Life goes on...

July.... already... wow!  Even though we have been sorta quarantined at home most of the year, things are still hopping around our house!   This has been a pretty great year, so far.  I am a grandmother!  I never knew how much joy could come from one little grandchild and a BOY, at that.  In a house full of girls, we have our first little boy

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- ever - Cannon.  He's absolutely precious and almost 4 months old.  This little guy brings so much to our lives.  

Back to reality.... tomorrow...whether I'm ready or not! 

The Christmas decorations are back in their boxes, the holiday foods and leftovers have been thrown out, and the house is clean enough for me to feel somewhat prepared to return to our usual unorganized 'normal'.   I may only be working part-time, but I still have all of the year-end responsibilities and I know the next few weeks are going to be challenging and stressful.

As I type this, the washer and dryer are busily doing their jobs and the dishwasher is on to finish the last few dishes that I gathered from around the house that had made their way to kids' rooms.  Bailey and her dog, Jaxon, have returned to their apartment, Briley is cleaning her room, and I'm trying to convince myself to use the spare time I have today to do some de-cluttering in preparation for our upcoming house remodel.

This year, my husband and I took a few days to venture out of  our usual homebody-selves and drove back into Dallas 3 consecutive days to eat at 3 of his favorite restaurants.  He finds the neatest, off the beaten path eateries in the area and visits them when he takes his customers out for lunch.  Which for him is usually 4 out of 5 days a week.  Lunch for me is eaten at my desk and usually a frozen dinner or leftovers from home.  Needless to say, our little excursions were quite a treat for me.

One day we had dinner in the back of an Italian grocery store, Jimmy's Food Store...excellent authentic Italian food and delicious cannoli.   The next afternoon, we had the best prime-rib french dip sandwiches with onion rings (The Hall); who could ask for anything more?

And then yesterday, we went to a restaurant that is owned by one of my husband's high school pals and it was delicious home-cooking with a Cajun food twist. (Po Melvin's)  I felt like I needed to be rolled back out to the car.  The food here was perfect for this southern girl that loves fried foods!  :)

I am one fat and sassy gal!  I had to clean out all of the holiday food in the house...it was a necessity; I have to be able to fit into my clothes!  LOL

I'm ready for the new year!!
Move over 2018 and all of the stresses and frustrations you have brought... I am going into 2019 with only positive thoughts and hopes for a wonderful new year full of  new beginnings and opportunities.

While 2018 hasn't been as bad as other years, it's still time for it to GO and take it's negative-ness with it.  I've experienced job changes, income losses, and just overall frustrations that happen at this stage of life.  However, I am focusing on turning my negatives into positives and looking forward to the new year.

Change is always a good thing!  It may not come along at the time we feel is the best, but as I look back, I realize that God had and has a plan for everything, and maybe I need to be more patient.  The saying, "not in my time, but in THY time," rings true this year as I am hanging in limbo with my current job situation, health insurance dilemmas, and just overall questioning what direction I need to take to combat all of the other issues that come along with loss of income and job changes. 

For me, personally, it is not about NOT having any options; I am very fortunate that I feel like there are so many different options and directions I could take, but I am incredibly overwhelmed thinking about them.  Returning to the 'interviewing world' and the job hunting world, after 16 years is a daunting task, especially when you are quickly approaching 50 years old.  However, I do have a degree on my side, so that's a positive aspect that I am going to use in my favor.

 Anyone that knows me, knows I think everything to death!  I make myself crazy going over the legitimacy, the possible outcome, the good, the bad, and just EVERYTHING that could or might occur.  I tell ya'.... I drive myself over the edge with over thinking.  So for 2019, I want to slow down my over thinking and anxiety about change, and just take in all of the new and different opportunities that present themselves.  That sounds like a doable resolution... right?  We'll see.... Onward and Upward!!!

Whew....what a week!

Let's just write this one off and start again, or maybe it's better to move forward and not look back.

The weather in Texas is ever-changing, and it certainly hasn't disappointed this week.  We started the week with sun and 60 degree temps, and today we have a dark and gloomy 40 degrees and lots of wind and rain showers.  Ohhhh just lovely!  Really does nothing to motivate me to move.  ~ sigh ~

The week started off with news that a cousin had passed away, so that's emotional and draining.  I wish I could say we are a close family, but life has taken us all in different directions and we basically kept up with each other via Facebook.  I don't have a lot of extended family members left living, so the emotional aspect for me is the realization that I've lost one more connection to my family or one more connection to my dad, who passed away over 20 years ago.  There were only 4 grandchildren on my dad's side of the family and now there are just the 3 of us left.  I know we all face our own mortality, but some days my emotions are more raw than others and some days I just wish I could go back about 30 years and do life differently... beginning with staying in touch with family members.

