One day at a time...

Daydreaming thoughts...

2011-10-12T14:27:00.000-04:00

Sleep

It never seems like I get enough. I generally do not stay up too late during the week. The Little One normally sleeps through the night. However, I still find myself wanting to stay in bed and sleep for longer in the morning.

So, I am curious how long I would actually sleep if I was in my own bed, the room stays dark, no interruptions from the Hubby, Little One or ambient outdoor noises. Would I naturally wake up after 8 hours? I would like to think I would sleep into the afternoon…but that’s not really a realistic thought.

Champagne

The other night, I caught the pilot show of Pan Am. I enjoyed the show… which is beside the point. At one part of the movie, the novice stewardess asked one of her fellow stewardess if she gives the honeymooners a bottle of champagne. That brief scene reminded me of my own honeymoon. The Hubby and I were flying to Anchorage, Alaska to start off our honeymoon on United Airlines. The stewardess on our flight gave us a bottle of champagne. It was a delightful surprise for the Hubby and me. I still remember fondly of that flight eleven years later. Do airlines still take these little steps? All you hear about is the taxes and fuel surcharges going up and up… or people getting kicked off flights for what seems like stupid reasons.

Fall

I love the fall. This season speaks to me and my soul… the crispness in the air, the leaves changing clothes, the neighborhood kids starting up another school year, pumpkins, apples, wine, Halloween, and Thanksgiving. It’s this season that makes me thankful to be living in the northeast. (Please remind me of this when I start bitching about the snow and cold weather in a few months.)

Commercials

2011-09-28T10:39:00.000-04:00

Commercials are everywhere. I don’t mean just on TV or the internet. I listen to commercials now when I’m in the grocery section of my local Wal-Mart. If I don’t use commercials a break to hit the bathroom or grab a snack, I try to tune them out. I sometimes wish that my daughter could learn that skill so we are not asked for items such as Squinkies. But that is neither here or there…

I believe that the makers of commercials recognize that this often the case with today’s viewers so they use different techniques to try to grab your attention. Otherwise what is the point…?

You know this… I know this… No one is fooling anyone here. However, I must admit that although it grabs my attention when they use a popular song from the past … a small part of my musical heart breaks.

Examples that just immediately sticks out in my mind…

Twisted Sister’s “We’re not gonna take it” being used for YAZ.

A-ha’s “Take On Me” being used for Geico

Or the countless companies that use “What I like about you” by The Romantics

Is nothing sacred anymore?

Ramblings...

2011-09-08T09:34:00.000-04:00

Meddz

I am extremely annoyed with their “Pick up the phone” song. Honestly, it sounds like an extended version of a personalized phone ring. I can’t believe that this song is being played on the radio. I also can’t imagine anyone rocking away and shouting “This is my jam!”.

Pool Ownership

Having a pool is not all that it’s cracked up to be. Yes, of course, I like having it to help cool off during those hot summer days. I also enjoy the social aspect of friends and family popping by the house to take a dip in the pool. However, the work and the amount of money that goes into a pool… it’s just too much sometimes. I’ve found myself a few times (especially recently) wondering if it is even worth having it. I keep telling me that the Little One will enjoy it tremendously with her friends as she gets older. I fondly remember going to a nearby pool with my BFF when I was growing up. We didn’t have a pool of our own and I grew up all right (for the most part). The pool is going to be closed down for the winter season soon. Perhaps I will have a better attitude about it come spring time.

First week

I just completed my first week of being “on track” with eating healthy. I definitely liked the result when I hopped onto the scale. My work pants are feeling a little more comfortable too. I am feeling pretty good about my resolve and will power as I head into week 2.

Britney Spears & VMAs

I missed the VMAs when they were first broadcasted. I simply forgot that it was on. I was generally okay with that until I started hearing about the great performances. So, The Hubby arranged it so we could watch it. Generally, I was entertained. I was working on a crochet project so I wasn’t completely bored watching it either. It basically had my attention whenever the performances came on. So, I didn’t miss that they didn’t have a Host / Hostess. The house band was a bit annoying but luckily it was cut short since they were only showed before / after commercials. There is one particular that that kind of annoyed me. I am happy that Britney Spears was honored with the Michael Jackson Vanguard award. They made a decent tribute to her with the special dance routine. However, I am extremely disappointed that she literally only got to say “Thank you” and then started announcing for Beyonce’s performance. That’s all! Heck, we had longer speeches during the regular Moon Man winners. This Vanguard award is supposed to be a big deal on the VMAs and that was all she got to say. For Shame!

Please call me crazy

2011-09-01T09:59:00.000-04:00

No, seriously! A friend of mine just recently gave me a generous thank you gift. Too generous in my opinion but she threatened my life if I didn’t take it. Seeing how she is 9 months pregnant … I think she might have gone through with it. Just saying…

Anyways, this gift came with kind of a stipulation to be used on something for me. So, I am trying to keep that in mind. Even though, I’ve already thought about using to buy something for my daughter, for the house, etc. Okay, this is not the part that you should call me crazy. That’s coming up.

I need clothes. Hmm… let me rephrase that. I NEED CLOTHES!!! Especially work appropriate clothes.

Here is the part that you can call me crazy. I have clothes… I just can’t fit in them. They are a size too small. I would go from having 3 pairs of dress pants to like having 8 pairs of dress pants that fit me if I lose one pant size. Yet, I haven’t been keeping an eye on my weight or try to get it back down (until now). We are still dealing with The Hubby and his previous job situation so we do not have extra cash. So, I refuse to spend money on clothes for I know that I’ve a closet full of clothes that is just one size down. (Okay, closet full of clothes is a bit of an exaggeration. After living on such a small sampling of clothes for a while now, it seems like that much.)

Need clothes … refuse to buy new clothes… need to lose weight to access already purchased clothes… stuffing my face with all sorts of yummies... Therefore preventing me even more from wearing said clothes.

See? Crazy?

Alas, if you read yesterday’s post, I am getting things back together. I WILL wear those clothes again… and soon. As for the gift, I’m not sure yet…. Perhaps a new hair style … new shoes… who knows!

Holding grudges…

2011-08-31T11:12:00.000-04:00

I do not consider myself the type of person that holds grudges. Generally, I, for the most part, forgive and move on. From witnessing friends and family, I generally do not think grudges are worth the time and energy that people tend to give them.

Granted, if someone has hurt me greatly, I may forgive them but I am a bit more cautious with that individual. I don’t sit and dwell on how that person done me wrong, etc.

That is… until this week… when discovered that I am a person that holds grudges… I just didn’t realize it.

Facebook is an amazing social tool. I love the fact that I can keep touch with family and friends or re-connect with long lost friends. I am not one of those Facebook users that just simply add people so I can boast that I have “X” amount of friends … “Y” more than you. I can go through everyone on my friend list and tell you who they are.

Recently, I received a friend request from a person that I didn’t recognize the name. The person did not have a photo put up as their avatar. Normally, I would just be quick to click “no thanks” but I realize that both my sister and my brother had this person as a friend. This made me wonder who it was. Other than family, there are very few people that cross over in each of our lives. So, I visited the profile to see if I can determine who it was before answering the request. The person’s public profile was of no help. So, I sent a message to my siblings to find out who this person was.

It turns out that the person is an ex-girlfriend of our father. He was dating her about 15 or so years ago. I couldn’t believe that she sent me a friend request … more so; I couldn’t believe that this is someone that my siblings said yes to being friends on Facebook. This is the person who was one of the main reasons why I moved out of my father’s house way back when. This is the person that made our lives miserable. I couldn’t click “no thanks” fast enough. I do not need to have this drama filled person have a window back in my life. Hell no.

So, apparently, I do hold grudges.

Snapping out of it

2011-08-31T10:42:00.000-04:00

As you may have noticed, I have been absent on here. I didn’t realize how long it has been until I noticed that I didn’t even finish the 30 Days of Me. That’s quite pathetic. I couldn’t even finish the 30 day challenge.

It seems overall I’ve been not really “on the ball” with myself. Although I’ve had a good summer with some great memories, I realize that I am not really taking care of myself. I am finding that a bit pathetic too. It’s the little things like not giving me enough time in the morning to pull myself together … to be the best that I can be that day. The goal towards weight loss? Ha! *smirks* Nothing going on in that corner of my world either.

Basically, I feel like I’ve been letting myself slip on a personal level. I know it has been slipping for quite some time. It is so easy to get caught up in making sure that everything is being covered in the household, family, and friends. I think I simple stopped caring about myself as an individual. That’s not really smart. Honestly, I don’t think it is really fair to my family and friends either. It is one thing to notice it ... it's quite another to actually try to change it.

Now, I am going to force myself to snap out of it. I got to get things back into a “working order”. It’s only right to do so … for me … for my family... and for my friends.

So, I am using the calendar start of September to get things progressing. Wish me luck! I'm going to need it.

The 30 Days Project: Day 27

2011-04-27T14:20:00.000-04:00

What is "The 30 Days Project"? You might want to read this brief posting first.
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Day 27- Why are you doing this 30 day challenge

That is a good question. I like having a blog. I like the fact that I have a place that I can put my thoughts down. Sometimes though, I feel like I neglect my blog. However, I wasn't sure what more I could bring to it.

When CuteElla posted that she was undertaking this challenge, I thought it was a perfect opportunity to do a little more with my blog. So, I stepped up to the challenge.

The 30 Days Project: Day 26

2011-04-26T09:18:00.001-04:00

What is "The 30 Days Project"? You might want to read this brief posting first.
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Day 26- What you think about your friends

It is simple.

My friends are everything.

Friends may have come and gone over the years. I have been extremely lucky to surround myself and my family with people who are just simply amazing. They are strong, supportive, friendly, and funny people who will be there to get my back whenever I need them. I sincerely hope that they think similar of me... otherwise, I will feel that I've let them down and seriously owe them a debt that I couldn't possibility pay back.

I also hope that my daughter (and any future children that come into my life) will learn the power of love that one gets from having a good set of great friends in her life.

The 30 Days Project: Day 25

2011-04-25T09:17:00.001-04:00

What is "The 30 Days Project"? You might want to read this brief posting first.
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Day 25- What I would find in your bag

You would find:

wallet
new Adele's cd
picture of Little One and me from my Easter basket
gift certificate to a local community center
small notebook
a pocket sudoku book
paperback - Book 10 of the Wheel of Time series
cell phone
gift certificate to Bed, Bath & Beyond (from Christmas)
sunglasses in their case
Little One's gift certificate to Toys R Us (from her birthday party)
keys
miscellaneous stuff such as feminine projects, gum, floss, extra contact case, eye drops

oh and probably some lint.

The 30 Days Project: Day 24

2011-04-24T09:02:00.000-04:00

What is "The 30 Days Project"? You might want to read this brief posting first.
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Day 24- A letter to your parents

Dear Parents,

Now that I'm adult, I recognize that things are not always sunshine and roses. I know that we have had a lot of challenges between us through the years. I can tell you that it was difficult to be one of those kids that their parents separated (and later divorced) while everyone around us had their families intact. Despite all the things we have been though and the adjusments that we had to make, I realize now that you were doing what you thought was best and what you could handle personally. I also realize that you guys couldn't stay together as a happily married couple.

It is through you that I know the life I want... the marriage that I want... and the family that I want. Thank you for that. I also hope that I've had led a life that you could be proud of and I also hope that you will continue as I live the rest of my life.

The 30 Days Project: Day 23

2011-04-23T08:58:00.005-04:00

What is "The 30 Days Project"? You might want to read this brief posting first.
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Day 23- Something you crave for a lot

Baked goods! I love the sweets! Cakes... cupcakes... muffins... pies... you name it. I crave it!

Needless to say, I keep these things at my house at a minimum. For one, they wouldn't last long.. and two, I'm trying to lose (or at least not gain) weight.

The 30 Days Project: Day 22

2011-04-22T15:35:00.000-04:00

What is "The 30 Days Project"? You might want to read this brief posting first.

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Day 22- What makes you different from everyone else

I rock!

Phew.. that was an easy post. ;)

Okay.. okay... just joking. I'm really not that conceited. Hmm.. what makes me different from everyone else?

I like to plan things out so that all my bases are covered... however, I do like a good surprise... like an unexpected visitor or going out to dinner or just receiving an unexpected hello from an old friend.

I do not like to exercise but I do like to be active. For instance, you can catch me walking from one end of a craft fair to the other end ... but you will not catch me at the gym.

Other than a few shows that I like, I rather just have the radio on instead of the television... or sometimes I rather just have the house quiet.

The 30 Days Project: Day 21

2011-04-21T17:05:00.000-04:00

What is "The 30 Days Project"? You might want to read this brief posting first.
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Day 21- A picture of something that makes you happy

Seeing this on my work computer! Day is done!

The 30 Days Project: Day 20

2011-04-20T09:41:00.000-04:00

What is "The 30 Days Project"? You might want to read this brief posting first.
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Day 20- Someone you see yourself marrying/being with in the future

If you are a regular reader of my blog, then you know that I am already married to The Hubby. Although he can be quite the stubborn and an offensive pain in the ass, I am glad that he is in my life. I am fully committed to him and to our family with no regrets.

Despite both of us coming from divorced families, I think it helped us to understand what we wanted out of marriage so we did not take that step blindly. We got married over 10 years ago after a long courtship through college and law school. I can not imagine my life without him ... well, no longer than a weekend without him. ;)

The 30 Days Project: Day 19

2011-04-19T09:40:00.000-04:00

What is "The 30 Days Project"? You might want to read this brief posting first.
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Day 19- Nicknames you have; why do you have them

I really don't have too many nicknames... unless of course my friends are using them behind my back. :) You will have to ask them. (Or perhaps they will be nice enough to comment them!)

Mostly, people just call me "Kel" which is a shorter version of my first name.

Why? I haven't a clue ... It's efficient? (*chuckles*)

Sorry to disappoint you in this posting!

The 30 Days Project: Day 18

2011-04-18T12:38:00.000-04:00

What is "The 30 Days Project"? You might want to read this brief posting first.

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Day 18- Plans/dreams/goals you have

My ultimate goal is to get my family's financial back under control by getting rid of this debt that is hanging over our heads while still enjoying life. I've taken steps to help accomplish such as signing up for credit card debit help. We pretty much pared down our home life to what we find to be the essentials to help us get through these rough years. Now, we just need to work on overall saving goals so that we can do the stuff that we would love to have or do... such as owning a second car (not necessarily new but definitely reliable) or going on a vacation (of sorts).

I am planning to do some minor upgrades around the house. Other than the Little One's room, I haven't done any painting or decorative steps in our house since we moved in. I plan to paint our living room and take down the ugly curtains that were leftover from the previous owners. I also hope to hang up new blinds as well as curtains that match what I am trying to achieve. The replacement of the carpet will need to wait until more money available... also the Little One (and perhaps The Hubby) be a little more careful in the living room with food & drinks.

Not to mention working on my "year of small changes"...

The 30 Days Project: Day 17

2011-04-17T09:44:00.000-04:00

What is "The 30 Days Project"? You might want to read this brief posting first.
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Day 17- Someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why

At first, I was trying to think of some celebrity or famous person to pick. However, it didn't quite seem right... like I was forcing myself to pick one of those for that is what you would have expected.

