dinner and a Movie Cookbook, just for the occasion!

State of the Onion Soup

-1/4 cup butter

-2 lbs red, yellow and white onions, sliced thin

-5 cloves of garlic, minced

-1/2 cup dry red wine

-3 cups rich beef broth

-1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

-4 slices sourdough bread

-2 cups shredded Swiss Gruyere cheese

1. Melt butter in a large pot. Saute onions and garlic slowly until very tender and golden.

2. Add wine and 1 cup broth. Increase heat to med-high, and simmer 5 minutes until reduced.

3. Stir in remaining broth and mustard, simmer 20 min or until warm. Salt and pepper to taste.

4. Preheat broiler. Ladle soup into oven safe bowls. Top each bowl with a slice of bread and a generous amount of cheese. Broil until cheese is bubbly.

My 2010 Project

As previously mentioned, the husband's father passed away this fall after a brief battle with cancer. The husband has inherited grandpa's house, located on a few acres just outside of town. As the husband and I are renters, the "gift" of a house will be put to good use!

Kind of. Grandpa was an older man living alone, so the house, while perfect for a bachelor, is QUITE small. And the builders clearly got a good deal on hideous knotty pine paneling, because it's in almost every room. And grandpa, God love him, was not big into throwing things away. (He's from that Great Depression era)

We've slowly been cleaning out the house, and I have begun the painting process. Every room is getting painted, both to freshen things up and to hide the ugly paneling. The kitchen cabinets, even the counter tops are getting painted. (I had a dream of me walking in there with a paint sprayer and just hosing the place, but I think I'll stick to brushes and rollers.) But that stuff is just for the short term, because the big project will be the remodel!

The husband and I sat down with a designing program and drew up a plan that will hopefully be "cost effective" (read: cheap) and still give us the space we want. The existing structure was once a studio "cabin" with attached garage. When the couple had a baby, they sectioned off the garage to make bedrooms. (When they had their second baby they bought a bigger place, if that helps you get a mental picture of the size of the house!)

Our plan is to turn the bedrooms back into a garage, and make the kitchen/dining/livingroom into a large, hearth-style kitchen. The dining room, livingroom, master suite and a small bedroom and bath will be in the new addition. In the attic space will be two more bedrooms, a bathroom and a rec room of sorts.

The husband plans to do the lion's share of the construction himself. (Both to save money on labor and also because he is super picky about this kind of thing!) I've seen the other houses he has built when he was working construction full time, and I feel pretty confident with his ability to pull this off! As things progress, I'll probably be adding pics to my project blog, so if you are interested in that sort of thing, you can check there for updates.

I know that we will be able to make this tiny house into a home and have the space for the husband's projects and my own! It will be the perfect place to raise our children...I think grandpa would approve!

In defence of my SUV

For those who may not know me in "real" life, let me assure you that I am interested in the conservation of our natural resources. I use re-usable shopping bags, I try to recycle the things I can, and I am cloth diapering my infant son. In my ultra-conservative, rural town I'm actually known as a bit of a hippy. (Mostly because I don't like guns and I voted for Hilary.) But I do have a confession to make...I drive an SUV.

Everybody knows that they use more gas. I know this. My wallet in particular is aware of this. But the fact remains that I need it. Here's why:

• The seating. I have three full time kids and one "every once in awhile" kid, and a cute little sedan just isn't going to be enough. They claim it seats 5, but sitting next to a carseat is like sitting next to a fat lady on an airplane. Only not as squishy. My current vehicle has that fabulous little third row seat that folds down for hauling groceries and folds up for hauling kids around. (And every sane mother knows that you don't do both at the same time if you can help it!)
• The four-wheel-drive. I live in a northern climate. With snow and mud. I understand that some people drive SUV's as a status symbol. A lot of Gen X-ers like myself are (were?) driving SUVs because they thought they were somehow "cooler" than the minivans our mother's drove. But I live in the land of un-plowed gravel roads. I use my four wheel drive just to get my kids to school.
• It's paid for. I think that one speaks for itself.

The husband is really excited about buying me a scooter one of these days. (In fact, I think he really wants to ride one, but he thinks it will be an easier look to pull off if he's just playing around with "his wife's" toy.) They look really cute and European, and I would look really hot on one! (But I don't think there's room for the baby!) I'll continue to do my part to help conserve resources, but don't give me a hard time about my ride! They do serve a purpose for some of us. At least until I have the money to replace it with a hybrid or something else. Like a horse and buggy possibly...