Wishing for Sunny Days, Cool Sand and Beaches

I guess global warming is doing it's thing because we are getting slammed with storms. One after another...and it's been that way for weeks! Last night, a new storm came in promising 4 to 6 inches before the day was done. Tomorrow, will have a mini break, then the next storm arrives to bring on more snow. And that's the pattern for the next couple of weeks. I feel like I'm having a torrid affair with the snow-blower. (We're talking about taking it to the next level. Yowza!)

So, I'm fantasizing lately. Picture it; a beautiful, pristine beach with gorgeous white sand; waves lapping at the shore while warm breezes blow through tall palms. Cabanas adorn the coastline with personal wait staff. Then, there's me. Soaking up the sun and sipping some exotic, fruity, umbrella adorned drink, nibbling the fruit decorating the sides of the glass. No worries, no stressors, no problems, (no shovel or snow blower). At my vacation home, a sumptuous seafood dinner awaits along with an amazing, romantic evening with my hubby. These are pics that have circulated the web over and over but I think they help paint my fantasy quite well.

Birthday Weekend

Friday was my 33rd birthday. It was a wonderful day at work, followed by an average evening, followed by a dismal weekend. I'm not sure what happened, but it's certainly not something I wish to repeat.

Friday morning, I went to work in my favorite off-the-shoulder red sweater and some velvet pants (with snow boots). I was pretty cute and got quite a few compliments. When I arrived, there was a large present on my desk along with many well-wishers. For lunch, we congregated in a conference room and had plenty of conversation and cake. I went home very happy and pleased with this odd-year birth day. When I got home, my hubby was calling to say he was going to the gym. OK. Then, we he got home, he said we were going out to dinner. Nothing was really planned, he just picked a place where we could be somewhat "good" and provide variety for the kids. The restaurant was Chinese and the food was only OK. The girls seemed happy, but I wasn't as thrilled as I usually am about going out.

Saturday, we spent most of the day at home cleaning. Not exactly my idea of a send-off birthday weekend, but it needed to be done. Then, my hubby says, "Well, I'm going to the gym." After some pretty bad miscommunication, he believed that I'd given the OK for this. I certainly had not. I did not want to compete with the gym again, but here it was. The babe had a friend over and I spent the afternoon in my room on the computer. That evening, we went to a show with the babe (while Indy was cared for by a babysitter). The event was fine, it was the guilt I felt for leaving Indy with a babysitter that had me not feeling so well.

Sunday, we went to church. All was well until Hubby snapped at me in the Costco. After that, I just didn't say much (and I haven't since). It's Monday, a new week and I'm already wishing it were Friday.

PMS and the B's

It's really telling when your hubby can tell when you're about to have your visit from TOM/Aunt Flo. He asked me last night, "Is it almost your time?" and I informed him that it was due in about two weeks (PMS land). I thought all the B vitamins he has me taking would have me a little more balanced and a lot less bitchy. The bitchiness is still there (albeit not as bad) and my distance towards him is in full force (one of the other lovely side effects). As a woman, I would welcome any sort of magic/herb/medicine/pixie dust that would ward off these effects. I would especially welcome the ability to change them myself, if I could; however, most women are very much aware of the nature of their personalities when it's happening and have no way of controlling them. Today, it's a practice in control.

Yesterday, we got hit with yet another storm! This time, we got around a foot or more in the valleys. People aren't sure what to make of all this wet stuff. I say, enough is enough already. Can we just get some good old-fashioned rain for a change? I feel like I've been shoveling for weeks! Yes, it's great for the drought and the grass is going to love it for the spring and summer, but I can really say I'm done with snow. Unfortunately, we could get snow for several more weeks. Last year, we got a snow storm on April 18th. Granted, it was all melted by the next day, but still!

I'm working from home today because of it being a Quality Teaching day. Whenever I see that on the calendar, I think of the Simps.ons episode where there's a close up shot of Mrs. Crabapple talking to other teachers about Teacher Inservice Day and then the camera pans away to all the teachers drinking liquor and riding a roller coaster. I know that they're really preparing for report cards, but I do hope they get to have those days where they can "ride free".

I have a birthday approaching and I'm not quite sure how I feel about it. It's one of those birthdays that's sort of in between (like eleven, fourteen, twenty-three). Your in the decade, but you're not at the beginning or near the mid point. I hope it's a good one. I went to dinner with the family last year (on my dime). Granted, it was a gift card I gave hubby, but it still seemed like I was paying for it. I have no idea what we're doing this year (if anything). I hope it involves seafood. Yum! I've been craving crab legs.

Ooo! Better Post Before Time Slips By

If I wait to load pictures, I'll be waiting forever. It's best to just do it, right?