Next up this week, I had my first job interview as a teacher.  Let's just say... I have learned a lot about what kinds of questions I will be asked and I have reflected on all of my answers and realized that I need to be better about responding as an educator and less of an office administrator.  I'm learning....I'll be much better prepared for the next interview. 

I also listened to my gut, and knew when I went into the interview that I was not having those 'warm fuzzy' feelings I should be having if it was the right job for me.   As it turns out, I didn't get the job and no one else did either; they decided not to fill the position.  So... there it is, a great practice interview that I desperately needed to shake the nerves about my first interview in over 16 years and a better understanding of what answers I need to have to sound like a legit teacher.  :)

After driving a total of 6 hours yesterday, to and from the funeral and driving in the nasty rain all day yesterday, I'm just exhausted today.  My body is over all of the stress of this week and ready for some holiday fun or maybe just a Hallmark movie or 4?  HA HA HA HA

 

Stay tuned...I'm hoping to finish my Christmas shopping this weekend, with my husband's assistance, so there's bound to be drama or trauma to report on for that!  LOL 

First Day of Spring

Or so the calendar says??  No one is happier than I, to see the spring arrive.  I am NOT a winter person at all and I welcome the warm sunshine...but the catch phrase here... WARM SUNSHINE!!  Hello Mother Nature... Are you out there?  Or are you hibernating!  It's spring, so do your thing and send the sunshine and warmer temps.

My flip flops just don't accommodate my freezing toes when it's wet and cool outside, and I have some new Yellow Box flip flops that are begging to be worn!  Doesn't every good southern girl anticipate the arrival of spring and the season to wear new Yellow Box Flip Flops?  :)

However, today I tried to welcome in the new season while at the park eating my lunch from inside my car, and was entertained by the ducks and geese that call it home.  It's still too cool and WET to enjoy sitting on a park bench and sharing the crumbs with these floating fowl. 

Oh well, no worries!  We can't turn back the calendar and this is Texas, I fully anticipate sunshine and 80* temps within a few days.  Welcome Spring!

Conversations in the car...on the way to school

In our household there isn't any topic of conversation that is taboo or off limits, and generally the worst of the topics is brought up at dinner time, around the table. Or when we are in front of friends and other family members.  Isn't that how it always is?  :)

Briley is my inquisitive child, she's the first one to 'google' something, after me.  I am notorious for telling the girls to go look it up or 'google' it.   Anyway, there's really no rhyme or reason why Briley brings up topics and when; this morning on our drive to school was no different than any other time....  Mirror Neurons... the topic of our commute.

Seriously?  Mirror Neurons?  What goes through that head of hers' at 7:30am?  What happened to middle school girl drama?  What happened to sister drama?  What happened to 'Hey I need lunch money'?  Oh noooooo, I have to listen to a long (well as long as it takes to get from our driveway to the middle school drop off lane) dissertation of how and why this occurs. 

For the rest of the world that like me, you have no idea what mirror neurons are, here is a brief explanation from... where else.... Google...and Wikipedia...

A mirror neuron is a neuron that fires both when an animal acts and when the animal observes the same action performed by another.^[1][2][3] Thus, the neuron "mirrors" the behavior of the other, as though the observer were itself acting. Such neurons have been directly observed in primate species.^[4] Birds have been shown to have imitative resonance behaviors and neurological evidence suggests the presence of some form of mirroring system.^[4][5] In humans, brain activity consistent with that of mirror neurons has been found in the premotor cortex, the supplementary motor area, the primary somatosensory cortex and the inferior parietal cortex.

 

Apparently, Briley had watched some sort of documentary on Netflix or YouTube, or where ever she gets her information and wanted to enlighten me about this topic.  Of course I continued to listen and interject the usual 'oh' and  'uh huh' the ENTIRE 8 minutes we were in the car, but in all honesty I had no idea what she was talking about.  Well that's not entirely true, I understand the premise of this topic, but really???? 7:30 am???  My brain is barely functioning enough to get us to work and school and she wants to discuss neurons??? Oh my...I think I've lost too many brain cells over the past 20 years to do her justice in daily conversation. 

