The rantings of a CRAZY WOMAN!!!

Decision Time

2009-05-25T21:04:00.003-05:00

I've been mulling over the fate of my blog.

It's been neglected since Facebook came into my life. I find I spend more time on FB than here. So what I've decided is that I will keep my blog open a bit longer and transition over to FB almost exclusively.

In fact, a number of my bloggers are on FB as well. If you're not on FB, come find me and we'll have a lot of fun. I promise!

Caption Contest!!

2009-05-20T07:00:00.002-05:00

Maybe I should have posted this on Monday??

Bite the wax tadpole? Really?

2009-05-20T07:00:00.001-05:00

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Weekend Wrap-up

2009-05-18T07:00:00.000-05:00

Another weekend gone....amazing how quickly it goes when Saturday is devoted to a wedding that you and your eldest daughter are in....

See? I can look like a girl. I merely chose not to on most occassions.

This is my friend, Nicole (and her dad), whom I've known for 30 years. She was married 15 years ago and that didn't last a year. Guy was a real jerk, messed with her head, very controlling blah blah blah. Last year she met Bill, and here we are.

Jenna was her flower girl.

We tried to get a good photo of the girls together, but Mallory was more interested in running around and not really paying attention.

It was a beautiful day for a wedding. Just a long one for everyone involved.

Caption Contest

2009-05-15T07:00:00.000-05:00

Nothing like talking to your 5 year-old about bad guys and drugs....

So anywho, got a busy weekend coming up with Jen and I being being in a friend's wedding. Saturday is going to be a looooooooong day with Jen and no nap - for either of us! I hope to be back on Monday, provided I can feel my feet. Have a great weekend!!

Mallory's New Form of Entertainment

2009-05-12T07:00:00.000-05:00

Weekend Wrap-up

2009-05-11T07:00:00.001-05:00

Once again, I have been AWOL from here for no particular reason.

Quiet weekend to report. The weather has finally started to come around and be a bit more stable instead of 80s one day then 50s the next. I've been replacing a lot of winter kill in my flowerbeds. I have lettuce and snow peas up. Carrots are coming along and tomatoes went in yesterday. Soon I'll plant corn and in June/July the pumpkins will go in.

Quiet Mother's Day to report as well. After church yesterday my mom had us over for brunch. Got home and put the kids down for a nap, so there was some nice time off from being a parent for both of us!

Jenna made me a card at childcare. The teacher asked why she loves then wrote it down. Jenna loves me because I'm nice.

"So why am I nice?"

"Because whenever Mallory does something bad you yell at her."

"That makes me nice??"

"Uh-huh."

"Because I'm not yelling at you?"

"Uh-huh."

Fencing, Week 7 of 8!

2009-04-29T07:00:00.000-05:00

Things are winding down for this session. Can't believe I have one week left! I'm moving on to intermediate and start that session May 20. I've been pricing out dry and electric gear but I want to wait for at least one session with James and intermediate to see if this is something I still want to casually persue.

I've gotten pretty buddy-buddy with Clint, a first-time fencer. He's 32 about about my size so it makes fencing easier. We have way too much fun together and will usually open fence each other after class. Patrick said that fencing is a gentleman's sport.

Then we got a hold of it. There is more name calling and taunting that come from both of us. We've sort of made it into the Happy Gilmore of fencing. He's going to move on to intermediate with me, and I'm very happy to have someone I know go up with me. I need all the confidence I can get!!

Last night during our match, Alex has the (un)fortunate luck to score our match. I have't seen him shake his head this much in some time! There were a couple of times that Clint was, shall we say, off target. He gave me a couple of glancing blows "below the belt" if you follow me. So I countered with my own. It wasn't intentional and it wasn't a direct hit, but he did respect me afterwards.

Weekend Wrap-up!

2009-04-27T07:44:00.002-05:00

Caption Contest Winner! This week goes to Ace with his, "Borat visits the North Pole during the summer!"
~~
Friday night I went to Open Fencing. There was James (soon-to-be fencing coach), Chris (intermediate fencer) and Paris (first-time beginner in my class). James smoked me as usual. In fact he scored a couple of times and I didn't feel it. Ninja!

Chris is a southpaw which is always interesting to fence. He beat me 5-4 the first time. The second time I beat him 5-4. After our second match, James says to Chris, "She got you with her height."

"Yeah, and she IMPALED me!"

James looked at me, "And YOU are an atomic BOMB! You put everything you have into your attacks." I don't think he meant this as a compliment, however. He went on to say I need to work on backing off.

"James, there is nothing subtle about me. This is what I do. I'll try to learn to back off."

In pretty much everything I've ever done in my life I do so with great force and energy. This, inevitably, results in me fizzling out due to frustration. I think age has tempered this, but I'm still very gung-ho about things.

I told James that he would have the honor of my presence next session, to which he replied, "Well, that should be interesting."

"That wasn't quite the vote of confidence I was hoping for."

I've been considering getting my own dry gear, but I'm going to wait until one or two sessions with James to see if I stick with it. I'd like to join the USFA to compete in sanctioned events with a team from Nebraska. I don't really know how far I'll go with this. I do enjoy this sport immensely.

Saturday was a gray, cool, drizzly day after it was 90 on Friday. Never got above 45. I did three loads of laundry Friday so that really cleared up the weekend. I think I only went to the store.

Sunday was church and it was rainy. Lots of storms that moved through that gave us nearly 1.5" of some much-needed rain. Still cool, however. Steve was downstairs watching TV, the girls were in bed, so I stretched out on the couch and napped for an hour.

I never nap.

I need to be incredibly tired in order to nap as there's always so much to do during the weekend. But it was rainy outside and most of the domestic crap was done. It felt really nice!

Caption Contest!!

2009-04-23T22:05:00.001-05:00

Another gorgeous day in Omaha to report - unseasonably warm temps over the last few days, then cooler and rainy over the weekend.

Don't know what's on tap for the weekend. Guess I'll know when it happens, right?

So here is this week's installment for the contest. Have a great weekend and I'll see you Monday!!

NOT YET!!!

2009-04-22T07:00:00.002-05:00

I dropped the girls off at daycare this morning like I usually do. There's a boy in Mallory's group, Anthony. He's about 2-3 months younger that her. Here of late she runs up to him and give him a hug. Nothing alarming about that.

Today, she gave him his morning hug. I was talking with his mom who works there and then looked down to him and Mallory to find them kissing.

Not just kissing but OPEN MOUTH KISSING!!!!

"MALLORY!! Cut that out!"

She stopped, turned around and looked me, pouted, and walked off.

Something as innocent as salad dressing...

2009-04-21T07:00:00.000-05:00

....turned into a discussion about sex between Steve and Jenna.

I was pouring a new bottle of ranch into the squeeze bottle we currently use. It started off slow as not to make a mess. About midway through I was able to have the two rims touching as the dressing is pouring out.

Steve: "Look, Jenna! The bottles are mating!"

Jenna: "What's 'mating'?"

I shoot Steve "the look.

"Steve: "Mating is when two bottles love each other and touch each other."

Jenna: "Ewwww......"

Steve: "And sometimes, one bottle puts its goo into another bottle."

By this time I'm beet red, trying very hard not to laugh and to not make a mess. Then a big glob of dressing comes out and it runs over the top.

Steve: "Yep, sometimes that happens, too."

I put my head down on the counter to laugh. Then I took my finger and tried to clean off the ranch that was running down the bottle. Jenna hopped up on the chair next to me and asked excitedly, "Can I lick your finger??"

"NO!!! GO AWAY!!!!"

Weekend Wrap-up!

2009-04-20T07:00:00.003-05:00

Not a whole lot to report this weekend, outside of the usual domestic crap. Steve and I had a date night Friday and could only make it until 2030 as we didn't really know what else to do. How pathetic is that?!?!

Saturday Jen and I ran some errands that finished off with buying her flower girl shows for an up-coming wedding in a mere four weeks. Whaddaya think???Sunday? Went to church, then out to IHOP with some friends. Put the girls down for a nap, I dug up and moved a plum tree - not as impressive as it sounds. The tree is only about 3-4' tall. I moved it from it's over-winter spot of the last 1.5 years, which is the South side of the shed, to the front side yard. After I dug the hole and stuck the tree in the hole I started to loosen the dirt from the new sod we seeded last fall. I'm happy to report that the roots are about 3" long already, so hopefully, this seed blend will work nicely!

I tilled up the veggie garden Friday and planted carrots, mesclin, snowpeas, and red onion. Soon I will plant tomatoes and corn, then in July the pumpkins will be planted.

The weather looks GREAT this week - sunny and 70s. Helloooooooooooooo, Spring!

Caption Contest!!

2009-04-17T07:00:00.000-05:00

I've been fairly busy out in the yard this week. Managed to scrub the hot tub and put it away until October, get my fountain back up and running, hang three praying mantis egg cases, till the vegetable garden and plant carrots, lettuce, and snow peas. But more importantly, our Hawaiian Sun Chairs are hanging!!1!! WOOT!!

Not much planned this weekend. That's about all I know! Here is this week's edition of the contest. Have a good weekend and I'll see you on Monday!!

Reflections

2009-04-15T20:37:00.003-05:00

As I walked through ICU looking for potential subjects to enroll in my various studies I saw a new patient that was in for a head bleed. But when I peeked in his room I saw that it was more than just a head bleed.

There was active bleeding from the top of his head. His nose and mouth were packed with gauze bandages. He was already trached.

His nurse is a friend of mine and I asked what really brought him in.

"Self-inflicted gun shot."

Sure enough, there, under his chin, was the entry wound of his suicide attempt.

Once again I was faced with the haunting thought of my dad and the demons these two men shared. The demons that drove them to the thought that this was the only way to end their pain. Family be damned.

I still don't understand the pain and desperation they felt. I still don't want to know. I don't want to ever be that low.

I said a prayer for him as I stifled back the tears. I truly believe I felt God's presence with me, standing next to me as I tried to unsuccessfully sort this out.

Weekend Wrap-up!!

2009-04-13T07:00:00.000-05:00

Caption Contest! This week we have a NEW winner in our midst. This week goes to to Kim with her, "This is the only way to spare you from my bad breath!"
~~
Lessee if I can get back into the swing of things this week. I've beena round, just haven't wanted to post anything. And I visit, but I lurk, so I'm not ignoring your spaces, either!

We were in DSM over the weekend. Steve took a half-day Friday while I was off completely with the girls - the joys of working at a Jesuit institution. Steve, however, get a floating holiday for Arbor Day! WTF?!?! Anywho....

I got nuthin......see? I need to get my mojo workin' again.....

Caption Contest

2009-04-09T22:40:00.002-05:00

I've been around, just not in the blogging mood this week. Maybe things will interest me again.....

In the meantime, here is this week's installment for the contest! Have a great and blessed Easter and I'll (hopefully) see you Monday!

Caption Contest!!

2009-04-03T07:37:00.003-05:00

It's Friday and we'll be under a winter storm watch starting tomorrow through Sunday!! Models predict anywhere from 4-12". YIPPEE!! Whatever.....

So I present this photo for this week's installment. Have a great weekend and I'll see you Monday!!

Stuff

2009-04-01T07:00:00.000-05:00

Not much to report outside of the girls' physicals on Monday. They both checked out just fine. Jenna had three shots and a finger stick and Mallory just had one shot; her last until Kindergarten!

Being in daycare the kids had a constant runny nose and cough. Just as they're get over the current illness another one lurked in the corner. Mallory was running a bit of a low-grade fever Monday and her cheeks were bright red. Her doc took one look at her, noticed the splothes on her legs and fine rash on her torso and says, "It looks like she has parvo."

"Huh-WHUH?!?!?! Parvo? Serious? I thought that was a dog virus." So i scanned Wikipedia and found this. Oh, and she has an ear infection. Even with tubes. Go figure.

Yesterday was one of those hectic crazy days at work where you're busy but your efforts are all for naught. I thought I had finally enrolled someone in one of my pneumonia studies that hasn't seen any action since June. Got the patient enrolled and I get study labs. Two of the Pulmonary fellows are in her room and one sees that her BP is low and he and the nurse discuss what kind of hypotension drugs she's on.

This caught my attention as prolonged hypotention medications is exclusionary. However, I didn't find this medication in the e-chart so I had no idea she was on it. I asked the nurse if she had charted this medication; no. I called the medical monitor to verify that she had to be taken out of the study even though it looked like she was low on fluids, thus contributing to her hypotention. Regardless I had to take her out. I was annoyed that the nurse hadn't charted her medications for 5 hours.

So I DCd her from the study, called family back and notified them of the situation. I spend a good chunk of yesterday getting this patient enrolled and it was all for naught.

So I had fencing class last night and I really needed the class to work off my frustrations of the day. I came home sweaty and tired, but feeling better in my head. Though in the coming days I will have a whole new group of bruises to sport!

Weekend Wrap-up!!

2009-03-30T07:00:00.000-05:00

Caption Contest Winner! This week's winner is none other than Aynde with her, "I said to pull your head out of YOUR ass not MINE!"