Then, I thought I would like to switch with an idea of a person... not that I know of a person that matches that criteria. For instance, a person that works for the joy of working and not necessarily for the money. However, that person would have enough money to pay all their bills and fulfill their needs/desires. Yet, that didn't seem to fit what this blog post is suppose to be about.

It then came to me. I would like to switch places with my daughter for one day... a day where she is experiencing the ultimate kid kind of day... whether it is the zoo or aquarium for the first time... or as simple as playing on a new playground or blowing bubbles. I know I can see her experience those moments for the first time. She looks so happy and full of wonder. I would like to feel that again .. and not have to worry how much it costs or what bills are going on or some other boring adult thoughts going through my mind.

The 30 Days Project: Day 16

2011-04-16T21:43:00.001-04:00

What is "The 30 Days Project"? You might want to read this brief posting first.
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Day 16- Another picture of yourself

Please forgive the picture! I'm home on a Saturday night! I'm in my pjs and have my glasses on! :)

The 30 Days Project: Day 15

2011-04-15T21:13:00.001-04:00

What is "The 30 Days Project"? You might want to read this brief posting first.
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Day 15- Put your iPod on shuffle: First 10 songs that play

10. Hellogoodbye - Here (In Your Arms)
9. Billy Joel - Keeping the Faith
8. Schwayze f/ Cisco Adler - Buzzin'
7. Violent Femmes - Blister in the Sun
6. Midnight Oil - Beds are Burning
5. Stevie Nicks - Stand Back
4. Men at Work - Down Under
3. The Darkness - I believe in a thing called love
2. Aly & AJ - Potential Breakup Song
1. Chris Daughtry - Over You

The 30 Days Project: Day 14

2011-04-14T08:53:00.000-04:00

What is "The 30 Days Project"? You might want to read this brief posting first.
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Day 14- A picture of you and your family

** Not bad for an after-work self portrait!

The 30 Days Project: Day 13

2011-04-13T13:53:00.000-04:00

What is "The 30 Days Project"? You might want to read this brief posting first.
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Day 13- A letter to someone who has hurt you recently

It has been some time since you’ve contacted me. I was taken aback by the sudden contact… for it was completely coming out of no where. I must admit that I became even slightly… cautiously… happy that you reached out to me. I thought I finally will have something more to share with the Little One about her late grandmother.

Even after all that time, you were always a part of me. In fact, I hate to admit that you are still are despite the fact that I haven’t heard from you in MONTHS!

Now, I just want to know why.

Why did you feel like you needed to contact me at all? What was the point? Was it to see if you still have an effect on me or my siblings? Well you did… a painful one.

I wholeheartedly regret letting my sister and brother know that you contacted me. Luckily, they have stopped asking me on our phone calls whether I’ve heard from you again. However, I still feel that unspoken question every time I talk to them.

I guess it’s true in what “they” say: Hindsight is always 20/20.

You had mentioned once that you’ve read my blog. I hope that you still do… for I want you to know what you’ve caused.

The 30 Days Project: Day 12

2011-04-12T08:53:00.000-04:00

What is "The 30 Days Project"? You might want to read this brief posting first.

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Day 12- How you found out about Blogger and why you made one

I found out about Blogger a couple of years ago through friends that have online blogs. It seemed relatively easy to use.

As for why I made one? To be honest, I still am not sure. I like the way that blogging seems to provide an outlet for the writer about their thoughts... or themselves in general. That is not normally something that I provide for myself. However, I felt (still feel) that it is something that I need in my life. So, I decided to figure up the ol' computer and give it a try. It's still going on.. perhaps as not as strong and certainly not as popular as some of the other blogs that are out there. However, I am happy with what I've created. Now, I just need to keep on it.... to keep that outlet in my life.

The 30 Days Project: Day 11

2011-04-11T20:52:00.000-04:00

What is "The 30 Days Project"? You might want to read this brief postingfirst.

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Day 11- Another picture of you and your friends

Annual Wine Tasting Tour - October 2010

The 30 Days Project: Day 10

2011-04-11T20:48:00.000-04:00

What is "The 30 Days Project"? You might want to read this brief posting first.

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Sorry! I completely forgot to post this yesterday!

Day 10- Songs you listen to when you are Happy, Sad, Bored, Hyped, Mad

I don't really split the music up based on my current mood.

If I need to stay awake in the car, I pick radio stations/cds that plays songs that I know the words to. Then, I promptly start singing out loud to keep my mind alert. Luckily The Hubby can sleep through anything so I don't have to worry about being off key or missing the actual words.

If I'm in the mood for mellow music, I will listen to more bluesy - easy listening music such as from Adele, Norah Jones, etc.

I'm also happy to have little dance parties when songs from 80's are on.... such as "Walking on Sunshine" or "Blister in the Sun".

The 30 Days Project: Day 9

2011-04-09T09:32:00.002-04:00

What is "The 30 Days Project"? You might want to read this brief posting first.

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Day 09- Something you’re proud of in the past few days

Hmm... This took a little more reflection that I had originally thought. It seems the last few days was mostly me trying to get over this illness that I have. My head currently feels like it is filled with lead. However, I didn't just want to put down the fact that I am proud that I managed to survive life in general over the past few days. It seems a bit cheap to do so.

I definitely am proud of The Hubby and the Little One.

I'm proud of my Hubby in his efforts to continue at his current place of employment despite the fact that he despises his job. It is not easy getting up each morning and knowing that you're going to have a crappy day as you work at a job that you don't like. There is small comfort that he loves the company that he works for. If only another position would open up so he can transfer into it. He does all of this for the love of our family and the life that we worked hard in establishing.

I'm proud of my daughter and the steps that she has taken to become the person she is and the person she will be. I don't necessarily mean the improved skill sets such as being potty trained ... or recognizing letters as more than just shapes. Although I am proud of her and these accomplishments, I am also proud of her in general. I love the fact she loves books, movies, cooking and crafts just like her parents.

I know that it is very easy to get distracted / involved with the day to day tasks. I'm glad that I was forced to sit back and think on a bigger scale. It's not often that we take the time to do so.

The 30 Days Project: Day 8

2011-04-08T09:32:00.000-04:00

What is "The 30 Days Project"? You might want to read this brief posting first.
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Day 08- Short term goals for this month and why

Spring is here! Finally! This winter was particularly grueling with all the above-average snow fall and frigid weather. I am ready for the warmer weather (and I don’t really mean summer type hotness … just the subtle warming of spring time!).

Of course, the warmer weather also means some chores around the house (both inside and out). So, my short term goals for this month are tackling these chores!

I always wanted my own house… and I still do. (Thank goodness since I have one and all.) However, I was completely naïve in the work that having a house entails.

Here are some of my goals:

Rake the lawn to remove the dead grass and leaves from last season.
Stack up the fallen branches and twigs to be used for kindle
Hang up the swings and wash off the slides on the swing set – This one the Little One is particularly interested in.
Take down the plastic sheeting & storm windows from the windows.

I would like to re-iterate with a slight touch of sarcasm … Yea! Spring is here! :)

The 30 Days Project: Day 7

2011-04-07T09:04:00.001-04:00

What is "The 30 Days Project"? You might want to read this brief posting first.
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Day 07- A picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you

My darling Little One

The 30 Days Project: Day 6

2011-04-06T09:30:00.002-04:00

What is "The 30 Days Project"? You might want to read this brief posting first.

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Day 06- Favorite super hero and why

Buffy, the Vampire Slayer

Buffy was a teenager that inherited a gift from “fate” to help the world survive against the supernatural “bad guys”. She comes from a long line of young women who has been chosen in similar fashion over the centuries. You can read more about the series here.

The reason that I picked this particular heroine is that I admire Buffy in the strength she showed as she not only navigated through the rollercoaster that is high school (and after) but also a champion of good for the beings around her. I loved the fact that she made mistakes… her heart was broken, etc. as any normal person would encounter in his/her life. Buffy would also admit at times that this life of her sucks and that it was not all sunshine & rainbows. However, she continued forth in tackling evil. I also love the fact that she surrounded herself with a great group of loyal friends / allies to help her tackle these incredible situations that were thrown her way.

Joss Whedon created a wonderful TV series based on this character and the world that she existed in. Even though it has been off the air for some time, I still miss this “world”… and secretly hope that it will come back once again.

The 30 Days Project: Day 5

2011-04-05T09:30:00.001-04:00

What is "The 30 Days Project"? You might want to read this brief posting first.

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Day 05- A picture of somewhere you’ve been to

Kylemore Abbey, Kylemore, Connemara, Co Galway, Ireland.

The 30 Days Project: Day 4

2011-04-04T12:30:00.000-04:00

What is "The 30 Days Project"? You might want to read this brief posting first.
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Day 04- A habit that you wish you didn't have

I was going to put down procrastination… however, I think I would be more accurate if I put down laziness. It is because of this inherent lazy habit of mine that I fall victim to distraction, procrastination and the dreaded snooze button.

It is too easy to just get the bare minimum done each day … whether it is chores at home or what tasks I’ve to accomplish at work. Sometimes, I don’t even realize that I have done it until it is time to reflect upon on day (a.ka. leaving work… or going to bed) and realize that I didn’t really accomplish much.

Don’t get me wrong. Once in a while, I do kick myself in the ass and keep up with stuff while it is happening… such as folding and putting away laundry when it comes out of the dryer instead of waiting a couple of days to a week later when the Little One runs out of clean underwear in her dresser. Often times, I will "trick" myself into accomplishing something by putting a “deadline” to accomplish it. Sometimes it works, that is why I am on book 8 of the Wheel of Time series… and sometimes it does not, which is why my weight keeps fluctuating.

However, it is a habit that keeps creeping back.

The 30 Days Project: Day 3

2011-04-03T10:28:00.000-04:00

What is "The 30 Days Project"? You might want to read this brief posting first.

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Day 03- A picture of you and your friends

Annual Wine Tasting Tour - October 2008 - Cobblestone Farm Winery

The 30 Days Project: Day 2

2011-04-02T09:00:00.003-04:00

What is "The 30 Days Project"? You might want to read this brief posting first.

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Day 02- The meaning behind your Blog name

Sometimes a goal or life in general can be a bit overwhelming... whether it is dealing with a death in the family or figuring how out to pay the next month's mortgage or how to lose those remaining stubborn pounds. To help cope with those overwhelming moments, it helps to break it down to "smaller chunks". "One day at a time..." is something that I tell myself when I am confronted with one of those moments.

The 30 Days Project: Day 1

2011-04-01T08:44:00.000-04:00

Day 01- A recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself

** This picture is of me this morning when I realize that the snow forecast wasn't an elaborate April Fool's joke.

1. I enjoy reading books… mostly in the fantasy / sci-fi genre. I’m currently trying to tackle “The Wheel of Time” series by Robert Jordan. I am currently on book 7 out of the 13.
2. I have a BS in Mathematics.
3. I love working on crafts… such crocheting and cross-stitching. I hope to re-learn how to knit this year.
4. Outside going on two Caribbean cruises, I’ve visited four countries: Israel, Russia, Ireland, and Canada.
5. I once took the Greyhound bus from Watertown, NY to Seattle, WA. (Side note: I will never do that again if I can help it.)
6. My first car was a beat-up navy blue Dodge Aries named “Betsy”. Betsy was a gift from my mom & step-father that cost $300. The car lasted me from sophomore year of college to after graduation.
7. I almost didn’t make it college. The financial aid package was not enough and I didn’t find out until the week prior to my supposed arrival date. So, on day of when the freshmen were to report, I made a trip to said college and met with the financial aid peeps. They helped me renegotiate my financial aid package so that I could go to college after all without much help from my parents.
8. I used to play and help run a MUD (multi-user dungeon – computer based game). I would like to dedicate my fast typing speed skill to that. There is nothing like yelling at a player in real time via text about a game component.
9. I do like to play computer games. However, my current PC is a very outdated piece of machinery. I haven’t had the funds or the time to upgrade since having the Little One. I do miss playing.
10. My all time favorite movie: The Princess Bride. I remember the first time watching it with a friend of mine in Fulton, NY. (Side note: You could smell the scent of chocolate in the air due to the Nestle factory in town. This was awesome for the first day or two of the trip… not so good by the end of the trip.)
11. I helped found a co-ed social society during college. It is still carrying on to this day and every year we make a trip to our alma mater to celebrate its conception.
12. I am the oldest of me and my siblings. Yet, I am the shortest.
13. I’m an office supplies junkie…. Unique pens, post-its, binder clips? Yes please!
14. Fall is my favorite season of the year. It is for this reason that I love to live in the northeast region of the USA.... and it is well worth dealing with all the winter blues to stay here.
15. I never actually learned how to swim… despite owning a pool.

It was a lot harder to come up with 15 "interesting" facts about myself than I had originally thought. Good thing that the "interesting" is defined by the author and not the reader in this scenario. ;)

The 30 Days Project

2011-03-31T16:18:00.000-04:00

A good friend of mine had recently blogged about starting this 30 Day Project. It is not normally something that I would do. However, I am quite intrigued by it. So, I decided to follow her awesome footsteps and attempt the project myself.

The 30 Days Project

Day 01- A recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself
Day 02- The meaning behind your Blog name
Day 03- A picture of you and your friends
Day 04- A habit that you wish you didn’t have
Day 05- A picture of somewhere you’ve been to
Day 06- Favorite super hero and why
Day 07- A picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you
Day 08- Short term goals for this month and why
Day 09- Something you’re proud of in the past few days
Day 10- Songs you listen to when you are Happy, Sad, Bored, Hyped, Mad
Day 11- Another picture of you and your friends
Day 12- How you found out about Blogger and why you made one
Day 13- A letter to someone who has hurt you recently
Day 14- A picture of you and your family
Day 15- Put your iPod on shuffle: First 10 songs that play
Day 16- Another picture of yourself
Day 17- Someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why
Day 18- Plans/dreams/goals you have
Day 19- Nicknames you have; why do you have them
Day 20- Someone you see yourself marrying/being with in the future
Day 21- A picture of something that makes you happy
Day 22- What makes you different from everyone else
Day 23- Something you crave for a lot
Day 24- A letter to your parents
Day 25- What I would find in your bag
Day 26- What you think about your friends
Day 27- Why are you doing this 30 day challenge
Day 28- A picture of you last year and now, how have you changed since then?
Day 29- In this past month, what have you learned
Day 30- Your favorite song.

The house is still standing...

2011-03-31T11:17:00.000-04:00

Our Little One officially turned 3 years old this week. Her birthday party was held last Saturday. I like to think it was a hit with my daughter and her friends. And our house is still standing!!!

I tried to keep the party on the level of a 3 year old on all aspects... activities, decorations, background music, and food. I've heard various compliments about the party so I thought I would share with you on what I did.

The Hubby was the person in charge for establishing the background music. We did not go with just jungle themed music. We wanted to make sure that the music was one... not really annoying to the adults of the party as well as provide a recognizable / danceable mix for the young ones. We mainly stuck to the Imagination Movers music as well as music from various Disney movies.

