Heedless Ramblings...

A Pleasant Surprise

2012-01-24T21:32:00.004-05:00

I just watched a movie I had no desire to see.

Let me preface with the fact that I live in a baseball house. Not a "oh yeah, my kid plays Little League" house, a Baseball House. Husband played, Boy plays, Girl plays (baseball, not softball.) Husband is obsessed, Boy talks stats, Girl knows players by name (I know the names of some of the cute ones.) During baseball season, if you want to watch anything else, find another tv. I have seen every freaking baseball movie out there, and I really haven't enjoyed most of them. There's a lot of root for the underdog, slow motion action shots set to dramatic music crap that I just get so tired of. Except for "Major League." I'm sorry, you have no sense of humor if you do not appreciate the line, "Are you sayin' Jesus Christ can't hit a curveball?" I laugh when I say it, for crying out loud.

But the Husband and Boy wanted to watch "Moneyball," and guilted me into it with, "don't you want to be with us" crap, so there you go. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been caught dead watching a film about another down and out team being built on a shoestring budget, even if it did star Brad Pitt.

It was really freaking good.

It wasn't just building a team, it was playing with numbers and computers and playing with all the stats I don't really get, nor do I care to get. The idea was not to get one or two amazing players to carry the Oakland A's, but to actually build a team who could play together and get the needed numbers, and I, who tend not to stand out in a crowd, could appreciate that as much as anyone. Philip Seymour Hoffman is a phenomenal actor in everything he does, and the little girl who played Casey Beane was charming as can be, but I was thoroughly impressed with Jonah Hill's performance. So many of his characters have been over the top annoying, but his portrayal of Peter Brand is humble and intelligent, and really quite adorable.

I'm a little blown away by the Oscar nomination - it's a baseball movie, afterall. I do agree with the nomination of Jonah Hill for Best Supporting Actor.

And if Rooney Mara doesn't win Best Actress for "Girl With a Dragon Tattoo," I will lose all faith in humanity. Holy crap, people, did you see that? Really amazing movie, but I'll leave it to better writers than myself to tell you about it.

Ok, he is awfully cute, but he spends the whole movie spitting chew, which is beyond disgusting.

Catching up is hard to do.

2012-01-22T23:05:00.048-05:00

I've yet again had to be reminded how long it has been since my last post. I really feel guilty posting just to post something. What I write may suck, but I want to suck writing what I want to write. You get me.

The plan is that this will be an eclectic, what I've been up to, type of post. And, since I so love lists complete with headings (a way to organize the chaos that is my mind,) I will include categories:

I. Resolutions
Thus far...yeah, I got nothin'. Ok, not exactly nothin', I haven't gained any weight, I have been drinking more water, and I've been eating a little more produce. But no exercize has been done. No food tracking has been done. Since we are starting a new week, I am putting it out there that I will move a little (with purpose, as in, for exercize) each day this week. Tomorrow I plan to use one of my DVDs, and, weather permitting, go to Zumba. I will also get my full amount of water this week. These are this week's changes. I will update you as the week goes on.

As far as finances are concerned, I haven't been subbing much, but I haven't been spending nearly as much, and I won $110 at a card party last night, which was pretty freaking awesome. I never win anything - how cool was that?

I have been consciously working on my resolution to listen better, which I think is helping me with the parenting and friendship resolutions. Seriously, test me. Come talk to me - I will listen, and ask thoughtful questions, I swear.

And now, to break up all the text, and because I adore George Takei, who posted this on Facebook yesterday:

Heehee. Nothing funnier than Vulcan kittehs.

II. Family Vacation
The fam and I went to visit more fam in Illinois. My husband's paternal grandfather passed away a few weeks ago. There was no memorial, but we wanted to spend some time with husband's dad, so we spent a few days in Peoria visiting him. Then we went to the Chicagoland area to see my family - a few sisters, my dad and his wife. We had a lovely time - games were played, excellent food (Portillo's...mmmm....Homer-style drooling sound) was eaten, and all the girls (three sisters, niece, Girl Child) went to get our hair tinseled/feathered. Totally girly and fun. Great visit, but really great to get home...

III. Relay For Life
In some crazy fit of "I need to volunteer more-itis" I signed up to co-chair our local Relay For Life. We had our Kick-Off event today, complete with lots of information, a little technical difficulty, and way too many hot dogs. We're so excited about the event this year, though - we have moved the location from a local school track to the parking lot of our minor league baseball stadium, and we are theming it "Striking Out Cancer." You'll probably want to skip on over to my page and make a huge donation to the American Cancer Society, or even start a team of your own, so check my side bar over there - I'm going to post a button there.

Let's see, let's see, let's see...kids are doing well, and it would behoove me to start taking some freaking pictures again to post here - I will endeavor to do a little more documenting, and maybe a little less senseless babbling. Heh. The Girl is playing basketball and she wants to play softball, but we are having some trouble finding a decent league for her. The Boy has finished academic team season, and has started conditioning workouts for baseball. He'll try out for the high school team in February - please wish him luck. Both are doing well in school, although with a teenage boy and tween-aged girl, the mood swings are killing me. Add in my own actual, diagnosed mental issues, and we have a house of crazy. It's ok that I say that because I'm talking about myself.
It's past my bedtime, so I must adjourn. If I don't hop on here soon, have a great week. Kisses...

Resolutions 2012

2012-01-01T19:00:00.003-05:00

The resolutions list - the ultimate in annual list-making fun. What have I accomplished and what do I need to change to make myself over into a person I can respect? I love making resolutions. Last year I tried the whole healthy mindset - ease up on myself, not make the resolutions so I don't kick myself when I fail - and I still kicked myself when I failed with the resolutions I didn't make but really did in my head. I like writing them down for the whole world (or just my little corner of cyberspace) can see. It is a concrete way to take stock and see where I want to go. The resolutions haven't really changed over the past 14 years, but I am writing them down, anyway.

1. Health.
Of course, the health. I am an obese woman. I don't want to be an obese woman, but each time I've made a healthy change, I've quit before I've made any legitimate progress. I am well on my way toward my 40's, though, and my luck is not going to hold out forever - sooner or later I will start suffering some major health issues.
I find the "one small change at a time" method works best for me, so that is what I will do. I will begin with 4 small changes and add one a week. My 4 changes for this week are:

a. Drink my 8 glasses of water a day.
b. Go to bed by 11 each night.
c. Move each day. Period. Even if it's just a 10 minute walk, I will move each day. Once it's a habit
I'll add in rest days, but for now, I need to do it everyday to make it stick.
d. Write down everything I eat. No excuses on this one - I slack on it each time, and each time I fail.

2. Finances
Ugh. There is no reason for us to be in debt, and I'd like to get out before we have to start borrowing money to send the kids to college. And one goes in 3 1/2 years.

a. Start looking again in earnest for a full time job.
b. Sub more often. I was lazy last month.
c. Budget. Figure how much, exactly, is coming in and out of this house each month, and plan accordingly. Make lists for grocery and other shopping, and stick to them.

3. Personal life
Ok, obviously, my health is pretty personal, but this kind of covers those vague personality-based quirks I'd like to work on.

a. Be a better mom. I do ok, but I need to pay more attention, and add my kiddles into my health plan - cook better meals for them, make sure they're moving.
b. Be a better friend. This one deserves a post all its own. I have a trait that drives me crazy, but I haven't really changed it. I talk way too much, and I don't feel like I'm a good enough listener. On top of that, when I'm slightly uncomfortable or out of my element (essentially, I feel like I'm back in high school and I don't have any friends - which wasn't true then or now, but I have a touch of paranoia) I get louder and more talkative. It's annoying, and I spend hours later thinking about what a dork I was. Which, maybe, nobody even noticed, but I did. Anyway, at the church I've been attending, the minister recently spoke about leadership, and how being an effective leader means asking the right questions - the hard questions, the vague, open-ended, thought-provoking questions. It was a really great sermon, but what I really took from it was the questions issue. Because I tend to ask the basic stuff, listen to the answers, and compare it, aloud to my own life, which comes across as selfish. Which isn't really necessarily true, I truly care about what you think and feel, but I feel like an unintelligent dweeb if I'm not adding to the conversation. Ok, so my goals for this year are to ask the right questions, and to truly listen to the answers. My friend L is one of the most interesting, fun people I know, and she's actually really quiet. She asks intuitive, interesting questions, she listens and seems to care about your answers. I plan to emulate L. But I will never be quiet. I can't be quiet in my sleep.
c. whew, I didn't plan to go off on a tangent like that. Ok, next one. Learn something new each month. On purpose. Our library has some great classes, and so does our Extension Center. Plus, I can check out language learning stuff from the library - maybe brush up on my Spanish?
d. This one is fun: I'm challenging myself to read 60 books in the next year. I'm not sure if it's really a challenge, I may have read 60 books last year, but I'm going to list them here so you all can keep me honest.

Many goals, but all with concrete steps to take. I would like to point out that I did accomplish two goals I set for myself last year: I did become more involved in community service and I have begun to seriously explore my spirituality. I have been involved in my local Relay For Life (for the American Cancer Society) for a few years. The last few years I've felt the Relays have been less than stellar, so, rather than complaining about it, this year I joined the committee. Actually, I'm co-chairing the committee. I've also found a church that interests me, a Unitarian Universalist church where spiritual exploration is encouraged. I'm excited about these two new steps in my life.

Do you make resolutions? Do you think making resolutions can work? What are some of your resolutions this year? Please, share, we can all cheer each other on!

Breakfast

2011-12-31T09:55:00.002-05:00

I woke up to grey and cold this morning. The weather called for muffins. I have made muffins from scratch more than once, but Trader Joe's Pumpkin bread mix makes amazing muffins, and they more than suited my purpose, so as the coffee brewed, I stirred together the batter and put the muffins in to bake. I ate an orange, juicy and sweet, tingly to the tongue as the spicy scent of cinnamon and nutmeg filled the kitchen. I waited to drink my first cup of coffee until the muffins were ready. I pulled the paper from the bottom and split the muffin, inhaling the sweet steam. Cream cheese is best on pumpkin muffins, so I spread the insides with cream cheese, prepared my coffee, light and sweet, and sat to truly enjoy my meal. The muffin was perfect - warm and comforting, tasting both of sugar and spice, with just a slight tang from the cream cheese. I savored the quiet and the content. A perfect beginning to my day. I should have taken a picture, but I was too busy eating my muffin.

I started a new book last night - "The School of Essential Ingredients". The story began slowly, but I became engrossed in the characters and their tales. What I am most enjoying, though, is the way the author describes food. I can taste and smell everything, and I am hungrier at the end of each page, even when the food she is describing is something I don't like. I don't care for sausage or clams, but when she describes making a red sauce with sausage, or Pasta del Mar, it is exactly what I want to smell and taste at that moment. Reading this book made me want to sit and take notice of my breakfast this morning, which is why I decided to write it all down.

Happy New Year! May all your meals be noteworthy!

Quiet celebration

2011-12-21T20:53:00.002-05:00

My Girl and I went to a dinner to celebrate the solstice tonight. It was lovely to take a break from all the Christmas craziness to celebrate such a quiet and natural moment as the return of the light. One of the women there read a poem that really spoke to me, and I want to share:

Winter's Pause

by Kaaren Whitney

Dark like the mole's black velvet back,

dark like Gaia's womb,

unwrapped as from deep boroughs of excavated earth,

Winter slows to the pace of a moon white icicle

as sun completes its final exhalation, and stops.

Savouring the pause, the freedom of emptiness,

the solstice half-yearly turning begins again,

revived, breathing in fresh rays of light and life and love.

A very blessed Yule to you all.

Peanuts

2011-12-17T23:22:00.003-05:00

The 3rd grade did a wax museum project this past week - they had to choose a historic figure, do research, write a 1-2 minute speech, and costume themselves. The Girl chose George Washington Carver. Fascinating guy - doesn't she look just like him?

I was pretty freaking proud of the mustache, though. I made it my very own self, from felt and elastic. And I made a very nice peanut pin out of felt, because, you know, he discovered over 300 different uses for the peanut.

It was a pretty cool project.

Tonight we had our annual Christmas celebration with one group of relatives, and tomorrow we go up for another annual family gathering. Lots of family fun this weekend. I hope you are all enjoying your's.

Ways to stay warm

2011-12-07T14:08:00.003-05:00

Today is cold and dark, with occasional wet, sleety snow. Sometimes this is the sort of day I want to curl up on my couch, under the sage gaze of my Yoda tree topper, snuggling with cats, drinking coffee and reading a good, if mindless, book.

Other gloomy days, however, call for coffee and conversation, and snuggle time with gorgeous, chunky babies. So when A called me over for coffee, how could I resist. She makes the loveliest coffee - light and sweet with vanilla-scented sugar. And these ladies are the snuggliest, most scrumptious babies - and they grin at me like I am the most amusing person on earth.

This was a very nice way to spend the morning.

Some thoughts on a very good Sunday

2011-12-04T22:17:00.003-05:00

Two posts ago I talked about religion. The next day I visited a Unitarian Universalist church, and enjoyed the people and the message very much. Today was my third visit, and my first time hearing their minister speak. She was a little fidgety, which drove me nuts - she kept messing with her mike, her necklaces, her hair...I wanted to tie her hands behind her back. But...she was an excellent speaker. Her sermon had me thinking the whole time, which is the point of a sermon, right?

"Half the fun of travel is the esthetic of lostness." Ray Bradbury

She began her sermon with this quote. The gist was, when you travel in a place where you are foreign - whether you don't speak the language, or the customs are different, or even just stepping out of your comfort zone - you are reminded of the very hugeness of humanity, and your own smallness in the midst of that humanity. It reminds you that you are only one of many, and this being "lost" is a reminder that you are not the center of the universe. She asserted that if people were to travel and become "lost" more often, perhaps there would be less war, because while when we are "lost" we are reminded of how very different we all are, we are also reminded of how we are all the same in very essential ways.

I haven't traveled much. I like to think I would be a good traveler - I respect most people and their cultures, I like to make friends, and I am pretty flexible. I would like to travel more than I have. I began to think, though, about how very lost I feel in a crowd. Most people who know me think of me as a very gregarious, outgoing person. The word "shy" is a word almost nobody would connect with me, but that is only because those people probably met me when I knew someone else in the room. If there is another person around with whom I feel comfortable, I can relax and talk to an entire room of strangers, and walk out friends with most of them. I'm not saying I'm the coolest, nicest person on earth - but I am ridiculously friendly, and I'm interested in what you think. That being said, if I don't know anyone else, or if I know half the room, but not well enough to be comfortable, I will shrink into a corner, blush a lot, and not talk to a soul. I found myself doing this very thing last Sunday - my friend A went with me to church the first week, and this week, and both weeks I felt very comfortable, went up to people and talked to them, and enjoyed myself very much. Last week, however, I didn't know anyone there, and after a few minutes of awkward half-smiles at perfect strangers, I turned around under the ruse of examining the row of bookshelves in the room. Thank goodness for bookshelves. How many times have I been saved from dying away from embarrassment by the ability to peruse somone's bookshelves. And oftentimes, a shared interest will spark a conversation, which kills the reason I was poring over the shelves so intently in the first place.

Anyway, I never relaxed. I said hello and goodbye to a few people, and nobody was rude to me, but I was ready to leave right away last week. I felt "lost" in a room full of people who spoke the same language and had the same sort of culture. This is such a common feeling for me, and I wonder if it's this very thing that has perpetuated in me a very liberal mindset. I very rarely feel myself the center of the universe, because my own shyness makes me so very aware of the existence of the vast rest of humanity.

She also remarked upon the fact that criticizing someone else's accent is another way of making ourselves feel superior, and making the other person feel lost, and so I suppose I have to stop constantly correcting my brother-in-law's grammar. Which will, of course take all the fun out of our interactions.

December: It's the most wonderful-crazy-ass time of the year...

2011-11-30T22:13:00.002-05:00

Since we are about to start December, I thought this would be a fun time to make some lists. Holiday-type lists. What I want to do this month, things I need to do this month, present ideas for me...have I mentioned I love presents?

We gave up the traditional advent calendar a long time ago. For several years we did a paper chain - during Thanksgiving weekend we would come up with a list of 24 fun things we wanted to do during the holiday season, write one activity on each strip of paper, and make a paper chain out of it. Each day, one kid would get to take the link off the chain, read it, and we did that activity on that day. Some of our activities included: driving around and looking at lights, reading a holiday story together, make a holiday craft together. I tried to be mindful of the calendar as I made the chain, taking into account days off school, holidays such as Chanukah and St. Nicholas, family activities, etc. This was a big hit, but as the kids have gotten older, and our calendar has filled more quickly, we were forgetting to do our activities more often. So here is a small list of fun December-y activities I'm hoping we get to this month:

1. Look at lights. This is something we do every year, and often more than once. The most fun excursions are the impromptu ones - maybe we've gone out to dinner and we drive around on our way home. Or I make hot cocoa for everyone and we just go.