Well done!!
~~
Outside of the laundry, we didn't do much this weekend. I finally got around to painting the master bathroom. When we moved in it, like the rest of the house, was blah beige. Two years ago whilst pregnant and in a fit of pregnant hormoes I decided I needed to paint it and get more color. So I painted it blue. Not just any blue but about the shade of the "Save Now" button whenever you type anew post. With the white wood work it was nice.

After we painted the bedroom I decide the bath was going to follow suit for color. I ended up woolie-ing the whole bathroom. It's about 75% done. Now I need to go back and re-roll some light spots and do all the trim work. With the nice weather coming I know it will take a backseat to gardening. It didn't take long to paint but the trim work with so many corners and tile is going to take a while.

Grilled out last night and had a couple of friends over. I did four NY strips, veggies, pesto, and Steve made his "famous" maple walnut cheesecake. When we were dating I lived in an apartment but would spend the weekends at his house (GASP!). Usually Friday nights when I'd get off from work he'd have some decadent dessert waiting for me. This was one of my favorites. And it still is.

Getting things lined up for an upcoming wedding mid-May that I am in. Jenna is the flower girl and we'll pick up her dress today after her KINDERGARTEN PHYSICAL!!!! Found a cute dress for Mallory that's ivory and have multi-colored flowers embroidered on the tulle skirt. It comes with a little sweater so she can wear it for Easter, as well. Mom took in the bodice of my dress. The dress was already a bit loose when I bought it in September and that was 25# ago, so it was really baggy in the bodice.

Mom wasn't sure if she'd be able to make it work by taking in the dress, but she did an AWESOME job! I have BOOBS!! She snugged it in perfectly!! This is a big deal for me as I've never really worn anything that "flaunts" this feature of mine.

Not sure if I'm ready to see Jenna all dolled up with flowers in her hair just yet....

Caption Contest!!

2009-03-27T07:00:00.000-05:00

Early, long, and busy day for toady; it's our annual Pulmonary Conference and I've been up since 0530 and the conference gets over round about 1630-ish. I hope Steve orders a pizza or something....

So I'll this little gem to your over-active and creative imaginations. Have a great weekend and I'll see you on Monday!!

Back To The Basics

2009-03-25T07:00:00.000-05:00

Last night was week two of my second fencing class. Things just make sense this time around. It's a pretty large class again, about 15. AND!! There's six other women!!! WOOT! Plus more adults so I won't feel so bad talking an adult down as I did an 11 year old.

Worked on foot work again and learned parrys 4, 7, 6, and 8. Got to suit up again *squeal!* After class was open fencing so I went up against Alex; why do I do this to myself?? Fought him for about 10 minutes. He peeled away and went up against Patrick, so Clint stepped in. This is his first time and h'es fighting like I did last session. I found his weak spots fairly easily, though he found some of mine, as well. Clint and I dueled for 15-20 minutes. We were both spent. I strongly recommended to him that he take lots of ibuprofen when he got home!!

This class and sport just ROCKS!!!

Weekend Wrap-up!!

2009-03-23T07:00:00.004-05:00

Caption Contest Winner! This week goes to Becca with her, "Medusa meets Barbie?"
~~
Yesterday was Steve's 44th birthday. A couple of weeks ago he and Jenna were discussing cakes and what kind he wanted. As she's all things pink, she was truly shocked and appalled when he stated he wanted a grey cake (as a joke).

"NO!!! It has to have pink!"
"It's my cake and I want grey."

Never jokinly tell your spouse you want a grey cake, as you just may get it! So I began thinking about his cake and what I needed to do. I figured I'd get a white cake mix and add black food coloring to it. The frosting would be darker grey and I was going to try and leave the frosting streaky so it would look like a slab of marble.

I was discussing this with my mom a few days ago and the marble slab cake morphed to the mouse cake as they're grey, as well. And instead of grey cake mix I opted for red velvet a la "Steel Magnolias."

Now came the task of engineering this cake. I've never done a 3D cake before. I had two mixes; one in a 9" round, a loaf pan, and the rest in cupcakes if I needed any extra pieces. The round cake I cut in half and frosted together to make the back. The loaf cake I cut in half for the head and shaped it:Using the rest of the loaf cake I fashioned legs:

Now the mouse is mostly frosted.

And it's done! The whiskers are toothpicks that I colored black with a sharpie. I had a corner piece of cake that made an excellent hunk of cheese. I piped frosting for the tail.

Notice the little detail....

It's not perfect and is most definitely an amateur cake. I don't think Duff has anything to worry about......

Here, Steve is posing, getting ready to hack into his very own ROUS.

Lining up for the first cut......

Beheading the ROUS.

I made red frosting to glue the pieces together. However, I wasn't able to get the red dark enough. We weren't expecting this visual, but it was an added bonus!

Steve's first sucessful mouse lobotomy!

Way too much food this weekend, but all-in-all, I think it was a sucessful birthday! Happy birthday, Stevie!!!

Caption Contest!!

2009-03-20T07:29:00.002-05:00

Yet another week shot in the arse. And yet another week that I don't have a picture ready to go so I Google. When in doubt, find a fashion show. There's BOUND to be something worthwhile!

And here it is.

Have a great weekend and I'll see you on Monday!

The Pen Lady

2009-03-18T07:00:00.003-05:00

I've started up a hobby of mine again; making pens. I work from my home (read: garage) using domestic and exotic hardwoods and burls, acrylics, stone, and Corian solid surfaces. <-- Yes, that was my schpeel when I used to do shows.

I don't do shows anymore. The last show I did Jenna was due in 2 weeks. I make pens as gifts and do some comission work. I "close down" in the winter as it's too damned cold! Here are some samples of my work. Most of these pieces are available, if interested.

This letter opener is one of my earlier pieces and is made from green Corian. Available.

A neighbor of my mom's works at a Tile shop and brought over a couple of 4" Corian sample tiles of a line that is discontinued. As she brought me stock, I made her a pen and have charged her to advertise for me. I think she will bring in many as she stated that the company is always looking for "Thank You" gifts for customers. How cool would it be to have a pen and/or letter opener made from the same Corian that's in your kitchen?? Along with two different colors of Corian I added black guitar picks. This pen is spoken for.This lovely little gem is made from Red Malee burl from Australia. Burls are probably my favorite medium to work with as I have no idea what is on the inside and there's no grain to the wood, just swirls and birdseyes that really show up with I clear coat the wood. Available.Here's another sample of a burl. This pen is Buckeye burl (light) from North America and Thuya burl from Morrocco. This pen is spoken for.
This is another example of Buckeye burl. The piece has more figuring. Available.These two pens are from the same type of Corian that someone I work with just gave me. She and her husband had their kitchen remodeled and had this hunk left. In return to the free stock she received these two pens. It's neat to see how the "mood" of the piece changes depending on what color kit I choose. Spoken for.This is made from a product called acrylester. I'm not too fond of this material as it likes to explode if it gets too hot. This color is Ocean Mist and is available.This trio of pens was a special order for a gal in my office. She wanted a pen for herself and her two daughters that are graduating college this year. You'll notice that each pen has a piece of the other two in the cap, signifying the relationship. Spoken for.This is a two-tone blue swirl acrylic with white guitar picks at both ends. Available.This desk set is a combination of Box Elder burl (light) from North America and Cocobolo from Central America. Spoken for.This is made from the same green Corian as the letter opener. Spoken for.This piece is made from amber Crushed Pearl acrylic. Available.Finally, this set I made from a pre-fab piece of wood consisting of either birch or maple (North America), Purpleheart (Central America), and Walnut (North America). I entered it in our county fair in 2006 and won First Place! No one is getting this set. Ever.

Just because a particular piece is spoken for doesn't mean I can't make it again. Just letting you know in case anything peaks your interest. ;-)

Spring Steel Wrap-up!!

2009-03-16T07:00:00.004-05:00

Caption Contest Winner!! This week goes to Tom with his, "The sliced up remains of Kristi's prepube classmates."

Unless you've been sleeping under a rock for the last few weeks you'll remember that I had my beginner's tournament at Spring Steel this past Saturday. There were only 11 people that showed so it was a very small turn-out.

We were divided into two groups and those were the ones we would fence against for the tournament. My group had 6 and the other group had 5. In the first round I was 3-2, and I was pleased with that.

There was one kid, Josiah (in the red), that was doing all this fancy schmancy crap with me that got me to wonder if he was beginner. I asked Patrick if he was and he tole me that Josiah was in an intermediate that's practiced a lot. I was a bit miffed that I, a one-time beginner, was up against a decent intermediate. He'd stomp his foot or quickly wave his foil in an effort of draw me in. I wasn't having any of it, and frankly, was getting really annoyed with his anticks. Maybe it's my age.

As you can see in the picture he's in a lunge but he's really low with his foil pointed up. With this move the attcker anticipated the opponent will come at him so he ducks while the opponent is up high, thus leaving the opponenet wide open to attack.

In between rounds I was talking with Steve and mom when Patrick comes up and somewhere in the conversation he mentions that I was in the intermediate group.

"What?!?! Since when?"
"Since this morning."
"I thought the groups were younger beginners and older beginners."

Apparently not. Now I didn't feel so bad about being shown up!

The other match I lost was a good match against Ben. We were tied 4-4 when I came at him and saw the tip of my foil indent his lame' but it didn't make solid contact so it didn't count. He got me right after that.

After break was Round two where we fought each other again. My first match was Josiah and I was bound and determined to not let this punk show me up 5-1 like the first round. It didn't help that he is a Southpaw, thus adding to the challenge. He tried the same stuff to no avail, though he was pretty jumpy whenever I approached him in the same manner. Then at one point he was very far away from me and appeared to lose interest in the match; his foil was down, he was looking around. I think it was another tactic to draw me in. By this time the three-minute mark was reached so the match was called. I lost 2-1. Punk ass kid....

At the end of the Tournament was the medal ceremony. As you can see here I medalled, much to my surprise. Not only did I medal, but I came in second!! How I did this still remains a mystery.

So all-in-all, this was my first tournament in a group of intermediates and I came out second to Punk Ass Kid. I was very pleased with the day, not to mention very tired and stiff.....So here you are, Tom, video of one of my matches. This is agaisnt Noelle who tied for third. She had some wicked parrys and fought close to me which made if difficult to score against her. I'm in the blue work-out pants on the right; Steve is shooting video.

The second round wasn't near as rewarding as the first, mainly because I was getting pretty tired. I had a great time. It was interesting and challenging to fence strangers and to figure out their style, strengths, and weaknesses.

I start class up again Tuesday night!

Caption Contest!!

2009-03-13T07:00:00.001-05:00

So it's Friday again....that can only mean one thing....SPRING STEEL IS TOMORROW!!!! WHOO-HOO!!

Or, it could mean it's that special day of the week reserved for the illustrious Caption Contest. Does that work better??

So here is this week's installment of the contest. Have a great weekend, wish me luck and many parry repostes (hopefully a medal, too!), and I'll see you on Monday!!

Tagged!!

2009-03-11T07:00:00.001-05:00

A la Meg, through Becca.

All you have to do is open up your photo file program. Find the sixth file and post the sixth picture.

This was taken from my home computer. Thanfully this file was from this year!! As you can see, this is Mallory taken at the end of January.

This next one is from my work computer. This is Jenna's 3-month photo.That's all I got.

Weekend Wrap-up!

2009-03-09T07:00:00.000-05:00

Caption Contest Winner! This week goes back to Aynde with her, "The truth behind "Greenhouse Gases."

<-- In the glass bubble, as explained below.

Saturday we decided to trek to the zoo as this is something the four of us haven't done yet. All was well and good and Jenna wanted to see the penguins. We walked into the aquarium and she freaked. out. when she say the fiberglass Great White shark hanging from the ceiling. This was more than her usual whining. She froze, hands TIGHTLY over her eyes, and sobbing hysterically. No amount of talking her down was going to do the trick. This went on for about 15". Mal and I moved on a bit to the penguins. In this enclosure is a 4' glass bubble that juts into the water so you can sit in the bubble "underwater" and watch the penguins up close and personal. I still marvel at ther fluidity under water.

Oh yes, as Mal and I were finishing up in the aqaurium we came across the ray tank and there we found a diver scrubbing the rocks.

I stuck my head around the corner as it had gotten quieter and Steve and Jenna were gone. I assumed they were at the entrance waiting. So Mal and I went through the rest of the aquarium to no avail. So I thought they went to the new butterfly pavilion. No luck, either.

<-- I took that!!

This was my first time through the pavilion - very cool! Tropical setting with butterflies and hummingbirds just flying around doing their thing. A Giant Morpho almost landed on Mallory a couple of times. She now knows what a butterfly is and would point and say "fly!"

I decided to head back up to the jungle and wait to see if I could find them. Keep in mind that I left my cell at home as did Steve but her had his on-call pager and on-call phone. Do you think I know those numbers???

An hour later and no sign of either of them I flag down a zoo employee to either put out an APB on them or use a phone to call the hospital and get his pager number. I was finally able to track it down through Security and I paged him. About 20 seconds he calls back and they're in the cat house - a ZOO cat house with tigers, lions, pumas, and leopards. Not the red light cat house, Tom.

Came home, sent everyone to bed after lunch. The rest of the weekend was the usual domestic crap, so I'll spare you the details.. Saturday night we watched "Charlie Wilson's War." Woo. Such is our date nights.....

