The Word List

Don't fall over

2012-01-26T11:50:00.000-06:00

Don't fall over folks; I'm back! It's been S E V E N months since I last posted anything here. Despite good intentions to chronicle the entire home-building experience, the stress got the better of me and I dropped out of the blogging world all together.

That's not to say that the stress of a new house has past, because it hasn't. It's just a new kind of stress now that we've moved in and are trying to get settled. This stress is much more tolerable though. I have ideas about how I want to decorate and new furniture that I want to buy - a whole aesthetic that I want to create, and my stress now stems from not being able to do it all at once.

And it's not just the inside that is consuming my thoughts these days. Now I'm starting to day dream about the landscape, especially as the days are getting longer and the weather is hinting at Spring just a short time away. I want to put on my gloves and start moving some dirt.

Like with any other project that I take on, I want to plan it all out before I actually start doing anything but I'm having a heck of a time finding the tools I want. I'm not talking about spades and shovels; I want some landscape planning material. I want the yard to look like it was laid out with a purpose, a plan, but I can't find any adequate software or even a simple publication. Too bad I can't just hire a landscape designer to tell me where to put certain plants, trees and shrubs to achieve the best outcome.

Anyway, I just wanted to say hi. I'm really going to try to be better about blogging - cataloging the happenings of the Houston household. I'm not going to make any promises about how often you'll find me here (because we know how that works out) but I will make it a point to stop in every once in a while to give you all an update on life as I know it.

On that note, I'm going to go check on my husband. I hear some kind of power tool and I'm slightly worried about what he may be doing to "modify" our new home. Until later, my friends....

Let the FRAMES begin!

2011-06-24T10:35:00.000-05:00

Weekend Recap

2011-05-02T11:29:00.001-05:00

I spent the majority of my two days off – and a large chunk of my last paycheck – landscaping the yard. I replanted flower beds, cleaned out from under trees and even killed a few creepy critters. The two days of composting, tilling, weeding, planting, watering, mulching, bending, stooping, climbing, digging, and raking left me with a sore body, scratchy eyes, sniffling nose and dirt in every conceivable place on my body, but I’d give anything to be doing it again today. I have no motivation to be trapped in this little box called my office.

Call me crazy

2011-04-29T14:05:00.000-05:00

Seriously. With all that's going on in my life these days, well, you might as well rename me.

I hope I'm not jumping-the-gun by making this HUGE announcement but, sometime this afternoon, we should have a brand-spankin'-new contract for our house. Finally. And with it comes a builder who is quite possibly just as anxious as we are to get started. So, after only SIXTEEN months of designing, redesigning, planning and discussing every single detail 10 million times over, we may actually break ground in the next couple of weeks.

Even more exciting is the fact that, barring any unforeseen delays, we should be able to move into our new house sometime in September. Who wants to help?

Since the whole process began, I've been envisioning the tile, the carpet, the paint colors - every aspect of the interior. But here in the past two months, I've been obsessed with mentally landscaping the place. It's been quite a struggle not to buy up every pretty flower I see. I can't wait to start that project!

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Onto other news...

Since the end of January, Chad and I have really been watching what we eat. I've cut out most sugar and breads, pastas, etc., from my diet. To date, I've lost between 10 and 15 pounds, depending on the day. Chad, on the other hand, has lost more than 30! To his credit, he's worked for it. He's 60 days into the Power 90 program and he's in better shape than I've EVER seen him.

Naturally, my competitive nature refuses to let him reap all the rewards of this little venture, so this past week, I began my own gruelling fitness routine. I worked out with Jillian for a while, and I've done other DVD programs but this time I decided to try a program called Insanity. (Yes, you read that right.)

Watching the DVDs beforehand, like I always do, I couldn't imagine why the participants were so out of breath. Jumping jacks and push-ups...so what? It's nothing we didn't do in 3rd grade P.E. Folks, let me tell you that after only three nights of this program, I am absolutely amazed that I can even walk. It's that tough. I'll try to do a recap of the workouts so far, along with my progress, in subsequent posts.

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Finally, because, just like me, my shoe obsession will never completely go away, I wanted to share with you the most recent object of my desire:

Aren't they fun? I'm already imagining an outfit with which to wear them, to justify the purchase. Ha! Like I really NEED a reason to buy shoes! The real problem is that I don't actually own the pieces of the outfit that I've put together in my head, so I'd have to buy those too. Anyone feel like shopping?
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I have so many other thoughts in my head right now that I'd like to share with you, but unfortunately, I just don't have the time to get them all out right now. Have no fear, I'm making a list of posts to start writing. Maybe this dry spell on my blog will come to an end soon.

Happy Friday friends!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-23T19:56:00.000-05:00

I've been listening to this song quite a bit lately and I never cease to be moved by the lyrics. I'm an emotional person anyway, but this song really moves me. I nearly bawled the night my three-year-old excitedly explained it to me. She came running into the kitchen exclaiming, "Mommy! Mommy! This is about Jesus. He was in the tomb but he's not anymore!"

Happy Easter everyone!

Pure Evil

2011-03-08T15:29:00.000-06:00

The following websites are pure evil - at least if you're like me and have spent the last five and a half weeks struggling to give up sugar (I'm proud to say that I've been [mostly] successful). Click on the links if you dare...and don't say I didn't warn you.

Cake Balls / Cake Pops

Oreo-Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cake Ball-Stuff Chocolate Chip Cookies

Are you licking your computer screen yet? I promise I will be testing these recipes in the near future.

To all my friends...

2011-01-21T09:17:00.000-06:00

...even the ones I've yet to meet.