2. I did find a few holiday crafts I'd like to make, including the jar lanterns in this month's Family Fun. I'll take pictures of any I make.

3. Go to the Solstice dinner at the UU church downtown. I was very excited to see they had one. After the dinner, we'll come home, exchange our gifts (everyone is doing handmade this year) and probably have a fire outside, depending on the weather.

4. Bake cookies. I didn't do it last year. This one may not happen, as my weekends are getting very full.

5. Take lots of pictures of the everyday stuff this month. Ali Edwards always does a December scrapbook, and I've always loved the idea - it's generally a chipboard book, with one photo per page for each day of the month. A lot of the pages are holiday oriented, but not all of them. I like the idea of paying attention to each day during such a crazy busy month.

Things I still need to do! Soon!

1. Put up the tree. I'm not worried about this one - I refuse to put up my tree before Dec. 1.

2. Figure out who's getting what and doing the getting. Yikes, I hate waiting this long.

3. Figure out where we're going during the break. I know what we're doing the first few days, but I'm waiting on some family members' feedback regarding the rest.

4. Make a doctor's appt. I need to get my cholesterol checked. Not really holiday-related, but it needs to be done.

5. Finalize anything that has to be made. I stipulated that Yule gifts be handmade this year, but I still haven't figured out my gifts. Luckily I only do 2 - one for each kid. Makes it easier.

I'm going to think on my fun list - presents for ME! Whee! and post it tomorrow, as my hot chocolate is getting cold, and we just can't have that. After 3 years of never taking a sick day from school, my son was sent home with a nasty fever and feeling dizzy, so tomorrow will be a down day. I got my cards in today, so I think I'll work on those tomorrow. Have a good night, and stay warm.

Happy Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-25T16:09:00.003-05:00

How on earth did I let a Thanksgiving (on a Thursday, no less) get by without a Thank*ful Thursday post? It may have been the extraordinary amount of wine I drank. Which was really good, by the way - definitely on the list. Anyway, I am also disgusted with myself for not taking any pictures - see above-mentioned excuse. And I call myself a scrapbooker.

Anyway, without further ado, this week I am thankful for:

1. Thirsty Owl winery in New York. I'm not much of a wine drinker; my wine of choice tends to be Reisling, because it's relatively sweet. A friend introduced me to their moderately priced, and way delicious reisling and, even better, their Diamond, which is a little sweeter. I don't care if you wine snobs think I'm a wuss - it's good, and much of my Thankgiving evening passed by in a delicious, very affectionate buzz.

2. My dishwasher. Without which I would still probably be scouring things.

3. The fact that I'm off today, and that my family has allowed me to spend the day either napping or reading. The happy drunken buzz has translated itself to a woman of no energy today.

4. Carbs. Wonderful, delicious carbs. Mashed potatoes, stuffing, biscuits, pie. An Adkins follower, I am not.

5. All the friends and family I am blessed to know and love.

Thank you to all of you for reading. And I wish you and your's a very Happy Thanksgiving.

Shh. We're going to talk about...religion.

2011-11-19T21:50:00.002-05:00

I should preface this post by mentioning it is spiritual in nature, and while it is not judgmental, if you are uncomfortable with such personal topics, you should probably go ahead and leave now.

Religion is a taboo subject in polite company.

Bringing religion or spirituality into a conversation is akin to farting on a first date - you just don't do it. One should never discuss religion or politics if one wants to keep the peace.

The thing is, I like to talk about spirituality. I find most religions empirically interesting - even if have no interest in actually following your beliefs, I'll sit and listen to you talk about them. We had Mormon elders (young Mormon men leave home for two years when they are 19-20 years old and perform a "mission" - living together and performing acts of charity wherever they are sent. Not old men - which is what I thought they were when they were first mentioned.) volunteering twice a week at the office where I worked. I asked them endless questions about their beliefs, which they were kind enough to answer without trying to convert me. I enjoyed these conversations immensely, and learned a lot about a significant part of our population.

Our spirituality is such an important part of ourselves, it saddens me that many people do not feel comfortable having a mature conversation about it. I personally do not subscribe to any one religion, but consider myself on a journey - an exploration of my own spiritual self. When my friend S. suggested to me in the spring that we start a spiritual discussion group, I jumped at the chance. An opportunity to have respectful and informative discussions about what people believe, or don't believe...this spoke to me on the deepest level. We began the group only two months ago with only two rules - be respectful and do not judge. We are there to learn and explore, not to pass judgement on others. We call it "a safe space for spiritual exploration."

We are a small group so far, and we have no name, so I've been calling it "my spiritual discussion group" which is a bit cumbersome for my taste, but it's the best descriptor I've got. One of the things I miss most about organized religion is the fellowship and spiritual guidance for my children, and I've been wanting to visit a Unitarian Universalist church, but have not wanted to go alone. Since we are so small yet, and the idea appealed to the rest of our members, we are visiting the church as a group tomorrow.

I feel that over the past few years I've neglected this so important part of myself. This discussion group is helping me to address my spiritual needs, as well as giving me a chance to talk about something I'm truly interested in with like-minded people.

Thank*full Thursday: The "gosh it's cold" edition

2011-11-10T23:45:00.002-05:00

It got mighty chilly today. We've enjoyed a few weeks of unseasonably warm weather lately, but today it dropped into the 30's and we saw flurries. I'm not a lover of cold weather, as regular readers of my winter whinings will attest, but the cold does make me want to nest, and I do love to nest. So, here are the lovelies to which I am grateful for keeping me warm:

1. My beige, mid-thigh length cardigan. I wear it. all. the. time. It has a few little holes, and spot of blue paint on the sleeve, but I do love it.

2. Fleece blankets, of which we have many. I went through a few years now where I've made fleece blankets as gifts. Many of these gifts are still in this house, and I wrap up in them often.

3. Bigelow's Dream Time tea. A lovely way to unwind at the end of a chilly day.

4. My slow cooker. Nothing compares to having a hot dinner ready at the end of the day. Today I made a new recipe from SparkPeople: a white chicken chili. The jury is still out on whether or not I like it - it is a little spicy for my taste, and it's missing something. I need to figure out what.

5. Crafty pursuits, Jane Eyre on my Kindle, my notebook, Christopher Paolini and the final installment in the Eragon series, which I bought tonight and will read as soon as I am done with Jane...and any other indoor activities which keep me stimulated and content when it's cold. My goal for this winter is to try and complete at least one project a week and post it here on my blog. I miss the sense of accomplishment I feel when I complete projects - it's been a while, what with working and looking for working and whatnot.

Sleep well and keep warm, friends.

Thank*full Thursday

2011-11-03T06:21:00.003-04:00

It's a bit early in the morning for this, but why not start the day off on the right foot. Besides, apparently it's National Blog Posting Month, so I should really be posting more.

Today I am thank*full for:

1. My daughter and her crazy ideas. She was the one who suggested I dress up like her dad for Halloween. The costume was a hit, even with him. He was amused.

2. 15 years with my guy. He got me a Kindle for our anniversary (which was yesterday) which is just proof that he actually listens to me occasionally.

3. Pixie twinlet nieces to cuddle and coo. I would be over there playing with them every minute if I could.

4. Coffee and good friends. I spent a very lovely morning chatting with some favorite friends over a mocha and muffin.

5. I'm sorry, it's early, I didn't get enough sleep, and I haven't had any coffee yet. My brain just quit working. I'll be thankful more later. With it being November, a month for Thanksgiving, people are posting gratitude status updates at Facebook, which is a nice way to end the day.

I'm going to go make coffee, before I forget my name.

A Very Busy Week: Pictorial Review

2011-10-30T11:00:00.006-04:00

This past week has been full and way fun. I thought you all might enjoy some pictures of the various activities:

Last week we attended our town's second annual Fall for All festival. Crafts and kid's activities, pumpkins, costume contests, bonfire, and food make up the festivities, plus a hay ride to FarmHaven, where you can pet a llama, play in the straw, tour a real log cabin, feed cows, and go through a corn maze. We love FarmHaven.

This is the baby llama. The farmer said he doesn't have a name yet, so I have named him Paco. The farmer doesn't like the name, apparently, as he just smiles indulgently every time I suggest it, but I think he looks like a Paco, don't you?

I got to spend a few days snuggling and gabbing with my favorite twin pixie nieces. I like to nuzzle their bellies and nibble the sweet meat behind their necks. They indulge me, mainly because they're too small to fight me off. Haha!

Tuesday night was pumpkin carving night. The Boy made another El Gapo - he just cannot carve mouths, it always looks like plastic surgery gone wrong. His is the one on the far left, mine is in the middle (it's supposed to be a skull, and it kind of looks like it in the dark when it's lit up) and the Girl's is the right one.

Friday was my Girl's 9th birthday. My favorite little surprise has grown up to be quite the lovely lady.

A very talented friend took pictures of the kiddles yesterday at Dinsmore Homestead in Burlington. It was an absolutely gorgeous place and the pictures are amazing. I wandered around taking pictures of the grounds during the shoot. I really need to mess with the settings on my camera, though - I haven't figured out how to balance the light well on a very bright day. It all comes out looking whitewashed.

Last night some of the family came over to sing happy birthday to the girl. Another very talented friend made the cake, starring the Girl's favorite animal - the flamingo! Gorgeous.

Tomorrow is Halloween, and I need to spend today prodding the Girl to write thank you notes and finishing her costume. I'm kind of wiped from the last weekend, so I'm glad for a day at home. Happy Sunday!

2011-10-20T23:43:00.002-04:00

I thought I was supposed to change up the banner from time to time, but I have received many a complaint about the missing kitty butts. They are back, and I apologize for removing them. I do love my kittehs. OOh, let's find a kitteh funny to share:

see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!

Lovely October-ness

2011-10-19T21:39:00.003-04:00

I've spoken before about October being my favorite month.

Kentucky in October is amazing - the world is drenched in technicolor autumn-ness.

The temperatures have dropped - it's dipping below 50 at night, and I don't want to turn on the heat yet when I know the temperature will rise again.

It's more fun to burrow under blankets, wrap yourself in cats, and drink tea and hot cocoa with marshmallow fluff.

A Rough Time of It.

2011-10-14T23:23:00.002-04:00

Sigh of relief.

That is what I am uttering right now, because I have not had a panic attack in a few days.

Because I am a completely open book, mental issues are simply not much the stigma these days, and I already overshare on a relatively public forum, I have never been shy about sharing my experiences with mental illness here. I have mentioned before that I suffer from depression and Generalized Anxiety Disorder, which I have mostly been controlling with medication for 8 years. Quite bluntly, as anyone dealing with this sort of thing knows, it sucks. Because an anxiety attack feels icky. Because if you're not shaking like a leaf, nauseous and sweaty, then you're on the verge of sobbing uncontrollably for no conceivable reason. Because there's always a chance your meds might decide to stop working, or your insurance will stop covering the medication, or some stress will be too much for your current dose. And you feel like "this is a mental issue. I should be able to handle this with some deep breathing and meditation." But I can't.

This past week, something happened and I started panicking on Saturday morning. And kept it up for awhile. I was able to mostly breathe through the attacks, but as someone who has gotten used to controlling the symptoms with medication, I was not dealing well. I lost 12 lbs in one week, because, let's face it, it's difficult to eat when you're nauseous. I talked to the doctor Monday and he said he didn't think it was a med issue, but he changed his mind on Wednesday and upped my dosage a bit. I feel better now. I feel, however, like each time I have another attack, it's a wake-up call that I need to take more control of my own mental health. The meds work great, and I'm thankful, but habitual meditation, better eating and exercize habits, and finally getting off my butt and seeing a psychologist will probably help even more. Something to think about.

Another thing that kills me about this particular disorder is how completely self-centered it makes me. Let's face it, I have to be pretty egotistical to think a bunch of people want to read a blog about me anyway, but when I'm dealing with this? I have friends who were having surgery this past week, and all I could think about was breathing through anxiety attacks and when would they finally stop? Which made me feel a bit like a jerk.

So many people are dealing with mental illness of some sort in their lives. If you suffer from any sort, I hope you realize you are not alone, and take the initiative and get the help you need.

On a lighter note, here is an amusing and apt quote from Rita Mae Brown:

"The statistics on insanity are that one out of every four Americans are suffering from some form of mental illness. Think of your three best friends. If they're ok, then it's you."

An Evening in the Lap of Luxury

2011-09-21T08:50:00.002-04:00

This is the Girl. With her peanut. The Girl won our school's PTA drawing for tickets to see the Reds play the Astros last night.

The tickets were in the Champion Club section, which pleased my people to no end. There are many buffets in the Champion Club. My people love buffets.

The seats had cushions! I love seat cushions! We also got to park at the park (never parked closer than a mile away,) and ride an elevator to the section. Apparently the two guys in the elevator who were chatting with my Girl were the announcers. My Guy was pretty amused that I had no idea who they were. I was irritated he didn't tell me - I would have taken pictures. Which is why he didn't tell me. Did I mention the seats had cushions?

Our PTA is awesome. How can we possibly go back?

Oh, yeah, and the Reds won.

September...so far

2011-09-10T20:56:00.002-04:00

I love autumn, and I've always treated September as a sort of second New Year's - a time to revisit my life this year. I will go through my resolutions from January and see where I am, try and get things in order again. I didn't really make many resolutions this year; in fact I cut down on my resolution-making and tried to simplify a bit, since each time I blew a resolution, it was another chance to feel like a failure. Not exactly an uplifting way to live life. But lists are fun, and I can't seem to break the resolution habit:

I grew something from seed. See those cucumbers the Girl is holding? Yup. Grew them. And the beans from my last post. And they were mighty tasty. Check!

I did start an exercize program and worked very hard on getting some weight off. I did well for a few months, and then I stopped sleeping, so I stopped working out, and I gained back most of the weight. I'm starting again - adding a few healthy habits at a time. This week? 3 days of exercize, 48 oz water, and 8 hours of sleep. Every day.

I've been looking for a new job. My job at American Cancer Society was eliminated on August 31, and as of that time I only had one job offer, which I decided to turn down. Right now I am subbing for the school district (classified sub - staff support and paraeducation) which is interesting, but I would very much like to find something permanent. Fingers crossed, friends.

My efforts to add a bit of creativity each day have been an epic fail, however. Which is sad. You would think I would be more attentive to something so nurturing to my very soul, but alas. I will strive to move this item further up the list.

Some little summer list items - I will be attacking my storage room this week and adding things to my garage sale pile - which is growing exponentially. I believe the garage sale will have to be held in two weeks - I need to get this stuff out of my garage. It's supposed to be warm this week, so I will definitely make the popscicles. And did you see my cucumbers?

Other craziness: the kids are way busy since school started. The Boy is playing golf and baseball, and he's on the academic team, so I've been chauffering him about regularly. The Girl is playing soccer and loving it, and she is enjoying her new teacher. She got A's on her first science and math tests - go Girl! We do have to work on her reading a bit - she is good at it, but I have to remind her to do it. She would rather play outside with her friends, or draw, or teach school to our cat Finnegan, which is very amusing to watch. Last week he learned all about the phases of matter, and the difference between a physical property and chemical property. An odd one, my Girl.

Yum...

2011-08-28T21:35:00.003-04:00

I may have lost all my squash and pumpkins, but we finally had enough green beans for a side dish tonight. They didn't need a thing, I just steamed them and the rest of the family was lucky I didn't just eat them all with my fingers before dinner. Maybe I'll have to grow more next year. And get rid of the squash bugs before they kill everything, little punks.

Musings...

2011-08-27T22:46:00.001-04:00

These are pictures of the kids on their first day of school. I know, the one of the Girl is terrible - I was in a hurry, and just took it with the sun in her face. The Boy is in high school - crazy. I asked him how he likes it so far, and he said he liked it better than middle school. I asked him what was better, and he responded, "the teachers aren't all up in our business."

He has "business" now?

The past two days have been good. I only have 3 days left at ACS, so the girls from the office took me out for lunch at Montgomery Inn (yum) and many laughs were had. Last night we had soccer practice, and one of the moms ordered pizza and we hung out after practice. The girls played more soccer and bonded, and the parents got to know each other a little better. Then I went to another friend's for a bonfire, some beer, and more chatting. Awesome day.

Today the Girl had a soccer game. They lost, 3-2, but they did so well. And my Girl did not let the ball pass her when she was playing defense - she rocked! I was very proud. The afternoon included haircuts, lunch, and a short nap before the Boy's baseball game. They lost. Really horribly. But one of the kids admitted to being 18, and several of the kids drove themselves. It is so odd that we're playing kids with facial hair now. I'm telling you, I am not old enough.

My eyes are feeling burny, now, and my mind is beginning to blank. Probably time for bed. Good night.

This morning...

2011-08-21T18:02:00.003-04:00

I woke up to rain this morning. I love a rainy Sunday.

I drank my coffee on the back porch with the smells and sounds of rain.

Nobody else was awake.

