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Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Post Storm

The storm didn't hit us as hard as expected. I'm home for a few more minutes, then will be heading to the day job.
We never lost power. My folks did, and they braved the wind to come over and hang out with us to watch a movie.
The wind was kind of interesting. I thought we were going to lose trees, but aside from a few sticks down, nothing fell. There's a lot of flooding though, but we're not in a flood zone.
Ah...well... maybe next time.
Behave!

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Prepping...

Apparently there's a hell of a storm heading for us.
Okay, not apparently. There is.
We've done our version of storm prep around here - made sure nothing would go flying from the backyard, cleaned up the basement just in case we have to hunker down for the potential tornado threat. Put a little gas in the vehicles, and decided who is driving which tomorrow.
School is closed for tomorrow. Work is not. That Man, if he has to go, will have a very busy day if there's storm damage. They're calling for some bad stuff, but the city he works in is right next to the river and is already under a state of emergency.
Whatever, I say. Bring it. We've done all we can to prepare. We have batteries (because we always do) and candles. We can cook and heat if the power goes out. My laundry is almost caught up.The dishes are done. Groceries are in the pantry. (The weekly grocery trip was interesting!)
Now I'm going to write...
Behave!

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Live Blogging the Birthday...

There are many teenagers in my living room. The Xbox is very loud.
Overheard:
"Good for you for understanding that with your second grade education"
"This wouldn't be a good cup if this was a real skull. The fluid would leak out all over your hand."
"I regularly use a cat tail to stir my drinks." (I dunno. We don't  have a cat.)
"You know eating too much cheese will make you constipated."
"Isn't that like the presidential thing or is it the graduation one?"
"I want that to be played at my funeral."
Also, random singing, my sister's dog is wearing a sweatshirt, too many empty pizza boxes, a 3# bag of Swedish Fish demolished, and several 2-liter soda bottles.
Except for K1, J, & K2 I am the only adult in the house. (And since they're participating in the conversation in the living room, I feel very alone right now)
I did make his requested birthday cake - pumpkin spice. It turned out great and was super easy. I used a carrot cake mix, a can of pumpkin pie filling, and 1/3 cup of water. I made cream cheese frosting, too.
The family will descend upon us in a few hours and there will be even more chaos.
The kid is having a really good day so far!
That is all...for now.
Behave!

Friday, October 26, 2012

Feel Good Friday

Another Friday! These weeks go way too fast!
Here's my list:
1. Sleeping in tomorrow!
2. My baby boy turning 16 tomorrow! How in the heck did that happen? Watch out, folks. In a few weeks, (or sooner) there will be a new driver on the sidewalks!
3. A horde of teenagers in the afternoon, then the family here tomorrow night. (I'm going to need an adult beverage - or six - for sure!)
4. Getting the kid the good things from his list. And finding out where most of our Christmas shopping will be done in the process!
5. Overnight guests. K1 and J are hanging here this weekend to help with the party stuff and eat all of our food (kidding - sorta).
6. The Frankenstorm! I love it! And maybe I will prepare for it. Maybe.
7. Being set up to work the day job from home, if necessary. Gotta love it!
8. My new grandson being in his last trimester of incubation! I can't wait to meet him!
9. Getting to spend time with K5 this week. She is a hoot and I love her so much!
10. Even though my house is a mess, we still have no hot water, and I have mega company arriving tomorrow, I feel very settled and peaceful. That's got to count for something, right?
Behave!

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Pumpkins...

At our house...
Pictures (hopefully) to follow.
K1 - absent due to a stomach virus.
K2 - she made a monster. This monster took up my whole dining room table. It was gross and messy and I was not happy, but the carving was so cool.
K3 - Insisted on a big pumpkin. Whatever. He carved it, poked the pieces back in, and then proceeded to practice knife throwing at the pumpkin... I am confused...
K4 - Still uncarved. She's waiting for her decal. The one Dad is printing for her.
K5 - We carved, colored, carved, and tried to feed the carved pumpkin apple slices. (The pumpkin did not like) She yelled at her pumpkin for not eating the apple, scribbled on it, and then gave me her little one to keep.
We had a blast on pumpkin carving day!
Behave!