I'd really like a reason to buy a pretty little party dress for the holidays

2010-12-14T16:49:00.000-06:00

If all goes well (if it ever begins), I really hope to host a Christmas party in my new house next year. And although everyone else may come in a t-shirt and jeans, I’d like to wear something like this:

Okay, that’s probably a little too dressy, but I’d still like to have a reason to buy it. It’s preeeety. But I’d settle for something like this:

I like the classic styling. I don’t think you can go wrong with a retro-inspired look in beautiful silk. Like a fun June Cleaver. Hmmm, I can just imagine myself carrying around trays of party foods, offering drinks to my guests, and laughing and smiling like they do in toothpaste commercials. That would be fun.

I can see just how the house would be decorated. An exquisitely decorated tree in the living room. A smaller one in the dining room showcasing our treasured ornaments. A lush garland draped along the banister. A fire in the fireplace and countless flickering candles. Ahhh. Dreams.

Meanwhile, back in reality, the Christmas tree in my current house has been up for more than a week and I still haven't finished putting ornaments on it. I also have great intentions of decorating the small pine tree in our front yard and one of the larger trees that we call "Big Ed" (yes, I have named the trees around our house). We'll see if that actually happens any time soon.

This counts as my post for today

2010-12-09T18:43:00.000-06:00

The luncheon was a success. From 8 o'clock this morning until 2:30 this afternoon, I was on my feet, sometimes running, sometimes in 4-inch heels, involved in everything luncheon-related. We set up tables and chairs, decorated the tables, dealt with the caterer, dealt with the food, conducted the Awards Ceremony, gave away door prizes and cleaned up all of it before I sat down and had two consecutive minutes to just take a deep breath. To my knowledge, there were no snafus - major, minor or otherwise. My feet hurt to the point that I'm seriously considering amputation as an alternative to the current pain. I'm going to spend the rest of the evening with my two tootsies elevated, possibly sipping an alcoholic beverage (even if it is only cough syrup). The end.

I can not for the life of me understand things like this

2010-12-08T14:45:00.000-06:00

This story makes me ill. I just don't understand it and I don't think I'll ever be able to wrap my head around the idea of a parent willingly harming his/her own child or children. It just makes me want to scream, "Why?!" Why do things like this have to happen? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?

I still consider it success.

2010-12-08T14:37:00.002-06:00

Obviously, contributing to the blogging world on a daily basis isn’t going to happen. I missed my second day this month yesterday, but this will be my seventh post for December, which far exceeds the TWO per month that I averaged between May and November. I consider that success.

Because I can’t think of anything to whip up into one long, cohesive post, here are some random thoughts I’d like to share with you today:

Chad and I finally jumped on the smartphone bandwagon. Evidently, it’s smarter than I am because I can’t figure out how to use it. By the time I learn all the bells and whistles, it will be time for a new phone.
Smartphone is evidently recognized as a legitimate word, surprisingly enough.
Because I really am trying to embrace the idea of leggings, I actually tried a pair on yesterday. Some girl in the fitting room actually laughed. I thought it was rude until I realized the chuckle came from me. There’s no way I’m going to be seen in public like that – like two ham hocks wrapped in cellophane.
I wish I could find some medicine that really would make this cough go away.
Chad is picking up the SECOND survey on our land today. Maybe we’ll actually be able to move forward with the house after the first of the year. But I’m not going to hold my breath.
Aislynn used the word “apologize” last night and it made me giggle.
She also told me I was dead and that she and Daddy needed to kill me some more. That just flat out disturbed me. Where is my 3-year-old getting that?!
My house still isn’t decorated for Christmas. I’m hoping I can muster up the oomph to get it done this weekend.
Although I can’t really find the desire to decorate my current home, I can’t stop dreaming of how I’ll decorate the new house if we ever get it built.
I’m probably going to need a strong drink at the conclusion of my office holiday luncheon tomorrow. I’m just praying that everything goes smoothly.

Stupid things you learn the hard way (alternately titled: Stupid things you probably shouldn't profess in such a public forum)

2010-12-06T16:37:00.001-06:00

I mentioned the other day that I’ve been in charge of organizing my office holiday luncheon. Well, part of that job is the décor for the tables. With an estimated 250 people attending, I have quite a few tables to decorate, with few resources. That aside, I’m determined to make it different this year.

The last couple of years I covered each table (or group of tables) with the nicest disposable white table cloth I could find. I ran ribbon down the middle and then scattered various Christmas ornaments and candies along the ribbon. It was decent and relatively inexpensive, but this year I want something a little more elegant, without busting the budget. It didn’t take long to decide that I wanted to add some more dimension and warmth to the tables – like with candles! Except our building code strictly prohibits the use of candles. So in a moment that can only be described as pure and utter delusion, I thought, “I’ll make something. Luminaries!” And then set about looking for instructions on the internet.

I found this video on YouTube and it looks easy enough, so I purchased 10 pounds of paraffin wax and a bag of balloons (which probably only makes sense if you watched the video). What was I thinking?

Saturday night, I set out to begin my little experiment. First of all, if you’ve never had a reason to melt a large container of paraffin wax on your stove top, let me just tell you that it takes a while. Like nearly an hour. When it was finally melted, I started filling balloons with water to make my luminaries. But you should probably know that I couldn’t find water balloons (no big surprise in December) so I just bought regular ol’ 12” diameter party balloons. Mistake number 1. Not all balloons are created equally people. And regular ol’ party balloons don’t necessarily fill with water in a uniform fashion. These looked more like lopsided boobs.

When I found some balloons that were good enough, I proceeded with my luminary-making venture. The dipping-in-hot-wax part was kind of fun, but I had no idea how many times to dip it in order to get a decent thickness. Mistake number 2. If the wax isn’t thick enough, it doesn’t hold up well once you’ve popped the balloon to release the luminary. Many that were actually a decent shape were destroyed by three-year-old little hands and ended up back in the wax bowl in various pieces.

Mistake number 3: don’t let your three-year-old find the bag of balloons if you don’t plan on her having any. Convincing her to A) “share” them and B) let you pop them when you’re done may be more difficult than you ever could have anticipated.