It was a peaceful and lovely way to start the day.

The Very Busy Family

2011-08-11T22:08:00.005-04:00

I was off work today. My children start back to school in less than a week; I would have liked to have spent the day hanging out with them - maybe a little cleaning, a little reading, and then out to play some disc golf or ride bikes. Instead, we:
- spent the morning at the pediatrician's office. Both kids had physicals, and they couldn't get them in at the same time, so we had 45 minutes after the Boy's appointment.
- off to the bike shop to get a new chain.
- I promised them I'd take them to lunch. We went to Mai Thai, in Florence, for our favorite Thai food. The place was packed, so that was another 90 minutes down.
- Grocery store. I dropped Buggy's insulin bottle last night and it broke, so we had to get another bottle of insulin. Of course our vet is a pain, and won't prescribe any refills, so we have to get the store to call the vet's office, who then has to check with the vet, and when he finally gets around to it...plus I had to pick up the food for our Girl Scout campout tomorrow night. 1 hour down.
- Drop the groceries and the Girl at home, the Boy gets changed for his golf match, and we rush to the high school to pick up schedules and pay fees (many fees.)
- Haul rear out to Covington for the Boy's golf match. Ran errands and came home to deal with dinner and making my sit-upon sample for Brownies tomorrow night. Back out to pick up the Boy, grab some food on our way home.

Ok, you may not have signed on here to get a look at my day - this chaos is only to illustrate how I've let this summer get away from me. We spent so little of it just chilling out together, and very little of it outside. Of course, a part of that was the heat - it was really freaking hot this summer, but still, I feel like I'm letting the few precious childhood years I have left with them get away from us. The Boy is already 14 and talking about having a job next summer!

Part of this is brought on, I think, by my most recent blog-crush, Beauty that Moves:
http://beautythatmoves.typepad.com/beauty_that_moves/
Her Unplugged Sundays are really inspiring to me, and I would like to try and convince my family to try something like that. At least for an afternoon, once a month maybe? Far be it for me to suggest we turn off college football for an entire Saturday, or whatever, but we should be able to disconnect from the technology and spend an afternoon together hiking or swimming, or something.

Maybe my head will stop hurting then. 'Cuz it really does right now.

Anyway, I'm off to bed. Maybe I'll climb in with the Girl for a snuggle. 'Cuz I still can.

I love Fridays

2011-08-05T18:38:00.002-04:00

http://fridayfillins.blogspot.com/ a blog that posts a fun new meme each Friday.

And...here we go!

1. How can I...write this blog when I can't seem to get the editing properties to work?

2. My front beds are full of ... weed(s)...but it's just going to have to wait. I've done my yard work for the day.

3. My hair ... needs trimmed and a good coloring. Soon, my pretties.

4. The mosquitoes had a ... reunion ... on my legs Monday night. They are covered in bites.

5. My favorite summer fruits ... are all of them. I love plums, peaches, berries of all kinds...yum, I'm drooling.

6. Something small just flew by my face ...what was that?

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to ... a good long snuggle with the girl (and trying not to scratch), tomorrow my plans include ... a serious cleaning (and trying not to scratch)... and Sunday, I want to ... sleep! I need it. I'll try not to scratch.

Have a great weekend!

Thank*full on a Tuesday

2011-08-02T18:35:00.003-04:00

I've had a rough last two days. Nothing that really needs to be shared, but my confidence took a good shaking and I needed to stop and reevaluate some priorities. So, to try and lift my own spirits, I'm writing a Thank*full Thursday on Tuesday. Focusing on that for which we are grateful is a sure mood-booster. And maybe it will give a little grin to someone else who needs a boost. So this happy Tuesday, I am thankful for:

1. Our first harvest of the year. I'll post pics when I upload them, but we have 3 green beans and 6! cucumbers.

2. A very yummy dinner. The crazy heat wave is still a-wavin', so I made a Mediterranian salad for dinner - tomatoes, cucumbers (from our garden!), red onion, Romaine, chickpeas, feta, and kalamata olives with a red wine vinegrette. Very refreshing and tasty.

3. Pinterest. Oh yes. I have become addicted. It's like shopping without buying!

4. A good feeling after an interview for an interesting job. I don't know if I got the job, but I felt like I had some good answers, and the position is very interesting - something I would like to do.

5. Some decent, fun people to work with. I'm going to miss them when this job is over (finally got an end date - my last day is August 31.)

6. (oh yeah, 6 - I'm feeling thankful tonight.) The next two days off. Love my coworkers, love sleeping in and being with my kids. Days off are winning.

7. McDonald's vanilla cones. Need I say more?

Feeling a little better. Off to play on Pinterest. Have a splendid night.

"Families are like fudge...

2011-07-19T23:08:00.007-04:00

...mostly sweet with a few nuts." author unknownI'm in the aqua, big sis is in green, little sis in black and white, Mom is in blue and white, and the guy is little brother.

How do you describe the experience of meeting your long lost sister?

I have written about my big sister in the past here:http://himissy.blogspot.com/2009/06/family-business.html
She and her 5(!) daughters drove up from the deep south (read with a drawl) to visit this week, and I had the pleasure (understatement) of meeting the whole crowd last night.
The girls are lovely - the eldest and my Boy get along great, the littlest girls love him, the Girl and girl 2 are inseparable, and girl 3 is delightful.
And my sister is...great. We agree on a lot. We both dislike eggs (and they make us sick.) We both have big feet and lament the fact that we can't sport the cute strappy shoes. We both have a goofy sense of humor. We love our children beyond measure and are demonstrative about it.
We played Boggle and Apples to Apples last night, and sat up late laughing hysterically at bizarre word combinations like "Cranky Beets" (best band name of the night.) We learned fascinating facts about George Washington - he was a fantastic dancer who was known for a spectacular minuet - and bonded over a shared love of ice cream and hatred of "innards" (as in, offal, or animal organs.) It was an excellent evening, and we have enjoyed their visit immensely.

Tonight we did Mexican, then came back here and I kicked the younger girls' butts in Just Dance 2, my new favorite game.

You all know I like to collect siblings like the Girl collects Pokemon cards, but really, when it comes to siblings I find the more the merrier. And this visit has just solidified that belief. Tomorrow we have a little more time before they all go back. The kids will be sad to see their cousins go home, and I will definitely miss them. But how very cool it is that we have new family - and they're stuck with us.

Beans and squash

2011-07-10T22:25:00.004-04:00

See item #5 in my fab list of super happy fun summer activities:

"Plant something and make it grow" (or something like that.)

I sent brother and kids out for spinach, lettuce, carrot, and radish seeds. They came back with green beans, cucumbers, squash, and pumpkins. We may be harvesting in November, but they are growing!

Also have spent some more time at the pool, where I did not apply my sunscreen like I should have and burned quite nastily. Because I lost track of time...doing a lot of reading! So I am working on that list, just with some painful side effects.

Friday Ramblings

2011-07-08T22:52:00.003-04:00

I saw this sign at the zoo last week. It really needs to be a t-shirt.

I took my kids to work with me today. They spent the first 3 hours fighting with each other, while I made phone calls and grew frustrated with the painters who would not let me get to my desk or computer. I realize how lucky I am that I can bring my kids to work with me occasionally, but I really wanted to knock their heads together. After lunch I put the Boy to work unpacking the new conference chairs and the Girl shredded documents for 3 hours. Stuff was done.

I would like to get a bunch of cleaning done quickly so I can spend the rest of the weekend chilling. My husband and I are having our first date since the start of baseball season, and I want to spend the rest of the weekend reading and sleeping. I love reading and sleeping.

Ooh, and maybe doing something arty-crafty. And taking some pictures, which I have not been doing enough of lately.

But now I'm going upstairs, where my bed is waiting, very impatiently.

2011-07-03T16:17:00.006-04:00

It's Sunday and I'm chilling with my bad self, and have not excuse not to blog, but I have just not been feeling the bloggy love lately. I think the main reason for that has been the fact that I have not managed to achieve anything lately, and I've been stressing about nothing. I'm doing nothing with all my fab health goals, and I've been totally lax with all my super-fun summer plans. Part of that might be the fact that I've been playing mama taxi constantly - the Girl was at 4 different day camps for each week of June:

(Spinning a plate at Circus Mojo camp while helping another girl)

This has left me with very little time for swimming and riding bikes. Don't get me wrong, I like my life fine, but sometimes I envy some of my other bloggy mommy friends who make an effort to make their summers easy and relaxed. I'm still working 3 days out of the week, so those two days I'm home, we're busting rear trying to clean the house and do all the things we don't get to do while I'm at work.

But July is here, and the Girl only has one week of daycamp this month, so I fully intend to take advantage of my 2 free days a week. We WILL camp before the summer is up.

Now that I'm sitting here typing, I'm remembering all the cool things that have been happening that I want to share: like Relay For Life 2 weeks ago. My MOMS Club has had a team for several years now, and we always try to make it a party. The more fun it is, the more people come, the more money we raise for cancer research and programs and services for cancer patients in our area. And the more attention we draw to the cause. It was a muggy one, though, and we were some sweaty girls. Especially when we did a Zumba session at 11:15PM. But the rain held off for a long time - we weren't chased away by storms until 2AM.

Last Friday night I took my Brownie troop to an overnight at the zoo. What a very cool program they run there - the theme was how animals adapt to function in their environment, especially those that are nocturnal. We enjoyed having the zoo almost completely to ourselves, seeing the Night Hunters exhibit at night, a night hike, and a bird show in the morning. Before we went to bed, the instructors brought some of their animals into our room so we could see them up close and touch:

(This is the cutest armadillo I have ever seen.)

The floor we slept on was very hard, my back hurt for two days after, and their were cockroaches in the sleeping area (not in a case or anything, real pests. They have an insect house, so they can't spray for bugs. In Chicago, cockroaches were gross, but small. Here they are really freaking big.) That kept some of us awake most of the night. But the trip was excellent, and I would definitely recommend it.

This past Friday, my MOMS Club walked in our town's first Independence parade. We had a great time - it was hot, sweaty, and a decently long parade route, but we will definitely be doing it again. After the parade, we went over to our community building for a festival. Not much there, just a firetruck for the kids to climb in, some inflateables, Kona Ice, of course, an Army band, and a lot of room to wander, socializing and eating with neighbors and friends. We loved every minute of it. Then we all sat and watched the fireworks, which were really good...it was an awesome day. I have pictures...I'll have to post them later.

So you see, we've been busy, and I haven't been focusing on some things I really need to focus on. We will be going to Chicago for a visit in a couple of weeks, but other than that we will be able to relax, and really enjoy summer. And we will camp, darn it.

Oh, we have been hitting those superhero movies. Green Lantern wasn't awesome, but it was fun, and Ryan Reynolds....so pretty. So unclothed for so much of the movie...

To make you giggle...

2011-06-15T19:29:00.004-04:00

This clip slays me, so I thought I'd share. Nothing new or fascinating, but something I read on Facebook today (Samuel L. Jackson reading a "children's book") reminded me, and I wanted to share:

Also, if you are feeling it, please support my Relay For Life efforts this Friday night at Cooper High School, either by donating, or, if you're in the area, coming by to see us!
http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY11MS?px=2674772&pg=personal&fr_id=29065

Hope you're having a fantastic week.

Holy crap! Has it been a month?

2011-06-09T23:19:00.003-04:00

I was informed the other day that I haven't blogged in over a month, which is mostly due to a heck of a lot of baseball. Enormous amounts of baseball. Both kids are playing this year, and the earliest games have been rescheduled, so we are playing several games a week. I also have to admit to a bit of shame - I posted that whole "I'm making changes, and this is what I've done so far" post, and then, very quickly, fell off the wagon. Started ditching the exercize, eating crap, and gained back several pounds. Not exactly the updates I was looking to post, so I didn't bother posting at all.

Ok, so I was being a whiny little girl.

And now I'm done whining. I like feeling strong, darn it, so I went to Zumba Monday night, and I've exercized each day since. I've also set up a standing walking date for Sunday mornings - I'm terrible about exercizing on weekends, which is dumb, since that's when I have the most time. I don't like to disappoint, so my friend Dee and I are going to walk Sunday mornings. I put my little notebook back in my purse - time to start writing down the food again. I pinky-swear, I will post an update here at least once a week. I certainly don't want to disappoint you lovely people, either.

Now, on another note, it's summer! And it has been a hot one already. My wonderful boss has allowed me to go part-time for the summer, so I can spend more time with the kiddles. The list-lover in me can't resist writing a list of things I want to do this summer:

1. Ride our bikes to a place we'd generally drive, at least once a week.

2. Go swimming - a lot.

3. See all the good superhero movies - so far we've seen Thor and X-Men: First Class. They were both pretty freaking good. You know the best part about superhero movies? The superheroes are always played by hotties.

4. Go camping.

5. Plant stuff - make them grow.

6. Go hiking

7. Visit the observatory for one of their family nights

8. Read a lot - signed up for the library program today.

9. Clean out the storage room

10. Another yard sale? Maybe?

11. Take a lot of pictures

12. Visit my family in Chicago

13. Make my own ice cream

14. Try to find fun, free things to do.

15. Spend time with friends

16. Make something cool

17. Paint my Girl's and my toes cool colors

18. Play golf with my Boy (I really don't like golf, but he really wants me to play.)

19. Do more yoga

20. Play with my kids

How about you? Any good summery plans?

A big day.

2011-05-07T23:46:00.001-04:00

This is my guy. He turned 14 today.

I won't even say how old that makes me.

Happy birthday to my Boy!

Happy Mayday, blah blah

2011-05-01T16:23:00.002-04:00

Ahh, Kentucky in the springtime. There is no more beautiful place, when it's not raining. And it's been raining a lot. Baseball season started almost a month ago and we finally managed to play our first game yesterday. We're going to be making up rained out games in July at the rate we're going. The Girl pitched for the first time. She walked a lot of kids, but she got the ball across the plate. So, way to go, Girl! And she hit awesomely! The Boy's game started 2 hours late, ugh. He pitched pretty well in the first 2 innings, but walked a lot of players in the third. He also was not hitting well, which surprised me. I have a lovely, painful sunburn to show for the day - my nose is really red. It has been so wet I haven't been able to mow in over 2 weeks and my yard seriously looked like a prairie. So my brother and I tag-teamed the front yard last night as it was getting very dark, and then I went out to do the back yard this morning, which was wet and clumping badly. Why am I telling you all this? No real reason, just reiterating how very rainy it has been. Seriously, people, a prairie. Speaking of the word "reiterating", I had to sit through a (very long, boring) training the other day and the woman running the training kept saying "reINerating". It was irritating.

I have a bunch of pictures to post, and some other updates, but I need to ponder and put my words together first. Enjoy your Mayday.

My focuses...foci?

2011-04-10T14:31:00.005-04:00

I mentioned some time ago that I made a choice to focus on good health and fitness for this year. I have not spent much time blogging about it, mainly because I thought to keep my efforts in that area separate from this blog, and only writing about it on my Spark blog, but that leaves me with very little else to write about. Other than the usual family/work stuff, I've been pretty hyper focused on two things - job search and health/fitness. The job search is going pretty well - I was offered a job at a small elevator company, which I turned down, hoping for something with a little more mobility (and a few less drug dealers in the park across the street.) I have interviewed for three other positions in the past two weeks, and had a second interview at one. Not the one I really wanted, which was (mistakenly, of course) offered to someone else, but I am optimistic.

The health/fitness stuff...that is going well.

This is me, in November. I hate sharing, but hey, I'm all about honesty here. I had a great time at my sister's wedding, and I really did love that dress, but I'm a fat girl. And I'm tired of it.

I've made this sort of commitment before, trying to lose weight, get healthy, etc., but it feels different this time. I've been working out consistently for 2 months. I'm making progress weight-wise - slowly, but surely, but more importantly, I am feeling so so so much better. I have energy, and I can carry things further, move faster, and work harder than I have in years. And this is affecting my life so much, I really should share it here. So here are some of the things that are working for me right now:

1. Zumba! I started doing it once a week last year, and it really sparked a renewed interest in exercize for me. I started working out harder the rest of the week so as to have more fun during my classes. Lovin' my Zumba!

2. SparkPeople.com - free trackers, access to advice from personal trainers and nutritionists, and my favorite part - teams and challenges. I am part of two separate team challenges which are totally motivating. And it is all free! I just passed my first weight-loss goal - time to order my incentive - my Sparkpeople t-shirt.

3. Diet Dr. Pepper. Not exactly health food, but I have a real problem with drinking pop, and I'm not a fan of most diet pops. I like the tingly carbonation, ok?

4. Kashi Go Lean Crunch. Really good for you, I eat it for breakfast most days of the week with a banana. Completely fills me up for hours so I'm not noshing all morning.

5. Fit Bottomed Girls and The Great Fitness Experiment: Motivation and fun, the first is a website written by women who are really into fitness, the second is a blog by a woman who likes to try anything - exercize-wise. I'm particularly fond of FBG's DVD reviews - I read them and check them out from our library to try.

