going to the place to do the thing

***This is a rant...you've been warned. lol***

I have been getting phone calls from the funeral home that did Landon's 'stuff'.  It had always gone to the machine because I wasn't home. And I never called them back.

Well, a few days ago they caught me. Drats! Seems they have new owners now and they wanted me to come by and check on my paperwork and make sure their info is correct bla bla bla. I asked how long it was going to take and they assured me that if I didn't have any questions, it would not take very long. So I made the appointment at a time that I could squeeze it in 'just to run by there and get it done'. Whatever 'IT' was.

Well...I arrived for my appointment a few minutes late. I had to run by the vet to get some stuff for the cat (we think she has cancer..she's 14..it sucks but it is what it is..she's an old cat. Anyhoo..) I walked in the door and my eyes immediately went down the long corridor to the door we walked through to see our baby's little empty shell for the last times.

And lost it. Nice. : /

So I am quietly trying to pull it together, Gertrude and this older lady asked me why I was there and offered to escort me to a small room to wait. She was nice and is very good at handing out condolences so she pretty much insisted on giving me a hug while I am doing all the sucking it up I can get ahold of.

Well...I know..lots of well..a lady and a man came in. Double teamed. Fun. And they chatted a little bit about the plots we own bla bla bla. They also chatted me up about Landon and commented on his stone etc (honestly I was surprised they knew what was on it!)  and I think that helped them have an idea of what all we went through before they ever talked to me. It was sweet but hard talking to them. But really their intent for about 99 percent of the visit was pre-need. Y'all. I was so not prepared for any of that. I wish they had been more honest about their entire intent for the visit. But I guess if they did that, they would have very few people go through the door. But UGH. It took an hour!

So much info and so much to think about. On top of the emotions and the every day stress of being in remission. I didn't say a word about that..they would have been all over it and had me dead and in the ground before I could sign my name. LOL

I finally made it home around 2pm and dumped some veggies and fruit in the Vitamix and dumped a smoothie in an old Nutribullet cup with a lid and ran out the door to pick up someone.

Some days adulting is just hard. 

***end of rant..thank you for listening, my friends!***

Hello, amazon prime? I need boobs.

So..my fake boobs wore out. Yep. I didn't even know that was a thing.  But now I know.

It's a thing. A real thing.

I noticed a bit of cloudiness in the same corner of each one just the other day, and thought to myself that their days were numbered. And then I quickly dressed one day and washed the girls to put them on later in the morning. Which meant I was wearing my glasses.

Well. They weren't just having a little trouble. They were in full on failure. As in I could touch silicone. Y'all..I just wasn't ready for that.

I looked at my flat self in the mirror and started making calls.

I needed a scrip to get them paid for by my insurance. (they aren't cheap and we finally met our deductible..so I know for doggone sure I would like somebody else to pay for it) And there aren't very many days left for that this year. And I called the boob store and they had to order them. Where is an off the rack 'rack' when I need it? Sigh.

Oh well. It will be ok. They will be in before the end of the year and hopefully they are compatible with the brand I was currently using. Nothing is simple, folks. I told my hubby tonight that if it weren't for insurance and all that jazz, I wish we had just overnighted them from amazon or something.

Because I hate to say it, but it's been hard. As in depressing. Very depressing. I hate the way I look flat. I was busty before my surgery and my new girls were cute and perky and just right for my small frame. And now..nothing.

I dread going out the door and people looking at me. Never mind I went around for about seven months like this after surgery. But I guess I was psyched up for that. This came out of the blue and it has taken me by surprise.

Cancer steals so much. And now it's getting another laugh at my expense. I know I am more than the sum of my parts. I get that. But I also get it that I just want to fit in and not be self conscious.

My girl and I even tried to make a temporary set yesterday. That didn't work. I have been looking up crochet patterns to see if we can find something simple enough for her to make (since that is a new hobby of hers).

So yeah..Flat Stanley's very flat sister is on the loose this holiday season. Merry Christmas y'all. : )

follow up or p.s. or something

As a follow up to my last post, I thought I would let y'all in on what's happened since....in the bra department. So..I got 'fitted' for a new ("leisure") bra at the bra store. I also asked them to tell me the name of the SECOND bra I ever ordered from them, which is beige. It is also the third bra I ordered from them because I ordered another one when I saw how well it fit. This is the same bra that I could never get a clear answer from in the past about whether it was discontinued or they just wouldn't or couldn't get it anymore. Well, the girl gave me the name and code etc of the bra. I come home and pull my first white bra out of the closet to check the tag. THIS is the bra she gave me the info on. I have to say I was pretty furious. It just made. me.  mad. I felt like I was back at square one. I didn't call the store because frankly I just didn't want to talk to them.