This first one here is the tree, cookies and juice on Christmas eve. Hubby was home and then went to work the next morning. That was incredibly tough for me because, even when he was working graveyards, he's always had Christmas day off. So, hubby went into work and the girls opened three gifts that morning. We saved everything else for hubby's arrival in the evening. After the brief morning horrah, we went to my mother's and opened the gifts she had for us there (hubby met us there, once his shift was complete). By 6:00pm, we were all home and ready to open the remaining gifts. I gotta say that it was sort of nice. I wasn't expecting it to feel the same as Christmas morning feels, but I think it was even better. On December 26th, I took the babe and Indy into Salt Lake. Indy went to daycare, while the babe and I journeyed to the movies to see Enchanted with a girlfriend. It was quite cute and better than I thought it would be. The babe enjoyed it but we were both freezing! Why do they insist on cranking on the air conditioning during movies? (I know I'm not the only one who has noticed this). It doesn't matter the time of year or the number of people in the auditorium, they will crank it up as if it were 100 degrees outside and a packed house inside. And, there's no exclusion...it's every theater I've ever been too.

After the movie, we picked up lunch and then picked up Indy. She was glad to see her friends, but felt even better about going home. These are the moments where I truly hate that my kids have to be in daycare. They are loved and treated well, but I'd much rather be the one to take care of them (more specifically now, Indy since the babe is in school). From December 27th to January 2nd, the kids were home with mom. It was nice and I noticed how much improvement I saw in Indy's vocabulary. She's always chatting but much more clearly to all of us in those days that passed.

Sunday, December 31st, we took new family pictures. Now, I have to say, it's been a while. The last family photos only reflect our family as it was in 2004. Indy wasn't even thought about when those pictures were taken! Well, Miss Indy was all over the place during the session. At first, she was grouchy because she had stinky bricks in her diaper. Once I took care of that, she was in much better spirits but didn't want to relinquish the photographer's "watch the duck" rubber ducky. She took picture after picture with only a few of Indy in one place or not making a crazy face. The babe, the consumate modeling professional, took picture after fabulous picture without trouble. Family pictures were hard, but we got through it and with a few nice ones we could actually order. (Hubby actually did a bit of reordering when we picked them up on January 16th). There are several he and I took together that turned out so beautifully. He even commented last night at how these were the best we'd ever taken together. How sweet!

January 2nd was the first day back to school for the babe and hubby was off. Woohoo! (We had spent New Year's eve watching Season three Dallas Episodes and drinking Tequila Sunrises till two in the morning. (These are the kicks for a mother of two with barely a social life....it was awesome nonetheless). We took Indy into Salt Lake to daycare and the two of us went to see Alien Vs. Predator: Requiem. Fun, suspenseful and definitely much truer to both franchises than that last piece of garbage they released. Hubby and I were elated! We then to lunch at a new Thai restaurant. I had the Pra Ram (my new fav) and he had a spicy noodle dish that wasn't Pad Thai. I tasted it and it was wonderful, along with his Thai iced tea. We'll definitely pay that place another visit, even if just for take-out. Too bad we don't have a decently priced Thai place in our area. There's no reason Pad Thai should be more than $10 for lunch. Yeesh!

The vacation time moved quickly (as I knew it would) and I could sadly feel the end approaching. It wasn't the going back to work that I dreaded, but being separated from the kids (even though they were working my nerves, at times). I experience this anxiety after ever Christmas break - you'd think I'd have learned to cope by now. Hubby's first day back after five days off had him very upset, too. For all the time we've put into working on the house and making it a comfortable living space for the family, we just weren't ready to give it up so quickly. Vacation time for the summer is definitely a goal we're shooting for.

During all of this break time, I was fortunate to be home during some pretty big storms. The biggest, however, was yet to come. January 9th, I found myself working from home because I just didn't want to take my life into my hands. It was as if Someone was shoveling snow from heaven's driveway and we were the curb. Yeesh! It just wouldn't stop! (See picture)------>

By the end, we had 8 inches of cover and more to come during the week. I don't mind the snow so much when all it does is flutter down and then melt the next day. But this kind of stuff is wild! I worried that I wouldn't be able to get out and pick up Indy's stuff for her birthday the following day. Luckily, at around 3:30, it stopped. Hubby and I shoveled as soon as he got home. It's no wonder I didn't put on much weight this holiday season. I think I shoveled snow, at least, every other day and sometimes twice on those days!

Indy's birthday was a quiet affair at home with just the family. We picked up cupcakes this year rather than a cake...mainly because the Sesame Street decal wouldn't fit on the small cake I wanted to order. Oh, well. It turned out that it was perfect for a toddler and she enjoyed the Elmo, Cookie Monster, Big Bird and Ernie rings mounted to each one. She also enjoyed receiving her Cabbage Patch "baby" and See 'n Say Farmer in the Dell. It's quite easy to please a two year-old.

This week and last have been filled with numerous emails, projects and all kinds of craziness at work. I want to say that things are calming down a bit, but I don't want to jinx myself. So, I'll just say work is work and I'll be happy when it's not bearing down on me like a ten ton boulder.