Caption Contest!!

2009-03-06T07:00:00.000-06:00

This is one week I am glad to see go bye-bye; not a good week financially. We just can't seem to get ahead these days.....

So on that depressing note I present this week's Caption Contest!! As I am in such a dismal mood I hope this photo will help lighten it up.

Have a great weekend and I'll see you Monday!

Final Class

2009-03-04T07:00:00.001-06:00

Last night was our final class. Didn't do anything new but did a mini-tournament with pools and learned how real tournaments work. In my pool of four I came in second having won 2 of my three matches - both of which were against kids. I lost by one point to Dwayne, whom I've fenced against before.

I stuck around to watch Patrick and Alex duel as they usually do in open fencing. I didn't do any open fencing, just wasn't in to it last night. I'm going to try to make it to open fencing next week to prepare a bit for the Spring Steel tournament.

It was interesting to watch others fence. We hadn't had much opportunity before because everyone was fencing everyone. But getting the chance to sit and watch was good. You could tell who had good posture and footwork, who's been through the class before, who really gets it. I'd like to think I sort of get it.

As I was leaving for the night Patrick said, "I look forward to when you beat me."

I smiled and chuckled, "Keep looking."

HUZZAH!!!

2009-03-03T07:00:00.001-06:00

FINISHED!!! I repainted the bedroom wall and now it's done! Granted, we still to get the pictures back up on the wall and I need to repaint the bathroom. Here's what I came up with:

In this picture, taken in the hallway, shows what the wall color was. One word; boring. The hall, living room, kitchen, and master all had pretty much the same wall color; milktoast. Yech....
Now here's the finished project. Three of the walls are an oatmeal color and I bought a quart of paint that is two shades darker than the wall color to woolie an accent wall. The woolie faux paint system utilizes a split paint pan that will hold two colors of paint. The roller is covered in lambs wool with a thick knap. Once you've chosen your palate, usually two shades different (for a more pronounced look. Gow ith colors that are one shade apart for a more subtle look), just load up your roller and butterfly on your walls! It's super easy. The time-consuming part is the detail along edges. But the beauty of this faux system is that there is no patterns so if one area is blended more than another, that's ok! That's how it's "supposed" to look.

We had a slight problem. We couldn't find our split pan, so I bought two cheap small pans and zip tied them together and cut down the middle so the roller would fit. You could probably just get two mini roller pads with a thick pile and do the same effect. There are dual sponge rollers available, as well, to do the same thing. A typical roller is 9" and mini-rollers are 4" so just place them on either end and you're good to go!

Here's a closer detail of the corner. When using two very dramatic color differences, keep in mind that as you roll the two colors they will blend into each other and soften. So your colors on the sample may seem frighteningly distant, but they will even each other out. Also, you can blend more to get an even softer look. We wanted something a bit more dramatic so I just blended enough to hide the roller lines. On the Woolie website it suggests using two completely different colors.
Here is a close-up on the window valances I made Sunday. The floral vine pattern is horizontal in nature to mirror the horizontal lines of the bedding set. But the slightly curvy lines of the vines help soften the very linear feel of the pattern. Though it's difficult to see there is an accent pillow that has embroidered circles, so that's why I chose that fabric. Actually, the part that's showing is actually the reverse of the fabric. On the other side the flowers and vines are a much heavier embroidery and a bit too bold for the look I was aiming for.
Do I watch too much HGTV??

Weekend Wrap-up!

2009-03-02T07:00:00.001-06:00

Caption Contest Winner! This week is by default and it goes to Becca with her, "Spring is like Old Faithful; always erupts again!"
~~
Ok, Friday. Mom took Jenna Thursday night for a sleep-over and was to take her into school on Friday. Steve and I were out the door at 0515. Mallory pretty much stayed in our laps. At 0600 she got a cocktail of sedatuves. By 0620 she was snoring in my lap. At 0700 anesthesia came to get her. She opened an eye and laid her head on his shoulder.

Steve and I had a couple of breakfast sandwiches and juice and turned on the TV. Anesthesia came back at 0720 and said she was done! Dang, that was fast! Mallory came back to us at 0735 and slept on either myself or Steve until about 0915. Spoke with the doctor after her procedure and he said that a fair amount of thick fluid came out of her left ear and that it was too thick to drain on its own, so we feel better about having the tubes placed.

Got home about 0930 and Mal be-bopped with Steve for about an hour. I put her down for a nap around 1030 and she slept until 1345 - three hours!!During that time Steve helped me paint our bedroom. We got three walls done as the fourth wall was going to be an accent wall. It's painted a dark oatmeal and the accent wall I woolied two different shades of the wall color. We like it, but it's not the bold accent wall we were hoping for. So I'll stop at Lowe's today and get a quart of paint that is two shades darker and try again. I will get pictures when it's all done, but at least it's much close than it was 2 months ago!

I bought some fabric and made valances for the bedroom and I have the bathroom valance ready to go even though I haven't even started in the bathroom!

Since Mallory's surgery we've noticed that she isn't as loud, more than likely because she can hear herself now!

Caption Contest!!

2009-02-27T07:00:00.001-06:00

Mallory is having tubes placed today. I know this is a simple procedure (i had set #4 placed two years ago), but she's our baby. Jenna spent the night at mom's and she took Jen in to school. Hopefully we'll get some painting done this weekend, and I hope most of it is while Jenna's gone! It's so much easier getting stuff down with either no kids or just one.

Oh yes! Mallory was having her pre-surgical bath last night when she pooped in the sink! And it was solidly packed in the sink strainer! So I put her in the tub while Steve got the lovely task of cleaning and bleaching the sink and tub toys! First time she's done that! Not bad for 17 months old!

Alrighty.....after being able to grill out Tuesday and Wednesday, yesterday wasn't so nice out. It is still winter, I suppose.....so with that in mind I'll leave you with this photo of blue skies and green trees.

Have a great weekend and I'll see you on Monday!!

Fencing, Week 7

2009-02-25T07:00:00.001-06:00

Good gravy, this has gone fast!! I threw a chicken on the grill to smoke last night for dinner. Tonight is steak on the barbie.

Last night we worked on maintaining distance with our opponent and also worked on learning not to telegraph to your opponent what your plan is. That was something James mentioned when I (stupidly) went up against him. Granted he's been doing this for years but he pointed out that I "fish" with my blade (trying to ellicit a response by tapping my blade on his so I could deflect his blad away and I could go in for the kill) and by reading my posture he knew what I was going to do.

If I was planning to lunge I, apparently, would lean forward just prior to my action. He saw me do this and would retreat then move in to kill me.

Several times over.

We did some open fencing and my first partner was some cheezy kid that doesn't focus well. After doing a couple of drills he went all Star Wars on me, thinking he was Jedi hot-shit. I killed him.

Several times over.

I don't have time for this crap. I'm there to learn, not goof off. But I didn't say much for I didn't know if his parents were there or not. I reined him in a few times but that didn't last long.

After class Patrick worked with me on parrying and said my parrys are getting much stronger. To me, it feels like when I fence I'm just going after someone. I'm sure I'm parrying but if you were to ask me what I just did I'll shrug my shoulders and say, quite honestly, "I haven't the foggiest clue what I just did."

One of the dads that I like to go up against commented to Patrick about me saying that I'm relentless in my attacks.

"My husband says the same thing."

I went up again another dad whom I've never had the pleasure of fencing. He's a southpaw and that was very different for me. Everyone else is right-handed. So to fence when your opponent's weapon is on the same side as yours required some different strategy. I killed him a couple of times.

Spring Steel is March 14th, time TBA. I'll keep you posted!!

Weekend Wrap-up!!

2009-02-23T07:00:00.001-06:00

Caption Contest Winner: This week it goes to Nadine with her, "Oh Lord!! She's got roadkill on her head!!! What are they thinking is stylish about that????"

Oh, you are so right.....

Weight Watchers Update: Pleased to report a 2.2# drop from last week! This being me down to 214.2. I wonder if my Synthroid is kicking in?

Saturday Mal and I went to the mall for some walking and to give her a chance to play at the playground and burn off some steam. Met up with mom a short while later and walked another 1.5 miles on top of the previous 1.5 miles I did earlier. Noodled around the mall but didn't see any thing I just had to have. Later that night we went toa neighbor's house for a Mardi Gras party. Way too much food, but boy did it taste good. Steve and jenna have been suffering some mild effects of the sudden increase in rich and junk foods. Me? I've got a gut of steel and I'm doing just fine.

Jenna was part of the Angel Choir yesterday at church. They sang "Rock of Ages (Not the Def Leppard version)" and "Open The Eyes To My Heart." This was her first time singing before the congregation and she did GREAT (not that I'm biased, or anything)!!

In church yesterday it was Transformation Day; As the closing sermon in our latest series of "Wired For Worship" our Pastor discussed how one moment can completely transform someone and the moment after the moment. He told us a parable of a man who had been hurt emotionally and physically when he was younger. Because of past events he withdrew and became angry, lashing out at those around him, becoming lonely for fear of being hurt again. He turned to anger and other sinful distractions in an effort to escape. Finally he just got tired of it and he turned back to God and devoted his life to service for Him.

What he said next caught most everyone off-guard. The man he had just described was standing before us all. He got choked up, revealing this incredibly intimate and private part of his life in front of his congregation. I was floored. The stories I had heard of his life seemed idyllic; growing up on a farm in NW Iowa with a close-knit Christian family. This was the last thing I expected to hear.

After the service I waited in line to talk with him, but mainly just to give him a hug for being so brave.

PRB, if you're reading this, I love you and respect you even more for doing what you do.

Caption Contest!!

2009-02-20T07:47:00.003-06:00

Not much to say other than have a great weekend and I'll see you on Monday!

Once again, I LOVE fashion shows!!!

PROOF!!

2009-02-18T07:00:00.001-06:00

Mom went with me to class last night so she can see first-hand what I've been raving about for the last 6 weeks. So here I am, all suited up. Thankfully she didn't take a picture of me with the molded plastic chest piece.

This is Patrick, our esteemed coach. Bugger is only 22.

This is me going up against Curtis. He's dead.

Me agaisnt some other kid. He's dead, too.

Here we're playing "Kings and Queens." It's a form of open fencing and organized chaos all wrapped up together. There are two team captains and the rest of the team has the responsiblity of attacking the other team to "kill" their captain while protecting their own captain. We come up with game plans but those usually fly out the window.

Now class is over and we're open fencing. This is me against Alex, our other esteemed coach. He killed me.

Several times over.

I was in a much better mind-set than I was last week and have pretty much come to the conclusion that I'll stay back other 8 weeks. Looking at these pictures I can see that my feet are still not in the right position and my posture needs some work. I'm ok with that now.

There is a beginner's tournament on March 14th that will include two classes from Omaha and one from Lincoln. I think I'll do it. It's on Creighton's campus so I'll have to wear my colors.

BRING IT!!

Weekend Wrap-up!

2009-02-16T07:00:00.002-06:00

Caption Contest Winner: This week it goes to Aynde with, "Republican senators, in a last ditch effort to block the stimulus package, have started threatening the current administration with their deadly laser vision."
~~
Weight Watchers Update: Only up half-a-pound despite eating chocolate since Thursday. Dare I say I'm sick of chocolate (for the moment). It's almost obligatory to eat it, ya know? So Steve and I are taking some in to our respective offices. Yesterday I did buy two new pairs of jeans! I'm down to a 16W. My previous pairs I could take off without undoing them. Good times!
~~
Long weekend. Let's start with Friday. Big storm coming so all the school bailed and I had to stay home. Started some errands around 0900 when the visibility was probably at its worst. After going to the store I went to my chiro's office while the girls played in the waiting area. Wanted to get Mal's hair cut but they were closed. The roads were really pretty crappy and everyone forgot how to drive. Mal had a F/U appointment for her pink eye/ear infection originally scheduled for 2 but I switched it to 11. Come to find out that her right ear is still infected and it's not going anywhere. Made an ENT appointment for tomorrow to discuss tubes. While she was at the doctors she got two shots of Rocephin and we had to wait 20" to make sure she didn't have a reaction.

GUESS WHAT?!?!?!

She had a reaction! She went on benadryl for 24h. Once her ears are taken care of Dr. Hudson wants me to make an appointment with the pedi allergist (I know him) and get her tested for antibiotics. Swell.

By the time we got home I was mentally exhausted. Mallory slept for three hours. Jenna napped for two. Here are a few photos of the snow from Friday:This one shows about 6" of snow on our deck table. This happened in about 4 hours.
Looking out our front door across the street. Visibility wasn't great and this was 4 hours into the snow storm.
After the snow. There was no wind and, therefore, didn't blow off on where it collected. I love my whirly-gig-thingy.
This lump, believe it or not, is Jenna's sand box.
Jenna's rocekt swing.
A gazing ball on the deck.
My gargoyle, Mikhail, on the front porch.

Mallory's first ride in the sled on Saturday. She wasn't too thrilled with it.

The snowman Jen and I made on Sunday. I love these "warm" snows. Sunday was sunny and 30 with no wind. Very pleasant.

Valentine's Day rolled around without a whole lot of fanfare. Personally, I despise the holiday and all its crass commercialism. But I did something this year that my dad did a couple of time for me when I was older.