6. Speaking of DVD's, my favorites right now are the Element yoga dvd's (FBG Jenn says they have a high "hippity-dippity" factor, very new agey, and I've found I'm very drawn to that sort of thing. Big surprise, right?) and Leslie Sansone's Walk Away the Pounds Mile a day DVD, which I do all 5 miles in one day. But I'm finding the WATP dvd's are starting to only work for my easy days, and I need some tougher ones, which is great. I want to find a good kickboxing workout, but I'm not loving Tae Bo as much anymore - maybe someone knows a good one?

The weather is getting better, which does mean more outside workouts - loving that. I'll share more great things as I find them, and I'll share my progress, if you all don't mind, since it gives me someone else to be accountable to.

And now I'm going outside. It's too freaking nice to be in this basement anymore.

Two Spectacular Reasons to Celebrate!

2011-03-17T08:33:00.002-04:00

First:

Some mommy friends of mine asked me to ditch work today and hit the Cock-n-Bull in Covington for green beer. Which sounded fabulous - but I have a buttload of work, and a skeleton office crew with which to complete it. Oh, and a phone interview - wish me luck! Is everyone wearing green?

And the second:

Happy Blogoversary to Me!

Yes, my friends, 4 adventure-filled years ago, I started this blog as a way to share, vent, deal with life, and today...that hasn't changed. A lot has changed in my life - kids in school full time, Mom and sister moved out, brother moved in, I started working full time...and this blog has remained a way for me to document my progress through life, as well as share with anyone who feels like reading. It's helped me keep track of my goals, my successes, and my failures. And I appreciate all of you who have stuck with me, or just joined the journey. Yay for 4 years!

8 Things: Excess

2011-03-16T13:18:00.002-04:00

I've read several posts about Lent, and what people are giving up for Lent, if they are. I don't observe Lent, but an interesting post on MagpieGirl got me thinking: For a girl who would like to live a cleaner, more meaningful life, I have a lot of crap, and giving up something would not be a particularly bad idea. She does mention that the first step is to become mindful of the excess, and that is definitely something I need to do. I find myself just going along day to day, understanding that I'm stressed and feel frazzled and full of brain-trash, but not sure as to why. Perhaps taking a look at the "too much" in my life will help me clear out that trash.

1. Shopping. I was thinking the other day that I don't go shopping nearly as often as I used to, and in part that is true. I don't spend hours at Target or Michael's, but I do stop at the grocery way more often than I need to, which makes for excess: excess food in the freezer and pantry, excess spending of money I don't need to spend, excess time spent at the grocery store. This morning I stopped on my way to work to pick up salad for lunch. I got salad, and yogurt, and 400 other things I didn't need. I should have just packed a pb&j.

2. Paper clutter. The desk I got for Christmas, that was to be used for bill paying and homework, is covered in paper clutter that I need to actually go through, file, pay, look at...This was the clutter I got that desk to avoid.

3. Body clutter (a much more pleasant term, as coined by Flylady, than fat). This, of course, is ongoing issue, and I am tackling it.

4. Reusable shopping bags. A very odd thing to have too much of, but I get them and forget about them. Need to just keep them stashed in the car, and write myself a note. On my forehead. In Sharpie.

5. T-shirts. Another odd one, but I have them for every charity event I've participated in, concert I've gone to, schools, activities, blank workout tees, sleeping tees...honestly, I have more than a drawer's worth. I hate throwing away the commemorative ones, and I like using the blank ones to exercize. And I'm a big girl, so the shirts take up a lot of room.

6. Craft supplies. I do have too much, I know it. It's a disease. That said, I haven't bought anything new since...January? That's a start, right?

7. Volunteer stuff. This is also something I'm working on. I've done away with one of my volunteer activities, and another will be over as soon as the school year is done. That will leave me with Girl Scouts...and the myriad little things that pop up from time to time. How do you say no when you can't do stuff at school during the day, and nobody else seems to be helping? Another disease. One too many of us tend to suffer from, I think.

8. Excuses. I'm too tired, I forgot, I'm not smart enough, not enough time, too much to do, they'd never hire me, blah blah blah. Enough.

I guess I'll start with the first two - giving up the excessive shopping and paper clutter for Lent. I'm too tired to deal with the rest for now (grin.)

Lalalala

2011-03-06T17:38:00.003-05:00

I find that is my standard title for a blog post I make when I just feel like rambling. Like today - I spent the day in the following way:

-woke up too early considering the late hour at which I went to bed. Drank too much coffee and got a stomachache, but very much enjoyed finishing the book I was reading, the second Sookie Stackhouse novel. Good fun. And my stomache feels better.

-put away some laundry, then ran errands - delivering Pampered Chef from my recent party and Girl Scout cookies. Which I really need to stop eating. Thin Mints are very addictive; even when I don't want to eat them, I do. Ran to the grocery to do the weekly shopping, and get Mom's stuff. She hurt her back this week and is having some major trouble functioning. She is getting an MRI tomorrow - hopefully whatever it is can be fixed quickly and with little complication.

-Got home, put away the groceries, and took out the sewing machine to (finally) sew my daughter's Girl Scout patches on her sash. Yeah, I'm the leader and my daughter is the last one to have her patches sewn on. Sadly, that is the only thing I've used my sewing machine for in a year. I need to get together with my friend A again; she always inspires me to sew.

We finished watching the Firefly series on Friday night, and watched the movie Serenity again last night (my son wanted to see it.) I am really sad - it was over too fast. It was really such a very good show, why on earth did they cancel it. Also, and I will apologize in advance for any sensitive males out there - I am about to start objectifying again - it was truly a very aesthetically pleasing show. Males and females both. Nathan Fillion was the captain, and you all know my thoughts on him. But the character of Jayne (my husband's favorite,) played by Adam Baldwin, had biceps the size of tree trunks that I just want to lick. And the doctor, Simon. Never thought much of him...until he was shirtless in the final episode, and in the movie. Oh. My. Goodness. Sean Maher, my dear, dear man, you have the finest sculpted torso. I must share with my lovely readers the glory that is your naked torso, for their own mental health, of course.

Seriously, did you even guess that that was hiding under all those clothes? Such lovely definition, beautiful tapering, sigh. I wish it was a better picture, but our sweet Sean has not spent much time posing. Thank you, kind Joss Whedon, for gifting the female watchers of the series with such a sight.

I thought I was done with the Pokemon when my son outgrew it. Unfortunately, he decided to share it with the Girl, who has become quite the fan. Of course, they spend hours playing the Pokemon, watching the Pokemon, sharing cards...and not fighting. I guess I will not dis the Pokemon.

Still looking for a new job. I applied recently for a position in which I am really desperately interested. Please send good, successful thoughts that the hiring manager call me for an interview. I think I will do well in an interview with this gentleman. He reminds me of my husband.

Speaking of the husband, he has kindly made dinner for me again - gumbo. Not my favorite, but he likes it, and I don't have to cook. This weekend has been a lazy one, lacking exercize or healthy food, but I do have a new workout DVD to try tomorrow, and I'm looking forward to getting back in a groove. You all have a spectacular Sunday!

Thank*full Thursday and some updates

2011-03-03T22:24:00.002-05:00

I've been blogging more regularly over at my Sparkpeople blog, keeping it relatively updated with my healthy changes progress. Which is going pretty well - I've been trying out new workout DVD's, and while the weight is not falling off (eating habits have something to do with that,) I feel much better than when I started. That said, the creative ideas are just not a-flowin' here, hence the lack of timely updates.

But...some things I'm thankful for this week:

1. Firefly. And more specifically, Nathan Fillion. I watched the movie "Serenity" a few months ago with my husband, and decided to watch the series, and it rather rocks, which makes it a very sad thing that it was cancelled. Of course, I am not the first person to think that way, as is evidenced by the mass of fan websites, petitions, and Firefly references by Sheldon on Big Bang Theory. Mmm...Nathan Fillion. At least we still have Castle. He is such a fine Canadian.

2. My alarm clock, which diligently wakes me up each morning at 5:30AM to work out.

Yeah, not so thankful for that.

Coffee, though. Very thankful for coffee.

3. My public library. Such a wide variety of workout dvd's. Exercize is more fun with variety. And I do love the "reserve by computer" feature, which I use often. I think I may have rhapsodized about that before.

4. The books I've been loving this week, namely:

The Good, the Bad, and the Undead by Kim Harrison

Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris

What the Night Knows by Dean Koontz

Not one intellectual giant or classic among them. Sometimes you just want something to enjoy. And I love these Kim Harrison books - they take place right here in northern Kentucky, and although it is an alternate reality she is describing, the characters do go to real places in the metro Cincinnati area. Lots of fun. Have to thank my friend E for recommending those.

5. Girl Scout Thin Mints. Not exactly fitting in with the healthier lifestyle, but they have been helpful this particular week, if you catch my drift. Helped me keep my temper in check.

And now, the bed for which I am ever thankful is calling my name. I will leave you with someone about whom to dream.

A Year of Choice

2011-02-12T19:26:00.004-05:00

I love a good blog challenge as much as the next person but Erin over at Bluebird Baby must have been spying through my windows lately when she came up with her own Year of Choice challenge for this year. Because in the past month I have been choosing to live more consciously- conscious of my own health and well-being, conscious of my attitude when I am with my kids, conscious of the way I behave when I am with friends. I'm tired of being snarky and irritated, and I truly believe these are the choices I need to make.

I've begun this conscious living choice with exercize. I have woken up each day and, rather than swearing at the alarm clock, gotten up and exercized. And what a difference in my sense of well-being just that change has made - more energy, more strength. I've been choosing water over soda (which is tough for me, let me tell you) and fruit and almonds over chips. Not always - sometimes I'm making the conscious choice to eat chocolate, but the choice is conscious, and that's the point.

Today, after nearly 2 hours of lovely, sweaty, butt-shaking Zumba, The Girl and I made Valentines. She has been asking, and today was the day. It was crafty and lovely.

Ooh, and I chose to let my husband do the cooking. Yum.

Thank*full Thursday - the "I'm cold" version

2011-02-03T21:52:00.003-05:00

It was a rough day - and not for any particular reason. Lots of little ones. So this is a much needed moment of reflection and gratitude.

This week I am thankful for:

1. Hot cocoa. Hot tea. Hot coffee. Hot beverages make a Missy warm.

2. Hot music. Especially loving the album "Brother" by the Black Keys. Could listen all day.

3. Trader Joe's Organic Creamy Tomato Soup. I drink a mug of it for lunch almost every day. It makes me happy.

4. My library's online reserve feature. I know, kind of boring, but it has made my life so much easier. I browse online, reserve a bunch of books, and just go in and pick them up at the desk. Of course, there is something wonderful about an hour spent in the stacks browsing, but I haven't had enough time lately. So, hurrah for the public library making my favorite habit/hobby a little more convenient!

5. Delish celebratory food with good friends tonight at Oriental Wok. It's my year, people, the Year of the Rabbit. Gung hay fat choy!

Here in my car...

2011-01-30T16:01:00.004-05:00

work, kid's schools, basketball.
Baseball, academic team, golf.
Soccer, PTA, more work.
Zumba, grocery store, gas station.
Out with friends, more work, library.

Like most modern moms, I spend more time in my car than I like. Several meals, the occasional clothing change, a lot of hauling happens in my car. I refer to my car as the pimpin' blue van, my husband refers to it as trash pit (I'm not exactly a neat freak. But, hey, I can usually find a tissue, a beverage, or a spare pair of socks if need be.)

Bizarre things I found in my car today:

Roll of toilet paper
3 plastic containers of cat litter
a towel
a Barbie head (my daughter hasn't played with Barbies in 2 years.)
3 perfectly brand new crayons
4 empty water bottles (the refillable kind. They are washing right now.)
3 baseballs, a soccer ball, 2 bowling balls, a football, and 1 - yes 1 - golf club. I'm thinking weapon.
7 socks - from 7 different pairs - all dirty.

Favorite things about my car:
It used to be my grandparents', and I am convinced Grandma still haunts it on occasion, as the doors lock randomly without me pushing any buttons, or any automatic function. Which is rather inconvenient when I'm warming up the car.
It was free, and it's big enough to lug around my kids and their friends.
My Cubs fuzzy dice hanging from the rearview mirror.
My Peace frog magnet - it causes people to come find me at the library or grocery store "I saw your van in the parking lot - it's the only one with the tie-dyed frog on the back." Definitely helps a social butterfly like myself.
I've "read" a lot of audio books while in that car.
It has been a means of transportation for a lot of family experiences - sports, vacations, life in general.

Now, keep your fingers crossed my well-used baby gives me a few more years...

2011-01-18T19:10:00.002-05:00

Here's what's going on in my neck of the woods:

This is Tar. The Girl made her.

She came to me the other day asking for paints. When I asked why, she held up this lovely paper stuffed doll. I was quite impressed with The Girl's ingenuity.

I've been wanting this mug for awhile, so I got myself a stocking gift.

She loves to be upside down. At least the fitness ball is used for something, right?

Tonight is my only free night in a week of busy - tomorrow night is MarketDay (yeah, still heading up that committee. We moms are so bad at saying no.) Thursday is fun - company happy hour and then a Mom's Night Out. It's supposed to snow that day, and all I can say is it had best not ruin my day, darn it. Friday is The Boy's (he has requested I do away with the MonkeyButt pseudonym, so he is henceforth known as The Boy. I never said I was creative.) academic team party. We have pizza and then square off, kids against adults, with 6th grade questions (so as not to embarrass the parents, I suppose.) I kick rear at those 6th grade literature questions. Go me.

New to me: This week

2011-01-15T21:01:00.002-05:00

This week has been an adventure, my friends. So much, just in my little corner of Northern KY, to experience, and this has been a week of new experiences. And what kind of world dominator/friend would I be, if I didn't share these experiences with you...
So, beginning from the beginning of the week:

1. County Cafe: Those of you who are friends with me on Facebook know my family and I tried the County Cafe, located in Florence, KY, on Tuesday. This used to be Double Decker, which we all know sold lovely, enormous sandwiches for decent prices, and was hugely popular, at least amongst my friends. They closed in the fall, and we all mourned. But mourn no longer, my lovelies, County Cafe sells the same food, same basic prices, just a new owner. We almost wept with relief. But we didn't. Because tears would have ruined our sandwiches.

2. "Despicable Me." Loved loved this movie. I found myself shushing my kids so I could hear the kids' movie.

3. Washed breast prostheses in the kitchen sink with a sponge and dish soap. Left to dry on a towel on the kitchen table. I know, this was also a Facebook update, but I felt it was such an odd part of my worklife, it should be repeated.

4. Saturday Sweets: a candy/ice cream shop who also sells gorgeous cupcakes, also in Florence, KY. They are tucked into an obscure strip mall on the Pleasant Valley side of the Oak Brook subdivision. I went in, just to check it out, and they were hosting their first kid's birthday party. I can imagine that may be something my daughter would enjoy - will definitely keep it in mind.

5. "The Social Network." Watched it tonight. Definitely made me think. I kind of felt dirty logging onto Facebook after that. I got over it, but still. Having had many superbly intelligent friends over the years who were perfectly capable of feeling mentally superior but still being able to maintain some semblance of a social life, I wonder - was Mark Zuckerberg's character just written to be an arrogant jerk who started Facebook out of a need to be popular and an inability to connect to other human being in the real world, or is that the way he is. I suppose a movie about a perfectly nice guy who has a cool idea would not be very interesting. Musings aside, the (1!) guy who plays the crew-rowing, lawsuit-bringing twins, Armie Hammer (fun name) is seriously hot.

This next week will also bring some interesting new fun: The office is closed on Monday so I'm taking the kiddles bowling at the new place in Newport (they have couches!) Thursday I have a happy hour AND a Mom's Night Out - it is a party time for Missy. I am still looking for a new job, by the way, if anyone is looking for a fabulous assistant, but I'm with the American Cancer Society for now. We are gearing up for Relay season, which means I will have plenty of work to do, which makes me happy.

Anywho, gotta go entertain my guy, so you all have a great night.

That which made me smile this weekend...

2011-01-09T21:12:00.003-05:00

Watching the Girl rediscover her love for basketball. She played in her first game of the season yesterday, and she started out slow - timid, not going for the ball, letting the other kids push her out of the way. As the game progressed, however, she started running, defending, and actually shooting once in a while. She made two baskets, some decent passes - and, best of all, had a really good time.
Some time to sit in my craft area and actually finish a page. I haven't cropped in weeks, and I'm feeling the withdrawal. It was a much needed creative reprieve.