Oh, and I should mention my dreams. I've been having very intense, vivid dreams for the past month. I usually remember them with great detail and they haunt me through out the day. The night before last was the first night I didn't remember a dream, but this morning, I'm having flashes of the one I had last night (not as intense, but the images are still there). There doesn't seem to be a recurring theme, but several have been sexual in nature. Some involved my hubby and some did not. Yes, I think I'd use the word erotic and in some cases also p.orno.graphic. Others are very normal, day-to-day occurrences but still quite vivid. In two or three of them, it was hard to distinguish reality, once I woke up...as if I were traversing a plain. These were the cases were I was bummed out to find that my dream wasn't the reality. Other times, I woke up feeling like I had more to do...I just wasn't finished. Since hubby and I had a love-making session that last more than an hour last night, I wasn't surprised that I dreamed of the events. To bad it wasn't as vivid as the other dreams I've had.

I talked to our resident Shaman (she really is!) and she said that if I were interested in pursuing this, I could keep a dream journal. Most likely, though, my mind was fixating on something I subconsciously need to notice/work on/pay close attention too. I don't know if I'm ready to keep a bedside journal about any of this. As I said, they are growing less in their intensity. Perhaps I'm already working out whatever it is I need to workout. Of course, for those that are "fun" in nature, perhaps I should just enjoy them.

I'm Here!

I have lots to write and will do so soon. Been off enjoying the holidays, food, family and fun since my last post. Today was my first day back at work (oh, the build up of seventeen days is not pretty). Posts will be coming along with pictures until then, happy Monday!

Five More Days till Christmas

Whoa! It's nearly here and I'm too glad about it. Ugh! The crowds have become stadium worthy at the malls and I haven't gone anywhere besides home, work and the gas station in days. It's snowing again today (and it snowed a bit yesterday), and their predicting four to six inches on the valley floor. Please, let me make it home first before that happens. I'd much rather be watching it come down from my window seat than driving around in it.

The basement is done? Yes and no. All the priming, painting, drilling, grouting, caulking and assembling is done. Decorating? That's next and I'm actually happy about that part. The posters I've ordered over the past few months are nearly all framed and only need to be placed in varying areas of the room. I think that will be my responsibility, but something tells me hubby will step in and want to decorate too. It's fine, but I think this area should be mine. He decorated the sitting room (and rather well, yes) but I should be in charge of the super heroes. No doubt about that!

I ate out for lunch today and it's the first time in weeks. It was so good; beef tamale with refried beans and rice, along with a Mexican soup. Yum! I forgot my own lunch today and so had to find an alternative by going to one of the restaurants in our complex. I'm terribly full now and I don't know if I'll do dinner tonight. It's true what they say about your stomach shrinking when you loose weight. There was once a time when all that would have only dusted the bottom of my stomach.

I have a list of movies to rent tonight for the babe (well, me and the babe mostly). Most are holiday flicks that either she hasn't seen or would like to see. I hope I can find them all at one place, but I have a feeling I'll have to visit both Hollywood and Block.buster tonight:

• Hairspray (2007)
• Babes in Toyland (Disney version)
• A Muppet Christmas Carol
• The Nutcracker ("Misha's" version)
• Little Women (Liz Taylor version)

We'll also watch these over the break. Thankfully, they're titles we own:

• Scrooged
• White Christmas
• A Christmas Story
• A Charlie Brown Christmas
• Die Hard (takes place at Christmas time)
• Lethal Weapon (also takes place at Christmas time)
• Home Alone
• Total Recall (This was released on video at Christmas time, so I watch it around Christmas time every year. I know. I'm weird.)

First Snow Pics (Saturday, December 1, 2007)

They're a bit late, but they're here!

A Needed, Quiet Day

So far, this has been the better of days this week. Monday and Tuesday were somewhat stressful and I was beginning to think I needed bad-driver-frustration intervention. I'm coming to grips with the fact that the idiots are out there and they're not going anywhere. I should just do my best to get to and from my destinations safely...without directing my energy towards the morons and thus taking my attention away from the road.

I'm listening to a mixture of Christmas tunes and jazz, helping to smooth out my mood. I have to remember the calming effects of music and use them to my advantage. So much good can come out of listening to the right song or lyrics.

My coworker "J" has gone home sick. She was sounding a bit like a frog and there are others around me with similar symptoms. I appreciate her leaving and not spreading the "love" to the rest of us. I hope that she takes my advice and drinks a lovely hot toddy to soothe her throat (too bad I can't have one right now).

More painting and cleaning last night in the basement. The paint started to turn really thick...it looked a lot like glue, so hubby stopped and asked me to pick up some more on my way home. I hope that Wally World isn't as scary as it was Monday night. I may need a sedative...or a hot toddy. (wink, wink)

Still Spending Money

And why am I still spending money? Because I haven't really gotten anything for my hubby. It occurred to me that I spent a small fortune on movies for him, but nothing else (besides the gift certificate at the spa). Well, normally, I'd say, "That's all. He doesn't need anything else." But, the truth of the matter is, he is one of those that gives through out the year. In fact, I get nominal things at Christmas time because he's so good about doing what we should be doing all year long. I always feel like I have to make sure I take care of him at Christmas because I'm so bad about the "giving throughout the year".