 

I will gladly listen to her neuron conversations over so many more topics. I'm very thankful that she is so inquisitive and always stretching her brain and mine to learn new things. 



 



We made it to March and Loaded Broccoli

Whew.... we made it!!  I didn't think we would, but March is here...spring flowers, green grass, warmer days, and lots of sunshine!!!  I survived another winter...no small miracle. 
While Texas hasn't had the horrid winter weather like so many of our northern neighbors, we have had our typical amount of cold and wet, but this year just seems to be more soggy than most or I just don't tolerate the cold and wet like I did when I was younger.  Come on fresh pretty new flowering baskets for my porch and the smell of fresh cut grass. :)

As typical Texans, my family needs sunshine and warm temps!  We NEED to be able to get outside and move around, however the past few days we have been stuck inside looking at each other and EATING.  It's about to get really ugly if we have to continue flipping channels to find something we can all agree on or figure out what we can all agree on to eat. Way - too - much - family - togetherness! 

This weekend, I tried a new quick-fix broccoli recipe... Loaded Broccoli... oh yes, this is a keeper! Super easy and super quick to fix.  Of course as with any recipe, I always add my own little touches and extra spices because I find that most people eat food that is just too bland for my family's salt-addicted, salsa craving, and pepper-phenom tastes. 

I've attached the recipe below just as I found it, but please experiment and add more or less of whatever floats your family's boat.  This really is a keeper of a recipe and I would venture to guess that this just might replace our typical broccoli and cheese casserole that is served at every family holiday gathering (bleck...so sick of that).   This recipe and other greats can be found on https://www.facebook.com/just1courtney.

LOADED BROCCOLI
Low carb!!!!
...

Ingredients:
4-5 small bunches of fresh broccoli cut into bite size pieces
( Approx: 4-6 cups)
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1/2 cup Sour Cream
6-8 Slices bacon cooked and cut into bite size pieces
1 Bag Shredded Cheddar Jack Cheese (two cups) or cheese of your choice.
3-4 Tbs chopped fresh chives
Directions:
Steam or Boil Broccoli Pieces ( I boiled for 10 minutes)
Drain and Let cool
Mix together Mayonnaise, Sour Cream, 1 cup of the Shredded Cheese and half of cut up Bacon, and placed in baking dish that was lightly sprayed with non stick spray,
Top with remaining cheese and bacon pieces.
Cook in oven 400° for 10- 15 minutes until cheese is melted
Top with chopped Chives and serve! ENJOY!!

I added some chopped garlic and diced onions, along with garlic salt, course ground pepper, and even a touch of dried parsley. Also, I never boil broccoli because you lose so many nutrients when boiled, but I did steam my fresh broccoli and it was awesome.   Very yummy and went great with our grilled burgers and other fixings we had prepared for lunch.

Let me know what your plans are for freshening up your porches, decks, and entry ways for spring.  I'm ready to clean out the cobwebs and brighten up the porch with some splashes of color and life!

Oh... I almost forgot... Happy 179th Birthday to Texas! 

It really happened...DFW got SNOW!

Don't burst my bubble yet, I know this isn't really real snow....lol... well ok, I guess it's real.  This just isn't the quantity of snow that so many of our neighbors to the north are dealing with, at the moment.  **Reason #877 why I am so very glad that I live in the south and in TEXAS!  While dealing with this snow is an occasional inconvenience, it's not a way of life or anything I have to learn to work around.

This morning Briley and I were both dressed and ready to leave for school and work, but the snow had just begun and was coming down in big massive chunky flakes.  My maternal instinct and limited exposure to snow told me to WAIT!  Don't leave the house! 

What if I dropped her off at school and then had to just turn around and go back to get her because they were dismissing school early? 

This thought and many others were running through my head; most especially visual images of ME being stuck in a ditch somewhere because I am not prepared to drive in snow and I'm even less equipped to be cold and in a ditch! 

Briley was not a happy camper when it comes to getting up and dressed for school, to only find out that we were not going to school... just yet.  
She didn't let a little snow-day delay her from returning to her natural position and snoozing for a few minutes.  It's a rough life, no doubt!  :)  I'm surprised the cat wasn't curled up beside her!!  (She was even unhappier when she realized that I was going to be taking her to school, eventually.  I mean.. if I have to work, she has to go to school.  It's only fair? Right?)