I had been lamenting all of this to my friend Amy (at Wade's World...I would add a link but I got a new computer..an Apple..and I don't know how to do that yet..duh) and she suggested looking on Amazon. So I had been browsing and found a few that I had tried on in the store and a few that looked like they might be possibilities etc. But my eye kept coming back to this one certain one. So much so that I jumped out of bed..yes I shop for bras with my ipod in bed...and grabbed one of my favorite old beige bras so I could compare. The more I compared the more excited I got. And then I went and grabbed a magnifying glass. Cuz I'm an old lady. ; ) And could barely make out the faded style number on the tag...and it matched the one on Amazon. I was elated!

I ordered three the very next morning. They are exactly the same as the ones I loved from the bra store and they fit perfectly. And under any shirt, thankyouverymuch.

This whole thing has left an even worse taste in my mouth for the bra store. Because I have asked specifically about this bra at several fittings and have felt like I was getting the run around about it. I've been in sales, so I understand that if you can't get something, you try to steer your client toward something you CAN get. But at the same time, when we've tried on bra after bra and I've left the store empty handed and upset...or wearing something they know is ill fitting...you'd think they would care more about making somebody happy and creating a positive experience for the client, rather than just the bottom line.

 But I did order a leisure bra, as they call it, and it arrived. I got them the day before the good bras came in the mail from Amazon.  But frankly it's not all that comfortable. It creeps up which drives me out of my mind. Short trip. Those will do for back up and just to give my chest a rest but they are by far, not the most comfortable just because it moves around a bit and there is more fabric, which is frankly HOT in the summer. And since it's cotton, it kind of sticks to my clothes and makes me have to adjust my clothes a lot. bleh.

So where does this leave me? Well, I have three new bras that fit and look great...no thanks to the bra store. I thought about complaining to them, but opted not to say anything. I will continue to use the bra store from time to time and I really need a working relationship with them.

So as the popular song says, I just...let it go. : )

a crabby patty kinda day

I don't even know where to start. I guess I could first say 'hi'. And I've missed you all. I miss blogging but at the same time, I draw a blank often times when I sit down to write. Or I think of plenty to write while on the walking track at the gym but have little time to devote to my topic of the day. 

Anyway, here I am. And I think it's good to say "I'm fine". Really I am. 

But some days just kick me in the teeth and make me wonder why I didn't cry 'uncle' long before now. 

There's a lot going on...my hormones are all out of whack, which is to be expected. But they got a little more whacked out. And I really (really!) need some estrogen but I'm afraid to take some. Two doctors have proposed what they say is a safe way for me to get a little boost, but they don't agree on what is best. So I am stranded somewhere in the middle. 

I've about decided to take door number three. Which is do nothing, (which was a viable option when I talked to the nurse practitioner at my gyn's office) and wait for my body to sort of repair itself and bounce back. All the while feeling like I have a yeast infection. 

You're welcome for the fun times imagery there. : ) 

So there is that. It's been an ongoing thing for about three months now, healing what *was* a yeast infection and now just being really messed up. Down there. Wink wink. So it's come down to this...and which door to walk through. And all of them except do nothing carry some risk. But offer the most immediate healing. Ugh. Not an enviable position to be in. 

And then I went bra shopping today. Not fun. They stopped carrying the brand that kinda fits me. I tried on a hand full of bras...all the ones the shop carried...and none of them fit. I ended up buying (well my insurance did) what they call a leisure bra. Nice for Sunday afternoons or stay at home days. Looks way better under my clothes than some of the regular support bras she tried to sell me on.

I always wear a really simple top when I go try on, so I can slip my top back on and get an idea of what the bra looks like with clothes. I was shocked at how horrible they all looked. Very lumpy and bizarre. When I commented on how bad it looked under my clothes, she said "well if you're going to wear a shirt like THAT'. ??? My wardrobe is already drastically reduced because of all of this...I just couldn't stand to be told that I couldn't even wear a basic top. 

Adulthood? None of this was in the brochure. 

We are having salmon croquettes for dinner. Or as we like to call them, crabby patties. Today it's appropriate. ; )  Thanks for listening to me fuss and complain chronicle my 'journey'...some days it feels like smooth sailing and other days I feel like I've been pushed off a cliff. But I guess it's all a part of the trip.

Hugs and love, my friends. : ) 

snow day

It’s snowing. I think a list is in order today.

1. Hubs had a wreck a few miles from home on the way to work this morning. (he’s fine!)

2. He called to tell me.

3. Calls not long after he leaves the house are NEVER a good sign.

4. But the fact that I was talking to him was a start in knowing that at least HE was ok.

5. It was only a fender bender. But he’s been on the phone all morning getting things in order to get it fixed.

6. He ended up driving the girl to school…and will pick her up when it’s over later this morning.

7. I was supposed to go to the grocery store this morning…but we can make it. I’ve got enough fresh stuff to get us by.

8. I am making a vegan broccoli ‘cheese’ soup for lunch. (for the girl and I..he will likely have a PB&J)  I made it for myself the other day to test out the recipe and it was soo good. Surprisingly. Pinterest is a wonder, that’s all I can say.