Well, the luminary project was moving along quite nicely until around 10:30, when all brain function ceased and any thought processes just became a muddled haze in my head (probably due in part to the crud that I’ve contracted). Around this time, I thought to myself, “Hmmm, I wonder if you have to use a water balloon or if you could just get away with blowing one up?” Mistake number 4.

My fifth and biggest mistake was deciding that I should blow the balloon up quite large. Not to the full 12” diameter but at least half of it. From here, it all went downhill.

You’re probably thinking, Um, 5^th grade science tells us that hot air expands and cold air contracts. Yeah, well, I wasn’t thinking that. I told you, I was in a haze from all the snot filling my head. So I proceeded with my experiment by dipping the inflated balloon into the wax. The first time worked pretty well, but as I forced it down the second time, it burst. Hot paraffin went everywhere. My hair. My face – eyebrows, nose, mouth. My neck, down my arms and my legs. All over the kitchen floor, the stove top and even the range hood. Just brilliant.

Some things I learned while ringing the bell for the Salvation Army

2010-12-05T18:26:00.000-06:00

Saturday afternoon I had the opportunity to ring the bell at one of the local Salvation Army donation buckets. You know the ones I’m talking about – you see them all over town this time of year. I’d venture to say there aren’t too many places you can get into without passing a Salvation Army bucket (and bell ringer). Well, now I have a whole new respect for those jinglers.

I’ve never actually rung one of the bells before. I didn’t even know how you would go about volunteering for the task, until a couple of weeks ago at church when one of the ladies was organizing a two-day stint of bell ringing at one of the local stores. Call me a sucker but it didn’t take much to persuade me to sign up for a couple of hours.

So from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm Saturday, I stood, with my daughter and dear friend, outside the Sam’s Club petitioning people for money simply by ringing a little brass bell. In those two hours, I learned more than I had anticipated. Allow me to share with you my new found wisdom (in no particular order).

It’s odd to say “Merry Christmas” when it’s 80 degrees out, even if it is December.
If people don’t want to give you money, they will avoid eye-contact at any cost. I’m fairly certain that some even feigned talking on their cell phone just to avoid having to speak to us.
Women stop more often than men (of course that may just be because more women do the shopping for their households).
The families that appear to have the least to spare tend to give the most.
A large number of people feel compelled to tell you that they gave “on the way in,” or “at some other location.” I even heard, “I gave yesterday.” I’m not judging you people; I don’t always give either.
Having a three-year-old ring the bell and say “Merry Christmas” tends to elicit more of a response than two 30-something women (no surprise there).
People use a grocery basket for the most ridiculous things. I saw one woman walk out pushing a cart with only one rotisserie chicken in it. The cooked bird couldn’t possibly have weighed more than 2 pounds, but she evidently couldn’t be burdened to carry it. And she was only one of many with only one or two items in a huge basket. I wonder what happens when they get home.
Although she may get the donations, my sweet little girl isn’t so sweet after about an hour of standing in one place. And she doesn’t feel so little after I’ve had to hold her for fifteen minutes. I don’t know why I was convinced that taking her with me would be a good idea.
Quite a few people actually scowl when you wish them a Merry Christmas. Some are very appreciative. The most enthusiastic response I got in the two hours was when I commented on one man’s Dallas Cowboys shirt.
Those little brass bells are slippery. At least for me. I’m a klutz. Not once but TWICE that darned little bell just flew right out of my hand. Fortunately, the first time it happened, no one saw and the second time the only witness was one of the store workers who evidently thought it was pretty funny.
Finally, I learned that the crud your entire family has been passing around – the same crud you thought you’d already had your share of – can hit at the most inopportune time. About 10 minutes before the end of my two hours, I began feeling ill. I thought maybe it was the unusual heat or standing in the direct sun for nearly 120 minutes with little water (at least less than what I usually consume). By the time I started my shopping, I thought I might just puke right there in the middle of the store. I think the idea of public humiliation was the only thing that kept it from actually happening.

20 minutes before, I had called Chad to come get Aislynn. I was feeling particularly annoyed with her after three trips to the bathroom and innumerable tantrums. Maybe it was just that I was feeling like poo. Anyway, Chad arrived and ended up helping me finish my shopping because he was so worried about me. I’m not sure what I looked like but it couldn’t have been good considering that he kept asking if I was okay and if I would be able to drive home.

But I’m sure you don’t really care to know that; it’s not what I started writing this in the first place! The whole point of this post was to share what turned out to be quite an enjoyable experience. I’d definitely do it again if given the opportunity. Maybe I’ll take the initiative to seek out the opportunity next time, instead of waiting for someone to ask.

This is more of a CHALLENGE than I originally anticipated

2010-12-04T09:40:00.000-06:00

So, the first two days of the month were off to a good start. December 1 started off with not one but TWO posts. December 2nd I still had a lot on my mind and managed to hammer out my thoughts as per the requirements of this "challenge." And then yesterday rolled around. Yep, just three days into the month-long challenge, I missed my first day of posting. It's not that I didn't have anything to say; I have plenty on my mind these days. For me, like most of us, it's more a matter of time.

I hate to admit this, but my best opportunity to blog is at work, because that's where I have the best Internet connection. Sure, I have Internet access at home but the air card doesn't receive a signal inside my house, so I have to sit on the front porch (where I am now) to get anything done.

Yesterday was a flurry of activity but I was continually drafting a post in my mind. Of course, the downside of my old age is that, now that I've slept, I can't for the life of me remember what I was going to write about. I hear people blame their short memory on age at least twice a day - whether it's my mom or the ladies I work with. My theory is that it's not about age at all. It's about capacity. Our brains can hold on to just so much information. When we reach capacity, something has to go in order to fit one more thing in. And maybe it's not that the one piece of information is lost but rather, stored in some remote file that we can't easily access. When we've made some additional room, that thing we forgot comes back to the front of our mind, and sometimes out of our mouths, at the most random of times. Do you ever wake up in the middle of the night because you've suddenly remembered whatever it was you couldn't recall earlier in the day?