Once I heard that the road were clear and school wasn't going to be dismissed, we proceeded to school and work.  Both of us arrived safely and the snow has stopped in DFW.  I suppose that was the ONE snow day of the year we get around here, and it was only HALF of a day.  Can't complain too much, but that sunshine better be out this afternoon and the roads better be dry!  I'm ready to be done with winter.  I know.. .I know... I should probably duck and hide from all of you throwing actual snow balls at me. 

ICEMAGEDDON in Texas - 2015

Yep, it happens... about once a year we get ICE!  Not soft fluffy snow that sounds and looks like fun in all of the movies.  You know...the ones where the family gets outside together, bundles up and has a great time building snow men and having snow ball fights?  Uh... yea... that's not going to happen in the metroplex of Texas!!!  ~ Sigh~ 

However what we will have is layers of heavy and unforgiving ICE and sleet.  Why do people get on Facebook and talk about their drive into work on these days, as if they expect an award?  As if they have accomplished the impossible!  Well... let me tell ya'... my life and that of other innocent idiot drivers is much too important to risk it for a day of work.  There's a reason I am not employed in the medical field or as a first responder.  It's because I am WEAK!  Very WEAK, I tell ya'!   When the DFW metroplex gets lucky enough to have a legitimate day or two of ice/snow, I am going to be curled up on my couch in my pj's watching the news reports of all other idiots that felt they needed to prove how well they could (or couldn't) travel on SHEETS OF ICE!  People, we are not talking about snow, slush, or just freezing rain; we are talking about hard core inches of ICE!!  Ice, Ice BABY!

Not to worry, just about as quickly as the ice piles up, it melts away.  Just give it a few hours and we will have sunshine and warmer temps to bring us back to the reality that there is nothing romantic or even remotely fun (other than a day off of work/school) about the ice. 

Back to the office and back to school to make-up the missed time and remember how great it was to sleep in for ONE day or to sit around drinking hot cocoa and watching mindless TV.  It's great family time because no one can get away, and it's great time for catching up on movies, closet cleaning, shrink dink making, or household projects.  (Briley and I made quite a few fun Shrinky Dinks yesterday...just because.) :)

You'll notice the finished pillow, while it's not a big deal and it took me less than an hour from start to finish, but it had been a thorn in my side for months.  Bailey lost her first pillow like this in the bus crash and I had made it to match her dorm bedding.  (Since the accident she has been very OCD about putting all of her pieces back together.) So like any good mother, I assured her that I could make another; after all I have plenty of material left.  Well...almost 5 months later and I still hadn't completed my 'easy peasy' pillow... until Icemageddon 2015!! I sat down, cleaned off my sewing table and just whipped it right out.  You can't imagine the feeling of accomplishment; it's quite pathetic that such a small thing, requiring very little skill, could feel so good to finish!! 

Maybe I should implement a 'snow/ice day', at least one Saturday out of each month... for no other reason that to get caught up on projects and family time.  I doubt I could get anyone else to go along with my idea, but I might consider allowing myself one Saturday a month to sew or do a craft project without any guilt for not scrubbing toilets or mopping floors. 

The Empty Nest.... sorta...

I think we are getting a good dose of what it's going to be like when all three of my birdies have flown the coop... Brittany has moved into her own house, Bailey lives on the college campus, and Briley is in the 8th grade.  ~ sigh ~

Life is becoming so boring and dull for Al and I; we might have to find a hobby?  Or remember what we liked about each other 26 years ago???

That's really anybody's guess at this point, we've been together so long and had kids for so many years, I doubt we can even remember what we liked about each other that long ago. 

Yes, I know... we still have one little birdie that lives at home, but she's a busy birdie.  Thankfully Briley is very involved in band and theater arts, she's an A student, and very focused on school and school activities.  So far she's the easiest of the birdies and is no where near the high maintenance of others.  (whew... I finally got it right on the 3rd try!)

Thus.... the reason I feel like the next four years for her in High School are going to be an eye opening experience for us.  We are going to be lonely!!  :) Briley is becoming increasingly busy with her friends (which are all wonderful), her interests, and while we joyfully support that, the selfish mom in me is sitting back here waving profusely saying "HOLD UP!!  What about me?? Don't you need me??" 

Oh well, such is life... I knew we would eventually be on the downhill side of raising kiddos, and I'm very proud of the three we have raised.  God has been very good to us and we are very blessed to have three beautiful souls and all three very different girls that understand the importance of family and values, whether they want to admit it or not. 

Why the sudden sentimentality?  Well... it's like this... this week we had to sign off on the direction of Briley's high school years.  Yes, that hit me like a ton of bricks.  High school is upon us; it's really going to happen; my baby is four quick years away from flying the coop....(wiping away a tear). 