Friday, October 19, 2012

Feel Good Friday

Made it to Friday!
We lost our hot water heater this week. The verdict is still out on whether it's the cheap part or the expensive part. Obviously, I'm hoping for the cheap part. I could totally be a pioneer woman, or able to survive the zombie apocalypse. Boiling water on the stove for baths, carting that crap up the stairs to fill the tub. Fun stuff... not!
Let's get to the list, shall we?
1. My kid arriving home safely from her trip to Rome, Italy, and France. Lucky kid. She had a blast, but we missed her around here.
2. K3 getting a chance to take a break. He's been working so hard with school, practicing like a maniac for the school play and chorus, helping with stage crew, and doing scouts that he hasn't had two seconds to relax. They were off school today and he got to sleep in, play video games, and rest.
3. The fact that neither kid balked at the idea of taking a bath and carting water up the stairs.
4. Not having to go to the grocery store or run errands after work tonight. I actually managed to plan ahead and had dinner in the crock pot for tonight. Maybe I'll get around to eating soon.
5. Getting a chance to have dinner with the besties this week. We had to reschedule once because of me, but we managed to make it work. I miss them a whole lot and I miss the time we could spend the entire day together.
6. Sleeping in tomorrow.
7. Hopefully getting to see K5 this weekend.
8. K3 turns 16 in one week! How weird is that?
9. Looking forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas. That is also weird. I usually don't!
10. Writing time!
That is all. My kid is home and I can't wait to hug her!
Behave!

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Fun Stuff...

Today the crew went to the Ren Faire for my niece's 21st birthday. 20 of us in 5 cars and all super excited. That man and I hadn't been since K2 was 3 or 4 (we used to go several times a season). K3 had only been once with school, and K4 had never been there. I was so excited for them to go and thrilled that they loved it so much.
The kids took off to spend their money with instructions to meet us at the jail at a specific time so we could decide on lunch. Most of us walked around, checking stuff out, tasting wine, drinking hot mulled wine, or having beer for breakfast, (but just one, because it was expensive!) and laughing hysterically. We ended up changing the meeting place to the mud pit since the show was starting. That was very funny.
Then we moved on to lunch. Food costs weren't too bad. Sure, I spent a little more than fast food, but less than a sit down restaurant. That man and K3 ate turkey legs. Holy crap, they were huge! K4 had pizza and half of my perogies. I had perogies and then a gyro. So good.
K3, K4, and I got sidetracked by one of the musical performances, but we eventually met up with everyone again. More walking. More wine tasting. More shop visiting. Ended up following some awesome music and staying for the show...then buying a cd and getting it signed. K4 loved it because the band had a violin lead who was so super fantastic! When she got the cd signed, the violinist encouraged her to visit her website and check out the sheet music and forums after she found out K4 also plays the violin. So cool. K4 was thrilled.
We caught more music, met up with most everyone at the pub, did a little more walking around, watched the pirate auction, went to some more shops, tasted some more wine, met up at the pub again. Then decided we were done in... it was cold, though most of us have sunburned faces. K4 was falling asleep on the bench, That man's knees were killing him, and a few others were hurting, too. A quick stop at the wine / gift shop for one last wine tasting / tshirt and wine purchasing, then a random group picture (though some of our group had already left due to pain), mayhem trying to get out of the parking lot...met up at the 'rents for hanging out and cake. Pizza first, talking, laughing... then birthday cake (my s-i-l makes the best cake ever!). More hanging out... then home.
So tired, but such a great day!! My love for the Ren Faire has been reignited. I can't wait to go back and my whole family feels the same way!
And, I did my words for the writing challenge! Whoo!
Behave!