I took the kids to see the new Harry Potter movie today. Admittedly, I'm feeling rather lukewarm about the movie. I think the Twilight series has destroyed the supernatural adolescent genre - I understand teenagers are balls of highstrung hormones, ok, especially teenagers who are being chased down by Deatheaters who are intent on destroying the world as they know it, but honestly, they spent way too much time staring at each other in tents and focusing on their feelings, and way too little time moving the story along. I swear they did not stare at each other this much in the books. And not every single moment had to be fraught with sexual tension. This may sound rather adolescent of me, but I really wanted to "avada kadavra" all their asses. Except Snape's, who was in this movie way too little. I do love me some Alan Rickman. Nobody, and I mean nobody, swishes a black cloak like Alan Rickman. Speaking of which, does this make you giggle or what?

My Mother has introduced the Girl to her favorite movies - musicals. They have watched and loved Fiddler on the Roof, The King and I, Music Man, Holiday Inn, etc. Tonight's chosen showering song? "Sisters", from White Christmas. It is truly delightful to hear my 8 year-old belt out such lyrics as "Lord help the sister, who comes between me and my maaaaaaan!

Scenes from the holidays

2011-01-08T22:01:00.003-05:00

Hi!

I thought this looked cool - the lights of the Christmas tree reflected in the window with the snow...pretty. When we lived in Chicago, we were constantly driving to someone else's house for holidays. Now that we live here, we rarely travel on the holidays themselves. Thanksgiving and Christmas are always here, and family members are welcome to come stay as they please.

Mom, brother, sister, and brother-in-law were here Christmas day to eat much food, open presents, play games, and enjoy much holiday merriment.

We had a heck of a time keeping Finnegan out of the tree. He makes a lovely ornament. Although, kind of freaky with the eyeshine.

The day after Christmas we drove to Peoria to visit Marc's family. We spend a lot of time playing Uno and Rummy, while watching his 21 year old cousin text. They are fantastic people and we love them. We went bowling this time. I don't believe I even got to 100.

I asked very nicely for a desk at which I could do all my home and volunteer paperwork. And I have a lot - between Girl Scouts, Marketday, MOMS Club, bills, school crap...my kitchen table was constantly covered. So now I'm slightly more organized.

My niece came to visit from Louisiana for the week. We hung out New Year's Eve - did our nails, ate a lot of crap, played more games. I love the fact that having kids gives me an excuse to be a complete dork and not go out on New Year's Eve. Not that I don't enjoy a gathering of friends or something, but big bashes and crowded bars give me hives.

Dude. I am so not cool.

Resolution Report Card

2010-12-31T17:10:00.002-05:00

A favorite of mine, Crafty Chica, did this on her blog. Now, you all know I love my resolutions - love thinking about what I'd like to change about myself, the sense of optimism I have at the beginning of a new year. Two years ago I wrote a long-ass "I suck" treatise on what I needed to change about myself. Last year I was a little more realistic - not saying I improved the self-esteem any, but dwelling on my own shortcomings is not a happy way to start a year, so they were short and sweet. Here is how I did this year:

1. Get a job. Make money. Buy less.

B+. I got a job, and made some money, although I did not really buy any less, in fact I probably bought more as I needed some clothes for work. I am also looking for another job right now, as this one was always temporary, it just stayed temporary for longer than I thought. I would like to keep the resolution as it stands - definitely buy less - but also add in "make a large dent in the credit card debt."

2. Exercize more. Eat less. Weigh less. (bring down the cholesterol.)

F. F-, because I didn't even get my cholesterol checked. I did start doing Zumba more often, and I will continue that, because I love it. This resolution stays, and I'm going to quadruple my efforts on it. I had some problems with my leg this year, and I've found that if I bring down the weight it hurts less. This is something I have full control over, and I need to take that control.

3. Take time to be creative each day.

C for effort, D for results. I enjoy it and it makes me happy, so I'll keep it on, and add "use my brain and be happy."

4. Blow something up.

F. Didn't get to it. Probably taking this one off, as it seems to have lost its importance this year.

This is probably the worst report card I've ever gotten. But isn't that the way I've performed the past few years? But that's ok. I'm refocused. I'm ready to face down my own inner demons. I'm ready for a solid year of self-improvement.

But first...an evening of debauchery.

Ok, maybe not debauchery. It's hard to debauch when one is spending the evening snacking and playing games with one's kids and mom. Pathetic, you say? Perhaps to all you party animals out there, but I'm looking forward to my little family New Year celebration.

Later this weekend I have some pictures to post, but for now, have a safe and happy New Year!

Thank*ful Thursday - Holiday version

2010-12-23T23:21:00.003-05:00

1. Saw a decent movie with my stud the other night - Serenity, based on the Firefly series. Now I want to watch the series.

2. Got a huge new pile of books from the library today. Let the vacation reading commence!

3. Woke up uber-early to finish my shopping this morning before work. Didn't find the gift I was looking for, but did get all the makings for Christmas dinner, and for fudgy gifts.

4. FOUND the present!

5. Finished all my wrapping today...and I have tomorrow off to drink coffee, read...oh, and clean.

6. A cuddle with my kiddles before bed.

7. My mama is out of the hospital. Yep, we had to take her in Sunday night - she was having chest pains she thought might be a pulled muscle, but she wasn't sure, and we just don't mess with chest pains. The experience, while familiar, was not comfortable - they were in the ER from 11PM to 8AM before they finally put her in a room. She didn't actually get to see a doctor until 8PM! The good news, though, is that she did not have another heart attack, and while they may have detected a leak in a valve of some sort, it is something they can test after the holidays, and apparently, may be treatable by medication. So, keeping fingers crossed.

Here is our favorite Swedish winter guy - the Tomten. I love that he has a goat.

Some fun recent stuff

2010-12-13T20:33:00.005-05:00

We did some ice skating recently. Few falls happened. Here are some pictures:

Today the temperature was below 20. This is the first time since I've lived here that it has gotten this cold this early. This is winter as I know it - cold and nasty. That doesn't mean I like it.

I had a very bizarre job interview on Friday. I waited 2 hours to talk to someone for 15 minutes. It was a very interesting job, but the fact that they forgot about me probably does not bode well for my chances. I really think that while I would certainly do that job justice, the guy was looking for someone younger and more willing to jump at his command.

I got my hair cut on Saturday. I had them cut 6" off. I am loving it. They also waxed my eyebrows. That was my first time - I was a waxing virgin. Totally worth it - I love the look.

Why on earth am I listening to Bill O'Reilly?

My husband has asked me to try making turtle candies. He loves them, and I've never made caramel from scratch. So I've decided to take my happily empty Saturday, buy a bottle of wine, and work on caramel-making. And maybe some baking. I haven't done any baking this year, a fact that embarrasses me. I always bake this time of year. And I have not made many of my gifts this year.

I started a new knitting project yesterday. The Girl asked for a scarf of her own. I made myself stop after casting on 25, which will make an actual scarf, rather than a massive, 3 skein wrap. And I'm attempting to stripe it, which is quite the endeavor for me. I'll have to find a YouTube to teach me to purl next - the husband called me a one-trick pony since I can only make one thing.

Well, it's time to burrow under a blanket with a hot chocolate and a book. Have a happy wintery evening.

A most excellent weekend

2010-12-05T21:35:00.004-05:00

First of all, I want to address my cousin's comment about feeling up the gnome. I snickered with delight. You are humorous. Now get your resourceful ass on the case, please.

Anyway, this was an excellent weekend. Friday night included hot chocolate, very light reading, and much snuggling. Saturday the kids played in the first snow of the year:

Then I took the kiddles off to my mom's, and the guy and I went to our first holiday party of the year. And a fabulous party it was - everyone new and liked everyone, nobody standing awkwardly off to the side, there was plenty of alcohol and karoake! I sang two excellent female power anthems - "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" and "You Oughtta Know." I'm pretty sure the women of the party scared several of the men with our spirited Alanis sing-a-long.

Today included some crafty goodness with my sweet friend, A, and a yummy lunch. I also finally gave up the meanest mommy award and we put up the tree. I am a very easy going tree person - the ornaments are clumped together, and I will likely leave them that way:

followed by Boggle and hot cocoa and Simpsons. A very nice way to top off the weekend.

Friday Fill-ins, and some other stuff.

2010-12-03T22:20:00.004-05:00

I enjoy the occasional Friday Fill-in.

1. The best thing about a birthday celebration is...um duh. Presents.

2. I cannot avoid, so I try to embrace...the passage of time.

3. I went shopping recently and the most interesting thing I bought was...sadly, cat food. I have holiday gifts to buy, so I'm holding off on the extras.

4. Boggle is no child's game in this house, my friends.

5. And as for this weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to chilling a bit more before bed, tomorrow my plans include putting up the tree and the first, and best, holiday party of the season, and Sunday, I want to lunch and get crafty with my good friend, A! Hooray!

Also, since I'm horribly inconsistant with blog updates, I should add that the boy got his braces off a few weeks ago!

Now, I'm off to scour the blogosphere for some interesting handmade gift ideas, as well as a felt gnome project I know I saw somewhere....

Thank*ful...Monday?

2010-11-29T21:03:00.002-05:00

It has been a busy weekend, and I did not get a chance to post a thankful list for last Thursday, which is terrible, considering it was Thanksgiving. So, here, in all its belated glory:

1. Neosporin: Last night I was helping my brother move some stuff to his car, and my Finnegan cat got out. Being a kitty of the night, he disappeared in the dark. I saw him dart across the porch. Bending over to grab him, I ran full-tilt and head-first into the gate latch. It was pretty nasty - hurt like a mother, and bled everywhere. I slowed the bleeding and iced it for an hour, then took some ibuprofen and washed the matted blood out of my hair, thinking that was fine. Today, it continued to slowly bleed, so when I went to the doc (first case of bronchitis in a long while) I asked him if I needed stitches. After exclaiming "ewww," he said nobody could stitch it as there was a chunk missing. To which I responded, "ewww." Anyway, it's sore, but I'll live. And hopefully, the Neosporin will keep it from getting infected.

2. Sleepytime tea. Makes me feel better during this occasional bouts of bronchitis.

3. My local library, and the piles of books I checked out this weekend. Happy reading time ahead.

4. A lovely Thanksgiving. It was a chaotic, crowded madhouse, but so lovely. My dad and his wife came down from Chicago, my sister, her husband, and stepson came over, as well as my mom and brother. I cooked a massive amount of food, which all turned out pretty freaking good, if I do say so myself. We spent the rest of the weekend catching up and chilling. It was a weekend of family and happy.

5. And finally and wonderfully...my brother got a job! He is now an attorney in central Illinois. It was quick - he got the job last week and started today. We are so happy and proud, but we already miss him. So Yay! for him!

This picture was taken during the Girl's birthday in 2006. Cheerful, no?

Look What I Did!

2010-11-17T21:28:00.002-05:00

It's Done!

1 year and 4 months after I started it, The Scarf That Swallowed My Cats is finished, and ready to wear - as modeled by my cold-fairing brother here.
It was a great way to keep my hands busy - when I remembered to pick it up. My cats love laying on it, as evidenced by the many cat hairs that bespeckle my blanket - I mean, scarf.

The holes are actually not where I dropped stitches, at least, not all of them. Most are a result of a combination of cat love, weak yarn, and my pulling too hard as I knit. Now I need to learn a different stitch, besides knit. But aren't the colors pretty?

And yes, it is mammoth, but I'm a big girl. I need a big scarf.

Ditching the Bucket List

2010-11-06T14:00:00.003-04:00

Anyone who knows me, or who has been reading this blog for any length of time knows I love a good list. I enjoy writing out each task ahead of me (because, often enough, writing it down is the only way it gets done.) I especially love ticking off each task as I finish - what a sense of accomplishment. But, conversely, anytime I have items on my list that are not crossed out - and my very large daily to-do list generally has several items incomplete - I feel a sinking sense of failure. Not the way I want to live my life.

Last night I was, yet again, trying to make my way through "A New Earth" by Eckhart Tolle. It has been on my to-read list for years - I'm told it will help me out along my spiritual journey, which is still very much a part of me.

I am just not getting into it.

There is a lot going on right now. I'm working on getting a new job. My sister's wedding is next week. I am waaaaay overextended, volunteer-wise. I am concerned about my own health - not because I feel particularly bad, but because I am going on 14 years with this extra weight, and it is not helping me out. Our insurance plan is changing, and not for the better. The credit card debt has grown, rather than shrunk. My house is a regular mess! And there is all the good, parenting, wifey-type stuff we all deal with. Honestly, reading a book I really don't care about is not high on my list of priorities. So, I think to myself last night, I'll go through my to-read list and get rid of all the books I think I should read, but don't really want to. That will happily clear up some time and make me a bit happier.

But what about the rest of the lists? I usually try to take 5 minutes each day to read an entry from Leo Babauta's blog, Zen Habits. I, personally, find his blog to be helpful in a calming, let it go and chill out, kind of way, (even if I find his writing personality to be kind of self-righteous. Sorry, Leo. He's probably not that way in real life. And honestly, maybe he deserves to be - he has a buttload of kids, he moved here from another country, quit smoking, started running, wrote a few books...he's accomplished quite a lot.) Anyway, one of the things they talk about at Zen Habits is cutting down the to-do list to just a few, most important tasks so it's manageable. A lot of simplicity gurus tout that, but this is the one I read. Anyway, I decided that I'm going to take that advice to heart, not only with my daily to-do lists, but with my Before I'm 40 Bucket list - that list is supposed to be all about fun, and it has become a, "oh no, I'm halfway there, and I've accomplished 3 items" stress. So here we go:

1. Travel outside the country - crossing out. I would like to travel, anywhere, but I will be just as happy traveling around the U.S. And if I get to go somewhere else...hey. It's just cake.
2. Figure out what I'm going to be when I grow up - crossing out. I'm a woman, a mom, a wife. Right now, I just need a job. I don't know, maybe I'm just not a career kind of gal. Maybe I'll write my first novel. Who knows - I don't, and I'm not going to stress about it.
3. Number 2 is related to number 7 or 8 which is "finish degree." And that just isn't going to happen. Because my kids get to go to college first. It is possible I won't ever get to go back, which doesn't mean I won't continue to learn. It will just have to be in a non-classroom environment. And I can live with that.
4. Which leads me to "learn to speak another language, fluently." I think I'll keep that one. It's something to "learn", and I've always loved languages. Quite frankly, I have a good start on Spanish - I should just keep going.
5. Reach healthy weight and stay there. I'm amending this one to, "establish regular exercize and healthy eating habits." The weight loss with follow, and I need to focus on my health, plus provide a good role model for my kids, which is why this one is, in part, staying.
6. Pay off the credit card debt and save something. This one is also staying - in fact, the healthy habits and credit card debt ones are the ones I will be working on first and foremost for the immediate future. That debt needs to go so we can send our kids to college, travel, retire someday...and let's face it. My pimpin' blue van is not going to last forever.
7. I'm getting rid of "read Brothers Karamazov." I may still read it, but it won't be soon.

The rest is traveling - and I'm condensing it. I will replace my old list with my new one, and add one more - chill out and be happy.
Are you finding your lists stress you out? Have you examined your goals recently? Maybe they need a bit of tweaking?

The big stuff.

2010-11-01T22:13:00.005-04:00

I have a lot of rambling to do, but this post is just to catch up on some major goings on, if you will:

The horrible mom that I am, I did not even announce my sweet girl's birthday. 8 years ago last Thursday, very very excrutiatingly early in the morning, following the Angels' World Series win, My Girl Child joined our family. In a hurry. A big hurry.

We had a bbq dinner with friends that night, followed the next night by 9 squealing, giggling, pajama-clad girls. Good times.

And last night was Halloween, one of my very favorite holidays (after all the ones at which I receive presents, of course.) We trick-or-treated with great joy (and many layers - it was chilly.) And laughed at the idiotic, scantily clad, shivering teenage girls. "ooh, look how sexy I am...but brr, let me hold this jacket in such a way as to not warm myself at all, but still display my stupidly bare shoulders..." Sorry. They just looked so dumb.

My children, on the other hand, were just...bizarre.

She is obvious, he is supposed to be a NASA engineer. Apparently they run around wearing NASA visors all the time. They had an excellent time, even if everyone thought the girl was a boy and kept calling her "Buddy." I was Cyndi Lauper, but not one person guessed it. Maybe I should have been singing.

Pumpkins!

2010-10-25T21:25:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was the day.

An Excellent day for carving pumpkins.

Spooky...guess which one is mine. Yeah, I don't carve any better than the kids.

My brother, on the other hand, carves a wicked jack-o-lantern.

I made these tonight...a little salty, but they smell divine.

I love this time of year!

Uh oh.

2010-10-22T15:42:00.002-04:00

Definitely a rambling bit of whatnot here - I feel the need to empty out the rubbish bins in my brain - so watch out for banana peels.