Not to worry, our life and household will still be full of fun and fireworks, this pretty much depicts our relationship over the past 26 years.  HA HA HA!  I'm fairly certain that I will continue to have lots of topics to write about.  My sarcasm and snarky-ness runs deep!  :)

Pyrex Mania

My little addiction has become a contagious situation!! My oldest daughter, Brittany, has recently caught the Pyrex fever.  How was I to know that I could inflict my silly little obsession on my children?  Who knew? 

I've been a hard core fan/lover of vintage Pyrex for probably 30 years, but until the Internet and Pinterest came along, I had no idea there were LOTS of other people with Pyrex fever.  Oh be still my heart.... Pinterest is just straight up eye candy for those of us in love with vintage Pyrex dishes. 

I have been collecting a few pieces here and there over the past 10 years and my collection started when I inherited the yellow/gold daisy pattern bowls from my grandmother.  I've since enlarged my collection to include solid red bowls, refrigerator dishes, divided serving trays, the primary color mixing bowls and now I'm on the hunt for a mint set of 'friendship' patterned Cinderella bowls in the red/yellow design.  There are just too many fun patterns and colors and too little time and money. 

However, I've recently started 'helping' my daughter collect the turquoise Amish butterprint dishes.  These are the various dishes I found for her birthday this month; it was no easy task to give them up... even if it was to my own daughter!!!  ~ sign~

I hope she appreciates the brutal restraint that it took for me to hand them over, the physical pain that my body went through to share my finds.  That's love people!

Oh well, my hunt for the perfect priced Pyrex items continues and just so you know, these are the bowl that I'm on the lookout for. 

Now with that said if anyone reading my blog is in possession of or has seen some in a garage sale/thrift store... PLEASE for the love of all that is right, contact me!!! I'll pay real money, not monopoly money!  I promise!  (Hmmm... that probably sounded like a drug dealer!) LOL

 

 

 

 

County Fair Time of Year

Yep.... you guessed it!  It is that time of year again when we haul the piggies to the Fair Grounds and hope they make the weight we want, follow directions in the show ring, and  do well enough to make the Sale and win a top spot in their Class.  Oh I know, the excitement is almost too much to handle, isn't it? :)   Just imagine how stressful it is for those poor piggies;  on a side note...if they don't make the Sale, they will promptly become ham and bacon in my freezer!

This year will be Briley's first time to show her pig.  The past 6 months have really been challenging for her, because she's had to put a lot of time and effort into the feeding and care of her pig.  All the while she's had to endure her older sister yelling at her for not doing 'it' right...whatever 'it' happens to be at the moment.  Oh let me just say, we've had our fair share of screamfests in the pig barn! 

After all of the trials and tribulations of raising pigs, Briley is mostly excited about wearing her new boots.  Oh yes, we had to go buy her a pair of new boots to wear in the show ring.  Afterall, what was all of this for, if not to get dressed up in the latest cowgirl gear and be blinged out in the show ring?

Here she is modeling her new boots... and yes, she is wearing her night gown... in the kitchen... in her boots! What can I say?  Nothing is sacred in our house! 

Here's a close of up shot of the boots - which by the way, took all afternoon to pick out! Apparently Briley has some real issues with the shape of the toes, the color of the tops of the boots (even though noone will see the tops)... and the list goes on. 

I'll check back in and let ya' know how the piggies and the girls do after the Pig Show!  I'm sure after Briley gets a taste of chasing after her pig in the Show Ring, we probably won't have to worry about her doing this another year.  I just don't see her persuing this much further, and quite honestly.... I am not going to be too disaapointed.  There are too many other options that she can participate in with the 4-H, besides PIGS!  Oink  Oink!

Spring Break! Let the fun begin!

Are you new here? 

You should have realized by now and after reading so many of my random posts that there was going to be very little spring breaking going on! :)

Oh sure... school is out for the week, but soccer, softball and pig feeding continues.  The only difference is that we don't have homework thrown into the mix this week.  For that, I am grateful!

Every day this week, I still have to figure out a way to get Bailey to and from soccer and softball practice during the middle of the day.  Because you realize she doesn't drive yet, and I work all week... so??? I'm relying on the patience and kindness of other kiddos that have their drivers' license.  JOY JOY!