Friday, October 12, 2012

Feel Good Friday

Hey! It's Friday!
Here's the list:
1. Friday!
2. Ren Faire tomorrow! Yay! I'm so excited!
3. That man and I trying our hand at Pumpkin Martini's. First one = :(. I'm slowly, slowly choking it down. 3/4 more to go. Then we try a different mix. Who knew they had pumpkin vodka?
4. Sleeping in a little tomorrow.
5. Writing every day this week!
6. Loving the new book.
7. The weather. I need to get my warmer clothes out now.
8. My kid getting on a plane to Rome! She's terrifically excited and pretty scared, too. Not only is this her first time in an airplane ever, but she's flying International, and she's alone. She meets up with J as soon as the plane lands. Then, they're off to Paris. (J is studying in Rome this semester.) What a fantastic experience for her!
9. Hanging with the K's (and J - not the Rome J, but the new daughter J.)
10. Dinner with the besties coming up!
That's all for now... I think I need to dump this martini and try again...
Behave!

Sunday, October 07, 2012

The Case of the Disappearing Post...

Hrm... I wrote a post yesterday. I published it. It's gone now. The only thing left is a saved post in my archives with only a title.
How weird is that?
I'm not going to try to recreate it. Just know that it was brilliant and thought-provoking! Ha ha!
Anyway... moving on.
It's been a pretty decent weekend around here. Writing meeting was awesome and so was lunch afterwards! Lunch is often my favorite part because I get to hang with my peeps to talk business, family, and laugh. And eat. We tried a different place for lunch and it worked out well, so I think we might go back. It's hard for me to believe my term as president is nearing its end. I have one more official chapter meeting to run, two board meetings, and anything that comes up with the chapter for the next 2 months and that's it. I have two years to sit out before I can become a board member again, and that's weird for me. I've been on the board for the past nine years - four as librarian (no term limit), four as vice president, and one year as president. I'm going to miss it, for sure, but I'm kind of looking forward to the break. We'll have a mostly new board though, so I'll still be very involved while they get up and running and learn their jobs.
Got a call as the meeting closed...then a text: THERE'S A LIZARD IN OUR BASEMENT.
All I know is that he's brown and is under the washing machine. I haven't seen him and K3 only saw his tail. K4 tried to catch him, but he was too fast. Okay then. As long as he's eating spiders, I'm good with him being down there, but I really would like to see him.
Came home from the meeting and had to run out to pick up K4's friend. This was the first time this friend has been at our house and I'd put a few limits on the visit, just in case. It worked out well. The kid is just like my kid and they had a blast. My ears were bleeding by the time she went home though. A few hours of constant laughing and talking by pre-teen girls will do that do you.
Today was a whole bunch of  house related things, cooking, shopping, visiting That man's mom as she recovers from some heart related issues and regains her strength in a short term rehab center. Oh and I took a nap, caught up on Dr. Who, read a book, balanced the check book, cleaned out my truck, cleaned the kitchen (twice), talked to all of my kids, but unfortunately I did not get to see K5 as planned. Now I'm opening the wip and will write as many words as possible before I crash for the night.
And tomorrow is Monday. Again.
Behave!

Friday, October 05, 2012

Feel Good Friday

Hello, Friday!
I've missed you!
I know it's only been a week since we were together last, but it was a long week. I'm glad you're here.
Want to hear the list from this week? Too bad if you don't. It's my blog and I'll make lists if I want. Ha!
1. Friday! duh!
2. Sleeping in a little tomorrow. Just a little.
3. Writing meeting tomorrow! Yay! It seems like forever!
4. Rain in the forecast! I love a rainy weekend!
5. Chicken broccoli alfredo for dinner. Even though I cooked when I didn't want to. It was worth it.
6. Meeting my monthly goal. Even with the wedding.
7. Comfy pants and my favorite sweatshirt!
8. Standing up for my friends when they're being bullied. I'll never take it back!
9. Getting to watch Firefly, The Walking Dead, and Supernatural this week!
10. The fire in my backyard! It's time to go sit by it with that man and have some bonding time!
Behave!