9. I’m not a winter girl. I’m ready to start shopping for real estate in Florida for my ‘winter home’. And I guess I can shop for my summer home in Colorado while I’m at it. ; )

10. When I woke up this morning, I checked WeatherBug on my iPod and it said our ‘feels like’ temp was –1. All I could think of was..what the hey??? This is Texas. It’s not supposed to get ‘minus’ anything here.

Dear Winter…I’m done.

hot….not in a good way ; )

I wish I had one of those little gun things that you point at a surface and it tells you it’s temp.

I’d like to point it at my scar area under my bra after I do cardio.

Cuz it’s hotter than the blazes in there.

I keep thinking about inventing a small ice pack that can go behind the foobs to cool things to heck down in there.

It’s gonna be a long summer. *fanning hopelessly…*

such a long day

Yesterday was such a long day. It doesn’t help that it started at 5am when I woke up and couldn’t fall back to sleep. UGH.

I got up and got it together because I was expecting a crew to work in my back yard. After all the drama we’ve had and all the “we were going to move but we never found a house and now we’re sort of thankful because our needs are different now than they were a year and half ago” stuff, we are getting a new fence. We have had issues with unwanted (bad) dogs getting into our yard for a couple of years. And little more than small patch jobs after the fact. We realized we are going to have to shoulder the responsibility of redoing an entire wall of fence…and pay for it. Not cheap! 

We haven’t used our yard in two years. Let that one sink in. Two years that we have felt like prisoners in our own home.

So after all the waiting and the bids and what not, we finally found somebody to come and do the fence. A metal SOLID fence that is 7 feet above the ground and one foot below. The dogs are diggers (bored most of the time). That should fix their little red wagons, as my parents used to say.

They arrived and started working and then I headed to ‘the big city’ for my onc appointment. 40 miles one way. They were busier than usual and I had to wait a while but that was ok. He was a sweetie as usual and finally I was on the road for home…so tired and sleepy at this point. It was after 1pm when I got home, and I still needed to eat. So I threw my lunch together. And then went to the gym. Did I mention that I was wiped out? But I still managed to do my usual cardio. It felt good and then I crashed in the car and felt so tired I couldn’t move. And then I came home and made dinner. Last night was one of those nights that ‘in the olden days’ I would have called and told the hubs he needed to bring home take out. But I can cook healthier than that, so I persevered.

The only thing keeping me going was knowing I could go to bed soon. And then I went to bed and finally fell asleep. Only to wake up at 3am this morning and not be able to fall back asleep. I finally did get in another nap before time to wake up ‘for good’. Now I’m waiting for the fence guys to come again to bury the posts and dig the trench. And tomorrow, they install the actual fence and we will be able to use the yard again.

I am already asking for a yard swing for our swing set. And some twinkle lights for the patio. We might even be able to take our new-ish camera outside and get a little practice with it.

Vitamin D not from a bottle, here I come. : )

Is it nap time yet? 

I’d rather walk

This is a rant. I think I’ll just say that up front and save ya the time of wondering. For two or three seconds.

Go grab yourself a snack and some sweet tea. I’ll wait. : )

Anyway…tonight hubs and I walked into Subway to get sandwiches for the three of us. The place wasn’t very busy. Hubs says it never is in the evenings. And he should know because he get recruited sometimes to run over there and grab a bite for us on hectic nights.

As soon as I got up to the counter to order my sandwich, I noticed it. The area where the meats were kept was really bad off. I had to stand there and decide if I was going to order food for myself or not. I have walked out at a different Subway before over hygiene issues before I even got to the sandwich part. (I had an employee blow up a glove in his mouth and then put it on. Ummm..PASS. I told the lady next to him and she got mad at me for walking with half ordered food. That place is no longer open. I’m not shocked.)

For some crazy reason I opted to go ahead. I always feel like a stick in the mud and I am well known among all my friends as the biggest germaphobe around. So! We ordered. The little lunch meat cubbies didn’t have any lids at all (but I could see frost build up inside them.. so I could tell it was cold, thankfully). And there were bits of tuna salad (a food highly questionable for food poisoning due to mayo) on the outsides of the bins at the tops and little chunks of chicken were strewn about. Those two places were generally disgusting. But the places where the regular meats were didn’t look bad. But overall, the whole area needed a wipe-down. And I already will never order a footlong because the knife they cut it with is always disgusto.