Every day this week, we still have to dredge down to the pig barn and feed those nasty creatures - twice a day - with a concoction of feeds that is as precisely measured and monitored as if we were making a cake for the Queen.  Unbelievable!!!  Each day I remind myself  that raising pigs for the FFA or 4H groups is most definitely a labor of love for our children.   These little jewels are all about teaching responsibility and I get that, really I do.  HOWEVER, I didn't need to learn responsibility... I have three of my own little reminders of my everlasting responsibility!

My task at hand for this week is to clean out my car!  Oh, I'm sure you can imagine the little flakes of pig poop that have made their way into my car are starting to really stink as the temperatures in the car rise... yes.... you get the idea!  Not to mention the bits of pig feed that have spilled out of the buckets and now it smells like a grain barn in the back of my car. 

Remember... this is a labor of love!  Or else I would be considered stark raving mad to allow this craziness to continue!  (See how I have to keep reassuring myself of this fact?)

Anyway, it is Spring Break and that means all of this nasty cold weather and long gloomy days are surely about to end.  Bring on the sunshine!  I need to feel the heat of the sun and smell the flowers blooming.  (Pardon me, while I sneeze my head off.)    Spring time is great!  (sniff... sniff)

Softball season is starting and I am all about sitting in the stands watching Bailey pitch their team to a District Win.  I'm also all about sitting in the stands and listening to Briley whine at me about being hungry, which direction the wind is blowing, and how she is BORED!  Oh yes, the joys of spring time!  (I need to remember to stock up on sunflower seeds to keep Briley entertained!)

Believe it or not, this is my favorite time of year.

Lookie! A new toy!!!

I openly admit that I have far too many crafty interests and toys.  It's obvious that I have gone a little overboard when my dining room is no longer available for dining!  We have started referring to the formal dining room as the junk room.. ok, I know... that can't be good!

Anyway...how I came to have a new toy happened during the Texas sized snow/ice storm when we were all stuck at home for several days and Briley and I were watching a little too much TV, namely Home Shopping Network! LOL  Well really now, you can only watch so much Wizards of  Waverly and Hannah Montana before it's obvious that you need to change your viewing choices.  When a 41 year old woman can sing along with the show's opening songs, we've got a problem.

Oh I know what you're thinking.  I should have used the 'down' time to sew or quilt or do something productive like clean my craft/junk room, but really I just wasn't feeling that as an option.  

Irregardless of how many better alternatives there were for me to spend my time, Briley and I stumbled upon a 30 minute demonstration of this little jewel.... A Yudu Personal CardShop Machine/Screen Printer.  She and I were both completely enthralled with all that this could do.  Of course we were, we were being sucked in by their highly effective  marketing ploy. :)

 They got me... I called in on the 800 line and joyfully offered my credit card number and soon my very own Yudu was headed to our house.  It's amazing how easy and fast that HSN makes the purchase process, there's hardly any time at all to have buyer's remorse and WHAM!  That little toy is sitting on my front porch, compliments of the UPS man!

So where am I going with this?  I'll tell  ya'.... guess where this little joy is in my home?  Yep, you guessed it.  Right smack dab in the middle of my dining room/junk table with all of my other craft goodies.  Still in the unopened box and reminding me that I fell hook, line, and sinker for an impulse purchase.

(I still say I was suffering with cabin fever and that's my story and I'm sticking to it!)

Hopefully, Briley and I can dig this out of the box this weekend and get busy playing around with our new toy. I'm sure we will enjoy it and put it to good use, but in the mean time it's just sitting there, mocking me! :)
Now if you would like to see all of the wonderful things this toy will do, click here!

Morning School Traffic...

Have you ever witnessed a crazy mother jumping out of the car and start screaming and ranting at the other mothers in the "DROP OFF" lane? 

Well I haven't either, but this morning it almost happened.  I seriously could have strangled this one particular mother that obviously has all of the time in the world to drop her children off at school.  I say obviously because each and every day, this mother driving a black Chevy sedan gets OUT of her car in the DROP OFF LANE, while wearing her pj's and opens the back door.  Now this habit would bother me so badly, but HELLO.... ????  It's called DROP OFF for a reason!!  UGH

This particular stay-at-home mother gets out of the car wearing her pink pajama pants, opens the child's door and unbuckles them.  WHAT THE HECK? If your kid isn't old enough or big enough to unbuckle themselves and get out of the car, then the DROP OFF LANE isn't for you!   There are plenty of parking spaces that are close to the door, just for you! GRRRR...... 