One of Nebraska's cities in the sandhills is called Valentine. And every year people from around the world participate in Cupid's Mailbox. You amil cards to Cupid and they will, in turn, apply a special postmark. I was afraid I mailed mine too late but everyone got their cards either Friday or Saturday. Give a try next year.

Saturday afternoon mom came home from her bike trip to Costa Rica. Yeah, she's really enjoying her retirement! By the sounds of it she had a great time and her emails reflected that. She mentioned quite a few animals she'd seen in the jungle like howler monkeys, cuatamundis, sloths, iguanas, azure butterflies. She kept expecting to see King Kong come out of the cloud forest. I knew she was tired but I invited her to join us at Mama's Pizza for Valentine's dinner of beer and pizza. She gladly accepted. The place wasn't too busy and the food/beer was wonderful.

Mallory got her hair cut Saturday. I originally had jus the sides and top trimmed up thinking I was going to let it grow out like Jenna's. But it's so cute as a modified "Dorothy Hamil" that I think I'll keep it short. Surprisingly at this age with the short hair she doesn't look like a boy. We all know how androgenous toddlers are, but she's got enough feminine facial features that you still know, ya know? Did that even make sense??

Sunday....gawd the house is a disaster. Still haven't gotten around to painting our bedroom. Dishes piled up in the kitchen, toys scattered throughout the house. I can only put up with that for just so long before I snap and it's gotta get straightened up. I know it'll only last for an hour or two, but it helps redirect the energy (mine) and the stress level goes down.

So I'll know more tomorrow about when Mal goes infor tubes. I'd rather have the surgery than rounds and rounds of antibiotics. I know it's a simple procedure and I've had ti done four times, but this will be the first-ever surgery for either of my kids and I'm wary.

Caption Contest!!

2009-02-13T07:00:00.003-06:00

I think part of my problem Wednesday night is that methinks it's apporaching "that time" as I've been moody and munchy the last few days. I'll blame this on hormones, mmm'k?

S'posta get snow today ranging anywhere from 4-12" depending on who you listen to. To me, that's too big a berth. Might as well admit you have no FREAKIN' CLUE what's going to happen when and where and how much.

No idea what's going on this weekend. Guess I'll kow when it happens, right? Have a great weekend and I'll see you on Monday!!

Open Night

2009-02-12T07:00:00.000-06:00

<-- Me, last night.

After Steve decided not to go to the gym last night as he's not feeling well, I opted to go to open fencing at another center that has the intermediate classes.

I suited up and this time, I put on a sleeveless lame' in order to do electric fencing. This is the same format on than the foil has an outlet and you have a body cord that runs through your jacket and attack sleeve. Then you're hooked up to a box with a cord that is attached to the score box. There is a slight drag to the cord. This format is used in competition as the weapons move so fast it's difficult to accurrately award points.

I went up against James, the intermediate instructor. Yeah. I don't think I'm ready to advance just yet. Maybe I'm being too hard on myself because I feel like I'm doing pretty well in the beginner class and Patrick thinks I can movc on. I think I was only able to get three hits in a span of about 10 minutes.

It was incredibly frustrating for me last night. James is a bit more abrupt than Patrick and maybe his demeanor just didn't settle well with me. I fought back tears and kept biting my lip so I wouldn't break down when James was coaching me.

Will it wound my ego if I stay back another session? Perhaps. Fencing is a difficult sport and I know I'm not at the level of training where I can read my opponent and attacks/retreats come instinctually. I need to be there first before I can move on.

Fencing, Week 5

2009-02-11T07:00:00.004-06:00

<---Not me, in case you were wondering.....

Last night was pretty much open fencing. I didn't miss much last week with being sick and I was choppin' at the bit to get back to class. I stuck around after class and Patrick, the instructor, completely slaughtered me. But he's so gosh darned gracious about it.

He worked with me on my lunge distance and how to maintain enough defensive distance and throwing in a counter-attack. Then I watched Patrick and Alex duel for about 15", then I wanted to go up against Alex. He beat me 5-3. I did mention to Patrick that I've been considering advancing to the intermediate level unless he thought I should take the beginners class again to really solidify my footwork and parrying. He thought I can advance! He's been fencing for seven years so he should know!

I jokingly asked when will we discuss Capofello and Hisangleeper. He smiled while Alex was clearly confused. So Patrick told him it was from The Princess Bride. "Oh, I've only seen that once." huh-WHAH?!?!?! Patrick threatened him that he was going to have a party where TPB would be watched a minimum of three times. Then I told them the story of how I met Mandy Patinkin.

When I was in college in '92-'94, my part-time job was working at the performance hall for play, musicals, and any other tour that came to our campus (like the Canadian Brass and Carrot Top, though not together). Anywho, months in advance we learned that Mandy Patinkin would be stopping as part of a subscription tour. I immediately called backstage because by golly, I was meeting this actor! With these kinds of tours student tickets are available. His show went very quickly.

It was his Broadway "Dress Casual" tour. I heard that he had a beard but was expecting just a light scruff. I was backstage getting my headset ready when this man walked onto the stage in a plaid flannel shirt, khakis, and running shoes. This man had a full beard. He saw me and said, "Hey, how ya doin'?" "Good, thanks." Didn't even recognize who it was until I focused on his eyes.

HOLY CRAP!!! I JUST SPOKE TO MANDY PATINKIN AND I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW IT!!!!

I didn't enjoy his show, I didn't like his voice or the way he sings. But fast-forward to the end of the show. He walked right up to the edge of the stage and says, "This is a college campus and I do this at all college campuses so you older folks might not understand."

Then.....he crouched down and said in that Spaniard voice, "Hallow. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."

LIGHTS OUT!! And he ran backstage.

LIGHTS UP!!! The college students are fist pumping the air and making all sorts of noise while the older folks and looking at each other, completely confused at what just happened.

I have a picture of the two of us and he signed my program. Can I prove that right now? No, everything is packed under the stairs.

Just trust me on this one......

In Spite Of Everything....

2009-02-10T07:00:00.003-06:00

....I have lost almost 45#. However, I have recently been diagnosed as having Hashimoto's hypothyroidism. For those that know anything about hypothyroidism, symptoms include fatigue and weight gain.

Uhmmm....yeah. I've lost almost 45# since June. And I have said on multiple occassions that this has been the fastest and easiest 45# I have ever lost.

So here's the story. I had a physical back in September. I had lost almost 30# at that time and I wanted to see what my numbers were ie lipid profile, comprehensive metabolic panel, and complete blood count. Given my extensive familial history of heart disease my PCP added a TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) level to be drawn. TSH is produced by the pituitary gland. The TSH stimulates the thyroid to produce T3 and T4. Usual normal high of TSH is around 5.6. My TSH level came back as 12.5; more than double. This was quite a surprise for me as I'd been losing weight purposefully. My T3&4 levels were fine. This might have been a fluke reading or a snapshot of hypothyroidism where my T3&4 were normal but could be on their way up. My PCP wanted another level drawn in December. Pretty standard procedure.

So what all these numbers mean is that it was taking more TSH to keep my thyroid going. Eventually my thyroid would peter out and I'd be full-blow hypothyroid.

December rolled around and my TSH level was up to 13 while my T3&4 remained normal. Now my PCP was ready to hand things over to an endocrinologist as nothing had really changed.

Had an appointment with the endocrinologist in mid-January. She and her resident took a very detailed history. In looking over signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism I had a few and some that didn't even occur to me like brittle hair. I've noticed that while on my pillow will be hairs with roots on them there have also been shorter hairs with no roots, like they had broken off at night.

Chronic dry skin. It's winter with forced heat, why would I think of this? But I have dry skin all year round. It's nothing that bothers me, just slather up with lotion and I'm good until my next shower.

I had noticed starting sometime last summer that my cycles have changed. (Sorry, Tom! I know you don't want to know this!!) I've always been irregular, but how I start changes all the time. Normally I don't spot. Some months I'll spot for 2 days before anything happens. Some months I'll be really heavy for the first 2 days then POOF! All done. I mentioned this to my OB last fall and he had my September bloodwork. He put his hands up and said, "It's your thyroid."

Interesting....

The following morning after my appointment with the endocrinologist I had a thyroid ultrasound. I know, this is getting fairly intense! After the tech finished up I asked, "So, in your non-professional opinion, of which you're not supposed to tell me anything, what did you see?" She noted increased heterogenous vascularity ie more blood flow. She did not see any tumors or goiter.

The endocrinologist got back to me a bout a week later with the results and she told me I'm classic Hashimoto's. I did a little research and discovered it's an auto-immune disorder. Hashimoto's usually starts off as hyperthyroid within the first 12 months of having a baby. This would explain why the weight was pretty easy in coming off. Then the thyroid becomes "normal" as it's burning itself up at re-entry. Eventually the thyroid won't be able to keep up.

So even though my T3&4 levels are normal, they won't be for much longer. I still have a hard time wrapping my head around this as I've felt fine. This was the furthest thing from my mind that could happen.

On the flip-side, hypothryoidism is so easily treated with thyroid pills. Right now I'm on the lowest dose of 50 mikes (mcg). I'll go back in March for another level to make sure I'm on the right path, then I'll the endocrinologist again in May.

Prolonged untreated hypothyroidism will lead to a goiter which is where the thyroid is enlarged. It can also lead to infertility and mental retardation if the woman is pregnant. Pretty important stuff! And given that women of child-bearing potential are 10- to 20-times more likely to develop this instead of men suggests a strong hormonal component during pregnancies.

If I'm supposed to be fatigued, I shudder to think what I'll be like with full energy!!

Weekend Wrap-up!!

2009-02-09T07:00:00.000-06:00

Caption Contest Winner!! This week goes to Nadine with her, "Damn, I need to clean this more often!!"
~~
Weight Watchers Update: Without even trying to eat within my points as I was still feeling like crap until Thursday, I did manage to drop 0.8#, bringing me down to 215.8.
~~
Thursday the weather was fabulous; 62! Mom and I went for a walk as she was leaving Friday to go to Costa Rica for a bike trip. Went for a walk Friday again, and Saturday I grilled again; bison burgers, chicken thighs, and chicken boobies. Made potato salad, grilled some veggies (yes, Tom, more Brussel sprouts and included some cauliflower and snow peas in to the mix). After my second walk Saturday I cleaned up the back yard; two grocery bags of Thursday poop. Now she gets to start all over again!

Steve caught a mild version of whatever I had, just a sore throat and a bit of a cough. I took my last Levaquin this morning for my sinus infection, so hopefully that will take care of things. Now that my nose isn't so stuffy I"m able to get my ears open again, but there's still fluid there and loud noises make my ears sound like a subwoofer on the fritz. How often I've contemplated getting permanent tubes placed......I've had four sets, the last set was just two years ago!

Hopefully I'll be back up to full steam for fencing class tomorrow. I was hoping togo last week if I had a nap, but after sitting at my desk for three hours and realizing that just the mental prowness needed to sit at my desk was kicking the crap outta me, what business did I have to attempt fairly rigorous physical activity??

Caption Contest!!

2009-02-06T09:20:00.002-06:00

It's Friday and I can BREATHE!! Have a great weekend and I'll see you on Monday!

I Need A Cow

2009-02-03T07:00:00.000-06:00

Or rather, Mallory does.

I've resorted to buying two gallons of milk every week to keep up with her! Last week Steve suggested I fill her sippy cup with water. So I gave it a try.

I put the water in front of her and she looked at it. Then she looked up at me. I knew exactly what was running through her head, "I can see through this cup and I can see through you. I am no amused."

Weekend Wrap-Up

2009-02-01T14:49:00.011-06:00

Caption Contest Winner! Going for the trifectoa is Gina with her, "If Kristi can work from home in her jammies, I can pick my nose in public!"

And for that jealous statement, I, therefore, send another round of really shitty winter weather your way! Is it there yet??? ;-)
~~
Weight Watchers Update: This week I post neutral, which is ok since I've felt like shit since Wednesday. I work in a hospital, fercryinoutloud, surrounded by the scourge of society, and yet it's my two darling little cess pools know as my children that bring me to my knees.
~~
I started really coming down with something after getting Mallory over pink eye Monday night. I shold have stayed home Wednesday and Thursday, but as I am such the dedicated employee I hacked and snarfed my way into the office.

Friday I opted to work from home as I had a three-hour teleconference and had a bunch of spread sheet tuff to work on. I was feeling pretty good that day. Steve and Jenna went to DSM Friday night as it's been a year since his dad passed away. And, for that matter, a year since I had to put Lexi down. What a year it's been. I went walking with Mallory and mom on Saturday at the mall and whatever "feeling good" I had Friday vaporized in the middle of the night. I finally resorted to calling one of our Pulmonary fellows so he could call something in for me whcih consisted of a burst of prednisone 60mg x 5 days along with five days of levoquin 750 mg.

Saturday was an absolutely gorgeous day, probably around 55. I loaded up the grill with two sirloins, two bacon-wrapped turkey London Broils, two boneless pork chops, and about two racks of ribs. Smoked it all. Isn't that grill a thing of beauty??

I'm not cooking the rest of the week.

Unfortunately I was feeling too ill and tired in the end to enjoy any of it. Steve and Jen got home just fine.