So, I found a few things; a couple of great print T-shirts that he can wear to the gym (he's gained a size, so all his larges no longer fit), some great manly smelling stuff from Bath and Body works, a couple of awesome posters (which I need to frame before the big day) and his favorite movie. Oddly, we didn't have it on DVD already. Now, he will. There are three more things coming that I ordered for him and he should be set. Then, by goodness, I'll be done. Seriously. I can't spend anymore money. I really can't. This is the first Christmas I've not used a credit card (Amen to that!) so, I've had to make sure I'm spending within my means. I haven't been, and I don't want to pay the costs (as it were) next month.

The weekend was nice. We got dumped with about four to six inches of snow on Saturday. I shoveled from 7:30 to 8:30, then realized that a thin veneer had fallen again. Thankfully, by late afternoon, that thin veneer had melted and the streets were clear. Our yard was lovely and white, but I didn't take pictures. Ugh! I gotta remember to do that!

We worked on the basement a bit more and have our schedule outlined for the week. My eldest went downstairs and nearly lost it when she saw the couch all put together and arranged with the new t.v. and sound system. She's so excited...and so are we.

A 300 Pound Man on My Back

Well, not really, but it sure feels that way. The Motrin and I are going to be good friends today. I am certainly reaping what I sowed; pounds and pounds of salt will always make TOM completely unbearable! Why do I cave into those cravings? I've been inhaling salt for two weeks and look at where it's gotten me? Laying in bed wishing I knew where the heating pad was. It's typical of me but I certainly know better. Last month, I managed to exert some self-control and boy did it make a difference. I gotta remember to do better next month. Oh, the agony! Boys don't know how good they've got it.

In other news, my daughter announced to me and the neighbor yesterday that she doesn't like to read. My heart sank. I loved reading (still do, when there's time) and I told her how it kind of hurt my feelings. Well, my extra-super-sensitive kid didn't want to hurt mommy's feelings, so she went to her room in tears. Oh, geeze. So, I explained that books are wonderful and creative. They allow us to use our imagination. She said that she only meant she doesn't like to read hard books. I told her that most things are a bit difficult, at first. Then, you learn how to do them and it's no problem. I reminded her about her Dick and Jane books.

She said, "But those are easy, mom."

"Yes, but they weren't always. There was a time when you couldn't read a single word in one of those books. Remember Kindergarten? Now, you could read those in under a couple of minutes. You're reading chapter books, for heaven's sake!"

She smiled. I hope she understood. She said she didn't mean to hurt my feelings and I told her that sometimes, mommy's get they're feelings hurt; however, I was more concerned about her enjoying to read than my feelings. I really want her to enjoy reading and get the most of out it. I guess I would feel worse if she weren't a very good reader. The fact is, she does a pretty bang-up job (nearly at a fourth-grade level). I plan to do a lot of it with her over the Christmas break. I hope I can change her mind.

Indy has become a clean house's nightmare! This little girl gets into so much stuff, I can barely keep up with her! When the babe was a toddler, she was content to play with her toys in pretty much one place. Oh, she'd spread out a bit but was mainly happy to stay put in one room. Indy will drag stuff everywhere. She also loves shoes, so sometimes we'll find her sister's shoes, my shoes, her daddy's shoes or her own, scattered about the house. This kid loves oven mitts, too. (oven mitts?!) I have to wash them every week. On top of that, she climbs onto everything and we've seen her take more than one fall where our hearts have stopped for a second. We clean and tidy, but it's really no use. We push chairs and stools in for safety and she pulls them out again. I guess I'll have a danger-ridden, pig-sty for a little while.

"Paint da Fence, Sand da Floor"

With all the work we're putting into the basement, I keep hoping that it's going to manifest itself with me becoming a master, Kung-Fu artist! Remember those lines above from Karate Kid? Remember how surprised you were to find that he was, indeed, learning the necessary skills to kick some serious bully butt? Well, my shoulders, back, wrists, knees all should be the ultimate weapons by now. The trim has been completely painted and now awaits minimal clean-up. We have some wood treating to do, doors to paint and rooms to organize, but we're nearly there!

Monday, of course, I assembled the t.v. stand; however Tuesday evening, I put together our new sound system (seen here). I need to get the technical writer for the Sauder furniture and the technical writer for our Sony system together because the Sony guy is an idiot!

At the beginning of the instructions, you're told to connect the wires to the speakers. There are six total: two front speakers, two surround sound speakers, the bass speaker and the center speaker. I intuitively figured that the color coded tape used to enclose the speakers (and by this, I mean the speakers were wrapped in plastic and the plastic was held together by this tape) was the indicator for which wire to use in which speaker. Good thing I figured it out because two pages and many steps later, the writer decided to enlighten the frustrated reader to this ingenious fact. Moron! There were other special moments from the writer, but I won't go into all those.

Hubby later told me that he checked the Internet to see if people who'd purchased the same system had any gripes. Every time I'd say, "What the hell?" He was like, "Yep! The reviewers all said assembly was a joke...but other then that, the system was great." I have to agree. It took about two hours to get everything together with the goofy instructions I had, but I finally got it. We gave it a test run and all I can say is...whoa. Our basement is essentially going to be an in-home movie theater. The new t.v. and system together? They rock!!