But I digress. Without making excuses for my lack of posting, I'll share with you what kept me from making my thoughts public yesterday.

Three years ago, I was drafted to help organize and coordinate the ~~Christmas~~ Holiday Luncheon at work. Thinking back, I don't really remember how it happened exactly (that whole capacity thing). I think my co-worker (at the time), Kristi, was asked to put it together, and because I have access to all the money, I was asked to assist her. Aside from the "mystery meat" we served (the Great Mystery Meat Debacle of 2008 may be a whole post by itself), it went over quite well.

Christmas of 2009 it was automatically assumed that I'd be organizing the event once again. By that time, Kristi had taken another job but I had Courtney to help me. The food was donated and wonderful! We had a phenomenal turn out. So much so that the caterers ran out of plates and had to go back for more, even AFTER we cleaned out the office stash.

When this year rolled around, a lot had changed. We have a new department head, Courtney is on maternity leave but good ol' Jen is still around to make sure we have a luncheon. My boss told me to say no but, call it a personality flaw, I just couldn't. So on October 18, I began preparations for this year's luncheon - all by myself (okay, that's not completely true; I've constantly consulted the girls I work with for validation of my plans). Once I was given the green light, we decided on a date and reserved the space. That formed the snowball and set it rolling downhill, getting bigger and bigger along the way.

My beautiful, lovely and oh-so-talented sister whipped up the invitation for me (if you're on Facebook, you should take a look at some of her work on her Art2Art page. She's amazing, if I say so myself!), and once it went out to the department, the RSVPs started coming in. The response at first was slow. In the first three weeks, I got only 70 affirmative responses. I was anticipating 150-200.

This past Tuesday was the deadline for responding. I sent out my final reminder and watched the numbers increase only slightly. By the end of the day Tuesday, I had around 168. Okay, that falls within my original estimate. Then Wednesday, ONE late response made my numbers jump to 200. Hello people! Does "RSVP by..." mean nothing to you?

Thursday I had to call the caterer back with the final count. Since there were quite a few stragglers, I sent out one more "final" email and had a total of 221 when I called the caterer. Luckily, she was unavailable at the time because by the time she called me back, my numbers were at 233! And I was still getting responses yesterday. It just amazes me.

My entire work day Friday was consumed by my neurotic tendency to freak out for fear that everything won't be executed just as perfectly as I have imagined in my head. I spent most of the morning making a list of all the tasks that needed to be completed for this whole thing to happen. I went back and checked off what I had already accomplished, just for visual verification that things are actually getting done. The afternoon was spent wrapping presents and assembling baskets that will be used as door prizes during the awards ceremony that will follow the luncheon.

We began the door prizes in 2007, I think. But that year we paid beaucoup money to have someone else but the baskets together. They were nice but when I was volunteered for the "planning committee" (of 2) in 2008, my ~~cheap~~ ~~frugal~~ ~~thrifty~~ fiscally responsible German tendencies took over and I convinced the powers that be to let me and Kristi buy the items and make the baskets ourselves. They turned out even better than I had imagined and a tradition was born.

So by 5:00 pm Friday, I had wrapped numerous presents and assembled six or so baskets that are just waiting to be shrink-wrapped when I get back on Monday. My office - and I - was covered in various colors of glitter from all the Christmas ribbon. For some time, I could snap my fingers to produce a shower of glitter from my hands to the floor, which I imagine Aislynn would've found pretty entertaining. I called it a day and headed home (gladly).

After a nice dinner with my parents, and getting Aislynn to bed, I intended to sit down and write the post I had been thinking about all day (that I still can't remember, even now). But alas, the best of intentions don't get you very far. Turns out, I fell asleep and didn't wake up until 12:15 am. By that time it was technically Saturday, and I had missed my chance to post for Friday. Oh well, I can only move forward from here.

Hope you're all having a fantastic weekend so far!

My fascination with shoes...

2010-12-02T16:36:00.010-06:00

…has its limits.

It’s no secret that I love shoes, especially heels. My affinity for classic and sophisticated will never waiver. You can’t beat a well-made black pump, a modern twist on the Mary Jane or Spectator, or the versatility of a knee-high boot. (Let’s not even get started on my love for a nice wedge.) At times, I even spring for something a little edgy in its design or wild in color. Take for example these Empower by Fergie, that I purchased recently:

They really do add a nice punch of color to a pair of jeans and black shirt. And for high heels, they’re remarkably comfortable.

For me, shoes fall onto a spectrum. On one end are shoes that I don’t hesitate to buy. A little further down the spectrum are shoes that I really want, try to convince myself I don’t really need but end up buying anyway. Still further down are shoes that are a necessity. The purchase isn’t that thrilling, and they’re usually nothing to post here, but I have to get them (like tennis shoes, or flip flops). At the complete opposite end of the spectrum are these:

Shoes I can’t fathom spending money on, regardless of the price.

In case you’re wondering, these little beauties are a steal on 6pm.com right now – a mere $469.00, marked down from the normal retail price of $1675.00. The great Calvin Klein has put his name on many-a-wonderful things – shoes, dresses, colognes and some pretty swoon-worthy underwear models – but these are atrocious! These are the kind of monstrosity that my cousin, Pamela, and I would try on and take pictures of just for the sake of ridiculing them later. (Did I ever tell you the story about the gold-and-silver-swamp-thing boots?)

As impulsive as I may be, I tend to buy shoes with an outfit in mind (I may not actually own the outfit but that’s neither here nor there), so I think that’s my ~~biggest~~ problem with these – I can’t imagine what you’d wear them with. Any ideas? Here’s what I’ve come up with:

That chain maille dress that’s been hanging in the back of the closet since your stint as a wench at Ren Fest
These
A Halloween costume as an ‘80s punk rock prostitute

Am I being too harsh? Maybe. Maybe not.