For the food, the two parties that the Little One went to had pizza for the main food. So, I definitely wanted to do something different. So, I kept the food to be finger food type: pretzels, cheese, grapes, strawberries, chips n' salsa, veggie tray with ranch dressing, sandwich cookies, and animal crackers. For drinks, I had juice boxes for the youngsters and lemonade & soda for the adults. Of course, we had an awesomely delicious jungle themed cake from Coccadott's. I made sure the cake was large enough for adults and kids alike! (Sorry for the lack of pictures... they are still on The Hubby's digital camera.)

We kept the decorations pretty simple. We were expecting close to 30 people (kids & adults) so we didn't want to waste too much room with decorations. Our dining room table is pretty high so it wasn't feasible for the kids to use that for eating and activities. So, I laid down a dark green blanket on the living room floor. "Cinnamon" and I (with slight help from the Little One) made pillows for the kids to sit on out of animal print material the weekend prior. This was a great idea for the kids. It didn't quite work out with the food for the some of the kids wanted to use Little One's Tinkerbell table. That table wasn't large enough for all the kids so some of the kids did sit on the floor like a picnic. I had helium-filled balloons in various points of the main two rooms of the party. We had jungle animal cutouts taped to the wall (SN: We have been lazy. The animals are still taped on our walls.) The lion pinata hung from the ceiling. For favors, I handed out a small 8" stuffed jungle animal to each kid at the end.

As for activities, some prep work was needed. I made some binoculars out of toilet paper rolls, construction paper, yarn, and green-colored cellophane. I made each set a different color so the kids can easily pick theirs out. I also cut out the pieces from construction paper so that the kids can make a lion face mask. The kids decorated their binoculars with a variety of stickers. After they were done, I sent them around the house for them to find various animals by looking through their binoculars. I also gave each kid an animal visor to wear as they were going around the rooms to find the animals. The kids then tackled the craft project of making the lion faces. This required a little more hands on with the adults than I realized. Luckily, each parent helped their child out. The Hubby even got on the floor to help our Little One so I could help out all the kids. The projects and "hunting" basically took up the majority of the time. After snacks, we did try to have the kids to break open a pinata. I would say that was the most disappointing part (on my behalf). The kids enjoyed hitting the "lion" with the stick. However, the stupid thing wouldn't break open! A couple of the adults took a swing at it too with no avail. We ended up having to break it open for the kids. The candy still fell and the kids still scrambled for the goodies. The kids were happy but it would have been nice though if the pinata "worked" properly. After the cake, we did have the Little One open gifts. There was only ten minutes left from the two hour window that the invitation stated. So, we had the Little One open the gifts from her little friends first for we figure if anyone left first, it would be them. That seemed to work out pretty well. And, they were the ones to leave early (for I'm sure it was time for the kids to get home for a nap).

Overall, we all had a wonderful time. Our house was filled with lots of people in all aspects of our (and our daughter's) lives. It was filled with laughter (both adults & kids) and smiles! It was nice to actually see first hand those that care about her. I am extremely grateful that we have surrounded ourselves with such amazing individuals!

Thank you to everyone who came to the party ... and for those few that helped with the preparations beforehand. *hugs*

It is quite possible that I have lost my mind.

2011-03-02T15:49:00.000-05:00

Little One’s birthday is coming up. I can’t believe that she is going to be 3!! I had wondered often (much to The Hubby’s dismay) on whether I should invite her friends from daycare. She talks about them all the time and each person is described as her “favorite” friend at one point another during any given week. I was a bit hesitant to take that next step in birthday party-dom. So, I had originally planned on keeping it with family & friends.

Recently, the Little One received a couple of birthday party invites from her daycare peeps. Woot! I’m actually looking forward to experiencing this with her. Crazy I know… and it’s quite obvious that I am a first time mom.

I decided that this was a sign that I can extend her party invites to her daycare friends too for her party! I’m pretty excited about this… I am also pretty nervous about it. After doing some research, I decided to hold the party at home rather going to some place such as Jeepers, Chuck E. Cheese, etc. Main reason? Money! Those places can be quite expensive and she is still quite young. It seems those places are better for kids that are older.

However, that leaves me the task of planning a birthday party to the nth degree so that my 3 year old and her friends do not get bored and start tearing down the house. I’m rather attached to my house. I hope that I’m up to the task!

So, if you have experienced this part of party planning and/or have some ideas, please leave me a comment! I would love to hear it.

I’m going with a Jungle animal theme for the party. The Little One has been really into the Lion King lately and I thought it would be a nice theme for boys and girls.

Dear reader(s),

2011-03-01T12:13:00.000-05:00

I would like to offer my apologies for my absence. It has been quite a couple of weeks for me. I’m finding it a bit difficult in getting back into the swing of things.

The Hubby and I were on our way to our annual trek to Potsdam, NY when I received the dreaded phone call that my grandfather has passed away. It was strange at first. I really didn’t seem to have much of a reaction. I called my sister to make sure that she knew. I even called my brother to make sure that he knew and whether he had a place for us to crash. We continue to drive north on our way to "Cinnamon’s" house. The Little One was still singing and enthusiastically reminding us that she was on her way to a slumber part at "Cinnamon’s" house. I finally broke down into silent tears in the car. It seems silly now but I didn’t want to upset my daughter’s ~~happy~~ ecstatic mood. She was literally skipping through her daycare when we went to pick her up for her weekend excursion.

I knew that the days ahead were going to be hard. I guess in an effort to postpone it more I decided that we will continue on our trip and let the Little One stay the weekend with "Cinnamon". During the weekend activities, I tried to keep it to myself for I didn’t want a bunch of sympathy well wishes. I also didn’t want to dampen the weekend for anyone. As you can imagine, I wasn’t quite myself. I either kept quiet to myself or try to overcompensate with joking around/talking.

We picked up the Little One on Sunday, stopped at the house to repack our clothes and made the trek back to my hometown. It was good to see everyone. It is a real shame that I do not get to see a lot of people unless it is for a funeral, wedding, or Thanksgiving. (I really need to make an effort to make more trips back in hopes that my daughter gets to know my family and vice versa.) My cousins helped me out by filling in the names with the somewhat familiar visitors during viewing hours. It is amazing how much a person can change. The Little One actually helped some people to recognize me for she looks a lot like how I used to look at her age. In fact she noticed the similarities, for at one point, she pointed out that I looked like her but with brown glasses while looking at some of the old photos they had posted around the funeral home.

As I described in the post on February 4th, I really wanted to remember grandpa as the man he was. It was a bit hard for they did have an open casket. I couldn’t make myself to go up to it. The Hubby as well as some of my other relatives offered to go up with me… but I just couldn’t. Unfortunately, I still have an image in my head for I couldn’t avoid looking at him even at a distance.

Needless to say, we are back home. This is the first full week of “normalcy” around the household. Although, I miss my family dearly, I am glad to be back home.

I think I am in trouble…

2011-02-07T15:28:00.000-05:00

...when the Little One hits her teenage years.

Lately, I have been finding it difficult to keep frustration / anger in check when it comes with the Little One. Trust me! I know that I’ve been absolutely blessed with a wonderful daughter. It still amazes me that The Hubby and I created such a great child!

As all two year olds (soon to be 3 year olds) tend to do, she has really been testing our/her limits. In my head, I understand this. I do! However, at certain moments, I tend to ignore this intellectually…. It is as if I turned a were-mom for a brief moment… and question why the Little One is just not getting it!?!?! After all, she is such a brilliant child, right? (insert some grumbling … perhaps minor cursing… and minor hand shaking in the air)

Of course, I do catch myself… and take a mental step back before I go ape-shit crazy. After all, I don’t want my daughter (or any future children) to grow up in an abusive house. (So, please go ahead and put the phone down before you call child services. Thank you!)

I’m just not sure what I am going to do when the Little One is going on 13 rather than 3!

Remembering the man that he was…

2011-02-04T16:35:00.000-05:00

Not the man that he is today.

I made a difficult … and selfish… decision this week.

My grandfather is not doing well at all. You see he was admitted into the hospital about a week or so ago due to dementia. It just became too much for my grandma to handle by herself. The medication was not working anymore. Unfortunately, during that week, things turned for the worse physically for him. On this past Monday, I had learned that my grandfather was given only a couple of days to live.

He was a strong, hard-working man. He owned his own business for a number of years. Although, he was rather close-minded on some aspects of my life (such as marrying a man of another race), he kept most of his opinions to himself so that we would still have a connection.

I remember going on camping trips with my grandparents. I remember going to farm shows with my dad and grandpa. I remember riding my big wheels and/or my bicycle up and down his driveway. I also remember him purposely moving his dentures around in his mouth to gross out us kids but claim innocence when we approached our dad or grandma about it. He was always there while I was growing up for my siblings and me.

I live a little bit away from my hometown so I guess I was fortunate that I did not have to see the day to day decline of my grandfather. It was easy to ignore the fact it was happening.

Due to the “Snow-polocypse”(aka “SnOMG”), I wasn’t able to immediately leave to return home. With the help of “Cinnamon”, I secured a hotel room in the hometown to visit this weekend.

I cancelled it this morning. I can’t seem grandpa this way. He is not himself anymore. I can not see him sick in a hospital bed. I do not want to be left with those images and memories in my head. It is a completely selfish decision but I just can’t bring myself to do it.

Someone mentions that those memories fade… but they don’t. They just get mixed in with the others. I know this for I experience it with my mom’s death… for I still see the images of the pictures of her open casket funeral in my mind. I know that my step-father’s family meant well in sending me pictures of a funeral that I couldn’t personal be at (she was cremated and her remains were sent north to me.) So, I am not mad at them for sending them because of their good intentions… but every time those images flash into my mind… I wish I didn’t open that unmarked envelope.

I don’t want to have to do that for my grandfather. I cannot willingly tarnish the memories that I have in this way.

Should I? Am I crazy?

2011-01-28T12:16:00.000-05:00

I’m sure that I’ve mentioned before… I am not the most athletic person… nor do I relish in actual exercise.

I sincerely believe that runners are pulling a fast one on us when they rave about something called a “runner’s high”. Unless you are talking about the feeling of nausea and your legs revolting after the run... then we need to talk for we are definitely not on the same page.

I received an email today from CuteEllaIsBold asking me if I would like to join her and “D’Lovely” on the upcoming 5K run/walk. I am actually thinking of participating in this event (aka torture). Why? NOT A CLUE!!! Maybe it is finally a definitive sign that I am losing my mind.

Hmmm… definitely something to think about…

Anywho… my tummy is doing flips and somersaults about this. Is it something that I can do? I definitely need to incorporate more exercise in my life (seeing how it is at 0% right now) in order to reach my weight goal. The goal of attending this event and not make a complete ass of myself would give me the extra pressure/push me to keep to a regimen.

The run/walk is on April 9th. That gives me roughly 2 months to get my butt into gear. It is doable from what I’ve heard and read. I think I am going to check out the “Couch to 5K” training. After all, I do have a treadmill gathering dust down in the finished basement.

I’m not completely sold yet though… I also asked CuteEllaIsBold if there are going to be other unfit peeps joining our little group for this. After all, perhaps we can lean on each other with our red puffy faces as we ~~limp~~ walk across the finish line in last place.

Line dances!

2011-01-27T15:32:00.000-05:00

Cupid Shuffle

Macarena

Electric Slide

Cha-Cha Slide

Did you start picturing the steps in your head? Bringing back memories?

I know these dances do for me…. Baseball games, high school dances, and nightclubs. Good times and good memories…

Did you know that there are many more line dances that exist? Personally, I didn’t realize it was this many.

I wonder what the next big line dance that will take over the dance floors of America… Or am I too old to know such things? :)

My letter …

2011-01-25T12:30:00.000-05:00

Dear Post Office worker,

I do realize that it is a pain the ass in trying to deliver the mail to the individual homes when the shoveling is not done. Because of this, I do my sincere best to make sure that our mailbox is shoveled out so that you can drive up in your little mail truck. No need to get out. After all, it is winter and it is freakin’ cold out there. Besides, we can’t really afford to have late fees on the bills that we receive because you withheld it. Money is way too tight for that.

However, I really do not appreciate the little “letter” that you left with my mail yesterday stating that I need to make sure that 30 feet surrounding my mailbox needs to be shoveled out. EXCUSE ME!? 30 feet?? You don’t even drive a full size vehicle! You are driving a little mail truck. MY OWN CAR can drive up to the mailbox and exit with no problems. I drive a freakin’ Mercury Tracer!

30 feet my ass!?! I value my back and arms too much to do this.

How about this… why don’t you call the city plow trucks and tell them to please plow the road in front of my house closer than 5 feet from the beginning of my driveway. That way, my remaining strength is not completely used up by shoveling the actual road but being used to make sure the appropriate space around my mailbox. While you’re at it, why don’t you tell them that when they are plowing the road that intersects my road in front of my house, they can dump the snow a little further down so I’m not left shoveling that too in front of my mailbox and driveway.

You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours.

Sincerely,

Me

Traveling

2011-01-20T10:31:00.000-05:00

I miss it. It’s just that simple.

Because of finances and having a little one (especially finances), the opportunities are simply not there. I didn’t realize how much I missed it until I recently found out about a work trip that is taking place without me.

Although I am slightly jealous of the people going on the work trip, it doesn’t make logical sense to take me. So, I am not slighted or offended. I just know that I have really don’t have a lot on the horizon for traveling.

Normally, I would be heading up on annual trip to my college alma mater next month. However, that doesn’t appear to be happening for me. The Hubby is still going though. It doesn’t make sense for both of having to stay home. Let’s face it… it’s more of a party weekend and he is more of the party type than I. I don’t think the folks at the college will appreciate me coming and not him. *shrugs* Sucks but its true. (Between you and I, I think there is a small part of The Hubby that likes traveling on this weekend on his own.)

There are a couple of weddings coming up later this year which will require a little bit of travel. They are both taking place in another part of our home state. I’m looking forward and honored to share their special day with them.

However, it is not exactly calming the travel itch that I am experiencing.

Not sure what to do … other than hope that things will lighten up on the financial front so that something can be planned for the future.

Is that hope going to be enough to quell things?

What do I look for in a blog?

2011-01-13T11:09:00.000-05:00

Lately, I find myself annoyed by some of the blogs that I have been reading. Annoyance is not something that I want to feel consistently when I am done reading a blog.

It did get me thinking of what I do like in some of my favorite blogs. I think I've narrowed it down to genuine personality. I like the blog writer to post something personal ... it could be anything ranging from what is happening in their life at this moment ... to what they think about a particular topic. It doesn't matter that I do not like the topic or that I do not agree with them. I like to think that they would post this information even if there is no one out there reading their blog. Basically, a snapshot into their lives.

What I do not like... blogs that blantantly panders to get readers. A good example of this is giving out "give-aways" without establishing a basic core of readers. Or, completely exaggerate about how awesome or how un-awesome something is in order to get people "fired up" about something.

I do think it is really easy to fall into the trap of having a blog that is not true to you as the writer. It is nice to hear feedback or thoughts from those reader(s) out there. I know that personally there has been times that I wished that more people read my blog. I would be dishonest if I said that didn't happen. It is at these times that I take a moment to think what I want out of this.... and it is simple ... all I want is an outlet.

So needless to say ... I think I might have to go through my google reader list and do some weeding out.

Reminiscing musically

2011-01-13T10:49:00.000-05:00

During the work day, I listen to the radio to help the day move forward. Lately, I’ve been listening to 105.7 The Crush for it just recently changed formats to “90’s and more”.