I was a little disconcerted when hubby said, "We should have everything done by New Year." New Year? What?! I can't watch White Christmas, Scrooged and A Christmas Story on the kick-ass t.v.? What gives? Then, I said, "You don't think we'll be done by Christmas?" Then he was like, "Well, we could. We'll just have to make sure we do something every night." And that is how it has been. Tonight, we begin clean-up of the paint that magically dripped on the floor. I will also spend time breaking down all the cardboard boxes and getting them out of the house so that we'll have more room to work. Those dang boxes take up too much space! It's going to be a busy next few days but maybe, just maybe, we'll get to enjoy the fruits of our labor and win the Karate championship (so to speak).

An Evening for a Wife

Sometimes my hubby leaves me absolutely speechless. Many moons ago (Mother's Day), hubby purchased a gift certificate for me to use at my favorite spa. That was a very difficult period of the year so, I wasn't inclined to use it right then. I guess I was feeling so bad about things I didn't feel that I deserved to feel better. So, it sat in my night-stand drawer.

Recently, I came upon it again and discovered that it had an expiration date (December 12th of this year, to be exact). I talked with hubby about when to use it and when he could watch the kiddlings without loosing his mind completely. Yesterday was the chosen day and boy was I thrilled. The afternoon began with me arriving to a newly, sparkling clean household. The smell of fresh pine wafted around the garage as I gathered my belongings to take into the house. My eldest and her friend were quietly watching a movie and I was greeted by my hubby with a smile. I changed Indy's diaper and had a quick snack before heading over to the spa.

The first of my treatments consisted of a foot soak and a shoulder pack, while I read the latest ad-filled magazine (I noticed very few articles but loads of fabulous clothes and jewelry that I'll probably never get to wear). My attendant presented me with hot cocoa and a chocolate covered candy-cane stirrer as a treat while I waited. Thirty minutes later, I was led back to the massage room where I was presented a choice of body butters. Yum! What a wonderful invention! My choice? Gingerbread. And, after 80 minutes of mind-blowing bliss, I walked out of that room smelling like a fresh-baked cookie.

I met the attendant at the counter to arrange for tip, then purchased a gift certificate for my hubby at the same time. I hope he enjoys his treat as much as I did. (I thought I was done with Christmas shopping? Why am I still buying stuff?)

A Busy, Busy Weekend

Friday evening, I thought I might rest and hang out with the family for a few hours. Dinner would be served and I would enjoy conversation with my hubby and children about the day's events. Oh, not to be! Instead, we ate dinner at the speed of light and then I rushed my oldest to a birthday party. I was hoping that pounds of snow they were predicting wouldn't arrive until after and I was fortunate. I picked the babe up (who was happy, but exhausted after the evening's event - skate party) and scoured the city for Honey Buns for my hubby. He was craving them and, truth be told, they're his passion. Everywhere we went, we couldn't find any. Oh, we found Starcrunch, Pecan Spinwheels, Triple Fudge Brownies, Nutty Bars, Zebra cakes, Devil Squares and a host of other Little Debbie treats, but no Honey Buns. I knew I would surely be able to find them at Wal-Mart but I just can't bring myself to shop there on weekends during the holidays. That place becomes more than a zoo. It's a dang jungle!

I came home empty handed, but he wasn't disappointed. He was just glad we arrived home safely, as the snow was just beginning to fall upon our arrival. It would have been nice to drift off to sleep and wake up leisurely the next morning, but no way. This family had plans.

So we awakened around 5:30 (an entire hour later than I usually get up) and got the kids up and ready for the day. It was time for both cars to have a tune-up and oil change. When I went to let the dog out back for his morning walk, I was greeted with several inches of white fluff on the deck. It was beautiful and a perfect entrance for the month of December; however, I was not prepared for how cold it was nor was I prepared for the mess the roads were in. We pretty-well crawled to the Goodyear location at 25 mph and what normally takes ten minutes, took nearly a half hour. Hubby's car was first. Three hours later, the work was done and we were heavy with purchases from various stores. My car was next and three additional hours later, we were back at Goodyear, even heavier with packages. I think we've gone above and beyond with our Christmas shopping (I thought we were done?).

Sunday, we went to church then ended up at the Ashley Furniture store making a purchase on a new couch, love seat and recliner. They will be beautiful in our home! I'm excited because we haven't purchased new seating furniture in years. It was desperately needed since our couch literally has white, fluffy stuffing being birthed from the cushions. Not good. The kids watched movies as we tidied up the house, then downstairs we went; hubby to paint and me to assemble the new t.v. stand for our projection t.v.

Two and a half hours later, the stand was completed (and not too shabby, if I do say so myself). We ate dinner and hurried to bed. I'm hoping that this weekend I'll actually have some down time. I'm not a fan of the rushing around to do everything under the sun on my only two days off. Sometimes, though, that's exactly what you have to do in order to get anything done. I hate to say it but I wasn't at my nicest this weekend. TOM is on the way and I was more than a bit short-tempered with hubby and the kiddlings. I had to apologize more than once to everybody for being a total witch at times. Hubby was very patient. I think he's learning to read the signs.

Can I Go Back to Bed, Please?