I was perusing a bit over at MagpieGirl today. I haven't been there in awhile, so I was reading back pretty far, allowing myself a little blog OD, if you will. She posted an "8things" post in September about "Warning Signs that I am Not Standing in My Own Power" that really resonated with me - essentially because I get those "warning signs" myself. When I am becoming too focused on one part of my life, to the detriment to the rest, I have my own "warning signs" that I am teetering on the edge of a sort of personal "engine failure." Maybe I'm just a bit nuts (nobody is disputing that,) but maybe some of these may sound familiar:

1. I become obsessive - maybe it's blabbing on and on about dietary habits or money or some personal quirk that annoys me - I can't think about anything else clearly which leads to:
2. A distinct sense of "muddled-ness." All forms of intelligent speech leave, I can't write. I honestly cannot see my path clearly. Important tasks get thrown by the wayside because I. Don't. Remember. These are the big gaps during which I do not, cannot blog.
3. A seriously pissy mood. I hate that my brother and husband call me pissy - rhymes with Missy, bad childhood memories. But that is exactly how I feel. When I catch myself snapping at my kids, constantly, that is a blatant sign that I am neglecting some important part of myself.
4. Apathy - "I don't care" "whatever".
5. Constant state of anxiety - my chest feels heavy, I can't get enough oxygen. More exhaustion than normal.

This has been happening lately, more than it should. I keep meaning to map out a routine, some way to not only complete all the tasks I need to complete in a day to keep things running smoothly, but also to compartmentalize the various volunteer tasks into an hour or two a week, fit in family time, and also a little time to work out and read. In addition, I've been neglecting two very important parts of my psyche - my creative self and my spiritual self. I feel these are the two parts of Me that have been throwing me off so much lately - I have made some things for my sister's wedding and for work, but I haven't taken any time to be creative for my sake - my camera remains nestled and unused in it's case, my desk is a mess and just keeps collecting dusty piles. I haven't done any yoga or meditation in so long I've forgotten what it means to "quiet my mind", and forget about God. Haven't given that search a passing thought in more than a year. But my spirituality has always been so important to me, even in the unformed, lump of clay-like state that it has been in these past few years.

I have to wonder, why am I having so much trouble organizing my time and mind-space? Most people work outside the home and manage to live their lives without going crazy. I don't expect I'm going to find "balance" perse - that is, I think, an overrated concept. I imagine certain times certain different aspects of my life will thrive at the expense of others. I guess I'm just looking for ways to "de-muddle" my brain. I'm definitely open to suggestions...

2010-10-11T11:11:00.002-04:00

I've been skipping around a bit today and have found some lovely things to share:

1. This room. I would love to have a room like this, for our family to read and create and play. It's so bright and cheerful and full of books. Of course, only two of us actually seem to have any desire to create, but reading is something we can all share. Anyway, very lovely, and it makes me happy.

2. I would like very much to change out my living room a bit - not a ton, (although I crave a new couch,) but I would like to move the shelving unit I keep my books and things on up to my bedroom, and put a desk and two bookshelves against that wall. Giving myself and the kids another space to work, and to clear the mail and volunteer stuff off the kitchen table. I love these, but I also have looked at Target and found coordinating desk and shelves that are really lovely. This is the desk, and the shelves go with, and they are the right size - really love. With all the additional volunteer work I do, plus the kid's school and sports and activity stuff...it would be good to have a place to organize everything. Mayhaps gift cards will be accumulated for Christmas...

3. The Girl's birthday is coming up. She asked for books, clothes, a peacock or peachick, and an I-Pad. I have no freaking idea what I'm going to get her, but peacocks are really noisy; I'm pretty sure there is some kind of law prohibiting owning one. And the I-Pad just made me laugh.

4. Love this!
5. Probably time to get the Halloween stuff out.

Because I need to post so I can keep on posting...

2010-10-06T22:40:00.003-04:00

Things I did today:

1. Ate way too much for lunch and felt crappy and full after.

2. Read some more of The Historian.

3. Wrote my thank you note following yesterday's interview - crossing my fingers, folks.

4. Answered a lot of calls, helped a few patients, cleaned up a database, wrote some letters, completed some volunteer tasks, entered a few tshirt orders, answered questions about the upcoming Making Strides walk (October 17 at Yeatman's Cove, folks.)

5. Took a wicked Zumba class and shook my groove thang.

I took this pic a while ago, but owls are cool, so I'm sharing. Also, I left my camera at A's house following my sister's bridal shower, so I can share anything new. And the shower went well, thanks for asking...

Trying to move past the icebergs

2010-09-23T08:08:00.002-04:00

I had kind of a major psychological breakthrough this morning. A little early for a major breakthrough, I understand, but it happened. I was reading October's Self magazine (bathroom reading, where all major breakthroughs should occur.) I was reading an article about a woman's search for happiness and what was holding her back. A therapist told her to identify her "core beliefs." When she spoke of "core beliefs", however, she wasn't speaking of faith, or religious upbringing, or even moral and ethical values. She called them "iceberg beliefs" because they reach deep down to the core, and shape every decision you make, whether you realize it or not.

As I read this I started thinking about my own "iceberg beliefs." I realized I have three that shape every decision I make:

"I can't handle that" - There have been challenges I have avoided because I assumed I could not rise to the occasion, and failure would be humiliating. Secondly, and more importantly, I never finished college, which has haunted me the past 15 years. I have put off trying for jobs or voicing opinions because I assumed my lack of education would make me an unlikely authority on anything. I dream of going back and finishing my degree, but my kids get to go first, that is just the way it goes. And, as a result, I continue to think just slightly less of myself for not finishing, for not having that piece of paper saying I'm an educated, intelligent person. Yes, logically I realize, a person can be intelligent without being educated, but the two or inexorably linked in my own head, and that little core truth, coupled with the constant questioning "am I up to the challenge? Probably not" continues to shape my decisions.

"They don't want you around." Oh, I know where this one comes from. My own beloved grandmother had horrible self-esteem and paranoia, and she lovingly passed them down to me, along with a love for Scrabble and all things Swedish. As a result, I am an extrovert in a shy person's body, making me uncomfortable meeting new people, even as I crave contact. My discomfort presents itself in weird ways - I speak louder and faster, laugh inappropriately, and come across as quite the dork.

"People only like you if you can do something for them." I really think this is a common one. There is a reason people, especially women, I think, stretch themselves way too thin. This is one I'm going to have to face down and conquer quickly, though, as I am desperately trying to find a new job, and it is unlikely the hours will be as accommodating as this one. I volunteer a lot, and while part of me is doing it because I really want to do something for other people, part of me simply does not want to let anyone down. And I'll have to, sooner or later, if I don't want to go insane.

Of course, realizing these beliefs are there and doing something about moving past them are two different things. But I can only imagine seeing these icebergs gives me a chance to maneuver around them, instead of side-swiping them and ripping giant gashes in my hull...or allowing them to influence my life unduly. And, as GI Joe always said, "knowing IS half the battle."

a few technical difficulties.

2010-09-17T14:51:00.002-04:00

For some reason I started posting this long, happy post here, and I was super-pleased with it, and all of a sudden, it changed and I was posting to the Girl Scout blog, and what I was posting was not appropriate. Bad, Blogspot.

So, as I was saying...yesterday was kind of rotten, and I will share as soon as things are solidified, but for now, just know it was rotten. But I'm in a good mood today, and feeling the love:

I love my early mornings. Not the waking, waking sucks. But taking my coffee onto the porch, and inhaling the damp, cool, loveliness before anyone else wakes up...is fantastic.

I love having lunch with a favorite friend. We had yummy Chinese next door and unloaded all the recent news...we aren't phone friends, so these lunches and crafty get togethers are the only times we really chat. Perfect lunch hour.

I'm loving this blog I've newly discovered - Pancakes and French Fries. She is so cute and funny, and I love reading her blog.

I love finding just the right thing for a person who is going through the most traumatic experience of her life. Today I found the right, most perfect wig for a patient, and I answered all her questions, and she was so happy when she left, she hugged me. I love those hugs.

So, there is a something happy in the rotten-ness today.

Feeling a bit chatty.

2010-09-12T19:42:00.003-04:00

I woke up feeling bizarre - really spacey, fuzzy, kind of tense and sick. Realized I had skipped yesterday's mental meds - that's what I get for waking up a bit too late for breakfast, and having to run out to soccer game-new tires-posterboard pickup-etc...I've also been rather frazzled - it's been crazy! I'm starting back full time at work, which is a good thing, but also reason for a major schedule upheaval, since I never even got into a decent routine before. I have to, have to find a way to fit in exercize - I'm feeling rotten, and I know this will help. I finally finished going over annual reports for MOMS Club, which was kind of a big job, and will be bigger next year, since I've learned I will be coordinating for two new chapters soon. Our first Market day of the year is this Wednesday, I was receiving e-mail after e-mail about making calls and pushing the sale because we were so close to reaching a goal. And we need help with the sale and nobody is responding to help. Which is...frustrating. This week is busy - Girl Scouts, golf, soccer, baseball, Marketday, work...and I am the matron of honor (goddess of the universe) of my baby sister's wedding, and I am really stressing about it, which is silly - I mean, I already got married. But I want to help out and do a good job...and the shower is coming up way soon. Ugh.

Of course, today was actually quite lovely - I checked out a store I've been wanting to see, The Christmas Tree Store, which I assumed sold all Christmas stuff. It doesn't. And I went to Staples and Barnes and Noble (I started The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo the other day, which is really good, but I have to return it to the library along with several others, and I figured I like it enough, so I bought it and the next one. Hooray for paperback!) And I went to David's Bridal, just to look around, and I think I found the dress I want for the wedding, which is good, since it is in 2 months. So, go productive me.

My brother keeps calling me pissy. The more he says that, the more I want to punch him.

I took a picture I enjoy last week - here, you enjoy it, now.

I've been having the most bizarre dreams lately. A very interesting recent one involved me watching the Emperor from Star Wars fighting the Jedi while I sat on the ground wrapped in his black wool cloak-thingy. I kept rooting for the Jedi, and after the Emperor won, he grabbed his cloak away from me and said, "thanks a lot." So Luke Skywalker gave me his. Apparently I was cold. Then I got up and went back to the all night crop I was at. Which is, apparently, where the dream got boring, according to my Boy, who was enjoying my retelling up to that point.

In response to Chris Moore's blog criticism...

2010-09-08T20:40:00.002-04:00

1. Not of my blog, perse, but of those bloggers who post lists and call them blog entries.
2. Is it lazy? Perhaps.
3. But I like making lists.
4. And I like making them here.
5. So there.

{this moment}

2010-09-03T19:55:00.002-04:00

Inspired by SouleMama.

A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week.

thank*full Thursdays

2010-09-02T22:11:00.003-04:00

Such a gratifying response to last week's post - and focusing on that which we are grateful for is healthy. So this week I am thank*full for:

1. Some good news at work. I don't know whether I can share yet, so I'll just say, I am pleased, and will share more next week.

2. A 4 day weekend. I love my job, but I'm pretty excited about lovely unstructured-ness.

3. My husband is home! He was in Argentina for work. Generally, I admit, I love his business trips since he doesn't travel much. I get the bed to myself, make the food he doesn't like, when I feel like it...but this time he was so far away. I was a little nervous, and I'm glad to have him home.

4. Mr. Clean's Magic Eraser mop. Yes, I am thankful for a mop. I get this nasty black buildup under the table from the bottoms of my chairs (and yes, I have cleaned the bottoms of the chairs) and this mop cleans it, no scrubbing necessary. A lovely thing. What I'm not so thankful for is that the mop is only sold at the Target around here. I went to 3 different stores looking for the heads until I finally found them today. I look forward to mopping tomorrow. Good times.

5. We finished the whole "Six Feet Under" series last night. Wow, those last few episodes were seriously depressing. I sobbed during the 3rd to last. Then I had to watch the last two, so I was up after 2AM. It was definitely worth watching, although I have to agree with my friend S that the first few seasons were much better than the rest. Interestingly, I found myself alternately despising each of the main characters at varying times. It was odd actually wanting to spend the time to find out what happened to these people I despised. The acting was pretty freaking amazing by all, but Michael C. Hall was Brilliant. It is going to be odd watching him play the very definitely straight Dexter this fall. Can't wait for Dexter...

A Book Quiz

2010-08-28T19:20:00.002-04:00

Lifted from Yoga-grrl who borrowed it from Brewsandbooks. Because I love a list, a quiz, a meme.

1. Favorite childhood book? Little Women, The Little Princess, Baby Island, the Little House series.

2. What are you reading right now? The Good Omen by Neil Gaimen and Terry Pratchett and Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood (on audiobook)

3. What books do you have on request at the library? The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, the latest Frankenstein book by Dean Koontz

4. Bad book habit? Occasionally spending too much money on a book and then not reading it. Sooner or later I will.

5. What do you currently have checked out from the library? Read question #2, plus the newest Jane Green and the newest James Patterson

6. Do you have an e-reader? no

7. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once? generally I read one, and listen to one in the car.
8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog? They really haven't, other than I occasionally write about what I read now.
9. Least favorite book you read this year (so far?) The most recent Scarpetta books - they just aren't very exciting anymore.
10. Favorite book you've read this year? I really loved Physick Book of Deliverance Dane and Blackbird House. The Gates by John Connolly was great.
11. How often do you read out of your comfort zone? If someone I trust recommends it, or it's a book club book, so maybe a few times a year.
12. What is your reading comfort zone? Definitely fiction - preferably good female characters and fun plot, but I'm not terribly picky.
13. Can you read on the bus? Not that I take the bus often, but I have terrible motion sickness, so I doubt I'd do well.
14. Favorite place to read? My chaise lounge on the back porch.
15. What is your policy on book-lending? Sure.
16. Do you ever dog-ear books? Yes, but never someone else's book
17. Do you ever write in the margins of your books? Only if I am really inspired to do so - I wrote in the margins of Eat, Pray, Love.
18. Not even with text books? I did, yes.
19. What is your favorite language to read in? English - I'm not fluent enough in anything else. I have, however, read Cat in the Hat to the Girl in Spanish.
20. What makes you love a book? Characters I love, thoughtful plot, beautiful language.
21. What will inspire you to recommend a book? See above. Or, if a book really makes me think.
22. Favorite genre? Fiction. Most kinds of fiction.
23. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did?) biographies or other non-fiction
24. Favorite biography? heehee. Probably The Glass Castle
25. Have you ever read a self-help book? I've read some spiritual self-help and some parenting books.
26. Favorite cookbook? Any of Molly Katzen's. I love to read her recipes like stories.
27. Most inspirational book you've read this year (fiction or nonfiction?) Mennonite in a Little Black Dress
28. Favorite reading snack? popcorn or raisinettes. Movie snacks.
29. Name an instance in which hype ruined your reading experience? Twilight. I did not like the books nearly as much as I thought I would
30. How often do you agree with critics about a book? I rarely read the critiques.
31. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews? I doubt the authors are reading my reviews, so I don't worry much. If I knew the author, maybe.
32. If you could read in a foreign language, what language would you choose? Italian.
33. Most intimidating book you've ever read? Anna Karenina
34. Most intimidating book you're too nervous to begin? Foucault's Pendulum
35. Favorite poet? Mary Oliver
36. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time? 5 or 6, maybe?
37. How often have you returned a book to the library unread? On occasion, if I haven't had time, of just didn't feel inspired.
38. Favorite fictional character? Jo March, from Little Women. She was wild and strong.
39. Favorite fictional villain? Probably Voldemort from Harry Potter. He was one nasty SOB.
40. Books I'm most likely to bring on vacation? light, girly fiction.
41. The longest I've gone without reading? Um, how long have you gone without breathing?
42. Name a book you could/would not finish. As I Lay Dying, by Faulkner. Ugh.
43. What distracts you easily when you're reading? My children.
44. Favorite film adaptation of a novel. This one's easy. Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk. Honestly (and I hate to admit it), the movie was better than the book - almost identical, but more aesthetically pleasing.
45. Most disappointing film adaptation. Most of Stephen King's. Except The Green Mile, which wasn't too bad.
46. The most money you've ever spent in a bookstore at any one time. A lot.
47. How often do you skim a book before reading it? Most of the time I just read the synopses on the back.
48. What would cause you to stop reading a book half-way through? Really poor grammar, or characters I really hate.
49. Do you like to keep your books organized? In so much as I need to find them, I suppose.
50. Do you prefer to keep books, or give them away once you've finished? Depends on the book. I keep the ones I love.
51. Are there any books you've been avoiding? I've been wanting to read the Brothers Karamazov for years, and I have only read the first few chapters.
52. Name a book that made you angry. Catcher in the Rye. I know people loved that book, but I thought Holden Caulfield was a spoiled brat.
53. A book you didn't expect to like, but did? The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. That was a lovely book!
54. A book you expected to like but didn't? Twilight. I did, however, like the rest of the books in the series. I also didn't much care for Committed, by Elizabeth Gilbert, and I really thought I would.
55. Favorite guilt-free, pleasure reading. Jennifer Crusie, Jane Green, other chicklit or romance.

Ooh, what fun.

thank*full Thursdays

2010-08-26T13:40:00.004-04:00

It's time to re-establish this particular habit of mine. You can never focus too much on gratitude.