Anyway..I usually just get it with vinegar as a dressing, so I asked for that. He picked up the bottle and it had an olive on the mouth of the container. So he poured and it fell into my sammie! At that point, I made a comment to my hubby wondering if I was going to be able to eat ‘that’. The employee looked at me like he couldn’t figure out my problem. But it gets better.

When we got ready to pay, another employee took my hubby’s credit card with his gloved hand. Um…I thought they were supposed to take off the gloves to do the payment and then wash up and reglove for the next person. I watched as we left and he never took off his gloves. But we were the only people in there at the time and I turned to look back again after we left and they were both in the back. Meaning that neither of them saw fit to clean up the filthy areas I noticed plainly.

They should be glad I don’t have an iPhone or I would have taken a picture of that! And they’d better be glad I wasn’t a mystery shopper either, cuz I couldn’t say many nice things about them.

I looked up corporate for Subway and found the complaint form and it asks for your street address and your email as required fields. Um..I don’t really want to shout out my home address to disgruntled ratted out employees. Gimme a break. That’s why I never turned in the other place that used gloves as balloon practice. *eye roll* It almost feels like they don’t want to know about problems in their stores.

I just get tired of this sort of thing. These kids work for almost nothing most of the time and there is little supervision on the weekends especially. And I don’t get a discount because they’re doing a shoddy job. It just makes me sad to see that work ethic, in many cases, is a thing of the past. When and where are they ever going to learn what is required of them if nobody will teach them or hold their feet to the fire to make sure they do as they’re told?

As for my beloved Subway around the corner? I think I’d rather walk from now on.

*as a side note, many years ago, we would drive 15 minutes away from our house and pass the grody Subway with the balloon guy, to get to a Subway with an amazing manager. That place was SPOTLESS…even during the lunch rush. He was sort of nerdy and kind of like the Cliff Claven of Subway rules and regulations and I learned a lot from eating in  his restaurant and listening to him talk about how things are supposed to be. And that’s one of the reasons seeing what I saw tonight made me so mad…it’s not like they don’t have rules. It’s just lazy managers and employees aren’t following them.

crabby

I guess crabby is just about the best way to describe how I feel right now.

I have not been ‘going there’ very much with my thoughts or feelings and felt like I was doing ok this week.

But there have been these other little things that are bothering me. I can’t find some simple household objects that I need. Misplaced. Lost? I have no idea.  But I’d like to be able to put my hands on these things that just seem to have fallen off a cliff into the pit of nowhere.

And it’s just been gnawing at me.

Some of that hit the wall…and my family (sorry!) this morning. I wasn’t a pretty girl to be around. My husband finally decided I needed some ‘cinnamon roll therapy’ at our favorite brunch place. As an appetizer for our brunch/lunch. It was soo good. Things were looking up.

And then I noticed a little over halfway through my breakfast burrito that it had cheese in it. I can’t eat cheese and had asked for it not be there. Grrrrr. I stopped eating that and wondered if I was going to end up sick.

So I wasn’t in a great mood when we left after lunch. But we were laughing and I was trying to make the best of the day and let go of my awful emotions from earlier in the morning. We flipped on the a/c and headed out of the parking lot.

And then..poof. The a/c just quit on us. So I rolled down the window and we headed straight to the dealer to see if they could work us in or make us an appointment for next week. It turned out to be the later, so we headed on home with the windows rolled down.

Made me laugh and remember going on trips in the summer ‘back in the day’ before cars had air conditioning. My hair would feel like straw after blowing in the wind all day. Thankful we have a/c now.

But this whole thing has been weird. None of the things in and of themselves are a big deal. And just by themselves, I wouldn’t be having a melt down over any of it.

But there is the ‘other issue’ brewing under the surface. I feel like I am using everything I have to keep it in check and then add to that all these pesky details of life. I just can’t handle all of that.

Of course I can’t.

But Jesus can. And He came to take all these burdens that weigh me down and give me peace that is beyond my understanding. And even though I know that and have experienced it, I still forget and need to be reminded.

Thankful to be reminded today.

summer and tv

Summer has sprung!

This is our first week off.

We have:

• been to Walmart more than once.
• been to Aldi to buy cheap food to throw on people at a youth event at church.
• been to Chick-fil-a.
• taken the girl to spend the night with a friend.
• had a girl over to spend the night.
• gotten our season passes to the water park.
• gone to the water park the next day.
• gone to get the hubs a new pair of glasses.
• baked a birthday cake for the hubs. He turned old yesterday.
• eaten a lot of chocolate cake.

We’ve managed to keep busy this week. But when we weren’t busy, I could always count on my ‘friend’ HGTV to keep my company.

BUT…I have a bone to pick with them!