Tuesday evening, our happy little state got dumped with several inches of snow. Various amounts across the valley, but snow nonetheless. I drove home in wicked traffic, but still managed to get to my house within 20 minutes of my normal time. I was truly amazed! The moisture is just what we need and the snow helped to put a lot of people in the Christmas mood. Unfortunately, our temps have been unusually low in the evenings so the snow on the roads became black ice. Nice. Doughnuts anyone? The commute Wednesday morning had me creeping along perhaps twenty yards in fifteen minutes. I turned around and high-tailed it home. No way was I going to drive two hours into work, only to work two or three hours and turn right back around. I figure I got more done at home anyway.

Last night, I made Lasagna which I've never done before! I turned out really good and I didn't even follow the recipe completely. It called for about six layers, but I could only get two good ones in my casserole dish. I used ground turkey instead of beef and half the Parmesan it called for. I will definitely do it again. The girls loved it! Indy did not have any Dairy Ease all day, so had a fit-full sleep of probably the world's gaseous tummy. It didn't occur to me that this was the issue until almost 11:00 last night. She woke up again around 2:30 this morning. I feel like a zombie! No specialty coffee for me this morning, though. I have a lunch date with a friend and want to my indulging there. Thai food is worth the indulgence. I can't wait!

Hubby in I are somewhat in the thick of it, too. We've been doing well, then when the babe came home last night from dance, she was very upset. She enjoyed class but felt bad about not having enough time with her daddy. I can appreciate that. It's the same battle I fight all the time. Her argument to me, though was that I can stay up latter and talk to daddy. I tried to tell her that we go to bed and I don't have as much time as she thinks, but she wasn't hearing it. She and her dad talked about ways to get more time in.

Now, here's my thing, it took one discussion between those two to figure out a "more time" schedule but when I tried this, we ended up in therapy. Does one have to be related to the man by blood to get that kind of attention? Am I just jealous of my seven-year old? Hubby knew I was mulling over something this morning and I didn't want to talk to him because I kept thinking, "He's going to think I'm insane! Jealous of or daughter?" I don't feel like I'm jealous, but I think that's how it will appear. Or, maybe I am? Who, knows. I just know it has me all in a tizzy and that's not good for someone who's working on around 5 hours of sleep. You'd think I would have gotten some rest yesterday, being at home. It's a total misconception. You work much harder at home than you do in an office. I'm convinced. Because of this, I needed additional sleep last night. Oh, well. Maybe I'll get to nap this weekend. One can hope!

Thanksgiving Post Mortum 2007

Thanksgiving was lovely and my friends seemed to enjoy themselves at my mother's. She later said to me that she was happy to have them over, but thought them a bit dull. Well, they are, but they're sweet. You can be dull and sweet, right? I guess that's what you have to expect from a computer-geek and a former librarian. My daughters were happy to get all their favorite foods and the dogs got all sorts of scraps. Going back to work was a challenge and I've just gotten to a point where I'm not loosing my mind over the amount of work there was. I've caught up for the most part and am wondering if the same will be true after the Christmas vacation I plan to take.

The tree is up and it's stunning. The new tree makes our old one look so frail. It's very full and life-like (not pre-lit). We've been watching the holiday movies in full force. Hubby is even getting into the spirit. He hasn't climbed up on the roof, yet but he may set up a "winter wonderland" in our yard. We'll see.

We spent a lot of the time off working on our Martha Stewart project for the neighbor's gifts this year; homemade snowflakes. They're really pretty, but they take a lot of time. We also had to time it during Indy's nap time or risk her choking on the thousands of beads laying on the coffee table. They have kits at the craft stores (I didn't know this) and hubby picked one up for the babe to work on by herself. Everything was included and the wires were soldered together for her. When I attempted to solder, it smoked a bit but then the iron just conked out. We ended up wrapping thinner wire around the middle portion of the snowflakes we created outside of the kit she had. (I guess it's back to Home Depot...you get what you pay for. Don't spend $12.00 on a soldering iron and expect it to work.)

Finally, I've been ravenous as of late and so has hubby. I sort of lost control on the Halloween candy yesterday, but made up for it by working out fifteen additional minutes this morning. Hubby thinks we're subconsciously trying to pad for the winter. Um, there will be no padding this year. I'm in my skinny jeans...can't loose that. I've worked too hard.

Are There Fairies? Pixies? Mythical Creatures?

This is the question The Spiderwick Chronicles answers in it's four-book series. My eldest and I have been reading these for the past few weeks and were delighted to discover that a movie has been made! It is due to release in theaters February of 2008. In the meantime, I think the babe will probably peruse these books over and over again until the movie is released. She seems utterly enchanted...even more so than with the Harry Potter series.

So, the question above; do you believe in things unseen...perhaps even magical things? I'm not sure I even know the answer to the second part. The first part is a resounding yes. I believe in faith, hope and love...those are things I know exist but I cannot see them. Only their results. I am also Christian, so I believe in a higher power that I cannot see. Mythical creatures and such? Who knows. I don't rule anything out because I think the world has yet to be truly discovered. We know a lot, but we're still learning. It's always crazy to me when my hubby or I read about some animal discovered that they thought was made extinct thousands of years ago. Who's to say they won't someday discover something that no scientist could have ever predicted?