So I'm staying home again today. I feel almost human after 11 hours of sleep. Still tired but not so foggy in the head. It's not very often that I get taken down like this.

Ugh.....

Caption Contest!!

2009-01-30T08:39:00.003-06:00

I'm working from home today; 3-hour teleconference and some spread sheet stuff. I've been sick the last couple of days though today is the best I've felt all week! I could get used to working from home in the comfort of my jammies!

So here is my contribution for the week! Have a great weekend and I'll see you on Monday!

#1 Song

2009-01-28T11:22:00.001-06:00

Do you know what the #1 song was when you were born? Go to this site and find out!!

Mine is "Time In A Bottle" by Jim Croce.

HEY LADY!!!

2009-01-27T07:00:00.001-06:00

Saturday Mallory and I were getting ready to head to the mall for some walk-n-talk time. All you have to tell Mallory is, "Let's go bye-bye." and she's half-way down the stairs looking for her coat. Apparently I wasn't moving fast enough for her. I was in the kitchen and could see her about 20' feet away from me. We could see each other when she hollered at the top of her lungs,

"MOMMA!! MOMMA!!!"

"What?!?!"

"Hi!"

Good thing she's cute....

Update - Mallory now has pink eye. YAY DAYCARE!!!

Weekend Wrap-up

2009-01-26T07:00:00.001-06:00

Caption Contest Winner! This week it, once again, goes to Gine with her, "Argh, where are me prunes..."
~~
Weight Watchers Update: This week I post a 2# gain. And I'm ok with it. Large meals towards the end of the week and a fundraiser loaded with free wine, cheese, and chocolate. How could I not?
~~
Quiet weekend to report. I was hoping Steve and I could start painting our bedroom, but it didn't work out. I still need to finish the wall prep in the BR and BA. It'll happen and it will look so much better!

We got 2-3" of fluffy snow Saturday night and it was the perfect glinting snow made from perfect snowflakes which I delighted in showing Jenna what a snow flake looks like. After church and lunch she and I dressed in our winter woolies while Steve put Mallory down for a nap. Jen and I went sledding. Yes it was cold, about 10 degrees. But we dressed in layers and She ran around the hills while I pulled her around. In fact, I was sweating pulling her up the hill. We had a great time, and then we read some books and snuggled before her nap. I haven't had fun in the snow like that for quite some time. And because of this I'm anxious for when Mallory is old and big enough to join us outside.

Caption Contest!!!

2009-01-23T07:00:00.000-06:00

So, it's Friday. Yesterday, I grilled outside. Threw some London Broils on the barbie and grilled up a red onion and a mess of Brussel sprouts. Oh sure, those with gas grills can grill anytime, and even more convenient are those with the gas line coming out of the house. But there's just something special about charcoal grilling in January, or anytime during the off-season for that matter, that just makes the food taste better. It helped that it was 50 yesterday so I had the deck doors open. Another fine treat.

Today? 25. This weekend? Arctic blast with snow. Back at it, again. But these little unseasonable breaks make it a bit more bearable.

So with it being Friday, that could only mean one thing! Have a great weekend and I'll see you on Monday!!

God is pleased with me?

2009-01-22T08:54:00.003-06:00

Yesterday I had a doctor's appointment, as did Mallory. I scheduled them close enough together to justify taking a half-day. It was absolutely GORGEOUS outside yesterday; almost 50! I was bummed, then, with my scheduling as I probably wasn't going to have enough time for a walk with the two appointments then getting my oil changed.

Mal's appointment was very quick, just a follow-up ear infection from a couple of weeks ago. She was back at daycare an hour before my appointment so I drove to the clinic and decided to go for a walk! YAY ME!!

As I started my walk through the neighborhood I saw all sorts of plastic bottles and aluminum cans just laying around. I really wished I had a bag in my car so I could pick this stuff up and bring it home to recycle, but alas, t'was not meant to be.

I must have really been upset about not having a plastic bag with me as I kept having a discussion in my head about keeping one in the car just in case. There was still a fair amount of ice on the sidewalks and at crossways so I spent a good deal of my time looking down at the ground watching my step so I wouldn't fall.

Sure enough when I crossed a street, there waiting for me on the sidewalk was a dry brown paper bag with handles from Panera! So I picked it up and started collecting recyclables for the next 20 minutes until my appointment time. The bag was filled when I was done.

So I said a little prayer of thanks for the beautiful day, the nice gap in appointments that allowed me to get a walk in, and for leaving me a paper bag to continue my small quest of cleaning up Omaha.

Fencing, Second Lesson

2009-01-21T07:00:00.000-06:00

Last night we got to suit up!!!

First to go on is the plastron which is, basically, a half-jacket comprising of one sleeve. This goes over your attacking shoulder. Next is the jacket, usually a back-zip. Then you have the glove, mask, and foil.

We reviewed advance and retreat, lunge and recover. We learned parry four and parry seven which are defensive manuevers to protect your off-shoulder and off-hip. We even got to jab each other with the foils!! *squeals*

This is a video example of parry 4. Parry 7 is similar only that the blade is dropped a bit to protect the off-hip.

We were also informed at the end of class that we can stick around for another hour, if we wanted, for another hour to practice after class. I'll have to do that next week. I do know that my right thigh is going to be tender in the next few days as this is my lead leg and there's a lot of pressure on it as the video clip shows. But so far I'm really enjoying the class!

I'm just waiting until we get to discuss Cappofello, Bonnetti's Defense, and Hisangleeper.

Weekend Wrap-up!!

2009-01-19T07:00:00.000-06:00

Caption Contest Winner! This week's winner is Gina with her, "Who says tinsel is just for Christmas Trees?"
~~
Weight Watchers Update! Decent loss to report; down 1.6# bringing me down to 214.6 for a total loss of 43.4#.

I've often wondered and reflected on why is this go-around so much more successful than my previous attempts? I'm approaching my all-time (recent) low of 205 a mere three years ago. Granted I was running at the time, of which ain't happenin' now. I am at the weight when Steve and I got married 11 years ago. However, after two children, things just aren't quite put back where they should be. Kind of like the state of our house with two kids.

The reason I'm doing this at home and not attending meetings is simple. This is my third or fourth trip on the WW merry-go-round so I know the schpeel, I know the routine, I know the tricks, and I know my pitfalls. So why should I spend $40/month just to hear it all over again?

After my reflection I think I've come to the conclusion that, while it never should have been a competition, I made the meetings into a competition. You want the attention and accolades of standing up in the group, receiving your ribbon or star. And though the leaders never said anything negative if you gained in a week, I felt that they were in some silent, non-verbal way. And if I didn't get stars as quickly as some other members I got discouraged.

This time around at home I'm not proving anything to anyone. I'm doing this for me. As I always have before. But I don't have an audience to prove anything to. Does that even make sense?? It never should have been about them and proving myself to them. But I made it that way and that's why I think I failed.

Which is where I think Steve is struggling. He sees me dropping over 40# and he'd only been able to do 10#. Granted, he doesn't eat fruits of veggies, doesn't drink enough water, doesn't get additional exercise outside of work. But those are his choices. I think I've given him the tools he needs to be sucessful, but just like quitting everything else, if you're not ready to make the changes then no one can make you. I want him to succeed. Not only for his health but for the furture of his family.

Caption Contest!!

2009-01-16T07:00:00.000-06:00

Golly, I love fashion shows! Have a great weekend and I'll see you on Monday!

Am I Over-reacting??

2009-01-15T07:00:00.000-06:00

On Tuesdays Jenna has show-n-tell in her Pre-K class. Tuesday night she told us that one of her friends brought in a Cheetah Girls video and they watched some it.

It's been my understanding that the Cheetah Girls is geared towards the 'tween generation. I asked Jenna, "Do the Cheetah Girls wear really short dresses?"

"Yeah." I was not happy to hear this was being shown to 5 year-olds.

Yesterday I called the principal and voiced my concern. She had never heard of the Cheetah Girls but told me she'd look in to it. In my conversation with the principal I acknowledged that the teacher can't control what is brought in for show-n-tell. I was dismayed that she chose to show it.

I'm not a prude by any means, but given the chronic, wide-spread, low self-esteem issues that our Nation's girls have already, I don't need for it to start with my five year old.

A couple of hours later she phoned me back and said she had discussed this with Jenna's teacher. Her teacher said it was a 'G' rated video and they watched about 15 minutes of it. She did indicate that from now on no outside videos would be shown unless the teacher had screened them first.

Regardless if it's a 'G' rated video, is it still appropriate for five year olds? In my mind, no. Then again, parents are over-protective at times; sometimes for good reason, and sometimes not.

I may have over-reacted but I'm sticking to my guns. I don't care if the Cheetah Girls is on the Disney Channel. There's a lot of shows on that channel that are not appropriate for pre-schoolers.

Whaddaya think??

En garde!

2009-01-14T07:00:00.000-06:00

Last night was my first lesson in fencing. This is a sport not many talk about around the water cooler, I can assure you.

Outside of my utter love and devtion to all things Princess Bride, I've been intrigued with fencing for 20 years when I was at Shakespeare On The Green. There was a group of fencers giving demonstrations during the pre-show. Now that the girls are older and Jenna can get herself ready for bed while Steve puts Mallory down, I figured this might be a good time to give it a try.

Last night we just worked on footing; en garde, advance, retreat, lunge, and recover. I took three advil when I came home as my quads and shoulders are mushy. And next week I need to remember to take my albuterol before class as I was coughing and wheezing a fair amount when I came home. YAY exercise-induced asthma!!!

Enter the jokes, Tom.....There's about 20 of us in class. I'm the only woman and one of the oldest. Yes, I'm surrounded by pre-pube boys!!! Oh well. I still enjoyed it and we were informed that in March we'll be eligible for a beginners tourny!!

I have no idea how far and how long I'll do this, but it's something of interest. Dare I say, I'm also interested in belly dancing???

Weekend Wrap-up

2009-01-12T07:00:00.001-06:00

Weight Watchers Update: After my first official week back on the wagon after the holidays, I'm pleased to report a 5.6# drop. I started the week at 221.8 and ended it at 216.2. WIth this new weigh-in, I weigh less than I did at the start of the holidays.
~~
Not a bad weekend to report. Just the usual domestic crap. Steve and I are taking today off as we're hoping to re-fi the house. Jenna's Christmas Program has also been rescheduled for this afternoon. As we both have floating holidays hours we decided to make a day of it and get stuff done.

I did manage to clean out the bottom of my closet. I've been saving onesies and shirts that the grils' have worn that are my favorites. I had been keeping thm in a tote but the tote was so big my shoes wouldn't fit and kept spilling out onto the floor. Now, despite common myths of the female gender, I am not a shoe maven. Regardless I was getitng mildly annoyed.

The next step was to find my rotary cutter and cutting board. Why you ask? It is my plan that when I'm done collecting clothes I'm going to make a quilt out of my favorite swatches. Granted, it's still going to be a few years down the road before I'm ready to tackle this project. But that's my plan.

I was never this sentimental before I had kids.

Sadness

2009-01-08T09:57:00.003-06:00

Today, as I was thumbing through Yahoo! News, I found this article that literally brought tears to my eyes.

In it, it tells of a 16-year old girl who gave birth to a boy and drowned him in the toilet, then threw him away in a plastic bag.

Threw. him. away. No regard to his life or his potential.

This baby didn't ask to be conceived. This baby didn't ask to be born. This baby didn't ask to be killed.

Meanwhile, there are families yearning to love a baby as their own.

Did the State fail this baby, or does it rest solely on the girl and her parents? Did they seek every opportunity to provide a stable and loving home for this boy?

I think of my own children as I grapple with the thought that there are people out there who are incapable of loving children and therefore, subject them to verbal, physical, and sexual abuse, who are willing to sell their children for drugs.

For years I regarded myself as Pro-Choice. But once I had children of my own and discovered the joy and heartache they bring to me on a daily basis, I find that my views have changed.

Help me understand what goes through peoples' minds when they make such decisions like this.

Then again, maybe I don't want to know.

Economic Downturn - Good?

2009-01-06T07:00:00.002-06:00

Yes, Tom. Fencing. ;-)
~~
I can't help but wonder is this recession isn't such a bad thing. Think about it....

During The Great Depression, granted things were a lot worse, but people had to ration and scrimp and make sacrifices to make ends meet. Enter WWII. Again, more rationing and living within their means, making sacrifices. After the war our country saw a HUGE explosion of businesses, inventions, and ideas.

The country was in unity.

And things got done. Progress was made.

But it didn't come easy. Nearly everyone had to give up something in order to contribute to the overall success of our country. We quickly became the most prosperous country in the world thanks to a lot of hard work.

Are we that bad now? Not even close. But with so many huge corporations folding because of lousy planning and infrastructure, this could very well pave the way for "the little guy" to step up and fill in the gaps and rebuild the economy from the ground up.

And look at where we are now. Gasoline sales are down, first because of gas being $4/gallon, then because of slower economic times. People are walking more, driving less, saving a little extra money. People had to buy cheaper, more fuel-efficient vehicles.

Holiday sales were down everywhere. People were unsure about their next paycheck. People found other ways to celebrates the holidays that didn't involve searching for the perfect gift.