I seems like there aren’t very many decorating shows on right now. I really like to watch Sarah’s House. That’s my fave. Saturday nights at 7:30. But a good decorating show is hard to find right now. It’s mostly the real estate stuff. *yawn*

I like House Hunters. I really do. There’s nothing like watching people pick out a house and then move in and be able to see the changes it took them 6 months to make in one 30 minute show. But…

…it’s like the only program they show these days. It’s on all. the. time!  And sometimes I just get a little peeved at it. I cracks me up when the person shopping for the house has a hissy over the fact that there aren’t granite counter tops. (first off.. ever heard the word “renovate”??? I guess not!)  I get it that you have your own idea of what you want your house to look like. I really do, but this disdain for anything less and the tone of total inability to produce a meal out of a kitchen that doesn’t have granite just cracks me up. *eye roll* Guess what sugar, I’ve NEVER cooked a meal on a granite countertop and yet we manage to eat every single day. I know.

And then I get annoyed at the way the realtors will take the people to see houses they’ve already stated they can’t afford. Which of course will be THE house the family can’t live without. But then they submit a below the belt offer. And then act insulted when the buyer won’t just cave and sell them the house for $50,000 less than their asking price. I always feel sorry for the seller. What a rip!

I spend a lot of time talking right back to the tv when these silly families are on.

Somebody’s gotta talk some sense into these people.

What’s your favorite show in HGTV?

*tap tap tap*

Is this thing on?

Remember me?

I haven’t posted much lately. It feels like I’m busy but I haven’t been up to that much either. I do know one of the things that has taken up some time is BSF. It does take time to do the homework. Sometimes the questions are ‘easy’ and other times they require a little more digging. But it’s been good. Yippee.. this week Jesus *finally* gets to raise from the dead. I’m so glad. It’s hard to stay with His walk to the cross and His time on the cross for such a long time. So this will be an especially good week of study.

And now for some little bits of random… remember the other day when I asked your opinions on hard anodized non stick cookware. Well here’s the deal.. I bought this the other day.

It’s made out of aluminum and then it’s got some fancy-dancy coating on it and I just wasn’t sure I wanted to cook with it. So it’s been sitting on my floor for a while now while I made up my mind.

Well I made it up. It hit me yesterday that I already have some really nice non stick cookware.

They’re called IRON SKILLETS. Aaaand, I can buy a universal lid for the bigger one and it will work exactly like the pricey model with the fancy coatings on it. So, that’s what I’m going to do!

I started using some new shampoo recently.. told you this was random.. Dove. And I really liked it. I really really liked it..more than Sally Field. Sorry, couldn’t resist throwing that in. Anyway, I went to buy another bottle the other day and they had changed the packaging. That drives me nuts. But I read all my buzz words… cucumber…cool moisture.. and thought we’re all good. And got it home and started using it.. and and and.. I can hardly say it.. they CHANGED IT. I guess I missed the words weightless formula. Y’all, they added conditioner. Kiss of death. It makes my hair all slippery and limp and it won’t do a dog-gone thang! So! I had a chit chat with the girl that does my hair, who knows I have a leaning toward wanting to pick up my shampoo at the Walmart instead of hoofing it over to Sally and paying an arm and a leg. She told me to try TRESemme. I went straight to the Walmart yesterday to get some and I thought I was gonna have a stroke just trying to find the right ‘formula’.. no, not color treated, not extra body, not damaged, not breakage control. I was thinking good-NESS, y’all, I just wanna wash my hair and without it leaving an oil slick. And then I found NORMAL shampoo on the bottom shelf about 4 inches off the floor. Evidently there aren’t very many people out there with normal hair. I feel special. I got home and used it and felt even more special. I’m in love again. Yay!

And speaking of fancy-dancy and hair... we had a hair rehearsal last weekend for a fancy-dancy par-tay the girl is going to on Saturday night. I am not much of a hair ‘doer’ and didn’t have a clue what to do to make her hair look special. So the girl who does my hair make a couple of suggestions and viola…

I think I did a perty good job, thankyouverymuch. And just an fyi.. no she won’t be using the orange clippy. That was just to practice.

The end.

spring break ‘fun’

Yes, it’s spring break. Yes, I’m sort of taking a break from blogging and commenting very much.

But for pete’s sake, why can’t we get a break from the cold/allergy season??? Please!

My poor girl is all sniffy and ended up on antibiotics only to have a nasty reaction to them. She felt sick as a dog for a day and a half. Bleh. About to come out from that and start another antibiotic. Another bleh.

Yesterday was her birthday, but the poor thing felt awful. Not much of a birthday. Not much of a spring break. But not her worst.