There must be many of us who are either intrigued by the world of myth or believe it may actually exist. Our culture is bursting with it and it seems to be making its way into our mainstream. I can't tell you how many fairy/pixie/dwarf tattoos I've seen in the last few years. Fairies litter the department stores in clothing and jewelry. There was many a fairy to be seen this Halloween, too. Even Tinkerbell has made a resurgence...and her role wasn't even that big in Peter Pan.

Finally, I'm more excited by the fact that my daughter finally sees the wonderment of books. Oh, she's always enjoyed reading but, yesterday I saw her too eager to finish where we'd left off. Most times, she's more interested in finishing up the movie she started. Perhaps her imagination has "turned on" with books and she's seeing the scenes and images in her mind. I hope that's what has happened. I'd much rather have her bury her nose in a book where she's being creative then attempt to blind herself in front of the television, where the creating is done for her.

You Gotta See it to Believe it!

My first blog was created to chronicle my quest to a better body. I began that quest and did quite well, then I got pregnant and decided to do my chronicling here. I didn't pick up my posts on my previous blog until January of this year, in my attempts to lose said baby weight. It was a rough start. Illness after illness, problem after problem. I just couldn't get a handle on it. For the last couple of months, I've really put my focus in. I even signed up on the Daily Plate and began tracking my food and exercise there, just so I wouldn't have to do it on one my dumb spreadsheets. Well, the proof is in the pudding (or lack thereof in my case). I'm down 25 pounds and have nearly hit the ultimate goal I set for myself: to return to my pre-pregnancy weight and size.

I will be changing that goal very soon and it has me a little anxious. Where will this new goal lead? Will I get there? Will my hubby kill me in the process? (he's designing a plan for me and I haven't seen it yet. I have a feeling that there will be lots of yelling and tears on my end). My visual goal is to get down as far as I can, in order to compete for a figure competition. That means my weight training program is about to kick into overdrive and I'm sort of excited by the idea. My arms and legs are already looking better than they did before the baby, and I was training then. I don't know what's different. My attitude is good, but it was good then too. I'm older, so that's definitely not a benefit. My eating is a little different, so perhaps that's it. Oh, and that part of it will change when I start preparing for the competition itself. The menu isn't the most appetizing in the world, but it serves it's purpose. I'll probably feel like all I do is eat once it begins.

The competition is a goal and certainly not something that I'm cornering myself into doing. If I get there, I get there and that's great! If I don't, then what have I lost? Absolutely nothing...but I would have gained a super hot body on the way. I feel really good and the prospect of feeling better astounds me. I'm also loving the bonuses like tight arms and very little jiggle in the thighs. Nice.

If you decided to peruse the other site, my weight may surprise you. The number seems quite high for someone of my height, and it is; however, I carry a huge amount of muscle mass. I have since I was a child and my own children do as well (my seven year-old is skinny at forty pounds, but ripped...she should be competing!). I've carried my weight well but I haven't made that an excuse. I am quick to get it off when it begins to cause me problems with my health or, heaven forbid, prevent me from wearing my favorite clothes.

I'm looking forward to wherever this new road leads me. So far, it's been a good ride.

Return to the Land of the Living

So it was Thursday afternoon that I felt my throat begin to close up a bit. I just thought it might be one of the three off-kilter things I'd had to eat that day. Perhaps my body wasn't ready for those peanuts. The day continued into evening and after some bad news between neighbors, I really started to feel kinda crummy. Into the night...up and down then down and up. Finally, I went for the Braun thermometer and within a few seconds was displayed a whopping 102. What in the world is going on? I was achy and felt like crap on a stick. I called my coworker and told him that I wasn't coming in, but that I wasn't abandoning him either. I would be online as much as I could, through drug-induced naps. My message left? Somewhere in the 1 am hour or so. I was delirious.

I worked, I slept. I worked, I slept. The following day? My hubby moved a new entertainment center in with a neighbor and friend. Then, he moved in some very large workout equipment. I drank apple juice, nibbled on crackers. Food was not a friend to my horribly sore throat. My tummy got crampy and I figured it was made about not getting the food it normally gets. Nope. TOM decided to make an appearance. Doesn't get much better than that.

Sunday, I went into the extended hour care center and discovered that doctor's still go on instinct. My gut was telling me strep. So was the doctor's, despite the negative strip test. "I'm going to get it cultured to be absolutely certain. In the meantime, I'm putting you on amoxicillin." Can we say horse pills boys and girls? Holy moly! My throat ran away in retreat when I put that pill to my lips. One half hour later, I started to feel more like me. I decided right then and there that I had strep.

That's twice in one year, folks. What the heck? Not cool. Not cool at all. I'm getting so healthy. What's the deal? Germs don't care if you're in super-duper health, apparently. They only want to invade a body...any body. Well, that's alright. I got my super, mongo antibiotics. I got my water in the 2.3 liter jug. I got my soup and I got my sanity. I'll get through this!