We, as a nation, are capable of solving this and coming out for the better. That's just who we are. That is what this country was founded on; ideas, visions, and dreams.

Maybe I'm just the eternal optomist.

Two-week Wrap-up!

2009-01-05T07:00:00.001-06:00

After being away for 10 days it's going to be a bit difficult to get back into the swing of things....
~~
Weight Watcher's Update: The holidays are finally over and it's time to get back on the wagon. I didn't do as badly as I had feared with 5w off. I started Thanksgiving at 220 and ended Christmas at 228. New Year's week I unofficially started up again, meaning I wasn't counting points yet but drinking more water and eating more fruit and throwing out yummy treats like chocolates and cookies. That really hurts, to throw away yummies like that. But it's the long-term goal that I'm shooting for. Saturday Steve and I officially started counting points and my weigh-in was a pleasant 221.8 (down from 228 the previous week) so not near the hole to crawl out of as I had anticipated. It's going to be a bit more difficult with exercise and the weather as I really just don't like going to a gym. However, next week I start beginners fencing. I'm looking forward to that!
~~
Boy, am I glad the holidays are over! As much as we say that we're going to cut back and scale down the food, gifts, and celebrations, we never do. Why is that? The holidays went well, all things considered. Steve and I finished our kitchen face-lift about three days before Christmas Eve. I'm sure not having that stress right before the holidays would have made things a lot easier, but where's the fun in that??? I didn't take any formal "before-and-after" shots but I think I have enough here to give you a general idea.
In this picture you can sort of see the white-ish cabinets and the slightly darker wall color. Too milk-toast for me. Th countertops are a light terra cotta-esque with splotches of brown, cream, and teal in it. I never liked the countertops because they just didn't look good against the walls. Steve bought two unpainted base cabinets and ordered a custom countertop. Thankfully the formica we have is still being produced! I decided to paint the kitchen at the same time. Trying to find a paint color proved more challenging that I had anticipated. With mom's help we settled on a butterscotch.

Here's the new addition. Whenever we get around to actually redoing the kitchen this is what I had envisioned; a full horse shoe (the side withe DW has the sink, and there's another back of cabinets behind me). It's the most logical use of space.In this picture you can see that I sponged one wall a metallic copper. THis entry way leads into the dining room. I found the plate at Pier 1 and it's in brown, copper, and gold. The counter chairs we got at Nebraska Furniture Mart on close-out for $70/each. There's an inset of verdigris and copper-colored stone and I re-upholstered the chairs in a copper micro suede. The valance I whipped up in one afternoon and it's a shiney striped fabric with maroon, copper, gold, bronze and I put a maroon woven ribbon on the bottom edge for physical and visual weight.

We figured that for less than $800 we have a new kitchen with more drawers and counter space and this will hold us for a few more years. We'd like to do a complete tear-out with stained wood cabinets and new appliances, but for now, this works just fine.

Time to get back to work in earnest. It's nice working for a university that's closed during the holidays so I don't necessarily have to work. There were a couple of days where the kids went to daycare and I stayed home. But, I guess all good things must come to an end.

I know there is more to report but right now it's not coming out. I hope all of you had a peaceful and successful holiday season.

It's good to be back.

Greetings This Christmas

2008-12-24T07:00:00.002-06:00

Listen

Be Gentle

Laugh A Little

Find The Time

Mend a Quarrel

Keep A Promise

Encourage Youth

Give A Soft Answer

Welcome A Stranger

Share Some Treasure

Express Your Gratitude

Seek Out A Forgotten Friend

Apologize If You Were Wrong

Gladden The Heart Of A Child

Take Pleasure In the Beauty

and Wonder Of The Earth

Speak Your Love

Speak It Again

Speak It Still Once More

Merry Christmas, my friends...

Is "Green" A Disease?

2008-12-23T07:00:00.001-06:00

Lately, I've found myself actively looking for recyclables whenever I go out for walks, especially if Mallory is with me. If I find a plastic bottle or pop can I toss it into the basket of Mal's stroller and bring it home so I can put them in the recyle bin. I continually kick myself if I'm out walking without Mallory and I didn't grab a plastic bag.

It's gotten to the point that I'll scour the curbs when I drive home, just looking for a "gold mine." I chose my routes based on what I see driving home. Yes, I wash my hands when I'm done.

I know it's not much of an effort but if we are stewards of the Earth, then it's our duty to take better care of it. At times it seems like our efforts are too little, too late.

Perhaps I'm looking for affirmation that what I'm doing is a good thing and not weird. Perhaps I need someone to flat out say, "HEY! What you're doing is weird! Knock it off!"

Have I gotten too OCD with this??

Blog Swap!

2008-12-22T07:00:00.002-06:00

A couple of weeks ago Becca asked me I wanted to participate in her Christmas Blog Swap. Having never done one before (and she asked me to not make her beg) I decided to give it a go. I was matched up with Cindy aka Thotlady. Below is a pictorial review of my goodie box:
Said opened box exposing said goodies.
The first thing I grabbed because the tag caught my eye. DO YOU SEE THAT?!?!?! Glorious Ghiradelli chocolates! I did share with Stevie. I had the mint ones *swoon* and he took the caramel ones.
Next out was the cute little faux suede bag. Inside said bag was this:
Aren't they cute?? L'il salt-n-pepper shakers like ornaments!
Next is this lovely and warm scarf from Old Navy. I don't even know this woman and I think she likes me. She really likes me!
I didn't know what this was at first, then as I figured out how to open it I remembered my friend, Jealaine, has one, too!
It's a reusable bag that you can fold back into its pocket and toss in your purse or jeans pocket, I s'pose....that is, if you have really roomy pockets. But then you'll have the weird bulge in a weird spot, so perhaps it's better in a coat pocket or back in your purse where it belongs.
Then there was a compact mirrow and matching emory board from Bath & Body Works, followed closely by this:

A gift box of stinky (in a good way!) B&BW stuff. I found it rather humorous that my giftee, Jen, also received many things from me from B&BW. Can't seem to go wrong with them, eh?

This was a new and fun experience. If I have the opportunity to do this again next year, I think I just might!

Thou Shalt Not Skim Flavor From The Holidays

2008-12-19T07:00:00.002-06:00

By Craig Wilson, USA TODAY

I hate this time of year. Not for its crass commercialism and forced frivolity, but because it's the season when the food police come out with their wagging fingers and annual tips on how to get through the holidays without gaining 10 pounds. You can't pick up a magazine without finding a list of holiday eating do's and don'ts. Eliminate second helpings, high-calorie sauces and cookies made with butter, they say. Fill up on vegetable sticks, they say. Good grief. Is your favorite childhood memory of Christmas a carrot stick? I didn't think so. Isn't mine, either. A
carrot was something you left for Rudolph.

I have my own list of tips for holiday eating. I assure you, if you follow them, you'll be fat and happy. So what if you don't make it to New Year's? Your pants won't fit anymore, anyway.

1. About those carrot sticks. Avoid them. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. Like fine single-malt scotch, it's rare. In fact, it's even rarer than single-malt scotch. You can't find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-aholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.

4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skimmed milk or whole milk. If it's skimmed, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello? Remember college?

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. You can't leave them behind. You're not going to see them again. Ever.

8. Same for pies. Apple. Pumpkin. Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or, if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?

9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards, mate.

10. And one final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Reread tips. Start over. But hurry! Cookieless January is just around the corner!!

Fruit Cake Recipe

2008-12-18T07:00:00.003-06:00

Sample the whiskey to check for quality. Take a large bowl. Check the whiskey again to be sure that it is of the highest quality.

Pour 1 level cup and drink. Repeat. Turn on the electric mixer; beat 1 cup butter in a large fluffy bowl.

Add 1 teaspoon sugar and beat again. Make sure the whiskey is still okay. Cry another tup.

Turn off the mixer. Break two legs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit.

Mix on the turner. If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers, pry it loose with a drewscriver.

Sample the whiskey to check for tonsisticity.

Next, sift 2 cups of salt. Or something. Who cares!

Check the whiskey.

Now sift the lemon juice and strain your nuts.

Add one table. Spoon. Of sugar or something. Whatever you can find.

Grease the oven. Turn the cake tin to 350 degrees.

Don't forget to beat off the turner.

Throw the bowl out of the window.

Check the whiskey again. Go to bed.

Who the hell likes fruitcake anyway?

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

2008-12-17T07:00:00.003-06:00

The first snow of the season always puts me more in the Christmas spirit. After blowing out our house I did the two neighbors' drives down from us as part of the Advent Conspiracy of spending less money, giving more of yourself, and loving all as Jesus did. Then Thursday and I went for a walk around the neighborhood. Here's what we found:

I am a Katharine!

2008-12-16T07:00:00.001-06:00

Thanks, Meg!!

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

You Are a Katharine!

You are a Katharine -- "I am happy and open to new things"

Katharines are energetic, lively, and optimistic. They want to contribute to the world.

How to Get Along with Me

* Give me companionship, affection, and freedom.

* Engage with me in stimulating conversation and laughter.

* Appreciate my grand visions and listen to my stories.

* Don't try to change my style. Accept me the way I am.

* Be responsible for youself. I dislike clingy or needy people.

* Don't tell me what to do.

What I Like About Being a Katharine

* being optimistic and not letting life's troubles get me down

* being spontaneous and free-spirited

* being outspoken and outrageous. It's part of the fun.

* being generous and trying to make the world a better place

* having the guts to take risks and to try exciting adventures

* having such varied interests and abilities

What's Hard About Being a Katharine

* not having enough time to do all the things I want

* not completing things I start

* not being able to profit from the benefits that come from specializing; not making a commitment to a career

* having a tendency to be ungrounded; getting lost in plans or fantasies

* feeling confined when I'm in a one-to-one relationship

Katharines as Children Often

* are action oriented and adventuresome

* drum up excitement

* prefer being with other children to being alone

* finesse their way around adults

* dream of the freedom they'll have when they grow up

Katharines as Parents

* are often enthusiastic and generous

* want their children to be exposed to many adventures in life

* may be too busy with their own activities to be attentive

Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at HelloQuizzy

Weekend Wrap up

2008-12-15T07:00:00.000-06:00

Caption Contest Winner! This week it's Nadine with her, "Go!! Fight!! Win!! Dude Spot me!!!"
~~
It's been another one of those weekend where I need to go back to work just so I can relax. It all started Friday night with a subject I enrolled in one of my studies; didn't leave the hospital until 1845 (after being there since 0715) and knowing I would be back at 0600-ish Saturday.. After I finishe dup with my subject Saturday morning I went to the mall to walk with mom and her friends, then had coffee. Went to Lowe's to look at paint samples for our mini-kitchen remodel.

Our countertop are in an L shape with a decent space for a table. We eat in the dining room so the eat-in area is basically wasted. So for our anniversary present Steve bought two unfinished base cabinets and a new counterop to make a horse shoe with a bar of sorts into the eat-in area and getting rid of the kitchen table all together. I figured that if we're doing this mini-remodel might as well repaint. The cabinets are a shade off of white with the walls about a shade or two dark. Milk toast. Hate it. Always have. Sure, it got painted neutral when the house was for sale but I need more color in my life. And it probably wouldn't have been such an ordeal but I really dislike our countertops, and therefore, couldn't find a wall color I liked or that went with the countertops. Aske mom for help and we settled on a butterscotch for the walls.

Love. IT!!!

Then again, anything is better than white walls.

I decided that the wall that goes into the dining room needed something to make it the accent wall so I started ragging copper glaze to break it up and add some red as my dining room is an intense dark maroon. While the outcome is great, I really hate painting. I don't see how people can make a living doing this. I'm fine with the gross painting, it's the touch-up that drives me batty(er).

So Saturday I painted for about 4 hours and I was one still and sore unit when I finally poured myself into bed.

Went to church and did the touch-up along the ceiling. We still need to move the fridge out and paint but it's about 95% done and we can't get over just how much better it looks that before.

Saturday it was around 60* so I fired up the ol' charcoal grill and threw on some burgers, chicken, and venison so we'd have something throughout the week. I know there are people who grill all year round, but I think it loses it's lustre. There's something about being able to grill in the "off-season" that makes the food taste better.

Saturday also marked the fourth anniversary of my dad's suicide.

Sunday? Well, a huge front came through that by 1030 it was 8*. Yes, you read that right; a 50* drop from the day before. The wind has been whipping around 30+ mph which makes it all the colder. Just a dusting of snow.

Last night was our holiday party for the Pulmonary Division. Pot luck and if you went home hungry it was your own fault! Great food, great company, and enough kids to occupy themselves and stay our their parents' hair.

My shopping and baking is all done so I can (try to) enjoy the holidays. I'll feel better once we get the countertop in and the cabinets set and the kitchen back in order.

FA LA LA LA LAAAAAAA......Bah hum bug!

Caption Contest!!

2008-12-12T07:59:00.003-06:00

At last, it's FRIDAAAAAAY! Noth much planned this weekend (yeah right.) Hoping to find a suitable paint color for the kitchen as we wrap up our mini-kitchen remodel. S'pose I should get some pictures, huh? Department holiday party on Sunday. I'm brining pineapple salsa and chips. SOOOOO yummy!