Bonus? It is commercial free until “Super Sunday” which I assume is Superbowl Sunday. *shrugs* I never realized that the date of the Superbowl is called “Super Sunday”. I guess I am a little behind in the times. And, I think I am okay with that. The Hubby says that it is commercial free because they have no paid advertisements yet. I’m okay with that too. Commercials are annoying. Anyways, I digress…

The music is basically covers my life from last two years of high school through college through first few years as an “adult”. So, you can imagine that there have been a lot of memories that have been popping up as I listen to the music.

Overall, I’ve been enjoying the ride. The memories have been delightful (for the most part) reality breaks during the work day. For instance, I got to hear our wedding song play the other day. It was a pleasant surprise and definitely put a smile on my face.

I’m not sure if I am going to continue to listen to the radio station through at work after “Super Sunday” though. The music is great … but I think the reason it has been great is because I haven’t heard a lot of these songs in a long time. And, although I am enjoying the memories… I’m sure they will lose their “specialness” if I listen to this music all the time.

In the meantime… I will just rock my head back and forth as I listen to “Enter Sandman” by Metallica.

Year of small changes

2011-01-06T10:21:00.000-05:00

Normally, I am not one to be successful with New Year’s resolutions. From what I’ve read, I am not the only one. In fact, some might say that you already have doomed the change by calling it a resolution. *shrugs* Perhaps that is true…

There are some things that I would like to accomplish this year. However, I am not making them resolutions… just merely goals.

My personal yearly goals?

Get down to my goal weight
Learn how to knit
Read the whole Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series (currently 13 books).

I also decided to do something a bit different for 2011. I am making it the year of small changes. I plan to make small adjustments/changes to help make my life more satisfying and/or easier.

To start it off, I decided that I am wasting so much time on the games on Facebook. I’ve been annoyed with the ones I’ve been playing for a while. I didn’t like how I had to basically hound my friends and family to play in order to move ahead in the game. However, I still found myself logging in most everyday to take care of something on the games. I also found that because of this daily Facebook time… I wasn’t making time to do the other stuff that I love to do such as reading or crafts. So, as my first change in 2011, I blocked/removed the games I was playing on Facebook. I really don’t miss playing them. I guess that tells me that I should have done this some time ago. I also noticed that I don’t get nearly as many junk emails… although; it also means that I am not as active on Facebook. I will need to work a little harder in keeping in touch with peeps and what is going on in their lives.

What about you? Do you have something that you would like to change for yourself this week/this month/this year?

I am so tired.

2010-11-30T08:59:00.000-05:00

I’m not simply talking about wanting to head back to bed… although that sounds simply delightful right now too. I’m just plain tired and I’m having trouble holding myself together.

I know that having money doesn’t solve everything. At least, I know that in my heart but right now my head I am thinking it will solve a whole hell of a lot in my life. I am tired of wondering where the money is going to come from for the next set of bills.

I am so tired.

This feeling is starting to penetrate into the other aspects of my life. Hmm… I guess that is not being completely honest. Please strike the word “starting” from that previous sentence. This feeling has been seeping in for some time.

I can hardly drag myself out of bed in the morning. I am getting up as late as possible but still manage to get to work on time for the majority of the days of the week. I am eating whatever I want without keeping in my mind the consequences of said actions.

I can not even remember the last time that I had an optimistic thought.

I am so tired.

I can not describe it in any other way. The Hubby just prefers to ignore the situation that we are in. He hopes that some day the magical world of a great economy will open up and offer us a brilliant job that will solve all our problems. Perhaps this could happen… I doubt that it is going to happen anytime soon. I’m worried about the now for honestly, it is too difficult to think about the future.

I need to find a way to get out of this funk.

I’m simply tired of being tired.

Keeping in touch

2010-11-11T09:03:00.000-05:00

I am positively terrible with keeping in touch with my friends and family. It is not done intentionally. However, it seems that life just passes by way too quickly. I will remember in the morning that I need to call this person, this person, and that person for I haven’t talked to them in a long time… then as the day goes on, I forget about it until it is too late at night to do it. So, I make a mental note to do it the next day … and then the cycle repeats itself over and over until weeks have gone by. It is not something that I am proud of.
To try to make myself feel better, I go into the self defeating attitude that they could also reach out and contact me just as easily as I could and they don’t. This is absolutely horrible train of thought and I usually do a mental slap on myself.

So, along with getting myself back on the weight loss track (not doing too bad) and off the snooze button habit (not going so well), I would like to make an improvement in this area as well.

I am not quite sure how to do so … without making an impersonal checklist. I really don’t want to do that for it will seem more like a chore than something that I would like to do. Make sense?

How do you remember to keep in touch? Do you have some tips and tricks?

(And for those that haven’t heard from me in a while… I’m sorry!)

Hi. I'm a snooze-a-holic.

2010-11-08T10:58:00.000-05:00

Okay... didn't fare so well with Day 1 of my separation from my snooze button.

I started off well. I did set my wake up time to be the time that I needed to get up. However, due to a fitful night of sleep, I hit the snooze button this morning. Needless to say, I started off a Monday running around like I was a chicken with its head cut off.

Simply not good to start off such a morning that way ... let alone a Monday morning.

Here's to Tuesday!

Good news though - I had a splendid weekend at home this past weekend. I was able to finish up a Christmas gift project. I caught up with laundry. Heck! I even folded and put the clean laundry away. I also was able to stay on the WW plan with the expection of last night's meal. Not too shabby if I say so myself.

Snippets!

2010-11-05T11:00:00.000-04:00

Snooze button – Friend or Foe?

If you are anything like me, you purposely set your alarm earlier than you need to so you can hit the snooze button. At first, it seemed like decadence to have that extra nine minutes of “sleep”. Now, nine becomes eighteen becomes twenty-seven minutes… next thing you know, I am jumping out of bed… quickly fixing my hair in hopes that it is not too obvious that I didn’t hit the shower that morning… in order to get to work on time. It is no longer decadence but a hindrance to a smooth running work day morning. The use of the snooze button is a slippery slope. This is one slope that I hope to avoid. Starting Monday, I am going to set my alarm to the time that I actually need to get up. No snooze button for me! Can you do the same?

Blast from the fat past

Our 15th anniversary from our alma mater is coming. It’s hard to believe that The Hubby and I graduated from college 15 years ago. So many things have changed during that time… and to be honest, so many things stayed the same. Obviously, our alma mater is starting to target our graduating class in efforts to attend the alumni reunion next summer (and also get donations too). Yesterday, we received a mailer to have us go to a “personalized” website about this reunion. Attending the reunion was already in consideration so I took a closer look at the mailer. (Normally, I would just throw it away). On the address side of the mailer, there are two small pictures at the bottom. I am in one of those pictures…. back when I had all my weight. Needless to say, I was somewhat mortified. To have that picture mailed out to everyone in our graduating class? Yikes! The Hubby suggested maybe that the picture was just picked to make the mailer more personal to us. However, I am thinking that is not the case… the other picture? Nothing to do with us.

Another year older

My birthday was this past Sunday. It was pretty low key birthday celebration, which I didn’t mind at all. After all, it was the Little One’s first trick n’ treating experience! For a while now, I kind of had been pretty lax on my weight loss goal. It really was too the point that I was feeling a bit of a glutton. I also have been playing Facebook games in lieu of getting stuff done around the house or spend time on hobbies. Basically, overall, I feel like I’ve been pretty lazy. With the new “year” starting, I decided to get myself back on track.

No plans and loving it

This fall, our social calendar has been quite busy. Although, we had a lot of fun and filled with great memories. I think we are ready to spend some quiet time at home. This weekend marks the first weekend since August where we have nothing (and I mean absolutely nothing) planned. We will be hanging out at home… wearing our pajamas… and catching up on TV shows. I have some minor choirs that I would like to get done but nothing too serious. In fact, we have nothing planned until Thanksgiving! Relaxing weekends, here we come! (Trust me, I’m sure I will be complaining about being bored or stuck at home by the time January comes around.)

Trick or Treat ...

2010-11-05T10:43:00.000-04:00

This topic started out as part of "snippets" post... However, I found myself writing (aka bitching) more than just a mere paragraph so I decided it warrants its own post.

Are there polite kids anymore?

This year marked our first time taking the Little One out for trick n’ treating. She was a bit shy at first but ended up loving it. In fact, she still points out the different houses that still have their Halloween decorations up. I was a bit nervous on whether she was going to enjoy it or not.

At the first house… a child purposely runs up across a neighbor’s yard to get to the door in front of the Little One and I. Seriously? I highly doubt a 2 year old is going to take all the candy from this house. His parents stayed by the road and did not comment at all about how he barge in front of the little girl. Luckily, it didn’t throw Little One off too much. Thankfully, we didn’t have many more run-ins with that kid at the future houses.

After a while, we returned home to warm up and have pizza for dinner. Little One decided that she wanted to help pass out the candy now that she understood why these little costumed kids were ringing our doorbell. It wasn't too bad at first... then it turned for the worse. There came a point that I had to take away candy from a couple of kids. This is what happened: There was a group of four kids. The two teenage kids approached the door first. Little One and I put candy in their pillowcases with no problems. (Personally, I was just happy that the teenagers dressed up in costume). The other two kids from the group came up. I would say that they were basically 7 or 8 year olds. I held the bowl of candy low so that the Little One can put candy into the kids’ bags when the kids immediately pushed their way into the door way, pushing the Little One back, and starting grabbing handfuls of candy. I quickly started pushing back so that the Little One wouldn’t fall to the floor. At the same time, I took the candy out of their hands and said “That’s enough!” Seriously? The kids were old enough to have basic manners. Where were the adults? That visit really soured me. By the end of the evening, I was really bummed about passing out the candy. In the past, I looked forward to passing out the candy for I like seeing the cute / scary costumes. After this year, I was seriously considered not passing out candy at all next year.

Now, I think I am going to be offering tricks as well as treats. The tricks will go to the kids with no costume or just plain rude.

(I hope that it doesn't take much to clean up the toliet paper or eggs off the house... )

Ten years ago

2010-10-15T15:35:00.000-04:00

Yesterday marked our 10th year wedding anniversary. It’s hard to believe that it has been that long. This anniversary seemed to affect me more than any other one.

I found myself reminiscing about the actual date. I wish I could remember where we stored our wedding video. A good friend of ours at the time personally filmed the ceremony. Although, he was not a professional video-grapher, it was such a kind thoughtful gift. It would be nice to re-live the day... and show it to our Little One.

Some of the events / memories of the day, I can still remember like it just happened yesterday. I remember the Hubby looking so pale during rehearsal. In fact, I remember the Best Man telling me after the rehearsal that if the groom is going to faint, that they don’t plan on catching him. I remember that our limo couldn’t fit the whole wedding party as we were driving from the church to a nearby park for pictures. It didn’t bother us… we made everyone squeeze in with us as if it was a big party. I remember that one girl totally knocked another girl in the eye with her elbow in trying to catch the bouquet... or how the DJ came with funny props for The Hubby to wear at various points of the reception. Unfortunately, I remember some of the mistakes that the hotel made in setting up our reception room… such as the tables were set up so that our wedding guests could see our backs rather our faces.

I remember bits and pieces of the ceremony itself, a ceremony that the Hubby wrote himself. I also remember him looking scared for I think he truly believed that I would change into this whole different person once we said “I do”. I also remember that our minister reminded me of Armin Shimerman (the gentleman who played Quark from the TV series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine).

I also remember that we were completely sick with a cold that we got from our Best Man as we headed off to our honeymoon to Alaska & Hawaii. We probably could have fended off that cold if it wasn’t for the lack of sleep and partying that took place the days leading up and including the wedding date.

Most of all, I remember looking over the happy faces of our friends and family throughout the ceremony and celebration. I remember the smiles and laughter that filled the room during our reception… especially those that embraced the inner child and played with his/her rainbow slinky (the favors).

I know that we are not where we wanted to be at this time in our lives. During our honeymoon, we had promised to head back to Hawaii and re-live our honeymoon for our 10 year wedding anniversary. Instead, we are finding ourselves going out to dinner and a movie for our anniversary celebration. Marriage is definitely hard work. There is no denying that. Despite the curve balls (or heck, the strike-outs), I think we have lived (and will continue to do so) a good life.

Despite everything, I couldn’t ask for a better partner in life. And, I believe that he feels the same way about me.

So, here’s to another 10 years!

I'm a mother so isn't it my right to brag a bit about my child?

2010-10-11T21:56:00.000-04:00

Often I find myself just simply amazed in watching my daughter and what she has learned over the last two years. I know that this is good ol' fashion mother-cheeziness. So, for the most part, I try to keep such thoughts or realizations to myself. I mean, who wants to hear about how one's kid can count to ten... or how she loves to sings with an inflatable microphone. There is only so much cuteness a person can take... especially when you are listening to stories about someone else's kid. I completely understand that!

However, I can't help but brag on how great my daughter did as being a flower girl in "Cinnamon"'s wedding! She walked slowly down the aisle with a big smile on her face as she dropped the petals on the ground. It was wonderful! The Hubby has a theory that the Little One knew how to do it all along and was only pretending during the practice runs to get the attention / treats. Who knows he's probably right!

Here is a picture during her big flower girl debut:

She absolutely loved getting dressed up, having her hair fixed, and having "make-up" put on. (The makeup artist used a clean brush on the Little One's face to make her feel part of the group.) I think I am in trouble for I am not exactly a "girly-girl". I'm not sure how I am going to parent a daughter who is into all this stuff on a daily basis!

Boston

2010-10-06T16:27:00.000-04:00

In the midst of a busy social schedule, I’ll get a moment to breathe come November. Sorry that this post is a bit late … I was there back in September.

Personally, I love visiting this city. I can not really put my finger on one particular characteristic that draws me to this city. I love the history… the location… the people. Because of this and a good reason to escape for a day, I suggested this city for a bachelorette party for my dear friend, “Cinnamon”.

However, I must say that it was not really easy to plan such a trip in Boston. I found the nightlife rather limited. I guess Boston is definitely a city that sleeps. Mind you, I wasn’t looking for a place that we could all go and get completely trashed… if we wanted to do that, we would have simply go “bar hopping” in the area they called the “alley”. Nope, we were looking for other forms of entertainment.

Needless to say, we were able to figure out a great weekend for our bride-to-be and the gang. I wanted to give a couple special shout-outs...

Cashunt (http://www.cashunt.com/) – Personally, I worked with Chris at Cashunt in an arranging a “Bridal Dash” scavenger hunt during the afternoon. The scavenger hunt targeted a one mile radius circle with the Faneuil Hall / Quincy Market area as its center. It was a pleasure to work with Chris and his team. We split up into two teams and busted our asses to try to be the winning team. Everyone had a great time!! What was also great was that I got to participate in the competition even though I am the person who helped set it up. There was only one out of the six categories that I (and the bride) had to excuse ourselves. I highly recommend this activity and this company!
Atlantic Fish Company (http://www.atlanticfishco.com/) – This restaurant came highly recommend on a variety of sites. Our party went there for a very delicious seafood dinner. The staff was professional and courteous. They didn’t even give our bride a second glance when she walked into the restaurant in full bachelorette regalia. The food was phenomenal! I definitely plan on going back there again if I find myself in Boston again!