We tried to go shopping yesterday morning before everything went south.  Ended up coming home because she just felt awful.  Had a strange moment when I wondered if I was going to be able to get my van out of the parking space.  A very very large black king cab pickup truck parked beside me on the driver’s side…well over the line into my space. I had to get in on the passenger side and CRAWL OVER into my seat.  I’m too old for this.  Aaaaand there was somebody parked in another big huge truck behind me that didn’t pull up far enough into the space and I just about didn’t have room to back out between the two of them.

Dear big pickup driver(s),

Dude(s)..what’s the deal??? This isn’t the ER. It’s JC Penney.  If you’ve gotta drive something that crazy big, then at least learn how to park the stupid thing.

Hugs!

~me

Kind of reminded me of a Calvin and Hobbes cartoon where Calvin is ‘selling’ swift kicks in the butt tail end and can’t figure out why nobody is buying because everybody needs what he’s selling.

Ain’t that the truth!

****If you drive a big huge truck, please don’t be offended. I’m sure you are wonderful and park it perfectly all the time.. like any of my wonderful readers would. *smile*

not fun and fun

I feel like I literally have nothing to say right now.  Life is nuts. I returned my washer and dryer.  Looong story involving how strangely products are made these days.  An example…my washing machine that had a ‘normal’ cycle, a ‘casual’ cycle and a ‘delicate’ cycle.  And the only difference in the three is how long the machine agitates. NOT how hard or gently it does it.  I looked inside my machine while it was working and knew it would tear up anything truly ‘delicate’, so I send them both back.  My dryer door made such a shrill sound when I opened or closed it, I had to wear ear protection to keep from getting a headache, which I’m prone to with very loud noises. I could go on and on….! *sigh* I also wasn’t thrilled with some things that were done in the whole process.  There isn’t a point in going into it so I’ll just say…

… tomorrow I’m getting a new pair from a different store.  The lady that waited on me there was actually knowledgeable about the machines and could answer any question I had, rather than saying ummm a lot and reading the same little card above the appliance that I can read for myself.  Hoping the saga ends tomorrow.  You. Have. No. Idea. how NOT FUN this has been!

***awkward non-existent segway segue way segue***

I’m working on pix for our Disney trip. I’ve been looking forward to scrapbooking them since we took our trip. I used the blog (under the travel label) to remind myself of what we did on what day and even remembered some things I had forgotten.  I think it will be fun. I was given some pre-made pages (add your own pix) in a Disney theme that are 8 by 8. I’ve never scrapbooked on pages smaller than 12 by 12. And the photos can seem huge. So! *squeal* Somebody told me that at Sams Club you can print out wallet sized prints… and with some fancy maneuvering of the photos on the screen there in the store, you only have to print one of each pic. So you get two photos on one 3.5 by 6 piece of photo paper. There is a small piece to slice off at the bottom and they have to be cut apart, of course. But they will be very cute in my little book.  I’m hoping to find pix of some of the things I didn’t get pictures of and have those printed to fill in a couple of gaps of attractions we don’t want to forget!  I think it will be a FUN little project. 

not a good day

Today is not a good day. 

Boo is off seeing a movie with friends, so it’s quiet here. I did some laundry.  Then I noticed that a tiny bit of bleach (maybe?) got on one of my favorite shirts.  Even though the shirt is old and nothing to brag about, it was a favorite because it fit and felt good and was warm to wear.  And I hate to wear clothes when they’re messed up.  I guess that means my favorite shirt will now be shoved to the back of the closet and only dragged out when I have a cold or something.  Depressing.

I was working on my scrapbook calendars the other day and got them to a point  I could put the bulk of the tools away and could not find the grid for my circle cutter.  I don’t think I threw it away, but I have no idea where that silly thing is.

Aaaaand the other day I was looking for something else, and remembered something little that somebody made for me when I was a kid… that I know for a fact that I still have… and I can’t find it.

Combine aaaaaaall of that with the fact that Christmases just aren’t that happy for me anyway. 

Hubs will be off work from Christmas eve until the 4th of January. That’s a bright spot…although we don’t have any plans.  We’ve talked about maybe even bugging out over the holiday but I know we won’t do that.  It does sound fun though.  So if you were going to pull a Christmas with the Kranks and bug out over the holidays, where would you go? 

What’s for dinner?

What’s the most often asked question around my house… especially by the girl?  That’s right… what’s for dinner?!  Just three little words that can send shivers down my spine and drive me nuts all at the same time!

We have a long list of things we eat regularly.  Just about everybody does.  I’ve heard different people say most people buy the same hundred or so ingredients at the grocery store over and over again.  Aaaaand that would probably be because they eat combinations of the same foods over and over.

And the key word for us is combinations.

I have lots of cookbooks.  Granted most of the cookbooks I have, feature quick and easy meals, but face it, that’s what most of us eat every day, isn’t it?

I love magazines…..

but food magazines are my favorites…..

