7 Quick Takes "Friday" - #26

Even though it's not Friday, I have time now (on Monday) for a "7 Quick Takes" Friday, so here goes.
  1. I've lost 11.4 pounds with Weight Watchers since I started in August- hooray!  This is so doable for real life.  Yes, I'm having to be intentional about it, but it really hasn't been difficult.  I am planning in more veggies, and forgoing extra helpings of bread, starchy veggies, and dessert.  But I still eat VERY well, and have had ice cream or some kind of treat at least once a week... I'm loving it.
  2. Our 14-month old Moses is moving and grooving.  We call him "the Wanderer" because he always is meandering around, checking things out, inspecting cabinets, and generally just a curious little man on the move.  It's so much fun to see his humor and personality developing.
  3. We have about 100 days, give or take, left in America, before we hit the tarmac once again.  Remember that quote in Dead Poet's Society about sucking all the marrow from life?  Well, we're going to spend these days sucking the marrow... enjoying times with family and friends... loving the big sky of Texas... enjoying the ability to find good quality clothes at bargain prices... eating Tex-Mex & Blue Bell.
  4. I LOVE Pinterest.  I need to buy a couch when we move back overseas, and just joined Pinterest last week.  It has helped me narrow down what I'll want to look for-- which is totally different than what I thought I wanted.  I'm so glad to have a place to brainstorm and clarify what I love.  Are you a Pinterest user?
  5. One of the ideas I picked up from Pinterest was using the french knot to embroider the bumps on sheep.  Awesome idea.  It led me to a little project this week-- embroidering John 10:27.  It only took a couple hours, while I talked with Doug and caught up on Project Runway.  I'll frame it in a 5x7 frame, and have another verse for our walls.  I can't wait to do another.
  6. Do you know about my food blog?  It's nothing fancy... just tried-and-true recipes we use and love.  I just added a favorite of mine- Chinese Green Beans.  I could eat them by the barrel.
  7. Have you been watching the Republican Debates?  If you're a long-time reader, you'll remember that I love to talk politics.  Here's what I thought of the last one-- 
  • Perry really blew it.  His answer on foreign policy reminded me of Miss Teen South Carolina's answer about maps... he just bumbled over his words, and tried to throw in as many countries as possible.  His attempted attack on Romney was poorly stated and incomprehensible.
  • Herman Cain is hilarious (and it seems Florida was impressed-- they gave him the win in their recent straw poll, far ahead of Perry or Romney).
  • Romney came off more likable and at-ease than he ever has, to date.  The last debate was a shining moment for him.
  • Newt came across as authoritative and smart, and I think he's raising some important questions and providing some credibility, even though he won't be the candidate in the end.
  • Ron Paul got a lot of cheers, and I heard his sentiments (i.e., audit the fed) echoed from the lips of several other candidates.  His ideas are catching wind.
  • Bachman keeps fading more and more; she pounded the "I'm a mom" pulpit. Instead of looking presidential, she looks like she ought to be running the local school board.
  • Santorum had one good moment- bashing Perry on the college subsidy issue.  He had a lot of smirking and head shaking going on.  He still hasn't established a clear point of view.
  • Hunstman keeps trying to talk as if he has a chance, but has not established himself as a major player.  
  • Gary Johnson had a few good moments, but he's new to the gig and still seems like a long-shot.
  • My main take-away from that debate was that Perry had a REALLY rough night.  Even though not many people watch these debates faithfully, a debate performance filled with stumbles and flub-ups snowball and hurt the candidate's perception by the electorate, and future performance.  By the end of the night, he looked physically spent and sounded self-protective.  I do not think he's going to be the candidate, and I'm glad.  
What have you thought of the Republican field thus far?  Are you leaning in any particular direction?  If you're a Republican, do you feel your candidate has a shot?

As always, I'd love to hear back from you.

10 comments:

Elspeth said...

I have gotten a lot of the same takeaways from the debate that you did. Oh, and that's Herman Cain, by the way.

I'm glad I'm not the only Christian mommy blogger watching the debates, LOL.

Congratulations on the weight loss! Seems like Weight Watchers is working for you.

Jess Connell said...

LOL, don't know where I got Howard. Thanks for the heads up. :)

melbrewer said...

So glad to read the Show and Tell (with the great new pic!) and other updates. I _love_ that embroidery, Jess. Do you mind if I copy it? Would be fitting for my little boy's room after we move. You guys heading back to Turkey after your US days are up?

Jess Connell said...

Yes, we'll be going back to Turkey, and yes, please take the idea and run with it. It's such a fun way to illustrate scripture! I thought, too, that it could be great to do Psalm 23, or "We all like sheep have gone astray, each has turned unto his own way, but God has laid on Him the iniquity of us all." The french knotted sheep are such a fun embroidery design.

Always Learning said...

I haven't watched the debates but I think I'd like to see Romney win the presidency. I don't agree with everything he believes but I think he would be a good president.

Sara said...

I'm becoming a better user of Pinterest. I've found some great recipes for sending along to school with my kids. I'd love to follow your pins, if you want to share them! :) I haven't figured out how to do that with all of the blogs I follow, yet.

I love Weight Watchers. I think it's one of the few diet programs that is truly sustainable. Congratulations on your weight loss! And, I'm a liberal Democrat, so I'll leave my political analysis out of all of this. Thanks for the fun post!

Marelize said...

1) I love Pinterest. People are so darn creative and clever.

2) I am not a US citizen and therefore cannot vote. However, I am married to an American, live in America and am very interested in American politics. And to be completely honest, I feel really disappointed in the GOP candidates. Aside from some of Ron Paul's ideas, there are no new ideas, no different ideas, its all the same. I feel like somewhere along the line the idea of same message, same candidates= same results has been lost. Fascinating, nonetheless.

3) I love your blog and appreciate your well thought through perspectives.

Have a great day!

Ruth said...

Love the Bible verse wall hanging. Super cute!

Christy said...

I pretty much agree with your assessment on the Republican debate. Nobody can touch Ron Paul in my book, but unfortunately, he's not the most eloquent speaker up there. Newt Gingrich really is far and away the best speaker (no pun intended!) on the stage - I wish he and RP could mesh somehow. I'm not a fan of Romney at all as I don't think anything will change with him in office - I hope somebody can topple him from the polls before it's all said and done.

sandra said...

I love pinterest! It's giving me ideas, but more importantly - it's keeping me organized.