Today I am thankful for:

1. It may be rather boring but, gorgeous weather. It has been unbelievably lovely outside. Temps in the 70's and low 80's, low humidity, blue skies, ahhhhhh.
2. A job I love, for an organization I respect, with people I genuinely like. I am very lucky to be able to do this.
3. That said, I am thankful for having tomorrow off, and all to myself.
4. Because, my kids started school last week! I love school! Not just having the kids busy somewhere, but the routine, the learning, the happy productivity of school.
5. Reading the ChitChat and Advice sections of the small-town newspapers I read for work. I love all the bits of "news" (i.e. "John Doe and his family will be seeing Taylor Swift in concert this weekend. Have fun, Does.") and the weird problems people feel obligated to share with some woman they've never met. Reading these is my little afternoon treat.

What are you thankful for today?

Back to School!

2010-08-22T18:42:00.008-04:00

I have posted so many times about my love for the first day of school. It is so much more "New Years" than January 1st to me. The Monkeybutt on his first day of 8th grade. He is holding his summer book project visual aide - a picture of the robots trying to unlock the planet Krikkit from the book, "Life, the Universe, and Everything" by Douglas Adams. I loved that series. He is also playing for the high school's JV golf team, hence the ugly orange shirt. But he looked nice.

Here's the Girl on her first day of 2nd grade. Isn't this the cutest picture? The outfit was adorable, but this was the best picture, so this is the one I'm posting. So far, she is loving school, but that is no surprise.

I took off the last week so I could spend some time with the kids before school started, and then some time without them. Unfortunately, I booked myself solid for the entire week. My mom and I drove up to Rabbit Hash, KY on Thursday, just to check it out. We both love history, and the idea of going into a General Store that had been there since the 1800's was very cool. Of course the place was really more a cross between a junk shop and a head shop than a General Store. But we did get to play fetch with the mayor:

This is Lucy Lou, the mayor of Rabbit Hash. She greeted us with a wag of the tail and a stick. She whined if I did not play with the stick. She was adorable. I would definitely vote for her. There was another dog who kept interfering with the stick fetching, and he was extremely friendly; coming up to lick my leg and bring me more sticks. I am pretty sure he was campaigning.

These sweet motorcycle-riding gentlemen were kind enough to let me take their picture. I loved the shot enough to want to share it. Aren't they handsome?

Anywho, Friday I had a yard sale which earned enough to pay for my dinner Friday night at Brio's with some friends. Yesterday was the first soccer game for the Girl and the first fall baseball game for the Boy. Busy busy busy, and tomorrow it's back to work for me!

It is, of course, time for my biannual list of resolutions, but I'll work on that later.

Oh, Mitch Albom, really?

2010-08-17T00:23:00.002-04:00

I've mentioned before my inexplicable enjoyment of the Sunday morning program, "The Sports Reporters" on ESPN. Mitch Albom is one of the contributers on the program, and I enjoy his writing quite a bit, especially "The Five People You Meet in Heaven," which was a book club selection last year. This past week he referred to a young athlete as having "bounce backedness." Seriously, Mitch, I get you were talking off the cuff here, but really? You couldn't come up with something as simple as "resilience?" I mean, you've made your living with words for years.
It hurts. Right here (pounding on the chest.)

By the way, have you ever sat and listened to "Zero 7" in the dark? Very mellow.

"I'm goin' up. I ayam."

2010-08-13T09:02:00.004-04:00

Wednesday night was one of the nights the Perseids was supposed to be visible, so I moved my chaise lounge out into the back yard and laid back to watch the sky for an hour around midnight. I didn't see any meteors for awhile, and my mind started to drift to my very favorite movie from my childhood, "Spacecamp." You know, starring Kate Capshaw, Lea Thompson, Tate Donovan, the chick that married John Travolta, Leaf (Joaquin) Phoenix. All actors who have done plenty since, but rarely starred in anything, with the noticeable difference of Joaquin, for whom I will always harbor a deep and abiding love, even if he is a terrible rapper. And he was a rather irritating little kid (Max) in SpaceCamp. Anyway, I adored that movie. The premise, assuming you've (tragically) never seen it, is a group of kids at SpaceCamp get the unprecedented chance to sit in the shuttle while they test the engines. Max says he wishes he could go to space, so his little robot friend initiates a "thermal curtain failure" (which apparently does not actually happen) so the shuttle has to launch. So you have five kids and one adult in space, in a shuttle that was not actually ready to launch, so they don't have radios, enough oxygen, etc., and they have to figure out how to get back. It was a true opportunity for growth, obviously.

So, I spent the next several years desperate to become an astronaut. Way past the time it is still acceptable to want to be an astronaut. I never got to go to SpaceCamp, either, and I had a friend who did get to go, and she wasn't nearly as obsessed as I was. I didn't get over the whole astronaut thing until I was a junior in high school, and I discovered my allergy and bronchitis problems and my less than stellar math grades would likely prevent me from ever going into space. It was a rather sad realization. The death of a dream, if you will.
Two years ago, I decided to screen one of my favorite movies of all time for my children. Wow, the dialogue in that movie really was awful. I always found Tate and Lea's characters to be rather irritating, but I loved Tish - she was all cool and smart and stuff. But even her dialogue sucked. And I kind of wanted to drop the robot in a bathtub. Goonies was much better. But that's a whole other post.
Anyway, I must have dozed off while I was out there watching the skies, because when I got up to go inside, it was almost 2AM. I stood up and watched for a few more minutes and finally saw one meteor - then I could go to bed.
Last night (or this morning) was supposed to be the best time for viewing - 2-4AM. I went out before bed and didn't see anything, and then I woke up around 4:30AM and went out - but I must have missed it, because I stood out there for awhile, and never saw anything. I was thoroughly bummed. Next year I will definitely have to make plans and set an alarm or something. I may have given up my astronaut dreams, but I still love to watch the skies.

Motivation comes in all forms and fashions.

2010-08-11T19:28:00.004-04:00

I've been a member of Weight Watchers for 2 months now, and I've gained weight. The fault is entirely my own, of course - I haven't been tracking or attending meetings every week - but I do believe today may have changed things.

I go on my lunch break, which I kind of hate, as I am a big proponent of the lunch break. I love to chill with my book (and lunch, which I love.) But the WW place is close to my office and the timing fits. I keep skipping meetings since so many of the members would just sit there, sometimes nod - there was very little interaction, and I felt so little motivation. Of course, I just sat there, too. Well, today the leader asks us what sorts of goals we have that are not scale-related. One or two people mumbled answers, and finally I sucked it up and my goal for this week is to track everyday. No matter what. Write down everything I eat. You know, what you are supposed to do, and what I have not been doing the entire time I've been doing this. Which I also said. And everyone just opens up. Several different women mentioned their own problems with tracking, how they have overcome not wanting to do it - the ideas are flowing, there was interaction. And then the leader asks about what we are gaining from our progress (those who have experienced it), and then tells about a woman who said she had learned she was an emotional eater, and that her daughter was also an emotional eater, and she was learning to help both of them. Which inspires me even more. Because I eat from sheer boredom or exhaustion, and so does my daughter. If I can start to fix myself, maybe I can help the Girl so she never has to deal with these issues. At the end of the meeting everyone is chatting, wishing each other good luck, and actually looking forward to next week. How cool is that?

On another note, I am listening to a very cool album right now (as I write) called Veckatimest by Grizzly Bear. Sort of funky, psychedelic, hypnotic stuff. Worth a listen. One of their songs was used on some commercial, I think.

I really need to get the camera out and start documenting life a little better. But that will have to start tomorrow. Now I need to do a little cleaning and a lot of reading. I'm reading "A Dirty Job" by Chris Moore, about a man who wakes up one day to discover he has the job of Death. Have I ever waxed euphoric over the wonderfully hilarious Mr. Moore? So irreverent, so self-effacing, so tears running down my face, falling off my house, snortingly funny. My favorite so far has actually been "Fool", with "Lamb" coming in with a close second. If you don't take yourself too seriously, and enjoy unfailingly fun fiction, definitely give him a read.

I wanted to give you an image of Death to close with, so I typed "death" into Google images, and this is one of the first pictures that came up. It made me grin, so I decided to close with the Death Star, instead.

Have a fabulous, intergalactic evening.

10 places I need to visit

2010-07-31T20:20:00.002-04:00

One of my bff's, A, is in Kuaui right now, which inspired me to contemplate some of those places I must go someday.

1. Hawaii. Of course. How could I not want to visit paradise.
2. Costa Rica. All of the tropical loveliness, none of the scary guerilla warfare.
3. Portland, OR. I have several bloggy friends who live there, and they've discribed a place I'd really like to visit.
4. Japan. I don't know enough about the country to know where, but it seems a cool place to visit.
5. Australia. See above.
6. Maine.
7. Sweden. My grandma was from Sweden, and I grew up hearing stories. If it weren't for the extended winter, it would so be my place.
8. Holland. I have cousins I'd really like to visit there.
9. Greece, Egypt, Italy - anywhere there are buildings over 1,000 years old.
10. Macchu Piccu. Mountains, ruins, and I can sort of speak the language. My husband and kids want to go here, too. If we had a family dream trip, this would probably be it.

The boy's room

2010-07-30T20:51:00.004-04:00

He's been living with monster trucks for long enough. He asked for a room the orange of the Texas Longhorns. I did what I could.

We stripped the monster truck border, painted the room orange, and hung up bamboo blinds. He's pretty pleased with the results. Which is good, since it took me a freaking 3 coats to paint the freaking room.

It is orange, though.

It's been way too long

2010-07-16T13:44:00.004-04:00

since one of my rambling, thinking by typing - kind of posts. So very much has been going on lately, so very much to think about. Work is still work, I enjoy my job, but still have to drag myself out of bed each morning. Baseball is over, hallelujah, at least for the time being, as it starts up again next month. Add to that Monkeybutt is trying out for the high school golf team, and the Girl will be playing soccer...I see lots of practices in my future. Speaking of the Monkey, he is going to 4H camp next week. He looks forward to this every summer. It is summer camp the way I remember it - canoing, swimming, hiking - outside stuff. While he's gone I intend to strip the monster truck wallpaper border he's hated since we moved in and paint the room. Orange. He wants an orange room. So last night we were going through clothes and books and getting rid of stuff, which made me realize I have been avoiding his room for way too long - a thick coat of dust covers everything. I'll dust it before I paint, I have to, but then he starts dusting darn it. No wonder his allergies are so bad. He has asked me to hang green bamboo shades at his window - the sun shines right on his bed in the morning. Haha - that's what he gets for sleeping past 6AM. Tonight I am going to Zumbathon - a friend of mine teaches it, and asked me to attend. 2 hours of Zumba and then sangria. Ole'! Of course I will be the fattest and least fit person there, so 2 hours should be...interesting. I do love the Zumba, though. Tomorrow we will be going to Stud's company picnic, Sunday will be scrapbooking and dinner with family, Monday is dropping off the boy to camp, meetings and lunch with a friend, plus painting, hopefully. Tuesday includes more painting, a cake tasting with my sister, and a Mom's Night Out. Oh, and one of my first friends from around here is moving away next week, so we have to try and figure out a time to party hearty and hale before she goes. Family reunion next week, too. Crazy summer...no lazy summer here. Ooh, and last night I was watching Law & Order: Criminal Intent with my brother, and the killer was one of those goofy goth-like guys - but then they showed him with the makeup and fake fangs off, and he was seriously yummy, check him out:

His name is Matt Burns and I'd like to go after him with a spoon, isn't he a cutey?

So that's it for today. I should probably go back to work. Ick, what song is this? I love the Shins, but I'm not caring for this bizarre, calypso-sounding song. Must skip - The Smiths? Now I have regressed to middle school.

Have a fab weekend!

My gorgeous kids

2010-07-03T23:00:00.002-04:00

I took this a few weeks ago. I think I'll frame this one, I really like it.

8 Things: Simply Summer

2010-07-01T13:47:00.002-04:00

The *8 Things I simply MUST do this summer:

1. Smell like coconut-scented sunblock and swimming pool.
2. Drive with the windows open and the music turned up loud.
3. Take the kiddles and tent out camping - even if it's only in the backyard.
4. See my scrumptious niece turn 1(!) Spoil her rotten for a few days.
5. Pick blueberries
6. Take a nap on the back porch.
7. Stay up late talking and laughing with friends.
8. Snuggle with the girl on the lounge in back, watching the night sky.

And you? What will you be doing this summer?

Something Rachelle over at Magpie Girl does. I love a good list.

Things I Wish I Could Do...

2010-06-28T23:03:00.002-04:00

Understand, I'm not whining about what other people can do and I can't. Simply, a "hey, I want to do that" kind of post. And maybe, sooner or later, I will...

I wish I could...

1. Make something (green) grow and flourish. I have what I like to call a brown thumb - I can make it grow...but then it dies. I generally do not get more than a few tomatoes, my carrots are always eaten by critters before I can pick them, and even my strawberries ended up dying. Apparently plants require Care.

2. Hang my clothes out to dry. I love the smell of line-dried clothing, and I love the energy efficiency of it, but alas, the kids have allergies and so do I. We do not need to purposefully drag those allergens in on our clothes and sheets. Oh, but the smell of a sun-warmed, breeze-dried sheet...

3. Hold a handstand. Due to lack of balance, strength, and guts. I'll work on that one soon.

4. Lose weight. Quickly. This is no more than a lament for the unfortunate weigh-in I had today. Ok, lament over.

5. Travel more. No cash, no time. That one, however, is not permanent. I will travel more as time goes on.

6. Get a new car. I love my pimpin' van, don't get me wrong, but the lack of A/C, the tricky driver's side window...I really want a new car. Alas, see reasons for item #5.

7. Readily access a well of creativity, and have the talent to act upon it. Yeah, well, I suppose, don't we all. This is another one of those somethings I believe I need to practice on. Perhaps if I keep writing, keep taking pictures, keep working at those little projects that make me happy, I will get better at them.

8. Strike a bit more of a balance - find those routines that help my days flow smoothly. It's been 4 months already. I need to get on track.

9. Tap dance and fence. Two things I've always wanted to do. Betty White still has fantastic legs - it's from all that tap dancing, I tell you.
(Ok, so it is really hard to find a picture of Betty White showing her legs, even from when she was younger. But you all remember that episode of Golden Girls when she is wearing the tights and tap dancing, right?)

10. I wish I could drink wine and enjoy it like a grown up. I've tried, I really have. I just don't like it. I like Riesling, and (the horrors) white zinfandel, and that's about it. I will still, however, go to wine tastings with my friends. I just enjoy the friends more than the wine.

There are a thousand more, but I don't want to whine about all the things I cannot, or do not do here. Especially when there are a few that, if certain people knew I couldn't do them and wanted to be able, they would force me to do them, or try, and I would cry and be scared...

I Love Fridays!

2010-06-18T21:55:00.002-04:00

And...here we go!

1. I wish I didn't have to wake up before 6:58.
2. It was the reason, of course, I felt I needed a nap by 2PM.
3. Changing my self to suit other people is something I no longer feel the need to do.
4. I have another errand to run, then I'm sure I'll have to drive someone somewhere.
5. It's right in front of your face!...just go find it
6. What were once vices are...ok, they're probably still vices.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to reading and bed, tomorrow my plans include baseball and a visit from the father-in-law, and Sunday, I want to chill with the fam! (ok, and probably do something nice for Father's Day.)

I do love a good meme.

Sharing the love

2010-06-11T22:50:00.002-04:00

Today was a good day, and I feel I should share some of those things that made it good, so maybe you can go make a good day for yourselves:

1. The Girl Child loved loved loved soccer camp this week. She came back smiling and wanting to show me what she learned every day.

2. Getting a not-so-irritating song stuck in my head. Generally my earworms are of the annoying sort, but today's was "Rollercoaster" as performed by Red Hot Chili Peppers. Could be much worse.

3. Had an awesome night hanging out with some of my girls last night. It kind of reminded me of a 7th grade slumber party with all the crying, but the crying was due to too much wine and warm feelings, not nastiness. It was a lovely evening.

4. Mid-afternoon thunderstorm. I LOVE a good thunderstorm.

5. McDonald's vanilla soft serve on a cone. My favorite hot weather treat. mmmmmm...I ate so many when I was pregnant with the Girl, I'm a little surprised she didn't come out with a little twist on top.

And now we embark upon another weekend. I WILL sleep past 6:30AM.

2010-06-08T17:07:00.001-04:00

I love this picture. And every response I've heard has been something of the "she's a mini-you!" Poor child.

Yeah.

2010-05-20T21:59:00.003-04:00

I haven't seen this commercial in awhile. So I decided to share it. A good number of you know why...

Happy 13th to my Boy

2010-05-09T13:27:00.003-04:00

I'm two days late with this post, but it was necessary to get it in here. 13 years ago I received the best Mother's Day gift ever. He's not been the easiest kid to raise, and I can't imagine it will be getting easier any time soon, but it has definitely been one interesting ride. Love you bud.