Pre-Lit or Bust!

I'm not sure when it happened, but we no longer have a choice with artificial Christmas trees. Last year, hubby and I decided to "retire" our 10 year-old tree and invest in a new one. We've been on the hunt for a couple of weeks, now and it seems that you can get pre-lit with clear lights or pre-lit with colored lights. Those are your choices...well, aside from buying a live tree. Believe me, I love live trees. I would get one every year if I could; however, because of the animals and children in my house, it's much more practical to have an artificial. I also am a firm believer that the holidays officially begin on Black Friday. Even though I'm not driving around in that madness, I believe it is the day the tree should be erected along with any and all decorations for the home. Call me sentimental and pushy.

There are a few (very few) places that still carry "unlit" trees and they are branded as such. I say branded because they are categorized as if they are the "Spawn of Satan" trees that nobody wants. They're not marketed well on the sites and they're usually frail and skimpy looking (Think of A Charlie Brown Christmas. These trees will need love and then some to look decent enough to display in your home). I really don't want to give in the fad. I didn't give in when all those god-awful fiber optic trees were everywhere, either (do they still make those?). Nothing against fiber optics. I just think a tree should look like a tree in as much as an artificial tree can look real, without looking like it belongs on the Vegas strip.

I did find one site, Balsam Hill, that sells the most beautiful, artificial trees I've ever seen! They even have my coveted unlit trees and they don't make them out to be the red-headed step children of the site. Unfortunately, I think I'd have to live on the "East" side to afford a tree like the ones displayed here. Even the sale trees are mortgage worthy!

I'll keep scouring the city for an unlit tree that doesn't resemble a twig and doesn't have a million lights already soldered on, but I'm beginning to loose hope. If we cave, we'll cave for a tree with clear lights...then maybe retire that one when unlit trees become fashionable again.

It's November Already?

I just checked the date of my last post. Where have I been?! Oh, yeah. Working like a dog, that's it. I'm starting to feel the pinch of my coworker being on leave. People tend to gear up for school just before the holidays, then they disappear almost entirely until the new year. Let the gear up begin! Phew! They're making me nuts over here. My coworker can't get back fast enough. Although, it's been pleasantly "happy" around here, since she left. Don't get me wrong, I totally empathize with the stress that she's dealing with (medicaid is backwards, nursing home snafus and a mother who barely knows she's there) but her negativity could sometimes bring down the entire floor. I hope that this time away has given her a better perspective and has allowed her to make peace with her mother and herself.

Halloween was a blast! We had such fun at work and I got so many compliments. One lady was like, "I can't believe how much weight you've lost!" For real? I'm still not in the bracket I'm aiming for, yet. I guess the weight training is doing more glamorizing than I thought. I'm kind of getting addicted to it, again. Hurts so good!

The babe went trick-or-treating with her dad and the neighbors and brought back way too much candy. With only a piece or two every couple of days, I'm predicting the bag will be empty by June of next year. Her sister is demolishing it, too, but I promise that bag ways eight pounds! Who needs that much candy? (How about me just before my TOM/rag. Haha!)

We've been diligently finishing up the small touches on the basement. Can I say that I'm sick of talking/looking/thinking about the basement? Ugh! Can't we just move down there already? I've begun my "decorating" for it, while we finish up by purchasing prints. From the beginning, we've said it would be our movie/work-out area. These are just a few of the prints I've purchased that you see pasted here and there are still many more to buy. It's going to be so cool when it's all done (um, if it ever gets done). I'm tired of basement talk even now. Moving on.

Christmas shopping has begun. Our goal was to start early (which we did), stick to fewer toys (which we have) and try to have it finished before Thanksgiving. Hmm. We'll see about that. Unfortunately, I think we're skewing off the road a bit. We've already bought the oldest a treasure trove of DVDs. How in the world has this happened so quickly? I had a list and I shared the list with hubby. I also said that we didn't have to buy everything on the list. Somehow, we've managed to buy nearly 3/4 of the list. Yeesh! We haven't even done the winter/Christmas clothes shopping, parent shopping or neighbor shopping yet. As for Indy, there is many an Elmo to buy that we haven't even started purchasing (luckily, Big Lots has them for El Cheapo prices). I'm unsure of what to do for my coworkers. Last year, I was the Martha-Stewart-of-Color and made the gifts. I'd like to do something similarly, but by the time my vacation starts, I won't want to be bothered. Christmas usually isn't a very hectic time for me. I've got to get this under control before it becomes so. This is a time for great happiness and creating new memories, not stressing about gifts.

Finally, on the hair front, I found a red that works. My "ravishing" blend from the Clairol Professional line never really was what I thought it would be. So, I broke down over the weekend and went for a box kit. It's still Clairol, since I trust that it won't set my head on fire and make my hair fall out. Burgundy is who I am for the time being. I think hubby is seriously missing the blond, but he won't say that out loud (men). That's alright. I think I'll surprise him by being blond at Christmas dinner. This is the first year he's had to work on Christmas morning in years. I'm really bummed about that but, I'll make sure that we all have a wonderful Christmas eve to make up for it.