Now I realize this process doesn't exactly seem like rocket science or even all that time consuming, but let me tell ya'.... IT TAKES THEM FOREVER to get business taken care of.  If you want to give your child some words of wisdom or parting advice, do it while NOT in the DROP OFF LANE, because I can promise you that there are other mothers (like me) that have JOBS to get to - and have other things to do in life that might have some sort of time constraints!  

I wouldn't be a crazed mother if this were the only incident of this, but there are SEVERAL mommies that pull these little tricks in the DROP OFF LANE!  Surely I'm not the only one that gets aggravated by their behavior?  The school has sent home several notes and reminders about just this same thing, but obviously these offending women do not understand that it is directed at them.... UGH...

I promise - one of these days, I'm going to get my own little red flag and I'm going to stand out in the DROP OFF LANE and wave folks through and yell at the idiots that don't follow the rules! 

This is driving me crazy!!!

Whew...... glad I got that off of my chest!   I had a feeling I was going to be spending the next several years in jail for hurting someone! LOL

Don't think I haven't considered it!

Holiday Hoopla!

Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season and a very prosperous new year!

I wish I could be yippee skippee happy and excited about Christmas, but I just don't have it in me!

I try... really hard... but it's just not there for me!  Oh I understand the 'reason' for the season and I can appreciate all of the many blessings that I have had throughout the past year... blah... blah.. blah... but to me Christmas is a bunch of stress!  Too many gifts to buy and wrap, too many unrealistic expectations from other people, too much food that is expected to be cooked by ME, and way too much of MY money spent on all of the above! 

So anyway - moving on - I will do what is expected and put on a happy face while continuing to clean up cat poop that clearly shows she (the evil cat) has been ingesting leaves from the fake Christmas tree, carry out bags and bags of trash from the present overload,  and make multiple trips to the grocery store because my children have eaten everything in the pantry!  Yep... HO! HO!  JOY! JOY! 

Dear Apple,

I am so very excited to have finally ordered myself an iPad!  Woo Hoo... I'm sticking to my story that it's primary purpose is for work, but let's get realistic...you can bet I'm going to be using it for a few fun applications on the weekends.  Let's just call it my executive privilege.

I'm sure you understand the excitement and feelings of anxiousness that coincide with finally becoming a part of the living, or so it would seem, and finally having an iPad?

Well this morning when Mr. Fed Ex Man delivered a box to my office, I immediately thought it was going to be my iPad.  Wouldn't you?  WRONG....
Here's what I got...

The docking station!!  That's it - that was all that was in the box.... Hmmm?  I guess it's coming to me in parts and pieces?

I bet the next box I get will be the charging cord?  Or the case for it?  What are you trying to do to me Apple?  If your goal was to tease and torture me then you are succeeding.

Sincerely,

Not so happy Apple customer

Spiders and Crickets.... OH MY!

For the past 3 weeks or so, we have had a huge influx of spiders and crickets making their way INTO my house.  There is simply not enough room for all of us to live happily, together in one house.  These little buggers have got to go!  For a while, I passed off the newly formed spider webs as Halloween decor, but now that's not working so well for me.  I need to sweep the walls and crevices on a daily basis to keep up with the spider condominiums going up in my vaulted ceilings.

I've heard other folks in our area talk about how many crickets have invaded their homes, as well.  What does this mean?  Where's the Farmer's Almanac?  Where's the Indian Doctor?  I need to know...I'm sure it's some sort of sign of impending doom!  That's just my luck.

I finally got smart enough to just GOOGLE this quandary and discovered that some theories on the idea say that it means we are going to have an early and harsh winter!  OH JOY JOY!  Just what I wanted to hear... NOT!  See....impending doom!!  I'm not a winter person at all... as a matter of fact, I prefer to hibernate from December through March. 

I've also learned that having 'house' crickets is supposed to be good luck.  Well let me tell ya'... We must be the luckiest folks on the block, 'cause I'm sweeping up 8-10 dead and mangled crickets every day - I wonder if the crickets have to be alive to lucky?  

Whatever the 'sign' is, I wish these things would go away.  Just this morning I found a cricket hoping happily in my kitchen sink among the breakfast dishes.  This poor little cricket's luck just ran out - yep you guessed it - turned on the water and disposal!  UGH... how much longer are these things going to invade my home?  What do you know about crickets and spider invasions?  Should I be prepared for some sort of  paranormal phenomenon? 

Holiday Hang Over

Is there such a thing?  After all of the turkey and ham have been  transformed into other meal options, the stuffing has been reheated more times than I can count, and the pies are gone....I feel like I've got a hang-over!  Without the alcohol!