But here’s the deal… the actual low down on eating at my house.  Yes there are tons of fancy recipes in all the magazines I get the in mail (but…).  So yesterday I was reading my new Southern Living magazine, which is a feast for the eyes, if not the tummy. And I turned the page and look what I saw….

One of our very own… The Pioneer Woman and an article about her cookbook.  I’m sure every one of her recipes is is delicious.  But….

we can’t eat like that.  We each have our issues.  From cholesterol problems (hubs), to needing to lose weight (ME!), to problems eating certain foods (Boo Boo AND me!).

So strolling through the recipes provided in the magazine just brought that gnawing question back to my mind… what’s for dinner?  Granted, these recipes are lovely. But there is a lot of beef (which I can’t cook much of, because of Miss Boo) and a lot of dairy * (which Boo and I can’t tolerate) and fat… which hello… NONE of us need to eat a steady diet of that.  And I don’t mean to pick on PW here, it’s everywhere.  Decadence… butter, oil, cheese.

So what is one to do? 

How about convenience foods?  I told hubs the other day that it would be a lovely thing if just every once in a while, I could just pop open a box of something from the freezer, nuke it, or bake it and call it dinner.  But we can’t. Just about everything in the frozen section is forbidden to us for one reason or another.  (sigh)

So, I have my grocery list with the things we’ll eat this weekend… simple things.  I am always on the lookout for recipes, new combinations of the things we can eat, so we can have creative, delicious meals. Sometimes I succeed. 

And sometimes I don’t. 

* Regarding the dairy. I know there are alternatives.  Boo uses rice milk in her cereal (and takes calcium chewables also).  But it doesn’t work in recipes very well… like exchanging rice milk for regular milk in something like corn bread, for instance.  It ends up doughy and as Alton Brown would say, that’s not good eats! There is also soy milk, which she and I drank for a few years before it started to ahem.. not work out for us.  Even some of the ‘fake’ cheeses still have a milk base.  Believe me, my eyes are wide open to substitutions. And I am constantly strolling the health food store for other options.  It just seems like they usually don’t work out for us.

And now I’m off to buy a few things for the weekend, including the ground turkey for the chili we’ll enjoy tonight and tomorrow.

there has to be a better way

There is a lot of buzz about fancy coffees of late. "You Know Who" seems to be all the rave right now. I look at this and I just don’t get it. For one thing, I’m not even a coffee drinker. But even if I were, it’s expensive. Does this little fact escape people or what? Are we unable to brew our own pot at home and flavor it any way we wish? Or is it more about the status of the to-go cup it comes in, which seems to almost be a fashion accessory these days?

And I’m not just saying that because my drink of choice (other than water, of course) is tea. Cold tea. And hot tea. I love me a little healthy sweetener too! I just can’t figure out what the fascination is with Fancy Coffee when there are hundreds of products on the shelves at the grocery store that will give you a yummy, custom made cup of flavored drink. And at a fraction of the price. There has to be a better way!

Today was grocery day and so I did a little price comparative… not of coffee because I don’t even know where to begin. But of the hot tea I drank for breakfast this morning. I wondered how much it cost per cup, since I’ve never sat down to figure that out.

The cinnamon tea I had this morning runs $2.28 per box and there are 20 tea bags in each box. That brings the total for one serving to 11 cents.

The wonderful Sun Crystals that sweeten my tea run $4.97 per box and there are 100 sugar packets in each box. I put one in my hot tea and that is a total of 5 cents.

So 11+5= 16. Are you still with me? My morning cup of deliciousness runs me a grand total of….. sixteen cents.

Tell me again how much a grande frappy whappy whatever costs at the Fancy Place? A lot more than 16 cents! But they don’t give the fancy, nostalgic Chili’s kid cup to-go cups there, do they?

I am just so cool.

unfruitful shopping

There really isn’t anything to this post, other than I’m frustrated and want to vent.  And nobody reads blogs on the weekend anyway, right?  : )

So anyhoo… I’ve been needing a few clothing basics for fall and winter.  I got a Lands End catalog and found a few things.  I ordered a denim pencil skirt (it was on clearance and only available in one of my possible sizes) and a khaki skirt in a couple of sizes.  None of it fit!

I have several basic winter tops that I love. I got them from Penneys. I had a JCP sale catalog that came in the mail and noticed those same items again.  I thought about ordering them, but then decided I’d try to see if they had them in the store. I would rather try them on anyway.

On a side note:  I like the feel of those tagless tshirts and stuff… BUT… it wears off and when I need to buy more of the same thing, I have no idea what size I wear. I can’t just look at the tag.  It’s gone.  *sigh*

So I went to JCP and they had everything I saw in the catalog. I was so excited! So I picked up all my 3/4 length v-neck tops and headed to the dressing room.  First of all, they seem to be making the shirts smaller around now.  My old ones fit fine… but my new ones of the same size, are too tight across the chest.  Aaaaand the 3/4 sleeves are longer and they just took goofy. You’d have to be a monkey for the sleeves to fit.  So I put them all back on the shelf.