Okay, now that I’m done lambasting the shoes (sorry if you own them), I’ll share with you a little triumph of my own. A little evolution of my own, personal fashion sense.

A couple of years ago, when the boots-over-your-jeans trend became popular, I guffawed. It looked ridiculous. To me. At the time. I’m happy to report that I’m slowly coming around to the idea (and I should probably make haste; the trend will likely end by the time I fully embrace it). In fact, I recently seriously contemplated getting some slimmer fitting jeans for the express purpose of wearing my knee-high boots over them. Of course, as I mentioned yesterday, I’m super self-conscious about my legs/butt/thighs (read: body in general), which is what ultimately stopped me from doing it. That, and the fact that I currently own more than 28 pairs of jeans (28 at the last count and I’ve probably bought a few since then) – none of which fit me the way I’d ideally like.

I’m also kind of, sort of, coming around to the idea of leggings (but not jeggings, because that’s just a stupid word), depending on the outfit. And the person wearing them. But they still kind of remind me of the sixth grade.

See, I am capable of change, growth. But don’t expect me to jump on the bow bandwagon anytime soon.

*This fulfills my obligation for day two of my December challenge.

Two in one day! Holy Moly!

2010-12-01T15:34:00.003-06:00

Okay, I just have to get something off my chest. I DO NOT understand the current bow craze. You know what I’m talking about. I’ve seen it mostly on college-age and high school girls but it looks ridiculous on both. It started with the teeny-tiny little bows clipped to the sides of their foreheads. Recently, I’ve noticed that the bows are getting much larger. The bigger they get, the more I want to grab the damned thing, along with a big chunk of hair, and just yank it out! Other than you, Kellie, am I the only one that’s even slightly put off by this trend?

This morning on the news, they were interviewing a college student who had on, for one thing, waaayyy too much eye makeup AND a big puffy bow stuck to the side of her head. (Maybe she drooled too much the night before and her pillow just stuck to her head.) All I could think was, “I hope she sees this later and thinks to herself I look ridiculous.” It won’t happen. She’ll likely see it, post it on YouTube and then email it to all of her friends with a caption that reads: Ohmygosh, don’tIlookliketotallycute? No! You look like stole the hair bows from my three-year-old (who, at this point, has better taste than you). In the words of my dear friend Lizzie, “She either needs a better mirror or better friends because there’s no reason she should have left the house looking like that.”

Don’t get me wrong, I think there’s plenty of room in the fashion world for hair adornments. I was once put off by the headbands with the beaded appliques and silk flowers. I still don’t know how I feel about the silk flowers but I have seen the beaded headbands used tastefully. I even found myself tempted recently to purchase one that was decorated with peacock feathers (it was prettier than what you are currently picturing in your head). I envisioned a pretty little cocktail dress, a new pair of heels, and my hair pulled back into a clump of loose waves at the nape of my neck. With the appropriate jewelry and the right lip gloss, I’d be ready for a night on the town. And then the bubble burst when I realized that rarely do I have the opportunity to go out on the town dressed like that. In this town, where would I go?

So I decided to forego the headband. And the cocktail dress. But I may still buy the shoes (like I need an excuse). I’ve recently been enamored with these (by Guess):

Admittedly, the platform is a little severe for my (typical) taste but they really do look good on the tootsies. So what kept you from buying them? You might be thinking. Well, if I’m going to pay good money for the shoes, they should probably be seen, but I’d most likely wear them with a pair of long jeans and though they would hold my hem off the floor, you wouldn’t really be able to see the details that make them great. And then, what’s the point?

My other option would be to wear them with a pencil skirt and shirt but I’m somewhat self-conscious of my legs and don’t feel confident exposing them to the world. Plus, they’re peep-toes which I’m not sure would look good with hose (Kristin, is it apropos to wear even slightly open-toed shoes with panty hose?) *I’m not wearing any panty hose.* Gotta love Pretty Woman! (Sorry, it comes to mind every time I say the words.) But this time of year, I just don’t think you can get away without wearing hose; it’s too cold for bare legs. Unless you’re in a cute little cocktail dress with shoes a bit strappy-er than these.

And then there’s the whole issue of the pencil skirt. I haven’t found one yet that looks good on me. I know “pencil” refers to the straightness (and sometimes form-fitting) of the skirt but I also think it means you have to be pencil-thin to look good in it. Mostly because I’m also very self-conscious about my hips/thighs and don’t feel the need to draw extra attention to that part of my body. (And just in case you’re wondering what I’m NOT self-conscious about, the answer is “nothing.” I’m a big, huge mental mess!)

Okay, I’m done. How’s that for stream-of-consciousness?

I love a good challenge

2010-12-01T08:31:00.001-06:00

My sister was recently challenged to write a post for her blog every day for the entire month of November. I think she found it so therapeutic that she decided to keep doing it for the month of December as well, and she challenged me to do the same.

Well, I love a good challenge so I’m going to give it a shot. It’s no secret that my blog hasn’t seen much in the way of posts lately but for the next 31 days, I vow to write at least one post per day (but naturally, if I’m feeling particularly verbose, I’m not limited to just the one). So here begins my journey, and yes, I’m going to count this as my first post, fulfilling my obligation for today. I actually have quite a bit on my mind today so I may just write some more later!

Look out blog world, I’m back (for at least the next month)!

Holy Cow!

2010-11-05T15:30:00.001-05:00

I just realized that I haven’t posted anything – not one teensy weensy thought – since September, a little more than 6 weeks ago. Wow. It’s not that I haven’t had things on my mind, but rather, I haven’t have the time to sit and ~~write~~ type. My work life and personal life have been crammed full of stress lately. More my personal life than my work life, amazingly enough.