Thursday, October 04, 2012

Dear Supernatural People,

It's been a while. I know. I'd apologize for that, but last season was just so... I don't know... Not normal. Good, but not my Supernatural. I'd go into it, but let's not.
Let's face forward and stay that way...
So... Last night... Loved it! Loved Dean coming back from purgatory and stressing out the campers. Loved the subplot with the vampire (and loved the vamp, too... oy! his voice!) (Interested to find out what they did down there and what happens next with Dean and the vampire! And where is Cass?) And Sam! His hair! Oy! That's some good hair! And Wow! Why is Dean being such a bitch to Sam about quitting? Didn't Dean do the same thing after Sam fell into the pit with Lucifer? Anyway - I think we'll hear more on that later, because... the cabin? Why did Sam go there to begin with? And why didn't he take his new dog?
Kevin! I love Kevin! (There are a lot of ! in this post!) What a smart kid! And sarcastic, too. I can't wait to see how his character develops this season.
Crowley has always been one of my favorites. (He has that voice, too) Love his desperation and total frustration with Kevin, Sam, and Dean.
I need to watch this episode again, but let me sum up by saying... This episode has restored my utter and true love of my very favorite show! I am so looking forward to this season! I'm going to have to adjust to Wednesday nights, but for me, Wednesdays are way better than Friday!
I will keep you posted!
Behave!

Wednesday, October 03, 2012

Detox...