They also had a rather cute denim jacket that would be a rather stylish layering piece.  Again with the monkey arms.  The cuffs were down below my fingertips!  What is up with that? I don’t even have short arms!  *sigh*

So I left with nothing.  And I’ll have to take my Lands End things back at Sears.  I get so tired of just trying to find the simplest thing to wear.  Like I said, I’m not even talking about something overly cute or trendy… I’m just talking about basic everyday tops here!

My older things are beginning to look worn. I guess I’ll just keep wearing them and hope I stumble upon their replacements SOMEwhere.  SOMEtime. 

Dunno where or when though! 

a different take on tea parties

I can't really decide where today's post is 'going' or what I really want to say. I just have something on my mind and I feel like I need to get it out, if that makes any sense.

Anyhoo....

I've been inundated with emails of late regarding all these tea parties that have been going on. Now granted, I'm all for what these people are trying to achieve. But... and this is a big but here....

Is this what we really need to be about as Christians? I can't help but think that Jesus wasn't political.

And also, more importantly, what if someone were to turn away from God or decide they don't want to have anything to do with Him because of these political agendas. That makes me sad, because when it's all said and done, there will be no republican, or democrat... or even independent. Just His and not His. God is going to accomplish what He wants to do through the prayers of His people. God is the one responsible for changing hearts. Not necessarily activism.

I so often wish the energy the church pours into these political events could/would be poured into seeking His face and yearning to further His name and work to those who need Him. That is all.

Anyway..that's my two cents worth-for what it's worth. Less than a penny these days. See, I'm more 'on your side' than you think. : )

Carry on, folks! Like I said... I know this isn't an eloquent post by any stretch of the imagination, but this is just something that is bothering me. I fundamentally agree with the cause of these protests, just not the raising of this movement to almost equate it with some sort of spiritual fervor and the militancy Christians have attacked this with. And the potential harm to the kingdom of God because of it.

***comments closed on this post***

she's a junior now, part 2

As a follow up to yesterday's post about teen clothing, I have a few more rants and raves observations.

Sometimes I wonder why they think every girl is on the cheer leading squad. I've seen so many cheer shirts. Do the math... a very small percentage of girls make the squad. Do all those other girls want to wear cheer shirts? Really?

And then if they don't say something about cheer on them, they have a rock band looking graphic on them. The other day I saw this shirt and I was thinking 'oh this one is kinda cute, it's got pink on it' and then I stopped and thought 'wait a minute...those are skulls!'. Yes, pink skulls! Um...ick, people!

And I don't want her shirt to say something crude either. Too hot to handle. Kiss this! I'm not listening. I'm a diva. Whatever. It's all about me. No wonder kids think they run the world and it should revolve around them. Head's up, girlfriend, it doesn't!

And then there is the thing with the low rider jeans. I would like there to be less space from the top of the pants to her belly button than what is currently available. We try on clothes and I wonder how they're gonna stay on. They don't even hit anywhere natural or normal. I'm not a prude... at least I don't think I'm a prude! I love my jeans and capris that hit below the belly button. But a tad below the belly button. A tad is not inches!

I must say that I have seen some cute stuff. But you do have to hunt for it. Those slender tshirts can be cute. And since my daughter is the size of a twig, they actually fit her without being overly tight...sometimes. I have no idea what moms do for shirts if their daughter has a little meat on her bones. The shirts often look like they're spray painted on. ugh.

Hello... Lands End??

she's a junior now

I feel like I need lessons in dressing my kid! I used to feel like I had things down. Cute top and a pair of pants or shorts. Got it! Easy Peezy.

Enter the juniors department.

She's been begging me to take her to some of 'those' stores. You know the ones. Those flashy, noisy, very mall-like, super trendy stores. *sigh* So yesterday I did what any reasonable mom would do and pre-scoped them out without her. She's been begging for tank tops for summer, so I bought her some tanks at Penneys and Justice and came home, hoping for the best. Well....

So today I took back the clothes that didn't fit. By the way, Limited Too just because Justice. And their clothes are adorable and she can still wear their biggest size...even though their prices are high (to me). But their tank tops show her bra. What is up with that?

Everywhere I go lately, I keep asking myself the same questions as I look at the clothes....

How exactly do you wear that?
Do you have to wear a top under it?
Why do you have to wear a top under everything?
Why is this top so low cut?
Just exactly what is that?

I think I'm a reasonably level headed person and in the past, I've had no problems with the shirt and bottoms routine. But now? *sigh*

help.