Since we had a few extra days off, I took the opportunity to do some household chores that I had been ignoring.  I was so busy on my days 'off' from work - it was crazy!  I'm still exhausted and trying to get up at the usual time and back to work today has been a challenge.  Needless to say, today was another day of waking the dead to go to school.  Briley was protesting so adamantly about not going back to school, I was beginning to wonder if I was going to have to drag her out of the car?  I've seen parents in the drop off line do that, and laughed to myself at their pitiful parenting skills, but I gotta say - Briley's behavior this morning was starting to have me worried!

I wonder if this throbbing headache and all over fatigue I feel is from too much pie?  No!  Surely not!  I wonder if it's from the pending gloom and doom I am going to feel when I have to go Christmas shopping and be parted from my money?  That's probably more of the reason for my headache and yucky feeling than anything else! LOL

I guess I wasn't mentally prepared for it to be MONDAY yet - Oh well - the day is almost over and I've been fairly productive today, even though I think my head is going to explode at any minute?  I hope there are some good Hallmark holiday movies on tonight, I just don't expect to have the energy to do much more than veg out!

What about you?  Any Holiday Hang Overs out there in Blog Land?

Aging, Diet, and Exercise AFTER 40...

Let's not mix words about this... IT SUCKS!   It takes work, serious work both physically and mentally to stay ahead of the aging game.

Earlier this week I had to make my usual three month trip the Dr.'s office to have my blood pressure meds refilled.  I don't know why my Dr. insists on seeing me every three months (well I do know why, she wants to bill the Insurance Company)- I promise nothing is changing not even my wardrobe!  My weight stays the same, my disposition stays the same... and basically my life is a daily rewind and repeat of the day before.  So what is the point?  Just give me my refills and we can call it good?  Ya' know?

As I was sitting in the waiting room with my little baggie of pills, I noticed that everyone else had their own little baggies of pills?  What's the deal?  Are we all here to see the pill pusher?  I began to rationalize with myself and the fact that I'm only *41*, NOT 81 - why in the world did I need a baggie of pills?  This entire process is crazy and basically self inflicted.   I know better than to be carrying so much extra weight around my mid-section. I know better than to eat noodles, butter, bread, and drink coke!  I'm sabotaging myself! (The brain fog was lifted at this point!)

Why do I let myself get caught up in the mindset that I'm too tired to get up and get moving after 7:00 p.m.?  Just because it's dark, doesn't mean I have to put on my PJ's and crawl into bed or on the couch to watch the holiday movies on Hallmark.  Honestly  I've seen them all,  several times over...AGAIN....I'm doing it to myself!!  I'm sure I would probably feel better if I just got up and used my mind and body?  

I've been so busy the past 20 years raising kids, cooking dinner, doing laundry, helping with homework projects and dropping off and picking up at gymnastics and Girl Scouts that I've completely forgotten about ME.  I've turned into a scrub women - or at least it feels that way.

There was a time when even on the worst of days, I could pull out a pair of jeans, fix my hair and maybe put on a certain blouse and be assured that heads would turn.  You know exactly what I'm talking about.  Well.... heads don't turn anymore and I'm someone's raggedy old mom!  (insert eye rolling moment and maybe a little tear or two) 

This getting old stuff is not for the weak, that's for sure! Each morning when I crawl out of bed I have pain in all sorts of different spots.  And if I'm really lucky the pain will move from one location to another, but never fear I have my handy Arthritis Strength Tylenol to get me through the day! UGH!!

So what does all of the pathetic ranting mean?  Not sure, exactly?  Maybe I've had that light bulb moment?  I do know that things have got to change and I'm ready to fight this aging business with serious force.  Besides, I'm really sick of spending so much money each month at the pharmacy, when if I would just take control of my health, I wouldn't need any of my prescriptions!  DUH?  LOL

Let's not get carried away, you aren't going to see me running marathons or participating in body building events, but I do hope to increase my daily exercise by making ME a priority. I am improving my dietary habits with vitamin supplements and better food choices.  I didn't say I was giving up Sonic Coke, just yet...but hopefully I can cross that hurdle sooner than later.

What good am I going to be if my grand kids are pushing me around in a wheelchair, when I could have used my 'good years' to get into better shape and enjoy getting up each day?

I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel, just catch up to the wagon!

Stick with me on this and if you would like to be a lifestyle buddy with me, let me know!  It's always great to have someone else in this fight with you!