We also went to Dick Doherty’s Beantown Comedy Vault for some laughs. I must admit that I was a bit nervous when we arrived at the joint. It really looked kind of sketchy / dirty / small. The comedy acts that they put together were pretty decent. I honestly didn’t mind that our table was right next to the stage. Although, it would have been a lot more comfortable for me if our table was at least another ½ foot away from the stage. I ended up sitting in the chair closest to the stage. I knew that I would be an easy target for the comedians (which I didn’t mind) … However, it was hard to sit and be comfortable while watching them with my chair so close. I think I would go to the comedy club again… but request a table further from the stage.

The party / road trip has come and gone. I believe that everyone had a great time. We have some great pictures and memories from the weekend. What more could you ask for in a bachelorette party?

Expectations

2010-09-16T14:05:00.000-04:00

Sometimes it is just plain hard not to hold someone up to your personal standards. I know that we were taught all along that each person is different therefore will react differently to situations. However, we are all judgmental for we know how we would act in a situation… therefore we expect others to act in a similar fashion.

For obvious reasons (such as keeping one’s sanity), you do your best not to expect someone to act like you. Now and then, you simply can not stop yourself. And, you find yourself genuinely surprised when it doesn’t go the way you expected.

Personally, I am kicking myself about with different people/situations lately. I shouldn’t let things get to me. But they are… therefore creating more anxiety or stress in my life.

It is my own fault. I know this.

For instance, if I say that I am going to do something… I tried my best to do it myself or at the very least make sure it taken care of.

Or if I say that I’m going to be better in responding back in a timely manner… then I do my best to respond back … even if it is just a quick email or text saying that I got your message and I’ll talk to you later.

Simple, right?

Camping… let the family drama begin!

2010-09-09T10:35:00.003-04:00

Personally, I like to go camping. I do not get a chance to go very often. Other plans or lack of funds tend to get in the way of going camping. Not to mention, The Hubby? He is not a camper… or even an outdoor type person. That’s okay. He doesn’t stop me from going and I don’t make him go. No problem! Both happy campers (pun intended!)

My dad does go camping during the long weekends. So, the second year in a row, the Little One and I joined my side of the family for a camping trip over Labor Day weekend.

Now, technically, this trip was not her first camping trip. However, I do not think the Little One remembered too much of her first trip last year. So, she was pretty excited to be going on a trip with Mommy and sleep inside a tent! Here is a picture of her hogging the “bed” in the tent. Between her stuffed friends and herself, mommy barely had room to sleep! (Sorry for the bad photo editing… the picture was really dark and I severely lack in the proper photo editing skills.)

To be honest, I had a lot of fun hanging out with my brother and his family. However, I am internally grateful that my daughter was too young to understand the family drama that was happening around her. She didn’t seem to be bothered that she only got to see her Grandpa for like a couple of hours the whole damn weekend… since he decided not to join us at the last minute for the trip. She also didn’t seem to notice how dad’s girlfriend was annoying everyone around her by being so bossy or her lack of acknowledgment of other people’s plans or property. The Little One was completely enthralled with hanging out with “Uncle G” and his family. She had everyone on the campsite … heck! The campground even!... wrapped around her little finger.

I do think that The Hubby missed out on some fun memories though. S’mores ended up being a bust as far as the Little One was concerned. Roasted marshmallows were a bit too sticky / gooey for her tastes. Although, she did love to roast them (with mommy’s help of course) over the fire. She ended up eating the graham crackers and chocolate separately. It was also a great joy to see the look of awe and excitement in her face as she held her first sparkler. We couldn’t keep up with her demand of a new lit sparkler when the previous one died out.

Needless to say, without the stupid family drama, we had a wonderful time. Here is a picture of us after all our camping gear was packed up the next day.

Next year? Camping is definitely on the menu! Just this time, I am going to make sure that I am a primary planning person when it comes to these family camping trips. For next year, I’m sure the Little One is going to be old enough to notice this “behind-the-scenes” drama crap.

Oh, and I think I am going to see if I can get The Hubby to go at least during one trip… he just has to see her daughter in this environment/situations! Who knows! Perhaps he will like camping after all!

A Letter to a sales rep…

2010-08-19T10:36:00.000-04:00

Yes, I understand that your lively hood is based on the business that you bring in for your company. I do not fault you for that. I’ve been there and understand the process completely.

Out of curiosity, I contacted you yesterday to ask for pricing on a custom company promo item. Yes, I’ve already contacted our usual vendor. However, I like to make sure that we get the best deal for our money. You promptly set up a meeting to meet with me this morning. Although I was not too happy about having a face-to-face meeting about this, it would give me an opportunity to see who I may be working with. So, I agreed to the meeting.

What a waste of my time. I find it highly unprofessional for you to make an appointment with me and not show up with the information that I’ve requested. It is a waste of my time as a consumer / potential client. You also use our precious time to make a sales pitch for a completely unrelated item for your wife’s business. It is obviously that you did not have a clear idea … heck! Even a basic idea what our needs are.

Then, you turn around and say that you might get the information to me by the end of the day… but most likely by Monday. Pointless!

Thank you for nothing.

My thoughts exactly…

2010-08-16T11:29:00.001-04:00

Generally, we all find Monday’s a bit difficult to start off. No one really wants the weekend to end even though we like receiving the paychecks. Alas, when that alarm goes off, we find ourselves struggling to pull ourselves together.

This Monday was no different around my household. The Hubby and I both played a good bout of the snooze dance with our respective alarm clocks. Although, my alarm clock almost won this dance off since I apparently didn’t hear my alarm going off for the first 20 minutes…. Therefore, it threw off my snooze to wake calcuations off this morning.

I grudgingly got up and try to do something decent with my hair for work … the hair that desperately needs a haircut. Solution? I pulled it back into a hair clip. There…done …

Apparently, the “case of the Mondays” was contagious for my 2 year old too. I walked into the Little One’s room to start waking her up. Before I even turned on the light, she started crying / whining “no, I want to sleep”. I told her to go ahead and lay there while I pull out her clothes and clean her glasses. (It’s amazing how dirty her glasses get after one day. I clean the lenses every morning. That is beside the point). So she stayed in bed… and continued to whine. I eventually picked her up and gave her a hug. I carried her to the living room so that she can watch her morning cartoons and drink some milk. She was not too happy with that. She jumps off the couch and runs back into her room and goes to bed.

I simply couldn’t fight her on this… because frankly, I wanted to do the same damn thing that she just did. Although annoying and making me even more late, I thought it was rather cute. So, I left her in her room for a few minutes while I start getting dress. About mid way, I went into her room… she was still whining in bed. I push her pillow up to the head of the bed so she can sit up and have her milk there. Apparently a sippy of milk to her is equivalent of a cup of coffee for an adult. *smirks* I finished getting dress and the Little One hops out of bed with the normal enthusiam and happy go lucky self.

We all made it to our destinations this morning in one piece…. Even if it was a very sleepy… don’t want the weekend to end… piece.

How did your Monday start off?

Another week comes to an end...

2010-08-13T14:12:00.002-04:00

Cooler Nights

The air conditioner does not work at our house… nor has it ever worked since we purchased the house. However, The Hubby and I have not spent money on fixing it. The area that we live in doesn’t have too many warm nights so it would seem like a waste. (Or, it could be just plain laziness in not wanting to research & hire HVAC mechanic… either way) This summer has given us a few pretty warm nights. Personally, I do not sleep well during these times despite the ceiling fan, the box fan, and the oscillating fan. I love to snuggle down deep in the comforter. So, I am really enjoying these few nights of cooler temperatures.

Adults evening out

The Hubby and I are heading out for an overnight stay for an evening wedding. Despite the fact that I am pretty sure that I am going to feel old (I’ve known the bride since she was 11 year s old), I am looking forward to this little get-away. What in particular? Getting dressed up, designated driver, seeing old friends, oh and getting to sleep in the next morning for the Little One will be home. Bonus!

Go ValleyCats!

The Hubby, Little One, and I went to a local single A baseball game this last week with some friends. It was good to get out for a good hometown fun. It was a nice night out weather wise… and the home team did a pretty good job. It was hard to see that the stadium took some money saving steps though. The food was sub-par. In my mind, it was a big mistake for us to have the stadium food for dinner. One friend bought a pretzel for $3.50 and it was ½ of a regular pretzel. You could see where they cut it with a knife. Despite the food, we had a good time so I’m sure we will go again before the season ends. Just note to self… eat before hand.

More Friday Randomness

2010-08-06T10:05:00.001-04:00

Prayers to the God of Cars

This has been a rough week in my life … and my wallet. Our car (our only car) is starting to come to the point in its life that repairs are becoming more and more expensive. It is generally the point that the owner should look into buy a new car before dumping too much money into the old one. Alas, that’s not going to happen… hopefully our car will be a good car for a bit longer for we need more time to get things in line before a new car joins our family. Here’s to hoping and praying!

Musicals/Shows

I’ve been lucky to have seen several musicals / shows in my lifetime. Due to several factors, I haven’t been able to go to a show recently. One of the shows that I’ve had the privilege of seeing was Miss Saigon. I was lucky to see this back when I was in college on a school trip. I love this musical! I can easily say that it is one of my top shows I’ve seen. Why am I bringing this up? I’ve been hearing commercials that this show is coming to a locate theatre this month. To all my local readers, go see this! I am positive that you will like it too!

Turning a new leaf

Recently at work, my job duties turned the corner by entering into the new fiscal year. With that transition, I’ve been taking up this opportunity to streamline some stuff as well as general clean up on my desk. It seems to be carrying over to my life outside of work. I’m getting back on track with what I eat and soon exercising. We are working on getting our finances back under control by taking dramatic steps in getting rid of this debt once and for all. I think I feel more of a renewal with August starting than I did back in January with the actual calendar New Year.

Wedding stuff

It’s hard to believe that in less than 2 months, I will be helping/witnessing one of my good friends to walk down the aisle. I am getting so excited to see this special day! Yet, there is so much to do! This weekend, Little One and I are going to our first alterations appointment. Now that the dresses are here (and Little One’s getting made), I need to start shopping for shoes for the two of us! That is going to be a challenge! Also, with the bridal shower out of the way, we are currently working on the bachelorette party. I think it will do a world of good to have one small trip away with the girls to relax and have fun.

Late Summer / Early Fall Schedule

The Hubby and I realize last night that we are going to be extremely busy over the next 2 months. These months are filled with a multiple events that we are both very much looking forward to. We get to see a lot of long distance friends and family throughout our packed schedule. Can’t wait! I just hope that we are able to arrange our money and other resources so that we can accomplish it all.

And it's Monday once again...

2010-07-19T08:46:00.003-04:00

I made it! And, I think without much damage ... both mentally and physically. :) I just have a little sunburn on my upper back. That's not too shabby!

A group of wonderful fun-loving women descended upon my house this past Saturday to celebrate the pending nuptials to our good friend, "Cinnamon". Games! Food! Great stories! We couldn't have asked for better weather as we celebrated on the backyard deck!

We only had one casualty... a beautiful pair of hot pink shoes were damaged in the line of fire. We will always remember the sacrifice that those shoes made for the Bride-to-Be. (I also think the store will also hear about the sacrifice since they were only 2 days old.)

I think everyone had to loosen up their waistline a bit for the delicious food. (I'm sorry that there is a lack of pictures. My camera is dying a slow and painful death.) I know that we are certainly enjoying the leftovers.

I can definitely tell you that the Rum Cake and the Italian Creme cake were a big hit. I highly recommend that you make them for your next gathering. You can not go wrong!

Here are the links to the appropriate websites:

Rum Cake - http://icuban.com/food/cake_ron.html

Italian Creme Cake - http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/07/billies-italian-cream-cake-recipe/

Needless to say, I had a wonderful time... and I believe that Cinnamon did as well.... it was well worth the work and the anxiety/stress that was involved. It was also wonderful to have the opportunity to finally put the "faces" with the names from hearing stories I've heard over the years from Cinnamon. I am very much looking forward to the big day!

Now bring on the bachelorette party!

A little bit awkward…

2010-07-15T10:35:00.001-04:00

I must admit that I am feeling a bit awkward in writing on here today. I guess I was being a bit naïve about it. In my head, I knew that anyone would have the ability to read my thoughts or opinions entries (even if only a few). However, I truly believed that my reader(s) consists mostly my blog-reading friends and the occasional individual who is just trolling.

That belief bubble was popped a couple of weeks ago. I received a message through my facebook account from a person I haven’t talked to in 14 years. In the message, the person mentioned that he read my blog… and not only read the recent postings but apparently read the older ones too. I was caught completely off guard from hearing from this person. I thought I had lost this person completely from my life… our lives… when communication ceased a few months after my mother/his wife passing. So many feelings just started running through my head … old and painful feelings of my mother’s passing and the events that followed. I also felt relief to know that he was still alive and a little bit happy that he had reached out. I honestly thought that he wanted to forget that we were in his life.

I didn’t respond right away to the message. I used the excuse of going away for a lake house weekend retreat as a viable reason (if only in my head) not to respond right away… I needed to decide whether I wanted to “open a door or heck … a small window” in my current life for this person… I needed to decide whether to let my siblings know that he had contacted me… but if I am going to be completely honest, I must admit that a small part of the reason is that I wanted to make him sweat it out a little.

After the long weekend, I did reply back. And, now I wait…. It has been almost 2 weeks since I’ve replied back. I’ve heard nothing… and I am slowly coming to terms with that. I’ve been happy that I had decided to wait before telling my siblings. After all, why should I expose them to this emotional turmoil that I’ve been experiencing? During the day, it has been somewhat easy to push my feelings to the backburner for I have been so busy getting the bridal shower ready for my friend or working at this busy time at my job. However, the feelings of doubt, etc seem to crawl and slither into my consciousness during those few minutes before fall asleep or after waking up in the morning. I’m not sure how I am going to be once this shower happens and this busy time at work passes. Time will only tell.

I also realize that I haven’t written on here during this time period too. Again, I thought that I was simply too busy to do so… but that’s not the truth. The truth is that this blog is another window to my life (a very small hole but a hole nonetheless). I wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue with this or not.

This morning, I decided that I do … at least for now. I am just not so naïve about the concept of it as I once was.

Friday Randomness

2010-07-02T12:42:00.002-04:00

Because it is the Friday before a three day weekend, I can’t seem to keep my mind focus on any one thing for any period of time.

Five more minutes, please

Each weekday morning, I go into my daughter’s bedroom, flip on the lights, and start pulling her outfit out for the day. She will slowly wake up and become the little cherub that all 2 years old can be. This morning? She buries her face into her favorite stuffed animal, Dottie, and tells me “No, I’m sleeping”. *smirks* Like that that was going to work… silly girl.

Michael Vick

I won’t get into whether I believe he deserved what he got etc from the dog fighting and betting. However, you have to admit… shit seems to happen whenever that man is around... whether he is directly involved or not. If I was him? I would totally keep out of the clubs and sit on the big piles of money that I am earning from my football salary at home. It’s just not worth it.

Money spent on college a waste?