Chad and I are still working on building a house, although we haven’t actually broken ground. It amazes me to think that we’ve been working on this process for nearly an entire year now and other than a set of plans and a builder, we haven’t really gotten all that far. The last couple of months have been consumed by meetings with the bank, number crunching and appraisals. Followed by more meetings with the bank and more number crunching. So here’s where we stand: yes, we’re still going to build the house. I refuse to give up. The numbers – the loan amount, our credit, interest rates – are all on our side but because the land was given to us by my parents, we’ve had to work out a few extra kinks. It’s infuriating at times but I keep trying to remind myself that we have a place to live, so I can afford to wait a little longer to make sure we get it done properly.

I’ve also decided to quit making predictions or setting goals of when we might actually get started building because I’ve seen far too many dates come and go at this point. Believe me, the day we break ground, there will be a shout of joy no doubt heard round the world.

I’ve also recently been preparing for my mother’s 60^th birthday party. She decided nearly two years ago that she would plan her own party but she didn’t actually start the planning part until last week. It was only last Thursday that she secured a venue for this little shindig. The party is next Friday. Totally uncharacteristic of my mother. We have family coming down from Seattle for the occasion and she’s planned every single meal for their entire 10-day stay but neglected to actually plan the party for which they are coming.

Thank heaven she gave in and decided to have the event catered because I don’t know if I’d survive having to cook the food. As it is, I’m in charge of making the cake(s) and I’m terrified that it’s going to be a disaster. Maybe I should order something to have as a backup.

Getting everything done for the party (plus planning a birthday party for Aislynn the same weekend) has me a little on edge but I can’t wait to see my family from Seattle. I’m taking some time off of work to spend some time with them and the little cousins I have yet to meet. After about 24 hours of togetherness, I’m sure the family will have me stressed out as well but even that makes me a little giddy (there’s never a dull moment in my family).

As some of you already know, the stress is taking its toll on me physically. A few months ago the doctor put my on an antidepressant (that’s nothing new), which I have since quit taking. (Yeah, yeah. Save the lecture. I’ve never been good about taking medicine regularly.) On top of the mild depression – but mostly on top of my head – my hair has been falling out. So have my eyelashes.

When I first went to the doctor about it, he asked me if I was stressed. My initial answer was “no” but after a couple of weeks, and some self-evaluation, I realized that I am pretty stressed these days. Knowing that the stress may be causing my hair to fall out is not helping the fact that I’m stressed because my hair is falling out.

For the longest time my sister and mother insisted that I was just being overly self-conscious. Then one weekend I went to a football game with a friend and got pretty sunburned – on my scalp. I’ve spent plenty of time in the sun in my 30+ years and I have never been sunburned on my head!

After several doctor visits and inconclusive blood tests, I’m going to a specialist next week. I had one particularly bad day when I suffered through nine hours at work thinking that I might break down and cry (probably partly the depression there) so I called the doctor and insisted that he send me to someone else. I kind of hate doing that because I don’t want to come across as if the guy doesn’t know what he’s doing. I like my doctor but I’m kind of attached to my hair and would like it to remain on my head. I just hope there’s some new course of action I can take to get my hair back. Before I treat it, I would really like to know what’s causing it!

I know I’ve been babbling for a while, all just to say that I have a lot going on at the moment. Hopefully by this time next week I can steal a few moments to update you all on my health, my house and my family. I’m sure I will have some interesting stories to tell.

This totally sucks.

2010-09-22T12:24:00.001-05:00

I’m stuck at work during my lunch hour and I’m not a happy camper. Do I need to go anywhere in particular? No. Do I want to go anywhere in particular? Still no. But I’d at least like the option. Sometimes getting out of this place for an hour is the only way I maintain my sanity (what’s left of it).

Had I realized that I’d be stuck here, all alone, for lunch, with absolutely NO MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION, I would have prepared a little and at least brought a book to read. But I didn’t really know that this was the plan. Oh. Joy.

There’s really only so much you can search for on the internet before you get bored out of your freakin’ skull. I’m there now. Tabloid news? Bo-ring. National news? Really boring. Local news? Ha! That’s funny. I don’t even feel particularly inclined to window shop on the internet. Not even for shoes. Seriously.

And my food prospects aren’t any better. My options include: water, a protein shake, or a Lean Cuisine. None of which really make me salivate at the thought of them. Actually, being hungry all afternoon sounds more appealing at this point. Except for the fact that I’m so hungry I could gnaw off my right arm. Ugh.

This really sucks.

I'll keep this short

2010-09-13T11:43:00.001-05:00

I know I haven’t given any updates on the home-building process lately. Heck, I haven’t given updates on much of anything lately! I promise to write more in the near future. Really. I promise promise.

For now, I just wanted to share the exciting news that, by the end of this week, Chad and I will be land owners. Officially. It’s just one more thing I can check off of my list and one step closer to actually building a house. Yay!

To my good friend, Kristin

2010-08-13T14:05:00.002-05:00

Dear Kristin,

I need help (that’s stating the obvious). Getting dressed the past few mornings has become a blaring realization that my wardrobe is lackluster at best. I’m wearing the same outfits over and over again and I’m quickly becoming bored. To be honest, it’s not that I’m wearing the same old shirts and pants, but more that they’re each just a variation of the same outfit – banded-bottom blouson in magenta, teal, black, green, or some kind of print with gray, taupe, or black pants (and sometimes jeans). I’m sick of it. Quite frankly, my yoga pants and tank that I wear when I run shows off more of my figure.

To add to my frustration, it seems that I can’t escape this particular style because it’s all I can find in the stores. Initially, I thought I was just stuck in a rut and kept gravitating to this same style but even when I set out with the express intention of purchasing something different, it’s all I can find.

Okay, that’s not completely true but I refuse to buy anything that’s mesh (unless it’s stocking or panties), animal print that does not occur in nature (um, a purple cheetah? No thanks…and I’ll save the snake print for my shoes) or something that looks like it got wadded up during the dying process and therefore is inconsistently colored. Furthermore, is it really too much to ask for something with some shape to it? I’m not a box. And although I haven’t fully learned to embrace the curves that God gave me, I’m not willing to completely deny them either. I do not want to wear a “shirt” with a hem that reaches my knees (I’m 5’9. I shouldn’t look like a three-year-old playing dress up in mommy’s closet.) but it should at least cover my stomach.