Anywho, without further ado (hey, that rhymes!) here is this week's installment of the caption contest. Have a great weekend and I'll see you on Monday!!

Christmas Shopping Made Easy!!

2008-12-09T07:00:00.002-06:00

Because I value each and every one of my devoted readers I decided the best way to repay your kindness and support is by providing you with no-hassle shopping this holiday season.

I have scoured the interweb for the best deals and sites for easy, one-stop shopping. I have narrowed down my list to my two favorites.

To start off, Knock Knock is a great site for office workers filled with Post-It Notes and note pads. Wonderful dry humor including these gems:

The other site is Stupid, where they have done an even better job and scouring the interweb for, well, stupid gifts as their name implies.

Do you have someone on your list that has everything? Well, chances are they don't have a duct tape wallet!

And what man doesn't like bacon?? You could give him a bacon wallet, bacon bandages, or even a bacon lunchbox! In case you're wondering, yes, the wallet and bandages are coming home for Steve.....

What about Freudian slippers? Tattoo sleeves (I actually find these rather ingenious)?

For the baker in the family you could give these! Ever find a pen from some place you've never heard of or been to but advertises something incredibly funny? Try this!!

As great as these stupid gifts are, and quite a few are coming home, I do have some tact. I passed on the yodeling pickle.

No need to thank me.

5

2008-12-08T07:00:00.001-06:00

(CRAP!! I can't find her third birthday! It's somewhere with the new house photos!! Perhaps on the old computer......grrrrr.......)

Happy 5th birthday, Booey!

Remember...

2008-12-05T07:56:00.032-06:00

Christmas Music

2008-12-04T08:03:00.019-06:00

Do you remember growing up that Christmas music wasn't played until the week of Christmas? Now some radio stations start playing it before Thanksgiving!

I love Christmas music. It's pretty much my mainstay for 5 weeks. However, I'm very picky about my Christmas music. For me, Christmas music takes me back to childhood when my parents were still married and happy, or so I thought.

Christmas music stirs up memories of making Christmas cookies, decorating the tree, watching Christmas specials on TV and seeing commercials for Time-Life's collection of Christmas classics.

It's the classic songs that I want.

Mariah Carey is not Christmas. Justin Timberlake is not Christmas.

THIS.

Is Christmas to me. Music from Bing, Dean, Frank, Robert Shaw, Perry Como, Ray Conniff, John Rutter and the Cambridge Singers, The Mormon Tabernacle Choir. I could listen to the warmth of Bing and Dean's voices quite a bit.

And full choirs, especially the hymns and traditional Christian songs of worship are so moving and stirring for me. You can feel the power in their collective voices stressing the importance of Christmas and to keep its meaning; the birth of our Lord and Savior.

And that's something else about the classic voices; they recorded at a time where the technology wasn't there to digitize their voices and clean things up. What you heard was what you got. I think that's the reason why I like Patsy Cline. It's her voice with no outside help.

Quintessential. Classic. Christmas.

In fact, I've created a station on Pandora called "Robert Shaw" that plays classic chorale and choir Christmas music, and I've added Mannheim Steamroller, Bing, Frank, Dean, and the like. I give a "thumbs down" to any new contemporary artist that pops up thus preventing any other similar-sounding music from being played.

Coupled with the vocal classics are my favorite instrumental classics like

and

Probably my all-time favorite songs include "It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year" by Andy Williams and pretty much any rendition of "Do You Hear What I Hear?"

What are some of your favorite Christmas songs and artists?

Take Notes!

2008-12-02T10:37:00.002-06:00

Weekend Wrap-up!

2008-12-01T07:00:00.005-06:00

So the Christmas season is officially upon us?

Thursday mom took Jenna and they cooked Thanksgiving dinner. Mom warned us that it was going to be very non-traditional and something a soon-to-be-five-year-old could muster. How about a mostaccioli bake? And a pudding pie? Very non-traditional, but very good.

Wednesday night into Friday morning I was busy getting Christmas set up in the house. Here are some examples:

I found this lovely specimen of a reindeer at my favorite place for Christmas; Pier 1. Buying this prompted a return trip to Target across the street so I could buy a plain wreath and two boxes of multi-colored glass ornaments to make a centerpiece.In the corner of the dining room is Santa and Tammy Faye Reindeer. Though it's hard to see she has REALLY LONG eyelashes, hence her name. She's been in the family for about 20 years and the joke is still good.In the dining room looking towards the kitchen are two wreaths I made last year; same plain wreaths with 28 glass ornaments each from Target. Each cost me about $10 to make. I hot-glued the balls into the wreath and used door bell thingies that had the bow and bells already made.

You'll see in the next couple of photos that I have a real problem with glass ornaments....See? And this doesn't even show the ones on the tree or the ones on the table next to the tree, though if you look at the metal reindeer picture you'll see a little display tree with more balls on it. I'm very picky about my glass ornaments; they have to come from Eastern Bloc countries. Period. None of this "Made in China" crap. Part of my family comes from Bohemia. Some remind me of family and things I grew up with. One dates back to 1967; right before my parents were married and is part of their original set.I also have a problem with snowmen though I haven't added to either collection in a couple of years. The second grouping of snowmen is from Sandy Gore Evans, an artist out of Kansas and these are her Frosty Follies. She died of breast cancer, I believe, and therefore, there are no more Frosty Follies. I found a good chunk on eBay but they go quickly.And here's the tree all decked out. It's a 7' tree that Kmart had two years ago; the Retro. Pre-lit in C7 bulbs. Growing up I remember taking walks around the neighborhood looking at lights and remembering all the big bulbed trees in the windows. That, and the mini lights with the plastic star bursts around them. Remember those? The Village is up under the tree, complete with the joke from 1986 when mom started painting the village; one of the houses is lit with a red bulb and there is a Madame standing out front. Of course, this house of ill refute is in close proximetry of the church!

Saturday we drove down to Overland Park to hang with my sister and gorge on deep-fried turkey again. Prior to the turkey we experimented with other deep-fried delights like Twinkies, Snickers, marshmallows, and Oreos. It was non-stop eating from when we stepped thorugh the door.

Driving back I gassed up in St. Joe, MO for $1.39!!! I also had only a half-gallon left or roughly 10 miles before I was completely empty! However, I filled up for $18!!!

Welcome, Christmas!!

Join the Conspiracy!

2008-11-25T10:44:00.000-06:00

Weekend Wrap-up!!

2008-11-24T07:00:00.001-06:00

Caption Contest Winner! This week goes back to Nadine with, "He shots! He Scores!! Goooooaaalll!!" Gina, was yours a euphamism??
~~
Weight Watchers Update: At the close of Week 24 I am happy to announce dropping another pound and getting me to 40# down and am at 218. I am approaching my wedding weight, however, after two kids, I'm pretty sure my wedding dress won't fit like it used to! I averaged 1.6#/week.

With the holidays coming up I have decided I'm not going to berate myself should I gain. I will still try to keep it in check but if I waffle, I'm ok with that. I don't plan on completely letting myself go in the next five weeks but I do plan on enjoying the holidays. ;-)
~~
Busy weekend to report, though a good one. Steve, Mal, and Mom went out Saturday morning to get the Angel Food I orderd last month. Some good food in the boxes and some that will probably get donated to the food bank. If it can help supplement our grocery bill and help us spend less then I'm all for it!

So while they were off doing that, Jenna and I took part in the Open Door Mission's "Drumstick on Wheels." Over 3,000 families signed up for food assistance for Thanksgiving. In fact the ODM had to close registration early because so many families had signed up.

The ODM visited several churches to talk of this mission and was looking for volunteers. About a mile or so from the Mission our lane of traffic was at a complete standstill. I drove off and took a different street with a shorter line to get through the intersection. In three directions there was nothing but cars; hundreds of cars all coming to help the ODM deliver these 3,000+ boxes of turkey-n-fixins to needy families.

I was planning on taking three boxes worth but instead took seven boxes. It took the better part of an hour just to get to the loading area. I moved the car seats around so I could fold down the back seat and get the boxes in. And off we went!

I was able to deliver five of seven boxes; one wasn't home and one I flat-out couldn't find! The part of town I was in was right around Creighton University where I work and reminded me of my days working home care. It was interesting listening to Jenna's take on the whole experience. One house we stopped at had plastic stapled over the windows; either the glass wasn't there or it was for drafts. I saw a run-down house, of which it was.

Jenna? "Oooo, Mommy! Look at the pretty windows!" Oblivious to what was right in front of her. Oh, to have that child-like innocence and acceptance again.

"People were also bringing babies to Jesus to have him touch them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. But Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." Luke 18:15-17

Yesterday the weather was great for the end of November. Fair and in the 50s so I got some last-minute yard work done. I raked a couple of cans and dumped some on the garden and tilled that in to help "feed" it for next year's season. Jenna is already planning what she wants to grow next year and carrots are high on her list! I told her she can have her own little spot on the garden to grow what ever she wants.

Jenna helped me clean up from raking and I have all the outdoor Christmas lights plugged in and ready to go. All I have to do now is plug in the timer and we're set!

Mal and I walked down to the mall to get a few more little Christmas presents from Bath & Body Works then went to Target that's in the mall. I was planning on walking to Lowe's to look at counter top samples but got sidetracked by Pier 1 and had to go back to Target to finish a Christmas project that Pier 1 started. We were gone for over an hour. It was getting a bit dark on our way home so I kicked it in high-gear.

All-in-all a good weekend. Looking forward to the short week/long weekend this week. I'll probably start digging out all the Christmas stuff this week.

Caption Contest!!

2008-11-21T06:07:00.003-06:00

Boy, TGIF!!! Have a busy morning planned tomorrow between Angel Food and Drumstick on Wheels. But it should all work out.

So here is this week's enstallment for the contest. Have a great weekend and I'll see you on Monday!!

Am I The Only One?

2008-11-20T07:57:00.008-06:00

...that is completely SICK of this woman??

How much more ego-centric can one person be? Yes, she's gorgeous, is the most powerful Black woman in the entertainment industry, is a fabulous philanthropist (she turned me on to Heifer International) has her own talk show, production company, and magazine.

I understand the magazine is named for her, but REALLY!! Does she have to be on EVERY. STINKIN'. COVER????

WE GET IT!! You have more money than you know what to do with and because you had a crummy and hard life growing up and were denied lots of things you are going to flaunt your now wildly successful career and win the hearts of American women. But sometimes things aren't as rosy as they appear.

I can just imagine the conversations at the weekly staff meetings at O Magazine:

"So who's the cover shoot for this month? Oh. riiiiiiiight. My bad."

I'm sure it makes the shoots go much faster as there's no outside person to schedule, but don'cha think they're getting tired of shooting Oprah in various outfits and settings and encouraging her to give her best cheesy, "I do love you, but I love seeing myself plastered all over my magazine even more so EAT YOUR HEART OUT, AMERICA!"

Is it just me?

Groaner Foul!

2008-11-19T07:00:00.000-06:00

Can I Get An "AMEN!"?

2008-11-18T07:00:00.001-06:00

Thanks, Stacy!!

Weekend Wrap-up

2008-11-17T07:00:00.000-06:00

Caption Contest Winner! This week goes to Boo with his, "America's first pregnant man arrested when caught consuming alcohol while with child!"

I do what I can to give my readers nightmares...
~~
Weight Watchers Update: Got back on track this week and it showed; dropped 6#, which I attribute to being water weight. Plus this loss helped me break the barrier of 220. As of Saturday I'm down to 219.2 with a total loss of 39#.
~~
Steve and Mallory left for Des Moines Saturday morning so that left Jen and I to our own devices. We ran some errands in the morning. I think we all have a mild case of cruddies because Steve and I haven't felt great this past week and Jenna wanted to go home to take a nap. After she woke up I took her to Arby's and brought it home and we had a picnic in the living room and watched "Cars." Then she had a bath and dinner and then to bed! I watched movie and was in bed around 2130. I gave Jenna direct orders for Sunday morning; when she got up to go to the bathroom she could play quietly in her room but was to NOT wake me up.

Ya know what?

She actually listened! I rolled out a little after seven, which, for the weekend, is pretty decent.

Went to church and did a little project of her choosing then she went down for a nap. I took a 20" combat nap myself.

Found a great recipe for slow cooker pork roast. Very easy and ZOWIE is it good!

Ranch Pork Roast:

3# pork roast
1-1.5# new potatoes
8oz cream cheese
1 can cream-o-chicken soup
0.4oz Ranch dip mix.

Halve potatoes and place in the bottom of your slow cooker. Place roast on top of potatoes. In a separate bowl mix soup, ranch, and cream cheese until smooth; spoon over roast and potatoes. Low for 8h.

Then what I did (not mentioned in the recipe) was I spooned out the roast and potatoes and put them on a platter in a warm over. I slowly added some flour to the sauce and whisked it into a fabulous gravy.

Boy howdy was that good. It may sound weird; pork and ranch. But it had a great ranch flavor but was not over-powering. Might make for some interesting sandwiches......

Caption Contest!!

2008-11-14T06:41:00.003-06:00

Finally it's FRIDAY!!! I could really tell it's been a full moon down in the ICU; very strange energy and fairly chaotic this week.....glad I don't work weekends on the full moon anymore!!!