A good friend of mine asked me if I would be able to help him out today with converting coordinates into quadratic equation. *poof* My mind went completely blank. I even hopped online to see if I could nudge a nugget of my mathematical bachelors’ degree knowledge into gear. Nope! I declined to help him… felt like an ass to do so. It has been 14 years since I’ve had to even think about quadratic equations. In all my mathematical knowledge this afternoon, I’ve determined that I am getting old and forgetful.

Cheap nail polish is not worth it.

In preparation of the holiday weekend, I spent much demand time last night in giving myself (and the Little One) a manicure. I got this cool nail polish from Del Sol that changes colors whether it is in the sun or not. I thought that would be a great thing to wear this weekend seeing how we will be outdoors a lot. After the manicure, I went to bed… had to get up at 5:30 am after all this morning. Already! My nails are starting to chip… and that is with 2 top coats of clear polish. *grumbles*

Speaking of manicures, I can just imagine what the daycare sitters are thinking of today with my daughter walking in with deep dark red on her fingertips. I admit it! I gave in to her last night just so we could move on… I had very limited time. Lesson learned? Do not show the Little One all the available colors…. Oh and don’t give in to a tantrum despite time shortage. I’ll have several days of remembrance as we hang out this weekend seeing how that nail polish is apparently higher quality than the one I’ve on my nails.

I want to wish everyone a pleasant 4th of July weekend. I hope you have a wonderful and relaxing time with whatever plans that you've made for yourself.... even if relatives are involved.

Pet Peeve: Drivers who do not use their signal lights

2010-06-23T09:56:00.002-04:00

The Hubby and I got into a discussion this morning about when a driver should use their signal light. I am under the firm belief that drivers should use their signal lights all the time. In fact, there was blatantly two times this morning drive to work that the drivers in front of me failed to use their signal light that would have been beneficial.

Situation #1 – I totally would have stayed in the right lane at a four lane intersection if I would have known that the three cars in front of me were going to be turning right on red. I didn’t even know that they were turning right at all for none of them had their signal lights on. I would have been the first car in the lane for when the light turned green. I think all drivers would agree with me that it is good to be the first one in the lane at a red light so you have the opportunity to take off at a decent speed. Instead, I had merged into the left lane to get behind the one car that I knew drive like a bat out of hell… seeing how he appeared out of no where in no time flat. Yes, he did take off decently when the light turned green…but no way did it compare to one having his/her own lane.

The Hubby disagrees with me that the other drivers should have used their signal lights. He said it was none of my business to know that they were turning right. In fact, he even went so far to say that I should have already known that they would be turning right because where the intersection is located and the time of the day it was... and what I had for breakfast and how the sun was shining and the wind wasn't blowing.... ok.. I might have added those last few factors. Now, I agree that their lack of signal light usage wasn’t going to cause an accident or even put a driver in a hairy situation (unlike Situation #2). Still! Where is the courtesy? I sure the heck don’t know! Who knows! I may have been to work a couple of minutes earlier or it could have prevented me getting in the Situation #2 down the road.

Situation #2 – On the same four lane road, I was happily driving along in the left lane in medium traffic. The car in front of me decided that they wanted to be in the right lane. Did they signal? Nope! They decided that they would slow the f*ck way down suddenly until a gap that they deemed worthy made itself known in the right lane. The Hubby agreed with me that signal light usage in this situation would have been nice…. (He also agreed with me that the driver was a dumbass and needs to learn how to properly merge.)

Now, as a driver, sit and think back… I bet there were times that you had wished that the other car would have just used their signal light! I know that I am not the only one! The Hubby even admitted that there were times in his driving experiences.

It takes like a minimal effort to turn it on and off. It’s not that difficult or taxing. However, it makes a difference in communicating to the drivers around you. Use it people!

Random thoughts

2010-06-17T09:19:00.002-04:00

It seemed to help out a little in writing yesterday’s posting. I figure I will give it another try today.

Moving on up – We received a notice yesterday that the Little One will be “graduating” from the Toddler 3 room to the Toddler 4 room. At first, I was happy to hear the news for she is moving up to kids her own age. She was always a step behind because of being a little behind in physical development with being a preemie and all. It is a good sign for it shows that she is catching up. Now, I see the news as bittersweet… it means that my baby is growing up. Gosh, how emotional can I be!?! This doesn’t bode well on how I am going to react to her moving into High School or graduating from High School.

Calling all newspapers! – As you may have read in my previous postings, our backyard is need of a major overhaul fixin’. I need to do this with a non-existent budget. I’ve read online that newspapers are great landscaping barrier against weeds. It is inexpensive! (Bonus!) Biodegradable! (Double Bonus!) So I sent the call (er… more like email and twitter) for old newspapers from friends & colleagues. Let the fun begin! I need to get this backyard into shape before an upcoming bridal shower that is being held at the house. Besides, the weeds are starting to look formidable. They might gain up and try to devour me!

Blue – The color Blue and its various shades have always appealed to me. I find it very calming. (Not to mention, blue clothing really brings out my blue eyes when I wear them.) We opened our pool this year. I figure that it was worth the little cash to open it up for it will serve as entertainment as well as the ability to cool our butts down on those warm summer days. We do not have the air conditioner set up in our house. Since it has been two years since we have had the pool open, it wasn’t an easy opening. Unexpected problems popped up and have been taken care of. At some points, I really regret in deciding to open the pool up. Last night, coming home after a long day, I looked outside and found the pool is finally running properly. It is such a pretty shade of blue. I actually found myself exhaling a breath that I didn’t even realize I was holding.

Gas Usage - I've had the luck of getting the car during the day yesterday and today. Normally, The Hubby gets the car during the day because of when we have to start work at our respective jobs. The Hubby says that it was to help save gas. After he made a comment on how I'm not too aggressive when driving on this particular stretch of our daily commute, it got me thinking. I think the fact that we save gas is because I am not as aggressive behind the wheel as he is. I can't imagine that the route is that much shorter by starting with dropping him off rather than me. Could be wrong though!

Where my head is at…

2010-06-16T12:36:00.002-04:00

Honestly, I am not too sure of myself and the life that I am currently leading as of late. I have been hoping that we would be “back on our feet” by now… After all, it has been over a year since The Hubby lost his job.

It is not the case.

We are constantly struggling month to month to try to keep things a float. At first, I thought we were doing a pretty decent job of juggling things. I've even been able to work on craft projects such as a wedding gift for D’Lovely and her man as well as homemade invitations for Cinnamon’s upcoming bridal shower.

However, apparently I was just fooling myself, another financial burden just revealed itself. It shouldn’t have been a surprise… I simply forgot about it. I guess I was mentally hiding it from myself.

Self-delusion is never a good thing.

Frankly, I am not sure what to do. My bag of tricks is nearly empty and we are no way closer to being stable than we were before.

I’m finding it hard to concentrate at work… or anything for that matter. It bothers me that I ... no, we... have this problem and I can’t solve it. So my thoughts are constantly running through possible solutions (such as finding a second job to bring in extra cash, to find a better paying first job) to daydreams (such as receiving an unknown inheritance falls into our laps… or we win the lottery).

I know that money doesn’t solve all … but it can certainly solve a lot.

My thoughts also turn to dwelling on the past and our decisions that we’ve made. I keep telling myself that hindsight is always 20/20 to try to move on from these useless thoughts. That appears to becoming harder and harder as well.

Staying positive is a role that I play in our marriage (and in other relationships). I try to remain strong and positive to show that we can work through any problems that life throws our way. The Hubby tends to get down relatively easily when we have a major issues. Perhaps I am naïve or conceited, but in times in the past, I think I helped us get through various tough spots by remaining positive and showing that the adage “This too shall pass” is true! I am having an extremely hard time staying positive. It is simply that I don’t see a “light at the end of the tunnel” anymore.

Honestly, I am not sure why I am revealing this in such a public format. I guess this blog is the closest thing that I have to what one would consider a diary. Some thoughts are easier to express in writing than verbally.

Perhaps now, I will at least be able to concentrate somewhat on other things for a little while.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-05-19T20:05:00.003-04:00

Operation Swing Set? Accomplished!

2010-05-18T10:23:00.002-04:00

Before the drama of the missing Dottie took over the evening, I came home to the sound and smell of cut lumber. I don't know what it is... but I love the smell of wood being cut. My father-in-law, "Papa", and a good friend of ours had spent the afternoon in measuring, cutting, and drilling the lumber that was purchased earlier in the day for this weekend project.

We went to bed that night with everything all set up and prepped to go for the next day. Our friendly helpers were scheduled to start arriving around 10 - 11 am.

Saturday morning, I swept up the deck, washed the patio furniture, and helped set up the beer coolers.

Little One inspecting my work.

Our helpers started to arrive and with their arrival, the work began.

Everyone pitched in... Even "Edward"!

The project went along pretty smooth. There was only one quick run to the local Home Depot to buy a little additional lumber due to a miscalculation that was discovered the day before.

It gave us a much needed rest and time for a beer. We also took this time to fire up the grill and set out the delicious food that everyone prepared and brought.

Every aspect of the swing set was thoroughly tested and inspected by the Little One.

Slide? Check!

Swing? Check!

The swing set was completed well before sunset. The adults even took a turn or two on the swings! Overall, Operation Swing Set was a huge success!

I would like to extend a huge sincere thank you to all our family and friends that help make this happen. The Little One is completely and utterly ecstatic about her new swing set. The Hubby and I literally could not have done this without you. Thank you!

Dottie’s little shopping excursion

2010-05-17T10:15:00.000-04:00

Who is “Dottie” you may ask? Dottie is my Little One’s beloved stuffed friend.

Dottie was a toy that we purchased for $3 out of a clearance bin in Toys R Us a few months ago. The stuffed animal is a cross between a pig and a cow that is white with pink polka dots. If we would have known that Dottie was going to be our daughter’s BFF, we would have totally bought two of her!

Advice for new parents – If you find that your child is particularly fond of a stuffed animal, I highly recommend that you buy more than one. This way you can swap them when it’s time for the stuffed animal to have a “bath”, etc.

To get ready for Operation Swing Set weekend, The Hubby, Little One, and Dottie went shopping at the local Wal-Mart with “Memaw”, “TT”, and “Baby Tre” this past Friday. Apparently, the shopping trip was quite eventful and perhaps a bit stressful for the adults. Somehow in the confusion of everything, Dottie was left behind. (Insert menacing organ music here)

Realizing what happened; The Hubby immediately went back to Wal-Mart to try to rescue Dottie from retail hell. He searched high and low in the store and the parking lot to no avail. He even had a page sent out to all the store associates in hopes that someone may have found it. No such luck. In the meantime, we are searching the house to make sure Dottie didn’t sneak into one of the grocery bags. Luckily, the Little One was easily distracted from Dottie’s absence by “Papa” and family friends.

The Hubby returned home devastated and defeated. We took a big breath and slowly came to the realization that we are going to have to deliver the first bad news in our Little One’s young life. Both of us didn’t look forward to having to explain to the Little One about her now lost BFF.
Honestly, the Little One took it like a champ. I think it was because she was completely exhausted from the activities and company. She merely asked for Dottie… we explained that Dottie was left behind at the store. Or perhaps she knew that her little friend would return home. Who knows! I can tell you that we were certainly grateful for her calm reaction. That night, we searched on EBay to find another “Dottie”. We found something similar but not quite the same. We ordered it out of parental desperation… thinking that the animal may be close enough in appearance to be at least a comfort to the Little One. We even had a brief back story created on how this new friend was Dottie’s cousin.

Alas, time didn’t stop. Operation Swing Set went ahead and was completed (more on that in a different post).

Wouldn’t you know it? “Memaw” found Dottie on Sunday! Just by chance, she decided to do some light grocery shopping to get the items that were missed on Friday while the rest of us were in nearby Target. She checked with the Customer Service desk for the Lost & Found but no luck. So, she went ahead with her shopping all the while keeping a look out for the missing BFF. She discovered Dottie face down in one of those open freezer chests in the meat section of the store. Hallelujah!

When we returned to the car, the Little One found Dottie sitting in her car seat. The look of happiness and delight was plainly seen across our daughter’s face as she gives Dottie a big bear hug.

And just like that… all is right in the world once again.

Operation Swing Set

2010-05-11T10:04:00.004-04:00

Yes, today marks the day where Operation Swing Set begins for our household. As you read from previous posts, The Hubby and I (with the help of our friends) were clearing and setting up a place in our backyard for the Little One to get a swing set from her grandparents.

Tonight, a chainsaw wielding friend of ours is popping by our house to help take out more of the leftover tree stump. We are hoping to get it low enough that the stump will be below ground level. Therefore, it will no longer be a tripping hazard for running children.

Boulder status? Well, he is still in our yard. Yes, it has been determined that the boulder is a male and that his name is “Edward”. We have had some inquiries about people wanting to “adopt” Edward but once we sent a picture of him… we have not heard back from those people. Poor Edward... He’s going to start getting a complex.

Since Edward will be staying with us, Plan B has been instituted by the grandparents. Plan B involves expanding the slide platform so that it will fit over the boulder and the rest of the swing set will be built off of that. They have ordered three packages to be delivered to our house directly. The first of those packages arrived last night. We found a yellow plastic slide and components to a baby swing by our garage door. The other two packages should arrive over the next 2 or 3 days.

The Hubby’s homework assignment is to find a 16 ft treated 4x6 and somehow get it to our house. It should prove to be difficult since we are currently driving a Mercury Tracer.

**Note: This is not our particular car… but really close!

The grandparents will be arriving at the house very late Wednesday night (or early Thursday morning). The swing set construction will begin on Friday and last throughout the weekend. The grandparents are schedule to depart for home on Monday morning. It’s a “Slam! Bam! Thank you Ma’am!” type of trip.

The weather seems to be clearing up nicely for this weekend. The Hubby and I are thinking of throwing a BBQ together to help feed the people who are helping with this project… or at least provide the meat for said BBQ.

I’ll try to remember to take pictures during the production. For now, I’ll leave you a “before” picture of the yard.

Let Operation Swing Set Begin!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-05-05T10:10:00.002-04:00

Quite the weekend!

2010-05-04T10:58:00.003-04:00

The weekend started off wonderfully when The Hubby was able to get off work early on Friday. He went grocery shopping while I was still at work and the Little One was still at daycare. Bonus! I hate shopping. (I’m sure that I mentioned that before.) Grocery shopping is pain in the ass. The Hubby has a knack for it… he can remember prices so he knows whether Wal-Mart or the local grocery store will have the better deal. So, normally, grocery shopping trips consist of me pushing the cart with the Little One, being her 2 year old self, following The Hubby around the store. Anyways, I digress… Friday night was a nice relaxing evening at home. Definite good start!

On Saturday, I got a good dose of girl time by going to D’Lovely’s bachelorette party. We started off getting manicures and pedicures which is always relaxing. I even had a nail technician that didn’t laugh when he saw my nails and could carry on a good conversation! Yea for me! Next, we all went to the Melting Pot for dinner.

If you haven’t been, it is quite the experience. We went all out and did the “Big Night Out” for our table. Talk about a lot of food! And delicious too! The picture above is the Ying & Yang Chocolate dessert before we massacre it with our fondue forks. If I was to go there as an individual, I would stick to the cheese fondue course, the salad, and the dessert course. The main course was delicious but it didn’t quite match the levels of the other courses. Just sayin’.