Adding to my frustration is the complete lack of shopping options here in this less-than-metropolitan area. I’ve resorted to scouring the internet in search of better options (something I prefer not to do unless I know the specific brand and size I need) but have come up short even there. The budget is limited so hiring a seamstress to tailor everything specifically for me is out of the question (but definitely on my wishlist).

So, my dear friend, this is my question to you: how do I dress for my body type when the trends seem to be working against me? Please help soon or I may be forced to resort to wearing my sweats and flip-flops to work. (Oh, who are we kidding? You and I both know I’ll never give up my heels!)

In need of advice,

Jen

Some thoughts for the day

2010-08-03T09:24:00.000-05:00

A good run can do wonders for your spirit, and your figure. A good run that does NOT involve the treadmill is even better - even if it does mean sweating like a pig.
I love good music in the morning. It gets me moving and makes me feel like dancing, even at the risk of looking like a complete idiot while I drive to work.
A little sunshine is therapeutic. It can do more than warm your skin; it can warm your soul and make you feel ALIVE!

Happy Tuesday everyone!

And men wonder why women have body issues

2010-07-13T11:48:00.001-05:00

The search for the perfect pair of jeans is a constant struggle for me (and I don’t think I’m alone here). A while back I found the perfect pair at a local western store. Um, my style is far from “western” but given that I had searched high and low at every other clothing store in town, it was my last resort. Imagine my surprise when I walked in and found the perfect pair of jeans. Nice color? Check! Appropriate rise – not too high, not too low? Check! Adequate length (for even my highest of heels)? Check! And to top it all off, they were a nice weight of denim without too much of that awful stretchy material (you know, when you’re not quite sure if you’re wearing jeans or spandex leggings). Oh, and they looked nothing like a pair of western jeans. Thankfully.

The $70 price tag was a little steep for my taste (I’m not cheap, I’m frugal) but THEY WERE THE PERFECT JEANS so I bought them, and they quickly became my favorite jeans. I wore them until there were holes that even patches couldn’t fix. When I came to the realization that I needed another pair, I went back to that same western store. This time, to my complete horror, the jeans I loved so much were gone! Sure, they still carried that brand, but not that same style of jeans. My heart broke a little that day. But ever the optimist, I grabbed a different style of the same brand. They were not my perfect jeans.

I began scouring the internet to find my perfect jeans once again and finally I did – in California. Well, it’s time for a new pair again but this time, instead of waiting for them to ship, I decided to resume my search in the local stores. So yesterday after work I headed to the mall. I tried a couple of different stores before I ended up in The Gap. I immediately grabbed a couple of pairs of jeans, in different sizes, and headed to the fitting room.

I started with a size 12. They were not uncomfortably snug (if that makes any sense). Suffice it to say that they closely hugged all my curves without cutting off my circulation. I hadn’t written them off but I wasn’t completely sold either. The next pair was a distressed pair that my sister grabbed for me to try – in a size 10! After my experience with the bigger size, I had my doubts. I pulled them up, buttoned and zipped them only to find that they were too big. Um, what?! In case you didn’t get that, the smaller size was bigger than the larger size. *Sigh* The next garment to try was actually already in the fitting room when I arrived – a black skirt. It was cute…and a size 8. If anything would bring on the tears, surely this would be it. A brutal reminder of my life before baby – when I could (and did) go running on a regular basis, just because I felt like it. Ah, those happy days when I could walk into a store and grab a size 8 and hope that it wouldn’t be too big.

I’m not sure why I decided to try it on; I don’t wear skirts much lately. I think I just wanted to know that I hadn’t come too far from my pre-baby body. All of these thoughts swirled through my head in a matter of seconds as I slipped the skirt over my thighs and zipped it. I stood there staring in awe. It fit. Perfectly. It hung right on my hips – exactly where that style of skirt is intended to hang. And it wasn’t cutting into my mid-section. I was baffled (and just a little giddy inside).

And then WHAM! Reality hit me in the face. It’s just a number. But those little numbers printed on the inside of women’s clothing, are why so many women have body issues. There’s no standard. In just one store three different sizes fit me in three completely different ways. Go to the next store over and chances are, it will be the same. It’s what makes shopping these days even more infuriating than my chunky monkey thighs and the junk in my trunk.

I know, it's been a while.

2010-07-08T15:36:00.000-05:00

Yes, I’m still alive (just in case you were wondering). A multitude of happenings and goings-on have kept me from writing lately. First and foremost, I’ve been in a funk. Just down, but I’m working on getting past that.

Chad and I are still working on the house-building project, although at this point it’s beginning to feel like we’ll never actually get to the building part. My I hope to break ground by June 30 deadline has come and gone and the only ground that’s been broken has been by the gophers. We have the plans and pretty much all the finishes for the interior chosen so now it’s down to working out the financial aspect. Ugh. I’m still waiting to hear from the bank. My parents were gracious enough to give us some land but I’m starting to think that buying a piece of property would have been less difficult.

Aislynn is getting bigger and more talkative every day. It just amazes me to see how she’s developing. How she thinks and interacts with others. In that respect, she’s not a baby anymore. Her recent sleeping habits have me thinking otherwise.

It’s a fight every night to get her into bed. Chad and I have tried just about every method we can dream up to make the process easier but to no avail. It’s really taking its toll on me. I don’t want to resent my child but I’m quickly getting to that point. She’s cranky in the morning because she hasn’t gotten enough sleep, and I get to deal with it. She’s tired and cranky by the afternoon and I have to deal with it. I’m tired of dealing with a cranky child. And of course, the good days are reserved for Chad.