This past week, That Man and I decided to jumpstart getting back on track with our healthy eating program by doing a week long detox. We'd both put on a few pounds - thanks to the wedding and simple not watching what we eat. I'm still not where I want to be yet, so I was ready...
Here's how it went:
Wednesday: Day 1: Fruit all day. It was recommended to eat watermelon and cantaloupe to maximize potential flushing. Black coffee was okay on this program, so I coffee'd it up in the morning. I did okay during the day - ate half a cantaloupe and over a quarter of a big watermelon. Drank a ton of water - which I do anyway. Got home looking forward to the rest of my melons only to find the house full of all children, including the newly married ones. All over for dinner - which turned out to be frozen pizza, and they'd helped themselves to my dinner, leaving That Man and I almost none. I was cranky, tired, had an enormous headache, and was starving. Truthfully, I caved and had one minuscule bit of pizza (not even a half of a quarter small slice) and I felt very guilty. I managed to pull myself together, eat some mandarin oranges, and went to bed far earlier than normal.
Thursday: Day 2: Veges all day. Down 3 pounds. Yay! Woke up sore, tired, cranky, and still with the enormous headache. The program called for a baked potato with a pat of butter for breakfast. A baked potato never tasted so good. Then, carrots, snow peas, more carrots. Did okay during the day. Came home starved, but not as bad as day one. Sucky vege stir fry for dinner (cooked with no oil and one too many hot peppers). I choked it down, trying to concentrate on other things so I didn't notice. Didn't cheat at all today. Hurting though. Went to bed far earlier than normal.
Friday: Day 3: Fruit and Veges all day. Down 2.2 more pounds. Yay! Woke up tired, headachey, not as cranky. A few cups of coffee and I was feeling more energetic than I had since forever. Braindead, though. Hyper - the coffee probably had something to do with that. Made the recommended soup the program calls for and ate like crazy. We did "fall off the wagon" so to speak and had a few adult beverages in the evening. To bed hours earlier than my usual Friday night.
Saturday: Day 4: Bananas and milk. Down .4 more pounds. Okay! Woke up excited for bananas after sleeping in. A banana, and a glass of coconut almond milk for breakfast. (The plan called for up to 8 bananas and 3 glasses of milk) Had no coffee. Should have. Shaky. Managed to do everything I had to, including nap. Ate the soup for lunch. Tried to eat it for dinner, but couldn't do it. Choked down 6 bananas and all of the milk. Bananas suck. So does the soup, but not really craving anything else. Made an awesome meatloaf and put it in the crockpot overnight. To bed early again.
Sunday: Day 5: Meat and 6 tomatoes. Gain of 1.4 pounds. Pissed about weight gain like you would not believe. I mean, I barely ate Saturday. Slept in, woke up excited about meat. Ate meatloaf for breakfast and two tomatoes. Stomach full, but feel like something is missing. Supposed to drink extra water, but it's hard to get in. Urine was supposed to be clear today. That didn't happen until late. More meatloaf for lunch and dinner. Tomatoes all day. To bed early again.Hurting, headache, but not as bad.
Monday: Day 6: Beef and veges: As much beef and veges as you want. Loss of .2 pounds from last weigh in where I lost. Still pissed and ready to quit, but don't. 2 cups of coffee. Tons of water. Carrots for breakfast. Leftover meatloaf for lunch. Pot roast with veges for dinner - didn't eat much. Stayed up later. Weird night sleeping.
Tuesday: Day 7: Last Day! Meat, fruit juice, brown rice, and veges. Loss of 2 pounds from Tuesday. Glad it's the last day and proud of myself for making it through. Feeling good - inside and out. No headaches, no aches and pains. I have energy and my jeans fit much better. Oj for breakfast, the rest of the soup on top of brown rice for lunch - only choked down half of that. Oj and carrots for a snack. Fish, coucous, and zuchini (is that spelled right?) for dinner. Coucous isn't brown rice, but it's a whole grain. To bed at our usual pre-detox time.
Today - First day off - Showed a gain this morning, but have chalked it up to the excess of sodium yesterday. The coucous had more than we should have had (didn't think about that until later) and we had a snack of green olives later. Celebratory dinner tonight of awesome sandwiches, low fat chips, and I had my first diet soda since last Tuesday. I feel like I could vomit, but I'm happy. (I don't think I will weigh myself tomorrow)
In all I lost 7.6 pounds. I feel good. I'm back on track for my goal, have lost all of the weight I gained from the wedding insanity and a little extra. My goal is reachable and I am prepared to tackled it and maintain the healthy eating  I remembered how to do this past week.
Most of the women in my office are now on this plan. They've just finished day two and the mood is mixed. Two of the women are doing well, though one has cheated several times already (she's still losing though). One is struggling because she can't eat certain things the plan calls for and she's frustrated.Another woman is pregnant and is following along with the additions of protein and logical choices for her baby. I plan to stay on it with them during the rest of the week in solidarity. And we planned our next office potluck today, which helped the general mood - that and the gift card the new downstairs tenants gave us for the total disruption of our parking spaces.
So there you have it. Questions?
Behave!

Monday, October 01, 2012

What Am I Doing?

Well, lots of stuff...
1. Writing - My new books is set in a world without green. No living trees. No grass. Nothing grows, or has grown for a long time. The water is full of toxins. The food stores are running out. The heroine is a ranger and she doesn't even have a name yet. At this point, the hero is kind of a jackass. He is nameless, too. I'm still feeling my way around and not sure yet if it's going to be in first or third person. I'm digging it.
2. Organizing. I'm so sick of my house. I want to rip the side off and kick everything into the yard. Rooms need to be cleaned, painted, things disposed of.
3. Helping. My kid bought a place that's in need of some serious repair. Serious repair. We spent some time this weekend ripping out drywall and pulling nails. There is so much more to be done.
4. Getting in Nana time. I got to see K5 twice this weekend. She is so smart and cute.
5. Planning. Birthday parties, baby showers, weddings, other things... There's a lot in a short amount of time.
That's some of it. Most of it's good stuff, though tiring.
Behave!