It was a wonderful time to hang out with my girls… and that’s not the Exotic Mojitos talking either. Cute~Ella did a great job putting the party together.

On Sunday, The Hubby (much to his chagrin) and I tackled the corner of our backyard to try to get it ready for the swing set. I mentioned the project here. Unfortunately, I did not have the forethought to take a “before” picture. However, here’s a look of the “after” picture.

Yes, that is the boulder that we would like to be removed. Unfortunately, we have not found a way to get rid of it without spending hefty amount of $. The Hubby is still trying though! We even put an ad on Craig’s List in hopes to finding an option. In the meantime, I am researching what is the best stuff to put on the ground under the swing set to help prevent injuries from falling. Needless to say, we are making progress. After this playground project, I will be tackling the evil of weeds and get back our yard from its clenches.

Oh! And the pool people are coming out next week to start the process of opening up our pool. I definitely see BBQ parties in our future!

Stop taxing / banning foods please?

2010-04-29T08:00:00.000-04:00

As you can see from my short blog history, I am not normally one that goes into a rant about some political topic or another. In fact, you probably find me more knowledgeable about Kate & Jon Gosselin or Jesse James / Sandra Bullock’s divorce than topics in the political arena.

However now and then, certain things do break in my “Ignorance is bliss” aura such as the article that prompted this posting:

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/south_bay&id=7408403

Seriously? How on earth is the fact that the little toys being banned from certain kids meals going to stop me (or any other parent) from buying that meal for my kid (our children)? You are basically stopping the kid from getting a toy. The parents are still going to buy the food… it’s fast, it’s cheap, and let’s face it… for the most part… it is yummy. Don’t the politicians have better issues to spend their time and energy on? If not, I just might move to that particular county for I am sure it will be positively heavenly if this is the only issue affecting their citizens.

How about the proposed sugary beverage tax that my home state is dealing with? This is getting ridiculous! Personally, I stick to the diet sodas if I even find myself drinking something other than water. However, I would not think to make a “neighbor” to pay more because they like the non-diet soda. It is their choice if they want to drink that stuff. Where does it stop? Next, are they going to increase tax on white bread because wheat / whole grain is better for you?

If you want us to make better decisions about our food choices, just make sure that the information is readily available. For example, I personally like that the certain restaurants around here has the caloric information listed on their menus but how about the other information such as fat or fiber information. It doesn’t have to be on the menu but be available if a customer asks for it. Or, how about offering incentives to businesses to come up with healthier choices for their clientele... Or, help lower the costs of the healthier food in the stores such as fresh produce (without raising the cost of non healthy). Get the health information out there to the average citizen... such as the food pyramid or serving sizes… we learned that stuff back in high school health class. I, for one can tell you, had forgotten all about that information until I started with Weight Watchers a few years ago.

Give me the information and research… but don’t remove my right to choose!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-04-28T15:37:00.002-04:00

A bit sore…

2010-04-26T11:05:00.003-04:00

Finally, we were given a day of beautiful weather where I was not hindered by other plans. I was able to tackle the initial spring yard clean-up. The result?

I’m sore!!!!
Came to the realization that I need to do yard work with a tube top and shorts so that I don’t end up with an embarrassing tan lines for the upcoming fall wedding that I am participating in.
Oh… and the yard looks decent. Although, I think our yard would still be considered the “black sheep” of the neighborhood.
I’ve also determined that the people on our street have entirely too much time on their hands to have such perfect lawns.

On Saturday, if you were following me, you would have seen me outside raking the dead grass, mowing the live grass, and spreading lawn fertilizer on our postage stamp of a yard.

There is still so much work to be done. There is some serious landscaping on our “postage stamp” from previous home owners. Unfortunately, they did not stay on top of the upkeep of this landscaping. (Probably because they knew they would be selling the house and it’s a hassle.) The Hubby and I also have failed in doing such during the few years that we have had the house.

First priority for me is to create an area in the backyard that our Little One can play. Thanks to a really good friend, a couple of huge bushes were removed before winter set in. Now that it is spring, we need to finish cleaning up that particular area (as well as the rest of the land).

Now, we have even more incentive to get this task completed for the grandparents would like to buy the Little One a swing set. This area is the only place that can handle such a thing. Now, you will get to witness our journey in restoring a beautiful yard. (Okay, beautiful may be pushing it… how about a “not so ragged” looking yard? Yeah, that works.)

With the huge bushes gone, there are some few major steps that we need to do:

Get rid of a huge boulder. We are not exactly sure how to do this. We are hoping that a local landscaper may want it and would be willing to extract it from our yard in exchange of having such a piece of landscaping gold in their possession.
Get rid of the damaged wooden borders and old bark pieces.
Once all of that is done, we need to level the area by filling in dips or flattening bumps.

Has anyone done this before? Are we missing something? Any suggestions on how to get rid of a 70 x 60 x 30 in boulder?

Comments/Suggestions welcomed!

Wanted: Magic Mirror

2010-04-22T08:49:00.002-04:00

Do you ever find yourself in a moment or situation that you wish you had an all-knowing guide to give you a glimpse of what lies ahead?

Obviously, we would still want our choice but it would be nice to know what lies ahead if you make a certain decision… even if it is just a short outlook.

I know that each person should live their lives so that they have no regrets. I would say for the most part, I have led such a life. However, I can still look back in my life and say to myself “Wow… Magic Mirror could have warned me about that person who will eventually backstab me in the back… or tell me that the employer is going to suck… or hell… that your Little One is going to arrive into this world a whole month early”.

Instead, we are left to our own devices on how to proceed in this world.

Is there a moment that you wish you had a heads up on? Or at least an outlook what is to come?

Wordless Wednesday

2010-04-21T09:06:00.001-04:00

Cleaning out the closet...

2010-04-19T12:00:00.000-04:00

I am no means a clothes whore... I think any of my friends would stand up and confirm this for you. In fact, I just finally tossed away a pair of brown dress shoes that I wore all the freakin time for they finally died on me. (In fact, they died some time ago but I had refused to accept it and continue to wear them despite the weird noise they made when I walked.)

Reason? I hate shopping. I do! Part of it is that I never have the extra cash... but honestly? That is just a small part. Proof? I received gift certificates to clothing stores for my birthday last year. I just got around to using two of them this past weekend... almost 6 months later.

I hate shopping because I never know what to buy, I hate having to jump into the hustle n' bustle at the malls, etc. It's quite sad really.

So in part of getting out of this funk, I decided to go through my meager clothing collection and get rid of the "dead weight". I removed my old maternity clothes (to go into storage), clothes that are too big (For some reason, I kept clothes from my previous sizes... can someone say crutch?), and clothes that I do not wear. period. What I had left? Not much! That's for sure!

I dug out some of my birthday gift certificates and convinced "Cinnamon" to go shopping with me. (Trust me... It didn't require any arm twisting. She is very much the shopper. Besides, she got to torture me earlier in the day with dress shopping). I found a couple of great items to put in my closet! Not to mention, a replacement pair of shoes.

I will finally build up my warddrobe again from this "massacre"... even it is just one piece at a time.

Is this a sign that I am getting old?

2010-04-19T11:50:00.006-04:00

This past Saturday, I spent the day with some of the lovely ladies that I am lucky to be friends with.

The first part of the day, I was shopping for matron of honor dress with “Cinnamon” for her upcoming nuptials this fall. We headed into one of the local bridal boutiques that proved to have a helpful and courteous staff in the past. Now, like some of the other shops, this boutique also caters to prom shoppers for the local high schools.

Now, there is nothing like being reminded that I haven’t been to a prom in *coughs* 18 years *coughs* by watching skinny beautiful teenage girls shopping for prom dresses. I highly recommend it. It’s a great way to take stock in ones’ life. (Yes, that was said/typed in a sarcastic manner.)

I seriously think that I might have sprouted a gray hair or two when I look at some of the dresses that are “in” for this prom season!! Now, some of them can be considered to be more of a princess theme. Although, I didn’t care for them… I could completely see why a girl would want to wear them to a prom. However, I could not… correction … can not see… who or why would some girl would want to wear a dress to her prom that looks like a nightie!! Let alone some parent that would let their offspring wear it.

I kid you not… see exhibit #1:
And exhibit #2:

(Sorry for the poor photography… I was taking it with my camera phone.)

I honestly thought that I walked into the wrong section of the store! There was also a tank top, skin tight, mini purple dress that had a zipper down the front of the dress from top to bottom. I just couldn’t bring myself to take its picture. I guess I do have my limits.

I can imagine what will be going through their young date’s mind come the big day for I’m pretty sure those same thoughts were going through my head and I don’t even “play on that team”!

Needless to say, my daughter will have a heck of a fight on her hands when it comes time for her to go shopping for a prom dress. These types of dresses are already off the list!!

Am I alone here? Or am I finally getting “old”?

Oh Peanut Butter... How I've missed you!

2010-04-15T15:19:00.003-04:00

Yes, I am still trying to lose these remaining few pounds. In fact, I would have hit my goal and then some if I would just lose the weight rather than gain it, lose it, gain it, and lose it once again. If being skinny was easy, we would all be skinny and bitch about something else, right?

Anyways, like most people that are trying to lose weight, I've basically cut certain trigger foods out of my life. It is just simpler that way... out of sight -> out of mind!

My wonderful MIL came for a brief visit this past weekend on her way to a conference. She will be coming back to the house for a longer visit tonight in fact. However, that is beside the point. The reason I am telling you this is that she brought some goodies with her... and one of these wonderful goodies is Better n' Butter. OH MY GOD!! Talk about yummy! And!!! It is good for you!

(For those on Weight Watchers, you can use 2 Tbsps for 2 points.)

I toasted up a Bagel Thins and slather on the Better n' Butter.... voila! I'm in gooey peanut butter heaven!

I didn't realize how much I have missed peanut butter! Now, I've been trying not to eat up my MIL's stash. Lucky for her, I ran out of Bagel Thins this morning... because lord knows I'm not sure if my will power would be enough to hold me back!

No, I haven’t quite forgotten…

2010-04-15T15:18:00.000-04:00

I know it has been quite some time since I’ve posted anything to this blog. You really are not missing too much… it would have been posts complaining about the lack of money, the cold weather, and the lack of money. Aren’t you glad that I refrained from posting about such things? I thought so. You can thank me later if you want. I wouldn’t mind.

So why now? I guess you can blame it on the warmer weather… or perhaps that it is almost that time of month (tmi? Sorry!) Who knows! Who cares!

I am basically trying to break myself out of this funk. I’m tired of the same ol’ shit. So, to keep me on track (or focus) I decided to dust off the blog once again so that I have some public accountability to keep me in line.

So feel free to express yourself in the comments! I would love to hear from you…. Even if it is just The Hubby who reads this for he feels pity for his wife and her lifeless blog. :)

When traditions change...

2009-11-12T22:18:00.002-05:00

The only times that my extended family get together are funerals, weddings, and (the subject of this particular posting) Thanksgiving. So once a year, I torture The Hubby and make him head to my hometown to visit with my family. It normally consists my dad's side of the family gathering at the grandparents' house for a Thanksgiving lunch. We stuff ourselves silly with turkey and us grandchildren fight for a piece of our grandma's blackberry pie. (I have since had better blackberry pie but tradition is tradition. I think she likes us vying for a piece for she always makes sure that there is a blackberry pie... just one to facilitate the fight.)

Over the past few recent years, the lunch has changed slightly. It was still held at the grandparents; that part did not change. The first year of change is that we ate on paper plates... less clean up... the year after that, my aunt (dad's sister) did the main part of cooking while everyone else brought a dish... and now this year...

About a month ago, my grandma called to see if it was okay that we met at a local restaurant for a buffet. You see, the size of our family gathering grew a good bit now that my brother has moved back with his family. No one's house can accommodate the number of people.... (roughly 20 people). It seemed that she was looking for my okay. I can understand the amount of work and chaos with that many people... and frankly, I can kind of heard the slight pleading in her voice. After all, we are going there to visit with everyone so what if the location is different.

Well, now that has changed too... as of my last phone call home, the lunch is not going to happen. Apparently, it was a little bit more expensive (about $3 more per person plus drinks, tip & tax) than originally thought. Grandma and my Aunt decided that it will be a bit too much for everyone to pay that. So now what?

Everyone fends for themselves for lunch and meet up at the grandparents house for dessert. :( As the phone conversation continued, I realized that a set time was not picked. I can totally seeing everyone dropping in at different times throughout the afternoon and no one getting to see anyone. So, I made Grandma pick a time for everyone to meet up at the house for dessert.

This whole scenario bothers me... This is not the Thanksgiving that I grew up with... nor is it the Thanksgiving that I wanted the Little One to grow up with. Unfortunately, The Hubby and I are the ones that live the furthest away (3 1/2 hours away). We would totally host Thanksgiving if we knew that the family would all travel here... but we know for a fact that they will not. Due to work schedules, we are not able to take off more time so that we could prepare the Thanksgiving feast there. Plus, that would not take care of the problem of not having a large enough location. We also do not have the funds to pay for everyone to eat at the restaurant.

So, I really do not see anything that we can do. I certainly do not want to stay home and miss even the small opportunity to see the whole family together (especially for the Little One). So, The Hubby, Little One, and myself will need to fend for ourselves with some hometown restaurant... and head to Thanksgiving dessert at the grandparents.

The only question that remains is.... do we still "fight" over the blackberry pie?

Wagon? What Wagon?

2009-11-06T19:01:00.003-05:00

Yup... that's me. Dusting the dirt off my butt. I fell off the WL wagon about 2 weeks ago... and I fell hard. I've been eating up a storm (and to be completely honest... I've been drinking too.)

I'm not sure what happened. It seemed that my little devil took over my body and meal decisions. I ate everything and it didn't matter how many points were involved... candy, cupcakes, cake, italian food, mexican food, etc. Not to mention, the wine that was consumed during the annual wine tasting trip.

About mid-point of this eating "streak" was also my birthday... So bring on the birthday cake! Oh! And the delicious (but way more food than 5 1/2 people can eat) buffet that my husband cooked for my mini-party!

Needless to say, my weigh in for Weight Watchers this past Wednesday was not pretty. Heck! It was the "dog licking his own butt" kind of not pretty. Again, with the honesty, I must admit that a small (very small) part of me was rather impressed on how much weight I was able to gain in 2 weeks. It is completely not fair how easy it is to put on the weight than to take it off. It should be at least a 1:1 ratio. Just sayin'!

I think I was kind of trying to bury myself by eating... rather than deal with the fact that I was turning 35. It didn't help matters that I had to get bloodwork as well as a mammogram examination the day prior to my birthday.

I guess I am a little bit frustrated for the Hubby and I haven't quite got our family back to the way it was prior to his job loss. Plus, 35 is the age that women have the higher potential of experiencing medical problems... especially during pregnancy/child birth.

Alas, I survived my birthday. I am officially 35 years old. I gave myself a good swift kick in the ass and hopped back on the wagon. Life moves on and so shall I.

Superstitions such as…

2009-10-21T11:58:00.000-04:00

Don’t let a black cat cross in front of you
Don’t walk under a ladder
Break a mirror and you are plagued with 7 years of bad luck

The Hubby once said that baseball players are some of the most superstitious athletes out there. I do not doubt this fact. With just a quick Google search, I found several superstitions that ball players follow such as do not step on the foul line when entering the field in fear that it will hurt their game that evening.