Some thoughts on marriage

2010-05-02T21:21:00.002-04:00

This is not a post on gay marriage (I'm pro), or the stability of the institution of marriage, or anything controversial at all. I am currently reading Elizabeth Gilbert's new book Commitment, and it got me thinking about my own marital situation, and I simply felt like expounding upon my thoughts for awhile.
My husband and I married young, quickly, and against a lot of people's advice. When I think about our situation, and compare our relationship to other's who married under similar circumstances, I realize...wow. We probably should have split up a long time ago. We were pregnant with kid #1, his parents were - unpleased. Mine weren't so thrilled either. He had just finished college, I hadn't even finished yet. We had little money, were only together for 3 months at the time we got engaged. Different backgrounds, different ideas about family and religion...you get the picture.
Here we are 13 years later. I've seen others divorce and remarry...and we stay strong. We fight, disagree about a lot, still have different ideas and opinions. And yet...
In her book, Gilbert, having endured a painful divorce, is in a position where she has to marry her lover, or lose him forever. She spends the next year exploring marriage as an institution, and learning as much as she can about why people marry, and how they stay together. I'm only 3 chapters in, so I can't tell you much more about the book, but it made me think...why, when so many others in our situation would have given up years ago, have my husband and I stayed together? What have I known all through these 13 years, that this 30-something year old, educated and well-traveled woman has not managed to learn?
And honestly, it did not take a lot of thought. The answer was pretty freaking easy. Because it isn't just love. You can love someone from the depths of your soul, and not be able to live with them. The answer is...adaptability. We have both been growing and changing as people. We have had two kids. Moved to another state. Dealt with financial ups and downs, as well as vastly different financial sensibilities. We've weathered these changes by adapting the ways we deal with each other and the situations. He tends to be rather arrogant, judgmental, and pig-headed. I tend to be flighty, irresponsible, and very messy. And we have certainly gone to bed mad. That whole "don't go to bed mad" is just dumb advice. There have been nights we would never have gotten any sleep...not to mention, sometimes sleeping on it is just the right medicine for the argument. See? Adapting.
Anyway, the point is...we've continued to learn, grow, and roll with the punches. We don't expect the other to read our respective minds, and we talk. A lot. And this couple, who was given 6 months from the onset by close friends and family, is happily working on their 14th year together.

Some pics from the last month:

2010-04-26T18:44:00.003-04:00

This bottom one is from our Girl Scout tasting tea. The Girl is dressed in traditional Swedish clothing. They learned a lot - or so I tell myself.

Procrastinate, procrastinate

2010-04-18T14:26:00.002-04:00

I have a very large and complex to-do list, and I don't feel like tackling it. I have made a decent dent in the laundry, cleaned out my car, and weeded the front garden beds. I have tried to load my phone (the website is down) and searched for last year's well-child visit records (will be calling the doc for new copies tomorrow.) I feel I have accomplished enough. I'm going outside to read now.

However, in honor of this loveliest of days, I leave you with this tidbit:

"The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, not to worry about the future, or not to anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly."Buddha

I want that.

2010-04-12T21:08:00.002-04:00

Check out this absolutely adorable necklace. I'm in love.
http://www.lisaleonardonline.com/custom-necklaces/whoo-do-you-love.html

Hopefully I can convince my family to get it for me for Mother's Day or something.

The kiddles are on Spring Break and Marc is on vacation. I'm the only one working this week. I'm a bit bummed - last year this time the kids and I would have been going to the zoo and enjoying the weather. Marc is doing all the cooking though...

2010-04-02T08:34:00.002-04:00

I'm having problems blogging lately. Each time I sit down at my keyboard, I find myself dealing with what I have to deal with, and then wasting time on a mindless game. My thoughts are simply not allowing themselves to be organized in any fashion, so writing them down is difficult, if not impossible.

so here is a list of not so organized thoughts I have been entertaining as of late:

On my way to work today, I passed a hedge of forsythia, of which I am quite fond. Which is funny, because really, they are only pretty for a few weeks, and then they are rather...woody, like a bunch of sticks stuck into the ground. I planted two forsythia shrubs a few years ago, but I killed them pretty quickly. I am fond of them for two reasons: a. they are early bloomers, and a signal of the beginning of spring, and b. my grandmother had big forsythia shrubs in her side yard when I was growing up, and you all know how nostalgic I am about my grandmother. Anyway, yellow makes me smile.

I keep getting bizarre songs stuck in my head, and I'm not sure where they come from. Yesterday was "Patience" by Guns n Roses, the day before that was "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac, which I actually do quite like. My bizarrely clever cousin calls this phenomenon "earworm", I suppose because they get in there and wiggle about, and you can't get them out.

I'm still loving this job. I love the warm group of women in the office, the dedication of the staff, working with the patients, even the menial, day to day tasks. What I don't love is the fact that I have been computer-less 6 days out of the last 10. Making it difficult to do my job.

I have been taking pictures lately. I promised I wanted to try to take at least one photo a day, and I've succeeded more days than not. I find I feel a little more complete when I try to inject just a little creativity into each day.

At any rate, it is time to start working. If I don't get back on here this weekend (I have to do some major overhaul cleaning), have a lovely Easter weekend. I do love a good egg hunt.

Listening

2010-03-22T21:36:00.002-04:00

Is there any piece of music that touches you so much it brings tears to your eyes just to listen? I am listening to Debussy's "Claire de Lune" played beautifully by Akito Kikakawa. The kind of music that makes me want to just rest my head back on the chair, close my eyes, and let it carry me away. What a gift, to evoke that sort of emotion.

Not getting it done.

2010-03-21T19:58:00.002-04:00

I'm still having a bit of trouble achieving the goals I'm setting for myself. So I'm setting some new ones.

Go to bed with a clean kitchen.
Move 10 minutes a day.
Take at least one picture a day.

I'll post those pics at the end of the week.

Otherwise, life is going swimmingly. Work is great, I'm enjoying my job. I'm busy busy, but happy enough. And now the fam wants me to join them for some Simpsons-viewing. So, off I go.

I do more before 8...

2010-03-14T20:38:00.002-04:00

My husband has been teasing me a bit about the fact that I don't leave until 7:50AM and he has to leave at 7:15. I also get up at 5:45, which he doesn't understand. So here is what I accomplish before I leave for work:

1. Shower
2. Dressed
3. hair and make-up
4. coffee and breakfast
5. unload dishwasher
6. Reload dishwasher
7. Wipe down counters
8. wipe floor
9. Fold and put away a load of laundry
10. Feed and give Bug insulin shot
11. Feed other cats
12. Get Girl up and dressed
13. Make Girl breakfast
14. Pick up living room
15. Pack Girl's lunch, get school stuff together.
16. Scrape my car (I have to park outside.)
17. Pack my own lunch.
18. Pack my gear
19. Get dinner stuff ready
20. Out the door and to work

Husband does:
1. shower
2. dress
3. drink some of the coffee I made
4. Out the door.

Yeah.

Hi!

2010-03-07T10:59:00.003-05:00

Yikes, it's been a long time since I've blogged. I'm trying very hard to adapt to this whole working full time thing - it's amazing how inconvenient spending 8 hours at work really is.
But I am loving my job. I love the fact that I am working for an organization I can be proud of. I love the fact that I do so many different things, I will never be bored. I love that I get to work directly with patients every day. And I especially love that my coworkers have asked, more than once, how they made it before I came along. My family never says anything like that.
Of course, there are some downfalls. The house is not exactly sparkling on a daily basis. I still have all my volunteer responsibilities to attend to, which makes my days even shorter. I have to find time to exercize, badly.

So, as I posted on Facebook's "Organization for Bitches", I am working on these three goals for the month of March:

1. Adapt to my new schedule.
2. Find a good time to exercize - 30 minutes a day, 3 days a week to start.
3. Go to bed with a clean kitchen.

This should get me started.

30 Days of Beauty: 1-6

2010-02-17T19:14:00.009-05:00

February is not my favorite month. I don't like the cold, the wet, the gray...it is the shortest month of the year, and it doesn't feel like it. Add to that, we've had record snowfall this year, and snow day after snow day. My children are not quiet on the best of days, but lock them in the house, together, for days at a time...Mama has a headache. A bad one.

So Erin over at Blue Bird Baby challenged her readers to find "30 Days of Beauty" - document photographically the beauty in winter. I've, as always, taken my own sweet time uploading my photos, so this post will show several of those moments of beauty.

Nothing like curling up with a good book on a cold day. I'm so glad my kids love to read as much as I do.

This is just not as much fun on the grass.

Taken the same day at the same park. It's just pretty.

Cream of chicken and wild rice soup with warm bread at Panera. Eaten with a friend near the fireplace. I love soup, but it just isn't the same during the summer.

We got over a foot of snow over the weekend, and then several more inches the past few days. Sunday it was all sunny and sparkly - I tried to capture the sparkles. It really was lovely.

Check out the pink cheeks. They were sledding and playing outside for 3 hours today. Which made for a lovely, quiet house. Don't be fooled by the Monkey's sour look - he just does that to irritate me when I'm taking pictures. He was in a particularly cheerful mood.

So there we are - 6 lovely winter images so far. I'll take more tomorrow. Have a lovely, warm, evening.

Reasons to do a happy dance...

2010-02-08T21:27:00.003-05:00

There are so many things putting me in a good mood today:

1. I was officially offered a position as office assistant at the American Cancer Society. This is a job I was very excited about, and of course, I accepted. So, there is one goal for the year ticked off the list. Yay!

2. Bug's blood sugar was lowered significantly last week. We get a two week reprieve from the vet.

3. The Girl finished all her Valentines yesterday. When MonkeyButt was her age, I had to beg him to do a little each day. The Girl is excited to write!

4. I wandered around Barnes and Noble for an hour, uninterrupted, tonight. I didn't buy anything, which was not for lack of choices, but it was lovely to wander among books for an hour. Next I'll be off to update my Amazon wish list so I don't forget the books I want to own.

5. Breakfast with friends tomorrow, coffee with friends on Wednesday, lunch with friends Thursday, party with friends Friday. I'm feeling so socially acceptable.

Now let's hope it doesn't snow tonight. Both my kiddles are wearing their pajamas inside-out tonight (apparently this appeases the snow-day gods.) I am doing my "no snow" dance. I love the kids, but they have a day off next week.

Sweet.

2010-02-07T10:26:00.002-05:00

This is my new favorite picture. A and I took Girl Child and Darling Nephew to lunch during winter break, and they were goofing around. I snapped this during one of their affectionate moments.

Merry Christmas...

2010-02-04T21:01:00.003-05:00

So, let's take a trip back...a month and a week. Isn't our Christmas tree pretty?

This Christmas I decided to make as many gifts as I could. The Girl Child had two sets of bunk beds for her dolls, and she asked for one more set (so they didn't have to double up, of course.) Mom got her the third set, I painted all the beds, fastened two of them together, and made mattresses, pillows, and blankets for all of them. The mattresses and pillows are made from my old "Little Mermaid" sheets. I felt so clever. As you can see, Finnegan was pleased with the results (so was the Girl.)

Tidbits from the present...

2010-02-02T20:08:00.003-05:00

Some things that are happening right now:

1. I have a cold. It's a nasty one, and I am not enjoying it.
2. We are still working on regulating our girl cat's insulin. She's definitely better, though.
3. One of my sisters is getting married in Vegas this weekend. I don't get to go, but I wish her well.
4. I have a good chance at a job for the American Cancer Society. Fingers crossed.
5. I'm reading some decent books. I'll have to update my bookshelf.

I need to go eat dinner now, so have a pleasant evening.

Holiday Traditions

2010-01-31T21:06:00.002-05:00

The year my scrumptious nephew was born, our family began the tradition of spending time before Christmas with his adoptive family. Each year has become a little more elaborate - we did a Mexican feast one year and baked cookies the next. We added presents to the mix, and added the sort of game play that generally had more than one of us peeing our pants from laughing so hard.

This year we went to their house. I made lasagna and we played Cranium. The kids ran wild and had a blast.

Don't you love when new ideas become cherished traditions?

Yard Clean-up

2010-01-30T19:27:00.002-05:00

Installment 2 in the "I finally uploaded my pics from my camera" saga.

Benny was over for the day and we were outside playing and I decided to rake up the leaves that perpetually blow against the fence (I have a long fence line and all my neighbor's leaves blow up against it. Apparently the great cosmic leaf-blower has decided it should be my job to rake up the leaves for the whole neighborhood.) The kids, of course, started jumping and playing - good time had by all. I should probably get out there and actually dispose of all those leaves - it's been over a month now...
By the way, I think the interview went well. I felt like it went well. Here's hoping...

Hello...again...hello

2010-01-28T18:56:00.004-05:00

I have finally uploaded the pictures from my camera. I have a lot of posts in mind that are related to these pics, so we are going to go back in time...

The Monkeybutt was a member of his school's academic team this year. They competed in the 7th grade invitational and came in second. They are a bunch of goofballs. They held a family dinner/quick response contest between the kids and parents last Friday, and I made the final round. Thank you very much. Star question that I rocked? "What was the name of Tom Sawyer's girlfriend?"

The winter band concert. This was Monkeybutt's second year playing the saxophone, and he has determined that it is not his thing. Which is fine. He gave it a good try. Mayhaps he will rediscover a love for playing music later in life.

Tomorrow I have a second interview for a job I would really like to get. Wish me luck!

The Books of 2009

2010-01-10T19:14:00.002-05:00

Hi! Still haven't uploaded those pictures. Probably should. So, after being inspired by other blogs I've read, I thought I'd give a rundown on the books I read this past year, starting in January. I'll put the ones I really liked in bold.

One Fifth Avenue by Candace Bushnell
Basket Case by Carl Hiassen
Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult
The Coal Tattoo by Silas House
Killer Dreams by Iris Johansen
Rattled by Debra Galant
Fear and Yoga in New Jersey by Debra Galant
Size 12 is not Fat by Meg Cabot
Size 14 is not Fat, Either by Meg Cabot
Big Boned by Meg Cabot
Dark Summer by Iris Johansen
Cross Country by James Patterson
A Parchment of Leaves by Silas House
Lucky You by Carl Hiassen
What I Did for Love by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
The Fortune Quilt by Lani Diane Rich
Dogs and Goddesses by Jennifer Crusie, Lani Diane Rich, and Anne Tyler
Atlantis Rising by Alyssa Day
Atlantis Awakening by Alyssa Day
Island of the Sequined Love Nun by Christopher Moore
Watchmen by Alan Moore
Fool: A Novel by Christopher Moore
The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman
The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan
Run for Your Life by James Patterson
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
Oh My Stars by Lorna Landvik
Fluke, or, I Know Why the Caged Whale Sings by Christopher Moore
The Arrangement by Suzanne Forster
The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
Whispers by Dean Koontz
A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg
8th Confession by James Patterson
The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
Turncoat (Dresden Files) by Jim Butcher
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
New Moon by Stephanie Meyer
Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer
Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer
Relentless by Dean Koontz
The Penny Pinchers Club by Sarah Strohmeyer
Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner
Dune Road by Jane Green
Mr. Murder by Dean Koontz
Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
Pandemonium by Daryl Gregory
Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella
Dead and Alive (Frankenstein #3) by Dean Koontz
Breathless by Dean Koontz
Alex Cross's Trial by James Patterson
Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips
I, Alex Cross by James Patterson
Living Simply with Children by Marie Sherlock
Handmade Home by Amanda Blake Soule

I think it's possible I've skipped a few. And you probably notice I have a preference for more of the chick-lit/thriller variety of books. I try to read something thoughtful every once in awhile, but mainly, I read for fun. I am not ashamed of that fact, darn it.

On another note, tomorrow I have to take my girl kitty in to begin treatment for diabetes. I'm a little stressed about it, and I've been waking up with panic attacks again. So, when you think of it, please shoot a little telepathic "chill, Missy, we love you" message my way. Thanks!

Thankful Thursday

2010-01-07T19:46:00.003-05:00

with a little rambling on the side. I really need to upload my most recent photos - I have tons to write about, but I really want pictures involved. Oh, and can I just share how irritating it is to have snow days called every time it snows? If we had snow days called every time we got a few inches in Chicago, we wouldn't go to school from November to March. The kids are enjoying it, though. Also, I took the two older cats to the vet today - My girly cat has been losing weight, and I'm concerned. The husband was concerned about the amount of money it cost to figure out what's wrong with her. They took a full blood panel - I'll find out the results tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed it's something simple to take care of...we love our Buggy.

Anyway...today's gratitude list:

1. My craft space - complete with book on tape (From the Corner of His Eye by Dean Koontz), plenty of storage space, and a few hours to clean, organize, and scrap.

2. My brother M, who gave me those few hours by taking my housebound children sledding.

3. Chili and cornbread. Nothin' wrong with that.

4. Brownies. Necessary evil at this time of the month.

5. Arrested Development. How did this show not last? It's absolutely hilarious!