Here is this week's installment of the contest. Honestly, after seeing this picture I just may go drink heavily!! Have a great weekend and I'll see you Monday!

At Last (though a month late)!!

2008-11-13T07:00:00.000-06:00

Here's What I Think

2008-11-12T07:00:00.001-06:00

If TV is airing Christmas-themed commercials before Thanksgiving then people should be allowed to have their Christmas lights on with no ramifications!

So there!!

Weekend Wrap-up

2008-11-10T07:00:00.002-06:00

Caption Contest Winner! This week's seal of approval goes to Tom because he went there! "Looks like the carpet matches the drapes." LOVE IT!!
~~
Weight Watchers Update: It's time to get back on the wagon. Second week of gains, up to 225. Mutter mutter Halloween candy mutter mutter.....
~~
Saturday was an odd day for me. For so many weekends I'm running around the house and cleaning and doing stuff that I would really like to have a Saturday with nothing going on. Well, I had that wish granted and all I did was pace the house looking for something to do. Only did one load of laundry! Finally I was so bored and out of sorts that I started cleaning the bathrooms. How desperate for something to do was I? I even tackled Steve's "Icky Boy" bathroom!

Made home-made chicken noodle soup and baked some bread for dinner Saturday. It's gotten pretty cold pretty quickly last week and soup just sounded good. And it was a pretty decent batch, too, for never having made it before. Some warm jalapeno cheddar bread fresh out of the oven....pretty tasty.

Steve volunteered to make dinner yesterday. He made his lasagna and made the noodles himself! This has always been a bone of contention with me. He has this really nice pasta maker (from Italy) that he bought many moons ago. In the 12 years I've known him he's used it maybe three times. I am of the notion that if something doesn't get used in a year's time it goes bye-bye. So he had lasagna noodles haning around the kitchen. Not to mention he made them green - ON PURPOSE!! They were thinner than store-bought noodles so I wasn't completely convinced. He'll try ravioli sometime, then we'll see what the fate of the pasta maker is. He also did a loaf of italian herb bread that was very tasty.

Mal's been a bit out of sorts for the last few days. Possible combination of teething and flu shot side-effects. Very clingy and whiney, and you all know how much I love that in a child!

As it has been so blasted windy last week, though I am thankful we don't live in North Dakota with over three feet of snow onthe ground, yesterday was a really nice day outside. Though it was nippy, around 40, there was no wind. So I tossed Mallory in her stroller with her winter coat and hat, then a couple of blankets, grabbed the dog and off we went for a 45" walk.

I was cold pretty much all day yesterday and all I wanted to do was curl up under some blankets. My hands and feet were not the culprits, but my core temp felt low and I was sluggy. That's one of the down-sides to losing this much weight; though I've found I can tolerate summers better, winters are tough as I just can't get warm. Maybe it's my thyroid as my blood tests two months ago showed questionable hypothyroidism. Which I find rather odd with losing this much weight. I'll get that checked out next month. *shrugs*

And though it is still unofficial, Obama may get yet another electoral vote from Nebraska's Second Congressional District! We all know this is beyond a moot point, but this is HUGE in the HUGEST sense!!

Nebraska is so red (and not because of the Huskers, thankyouverymuch)that Republican presidential candidates don't campaing here because they know they'll win our state, and because of that Dems don't even bother. HOWEVER! Senator Ben Nelson, back when he was Governor in the early 90s, signed a law that split our states five electoral votes into two regions. Second District (that's Omaha) and then the rest of the state. Maine is the only other state in the Union that has this special provision.

So for the first time EVER, Omaha has become a spot of blue in a sea of red. You betcha, change is coming! ;-)

Caption Contest!!

2008-11-07T07:00:00.001-06:00

And so closes yet another week. As much as I cringe with fashion shows because we all know no one in their right mind would ever wear this kind of thing in public (let alone private), they give me so much fodder to work with.

So here is this week's installment. This week's contest is HEADLINE. Have a great weekend and I'll see you Monday!!

Sunday Sandbox

2008-11-06T07:00:00.000-06:00

Nope...

2008-11-05T07:00:00.003-06:00

...I'm not going to use this time or space to discuss last night's historic election, one that's for the ages.

...I'm not going to discuss the record number of voters that waited in long lines to make their voices be heard.

...I'm not going to discuss how the rest of the world watched with bated breath the events of last night unfold.

...I'm not going to say how happy I am that Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District, for the first time EVER, became a spot of blue in a sea of red and gave Obama one electoral vote, albeit moot.

Nope...not gonna do it...

...Because it's already been done a thousand times over.

But I do want to brag. I want to brag about something in our fair city I didn't think I'd ever see again in my lifetime.
That is a current sign (as of last night around 5 pm), not one from five years ago. The cheapest I ever paid was $1 back in 1992. Considering gas was $4+/gallon this summer, I almost feel like stocking up. We'll see how long this lasts after the elections....

Lastly, Steve and I saw this person getting the word out to vote at the intersection of 72nd & Dodge; the State's busiest. I should have considered his choices. They were about as good as any other...

One Last Time...

2008-11-04T07:00:00.003-06:00

Weekend Wrap-up

2008-11-03T07:00:00.002-06:00

Caption Contest Winner! This week's winner is Aynde with her, "Zen and the Art of Pumpkin Contemplation."
~~
Weight Watcher's Update: Another gain to report; 0.8#. Not too upset by it considering the plethora of free chocolate laying about. We'll try again this week.
~~
What a glorious weekend to report! The weather was absolutely FABULOUS for the first weekend of November. In the 60s and 70s, and sunny. I've been grilling every day since Thursday, taking full advantage of the weather as we all know that grilling season is quickly coming to a close. Friday was steaks, Saturday I made a turkey loaf with Italian flavored ground breast and smoked it on the grill. Great flavor! I put a couple of potatoes on the grill as well. Last night I made some rye bread and grilled some chicken thighs.

I took advantage of the warm weather yesterday and gave Thursday a bath after trimming her nails. Sopping wet I tossed her outside so she could air dry. Washed her bedding while I was at it.

We finally got around to taking Mallory's 12m photos, albeit a month late. She hasn't really changed that much in a month. In ten years we probably won't remember the time delay!

We made it through "falling back" which is always intersting with a toddler who has no concept of time. Saturday night around 1830 we all went out into the front yard and played football, or anything Steve and I could think of to keep the girls moving.

It worked.

They woke up around 0630, which was 0730 in their world. Naps for Mallory were a bit tenuous, but she'll be on track in a day or two.

Halloween went well, great night for it. Jenna went as a Hula Girl and Mallory as a peppermint. You can view my pumpkins here. No, that is NOT a euphamism!!

Yesterday was in the mid-70s so the girls played int he sandbox. This was Mal's first time in the sandbox and she wasn't too fond of the sand at first and had a death grip on my arm. After a few minutes she let go and started banging pots together.

It's nice to see Jenna being so good and playing with her. I truly believe her actions are real and not contrived because it's something we want her to do. Even they make an awful racket in the house it's great to hear them both laughing as they chase each other around the house.

Finally, vote.

Most of us are more than ready to see this campaign finally go away. I haven't been this "excited" for an election. Ever. This is the first time I've watched all the debates. I hope that we, as Americans, show up at the polls and let our voices be heard.

Something so simple as voting can have such a profound effect.

Caption Contest!!

2008-10-31T07:00:00.001-05:00

Yesterday afternoon I gutted and carved ten pumpkins that I grew this year in my garden. Now I have ten pumpkins' worth of seeds to roast this weekend! That is one of my guilty pleasures; home-roasted pumpkin seeds. I don't ever buy ones int eh store; too salty. I like mine with salt, garlic, sometimes Parmesean cheese. I'll post pumpkin photos next week.

So in honor of Halloween, today's contest is CAPTION. Have a great, safe weekend with the chitlins and I'll see you Monday!

Angel Food Ministries

2008-10-29T07:00:00.000-05:00

A few months ago my mom told me about a food program through one of our local churches called Angel Food Ministries. This really threw me for a loop that my mother was actually participating in a church activity. For a minimum purchase of $30 you receive a box (or "unit") of food that would feed the average family of four for a week. The basic unit contains fresh and frozen vegetables, various meats, and starches. Nothing offered is "seconds" or out-dated food. It may or may not be recognizable name-brand food. But what it is is staples for a family.

Mom has brought over some items that she knew we would use like breaded chicken patties. Other things she might give to the food bank.

In addition to the basic unit you can purchase additional items like a meat box or a fruit and veggie box. There is no maximum amount you can purchase. It is conceivable for a family to purchase four basic units for $120 and that will feed them for a month. For a family that is strapped for money this would be a relief.

With food prices continually on the rise it's not uncommon for our family to spend $500-$600 month on food. I approached Steve about this last night, about wanting to supplement our food bill with Angel Food and see if it helps to cut down on our monthly grocery bill. We're willing to give it a shot. I think I'll purchase the basic unit, the Thanksgiving unit, and the 7# meat box.

Check out their website and you can view next month's menu. You'll see that there's a lot of food in those units.

AFM operates in 35 states. Type in your zip code to see if there is a particiapting church in your area.

That's Right....

2008-10-28T07:00:00.000-05:00

Your eyes do not deceive you. I have my Christmas lights up. I put them up last weekend when it was in the 60s. My lights have been consistently up before Halloween for the last 8 years.

Yes, I know what you're thinking as I hear you rolling your eyes at me. The way I see it, it's much easier to hang lights when the wires are warm and pliable and you can feel your hands. No. One. has been able to dispute this or argue against it.

They're up, but they're not on. I have a little Christmas tree that I put in one of my large planters by the front door. Then all I have to do is plug everything in and VOILA!! I'm done!

I, too, complain that Christmas keeps showing up earlier and earlier in the stores every year. But it's all about my personal comfort, right?

Besides, we did see lights on over the weekend.......

Weekend Wrap-up

2008-10-27T07:00:00.003-05:00

Weight Watchers Update: Yet another baffling week to report, but this is a good baffling. Last week I attended three various functions where lunch was brought in. Therefore counting points went COMPLETELY out the window. I started couting points Friday, the end of my WW week. So what did weigh-in have in stor for me? Down 1.6#. CLUELESS!!!! Dunno how that one happened but I'll take it!

I don't remember the exact numbers but this loss take me to down around 37#.
~~
Saturday was Mallory's 12 month appointment, even though she's 13 months old. Clean bill of health; 23# and 30.75" tall. She got four shots that day so she's covered for rabies and distemper. To give you another example of the Power of the Cheezy Poof; she had some blood drawn for a hemogram and lead test. She cried when she had her finger pricked but once I offered her the can of Cheezy Poofs all was right with her world. She even fed me some Poofs.

Saturday was also a gorgeous day for anything that had to be done outside; sunny and mid-60s. For the last weekend in October this is phenominal. We still haven't had a frost or freeze yet, but I hear that should be happening sometime this week. So I did more fall clean up of plants and annuals and getting that ready to go for when it does freeze. We had a photo shoot in the basement Saturday afternoon which required some interesting finagling of the furniture. But we made it work and I think we had some good shots. The highlight of the weekend was my mom coming over Saturday night to babysit both kids while Steve and I had an actual date night. Complete with fancy dinner at Jams, a very nice, locally-owned restaurant right close to our house which came in handy to drop off the to-go box and desserts before heading off downtown.

Our first stop was the newly unveiled pedestrian bridge (pictured above) that connects Omaha and Council Bluffs. Quite a few people were out walking on the bridge and enjoying the wonderful evening. We spent about 45" there before trying our luck with the Old Market. Anytime it's nice outside the Market is PACKED. Saturday night was no different. After driving around for over 15" we bagged that idea and tried to think of something to do.

It was barely 8:00 and we certainly couldn't go home THAT early. We drove around and talked. It's difficult to carry on a conversation with your spouse that doesn't include the kids. But we did decide that we need to make a more concerted effort to get out more sans chitlins.

Sunday was sunny and mid-50s. The winds, however, were over 50 mph throughout the entire day. It was back to reality as I slogged my way through four (count'em FOUR) loads of laundry. I can honestly say I did laundry the. entire. day.

Not much planned for this week. The in-laws are already talking about Christmas. I'm really not ready for that. I'm amazed that Thanksgiving is in only five weeks.

All Hail The Cheezy Poof!!

2008-10-24T07:00:00.000-05:00

One of Mal's favorite snacky foods are Cheezy Poofs from Gerber. They're not really called that. We call them that thanks to "South Park."

These things have some serious bargaining power with Mallory. For instance, if she's antsy in her chair and we need a few minutes to something around the house we pour out some Poofs and she quiets right up and goes to town.

Yesterday after I came home from the store Steve and the girls walk in. Mallory is wandering around the kitchen looking in the bags of food when she spots the familiar can.

She then proceeds to try her hand at openeing the can. When she realizes she can't do it, she walks up to me and hold the can in front of her, wimpering, waiting for me to open the can for her. Fer cryin' out loud, kid, yer not going to waste away!

Never underestimate the power of The Cheezy Poof!

I've Voted

2008-10-22T07:00:00.000-05:00

Will you?

WOOT!

2008-10-21T07:00:00.001-05:00

The hot tub is heating and the wine is chilling.

Wanna come over Thursday?