Do you have any?

Personally, I didn’t think I had any. However, I sit here at my work desk… trying to think of anything other than the work that is piled on my desk… I discover that I do have some performance superstitions like baseball players. I do certain things during the day of my WW weigh-in in hopes of not jinxing the scale.

• I make sure that I drink my first 16 oz of water before noon. That way, I can make sure that I am finished with my second 16 oz by 3 pm at the latest.
• Apparently, I often wear the same work outfit to get weighed in. (Don’t worry... it’s always (or mostly) clean.) It just seems that I grab that particular outfit in the rotation. (This is also a good sign that I need more clothes.)
• I do my best to make sure that soup is the major part of my lunch for that day.

Crazy, huh? Perhaps…

Will I change now that I realize my behaviors? Maybe … I guess that depends if it is working. :)

Wordless Wednesday (Vintage)

2009-10-07T14:53:00.001-04:00

Wordless Wednesday

2009-09-30T07:49:00.001-04:00

Motivation … the lack of thereof

2009-09-29T21:45:00.000-04:00

I feel like I owe you (my readers) as well as the people around me an apology. It seems that I’ve been possessed by a parasite of some sort. A parasite that just sucks all indications of motivation from my life … no matter how miniscule it may be.

It’s an overall type of state that I am experiencing. A state that I simply do not like being a part of. It has affected my hobbies, my weight loss journey, my work, and everything in between. No, I don’t think I am depressed. I do still feel joy, etc.

As I am typing this, perhaps it is the overwhelming projects / goals that I am working on that is finally taken its toll on me.

Money – The Hubby and I are still living paycheck to paycheck with some luck thrown in as well. Everything that we bring home is put towards the household bills. We only have a few small luxuries that we are trying desperately to hold onto. However, it is proving more difficult as the days / weeks go on. We just hand to pull out of a trip to the Apple Festival in Biglerville, PA. This is an annual trip (a tradition) that we have made for I don’t know how many years. Yet, we are not able to go this year for the money is needed elsewhere. On top of the bill struggle, we have a mountain of debt that we need to take care of that was only exuberated by the unemployment.

Weight loss – I’m afraid that I simply have started going in reverse in this area of my life. Over the last month, I have gained weight. (Can someone please tell me why weight gain can’t go at the same pace as losing weight?) Why? I can’t seem to keep myself motivated in following the WW guidelines. Most likely it is stress eating but that is no excuse. I’ve been working on this part of my life with WW for a number of years. You would think that it would be more of habit than a hindrance. However, it seems that my food desires/cravings overrule my thoughts.

Work – My employers are in the process of switching over to a new system to run our day to day duties with our customers. I’m in the process of switching over the accounting portion of the business to this new program. Frankly, I can not see the light at the end of the tunnel. Not only that but I also feel a bit alone in this pursuit because I’m the only person in the accounting department. Don’t get me wrong… the management tries to help but it doesn’t seem quite enough.

This post is whinier than I had planned it to be. I just wanted you to know where I stand right now in my life. I do have a plan to get out of this “funk”. I am setting myself small goals each day to accomplish. I am hoping that completing these small goals will help jump start the rest of my life. After all, October is supposed to be a happy month for me with our wedding anniversary and my birthday coming up.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-09-23T16:47:00.001-04:00

My list of five

2009-09-04T15:26:00.008-04:00

Normally, I just casually read the Hubby's blog (http://genwar.blogspot.com/).. for the most part I just chuckle about what he writes or dismiss it with a roll of my eyes. I've known him for a long time (over 16 years). There is not much he can say that would completely shock me now-a-days.

Such was the case of today's post on his blog. He created his "list of 5". It's posts like this that I normally flip to the next screen with a roll of my eyes. However, it got me thinking of who would be my list of 5. What better way to spend the next few minutes??

This is what I've come up with. (I reserve the right to alter the list as I see fit in the future. :) ) Now, these are listed in no particular order...

1. Gerald Butler - Yes, I know that the Hubby doesn't see my attraction to this particular actor. Frankly, he is a very gorgeous man (hello!?! Did ya see his abs in 300?) with a scottish brogue. Need I say more? I think not!

2. Matthew McConaughey - I've a crush on this man since I seen him in "A Time to Kill". Despite his good looks, I love his laid back type of attitude and look on life.

3. Will Smith - Now, this is a man that appears to have the great sense of humor and sense of family to mesh with his good looks. It was quite remarkable to see how he became the man he is today.

4. John Cusack - "I WANT MY TWO DOLLARS!" - *chuckles* Sorry, I couldn't help it. John has been a crush of mine since the 80s. I don't think I can explain why I find him so attractive... is it his quirkiness?

And last but not least...

5. Johnny Depp - I like the confidence that he puts in himself and the work that he does. I always look forward to watching his roles as they unfold on the screen. I hope to see many more to come.

What is your "List of 5"?

Another five pounds bites the dust…

2009-08-20T10:42:00.001-04:00

That’s right! You heard me! As of my weigh-in last night, I met my 5 lb loss goal. Not too bad, if I don’t say so myself. I just might be comfortable in that bridesmaid dress after all!

So, I am setting myself another 5 lb loss goal. It is going to be quite difficult I believe. All of my weekends from now until Columbus Day weekend have some event or travel planned. It ranges from a dinner at a friend’s house to Girls Only / Bachelorette Weekend to camping with my dad and his girlfriend. It’s pure craziness!

I’m not sure how my schedule got so packed! Each weekend is going to present all sorts of food challenges for me. At least, I will also be having lots of fun to with family and friends.

So all I can say to the challenges is…. “Bring it on, Bitches!”

Quickies

2009-08-10T22:06:00.003-04:00

The Runaway Bunny …

I have decided that I particularly do not like this children’s book. I will be putting it back on the shelf. I don’t like how the theme is that basically you can try to run away but I will follow you wherever you go so it’s rather pointless to run away. Not that you are happy to stay with your mom… but that there is no hope of escaping so suck it up. Yeah, I don’t think I rather care for that message. Back the book goes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Summer? Is it here finally?

What a crazy, wet, mild summer we are having. On one hand, it doesn’t really make me regret the financial decision of keeping the pool close this year… On the other hand, will I truly appreciate my most beloved season, Fall, without a scorching summer to prep me?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Can't lose focus!

Okay, so I finally went in for my first fitting for the bridesmaid dress. Not a lot of work needed to be done... woot! The zipper needed to be replaced and the dress need to be let out a little bit (1/2 inch). Not bad, I must say. Now, if only I can keep focus on the weight loss! So difficult to do with all the yummy BBQ food that is out there. Will power? Where are you!? Come back here!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Little One

Nope, she is not walking yet. However, she gets around quite handily by either crawling or "walking" on her knees. The Hubby and I think it will be soon though. She is handling herself quite well with the walking when you hold her hands or she is pushing a toy. Let's hope that the babyproofing will stand a chance when she discovers this new form of transportation. In the meantime, we will just entertain ourselves by watching her point out her nose, mouth, and belly. Wow... are all parents this easily entertained?

Wordless Wednesday

2009-07-29T11:35:00.002-04:00

Twilight Mania Victim

2009-07-28T21:31:00.000-04:00

I must admit that I got sucked into the mania… I had to know what all this hub-dub was about with the Twilight series.

I am a little bit behind the times for I did see the movie before reading the books. I thought the movie was okay so I ventured onto the books for 9 times out of 10… the books are always better! I was curious about why everyone loves these books and had to check it out for myself. After all, I wasn’t led wrong with reading the Harry Potter series.

First thing first… it is a fast read. I am not the quickest of readers. It takes me a little bit to comprehend what I am reading so I tend to read slowly. Of course, I am comparing myself to the Hubby who reads at insane speeds. (This skill comes in handy with the trivia game at Dave & Buster’s. I’ve a huge purple teddy bear for proof.) I was able to get through all 4 books in a matter of 3 weeks. This is practically unheard of for me since my “extra” time is very much limited thanks to the Little One.

Now, if you haven’t read the books… do not go past this point for I don’t want to ruin anything for you. I hate stumbling across things on the internet that does not forewarn their readers of possible spoil alerts.

I must say that I am a bit disappointed with the books. I think Stephanie Meyer has a great base for the storyline. However, I feel a bit cheated in her writing for she doesn’t go to that next step.

In my opinion, she gets to the major scene or scenario when 2/3 of the book is done and quickly finishes it off haphazardly to end the book. The best example (and most fresh in my mind) is the end of the 4th book. The big bad Volturi gathers up all their people and then some to go to Washington State to confront the good guys (the Cullens & co)… just to turn around and run with their tales between their legs? They have been in power for over hundreds and hundreds of years. You would think that they would have had the wisdom (or whatever) to scout out ahead of time to see if it was true that Nessie was an immortal child or not. Don’t get me wrong… I know that it was just an excuse for them to acquisition more powerful vamps for their coven… but they looked pretty damn foolish to not do a little more prep work. They really should have a pretty good back-up reason to confront the Cullens. The whole scenario was quite pitiful and lacking and wasn’t worth the built up the author gave to the Votluri throughout the series.

Anyways, I won’t go into more thoughts about the books. Overall, I did enjoy the books. I would not have invested my limited time to reading them if I did not. I just felt it could have been fleshed out a little better. There is so much potential there.

(On a side note, I do think they made a good decision with casting Dakota Fanning as Jane. )

2009-07-17T09:14:00.000-04:00

A morning for the books…

Normally, The Little One is stubborn about at least one thing each morning… whether it is that she doesn’t want to wake up, drink her milk, or be dropped off at daycare. This morning, she was very cooperative and happy. She woke up and started playing “peek-a-boo” with me by hiding her face behind the crib railing. She drank all of her milk and ate her grapes. There was even no whining about getting into the car seat. And the mother of all tests? She didn’t cry when The Hubby and I dropped her off at daycare and left the room. Today is definitely going to be a good day.

Pass the keys please!

It’s been a little over two weeks since The Hubby and I downsized to one vehicle. It certainly has been interesting. We’ve had two vehicles for at least a decade if not more. Now, we are currently sharing a 97 Mercury Tracer. This car has been enjoying a pretty long and happy life in my hands. *knocks on wood* Hopefully, it will be able to survive the dual drivers. I’m sure that he will agree with me… but The Hubby is not gentle with his vehicles. In all honesty, I hope we survive this “test” too. We are vastly different drivers and we are both “back seat” drivers. It certainly makes for interesting car rides!

North Myrtle Beach, Here we come!

During the last weekend of August, a few of us are venturing off to North Myrtle Beach for a relaxing, All Girls / Bachelorette weekend. Can’t wait! I can taste the frozen daiquiris now as I daydream of lying out on the beach. Don’t worry, North Myrtle Beach, I’m sure that we will try to be somewhat gentle with you. I’m sure that the leftover carnage will heal itself once we leave.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-07-08T16:40:00.001-04:00

Catching up...

2009-07-06T12:07:00.003-04:00

Weight-loss Journey
You may remember a while back. I had set a 5 lb weight loss goal after meeting my 10% goal with Weight Watchers. It’s amazing the tug-a-war that one goes through with wanting to lose weight and wanting to eat a piece of rum cake, for example. Needless to say, despite my food demons, I was able to hit that 5 lb weight loss a couple of weeks ago. It’s a good thing too! I’ve a bridesmaid dress that I need to squeeze into! I’ve been too busy basking in my pre-pregnancy wardrobe glory to write a blog entry about the accomplishment. Please forgive me! It took way longer than I like. Overall, I still have another 25 lbs that I want to get rid of. However, that still seems a bit much for me to keep my focus on. So, in efforts to keeping it more manageable… I set another 5 lb weight loss goal for myself. Here’s to the next 5!

4th of July renewed
As the years went on, the holiday seemed to just become another ol’ day in my life... just good excuse for a 3 day weekend. Mother Nature decided to let off on the rain and brought us a gorgeous weather weekend. The Hubby, Little One, and I enjoyed a small BBQ with friends before heading out to the Single A baseball game. Nothing like a good ol’ baseball game on the 4th to brighten one’s patriotic spirit. Unfortunately, our home team lost in the 10th inning but that didn’t seem to damper the good times. After the game, we were treated to fireworks. That’s what did it for me. Watching the Little One enjoying the fireworks… it was just simply amazing. It still brings a smile to my face. It made me start reminiscing about watching fireworks in the past as a kid. I can’t wait to experience future 4th of Julys with the Little One.

Hobbies
I appear to have a bit of a split personality lately with my hobbies. It seems that I am trying to stuff as many activities during my very limited time for such self indulgences. I’m still working on the cross stitching that I posted a while ago…. I am currently reading “Fool” by Christopher Moore… and I’ve been playing “The Sims 3” on the computer. Oh! And The Hubby and I are watching the past seasons of “Burn Notice” too. So much stuff… so little time.

Money woes
We are still trudging a long as The Hubby wades through the swamp of unemployment.
It’s looking brighter though since he has had some pretty good interviews lately. Hopefully, this whole mess will soon be behind us. In the meantime, it appears that we are both mentally making “lists” of what to do when we have extra money again. It ranges from having the ability to order food delivery to getting a hair cut by a professional to various trips such as Vegas, Italy, etc. . Don’t worry! We are not forgetting the harsh lessons that we have learned. We are going to be smarter about things for the future and hopefully will not be caught off guard again!

Wordless Wednesday - So Sleepy

2009-07-01T10:02:00.000-04:00

Wordless Wednesday (almost)

2009-06-17T09:47:00.000-04:00

Papas Rellenas

These were a huge hit at The Hubby's birthday party this past weekend.

Do you feel safe at home?

2009-06-15T09:43:00.001-04:00

This past Friday, I had my yearly female check-up. Like most women, I dreaded going to this appointment. Alas, it is something that we all must/should go through at least once a year to make sure that we are healthy.

The appointment started off like the usual. Weight Check (I was a bit annoyed with this for the nurse did it so fast so it wasn’t accurate. I guess I am just extra sensitive since I am trying to lose this extra weight.), Blood pressure (A bit low but no need to be concerned), and the general medical inquiries.

I was caught a bit of off guard when the nurse asked me “Do you feel safe at home?”. I answered the question with a truthful yes. The nurse finished the initial check-up steps. The doctor came in and asked a similar question during his routine questions and proceeded with the physical. As the appointment concluded, I couldn’t shake the fact that they asked that question.

I wasn’t offended by it. That’s not the case at all. I found it a bit scary / depressing. To think it may be the only time or chance that an abused wife may had to get the help that she so desperately needs. I wonder if they (doctors in general) had asked my mom that same question 30 years ago would my life be different now.

Luckily for me, my mom did build up the courage to remove her and us kids from that abusive environment. She also had the courage not to return to my father despite the struggle of living alone. Even when the courts awarded custody to my father, she was always there for us. I never did get a chance to ask her what finally gave her the courage to do so. I’m just glad that she did. I am also glad that my dad wised up and realized what he was losing in all of this and kept his anger in check for the many years afterwards.

So, ask yourself “do you feel safe at home?” If you don’t, please… please… seek help. To the rest of you, do not get annoyed when you are asked randomly by the nurse or doctor that question. It could perhaps save a life one day.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-06-10T22:12:00.003-04:00