A lot is going on at work. We’re facing budget cuts, which is never fun. I love my job but some days I’d like to volunteer to be laid-off so I can sit at home on my [ever expanding] rear and collect a check from the government. Heck, I’ll even pop out another kid or two if they’ll give me more money for them. Seriously, I love my job and even though the practical side of me doesn’t think there’s any chance I’ll lose it, the worst-case scenario side is terrified that I’ll walk in one day (probably the day AFTER I close on a mortgage) to find out that I’ve been cut.

*Update on our Mortgage* Two weeks ago, I burned some vacation to meet Chad at the bank with an arm-load of financial documents so that we could discuss our home-building options. Mostly to decide whether or not we should try to carry the construction loan, or have our builder do that. After an hour we hadn’t made much progress. I decided that I wanted to see a cost comparison so we could make the most informed decision. So “Janey” (I changed her name) told us that she’d get information on both options and run our application again for pre-approval. Being that that was Friday at noon, she said it would be the next week before she got back to us. Okay, that’s understandable.

The next week came and went and I must have checked my email a thousand times a day waiting for her name to show up in my inbox. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch.

This past Monday I decided to check in with her, via email. I politely reminded her that we were anxious to keep moving in the process and wanted an update on the status of our application, along with the information on a lender that might be able to help us with the construction loan. Well, Monday was a holiday but I figured she’d get back to me on Tuesday. Tuesday came and went – as did Wednesday – and still nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch.

This morning I decided to call her. It went to voicemail so I left her another message explaining that we wanted an update on the status of our pre-approval application. By lunch I hadn’t gotten a call back so I called again (I’m persistent). This time she answered. I kid you not, these were her exact words to me: “Uh, hi Jennifer. I got your message and I remember meeting with you but…tell me again…what was I supposed to do for you?”

Um, are you kidding me? Is this some kind of joke? No, it wasn’t. I guess she forgot about us two minutes after we left her office. So while I’ve been waiting for the past two weeks, she’s been doing absolutely nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch.

I don’t know how I managed to keep my composure as I went through all the details AGAIN, because I really wanted to reach through the phone and punch her in her mouth! What I really want to know is, what did she do with all of my financial information that I gave her? She obviously didn’t make a file as she had indicated. Is my bank statement and tax return just sitting there waiting for someone to find it and clean me out, or ruin my credit? I could scream.

When I got off the phone, I called Chad and told him we could pick another mortgage company, because there’s not a snowball’s chance in hell that they’ll get my money! She promised to send me the information so once again, I’m waiting. Once I have it, I fully intend to call her supervisor and voice my opinion on the whole matter. Ugh!

On a happier note, I did have some a great afternoon last Friday when I went for a pedicure. And a glass of wine. And I have next weekend to look forward to some time with good friends. I’m counting down!

I love this quote

2010-06-04T11:21:00.002-05:00

"I am furious at this entire situation because this is an example where somebody didn't think through the consequences of their actions,"

Obama said in an interview aired Thursday night on CNN's "Larry King Live."

Um, hello Mr. President. Although you were speaking of the BP oil spill that is currently devastating the Gulf, did it occur to you just how adequately your words describe the recent legislation that’s come from Washington, DC?

At a loss for words

2010-06-04T11:12:00.001-05:00

A friend of mine posted this article on Facebook. I’m not even sure what to say. Yes, let’s continue to “dumb-down” everything for our children and future generations. Just keep lowering the bar instead of encouraging people to reach a little higher, work a little harder, strive a little more. And while we’re at it, why don’t we overhaul punctuation too? After all, who really knows when to use a semi-colon? I say get rid of it! And capitalization…it’s tricky. Let’s do away with that, too. Heck, let’s just annihilate proper sentence structure all together; it’s not important when texting anyway. *Sigh* What’s the world coming to?!

We're proud to announce that our family is growing...

2010-05-17T15:33:00.003-05:00

by two, no less! Now for any of you who just gasped for air, I can assure you that it's not exactly what you think. Go ahead, pick your jaw up off the floor.

Chad and I have been talking for a while about getting Aislynn her very own puppy. We had a particular breed in mind and we were going to wait until she got a little older before we made the investment. But this weekend, she fell in love with these two beauties:

Meet Marley and Tigger (Ailsynn named them...did you guess that?). They're 10 weeks old and sweet as can be and we're happy to have them as part of the family. Of course, nothing is sweeter than hearing my two-year-old exclaim, "Mommy, I wub my puppies. I jus wub dem!"

Better Late than Never

2010-05-10T13:21:00.001-05:00

Way back in January, everyone declared their word for the year. Sara picked “trim.” Kristin decided to be “decisive.” Lacy is working to “fulfill.” Summer wants this year to be about “fun.” But I never declared anything. And despite the old cliché, “It’s the thought that counts,” it doesn’t. I thought about declaring “HEALTHY” as my word this year, but I never did. So, here it is May and I’m making it official. This year – or at least what’s left of it – is going to be about being healthy – physically, emotionally, spiritually. I’m going to work on healthy relationships and a healthy bank account, a healthy body (and healthier body image) and a healthy mind.

I’m starting by renewing my commitment to eating healthy. Chad and I have talked several times over the past couple of weeks about changing our diet; about fueling our bodies with what we really need, instead of just what’s quick and easy. Today was the end of talking and the beginning of action toward that goal. (Chad’s even suggested placing the words “take action” around the house to remind each of us to stop merely thinking about making the change. There’s some merit there.)

In addition to eating healthier this week, I’ve vowed to start exercising regularly again. I was doing pretty well at the beginning of the year but that little foot injury sidelined me long enough to take a toll on my waistline. No more! I’m taking action. I think I’ve even managed to convince Chad to do one of the workout DVDs in my vast collection. This will, hopefully, not just strengthen my body but also my relationship with my husband.

Here’s to being healthy!

Food for thought

2010-05-10T13:05:00.001-05:00

Freezer-burned broccoli is bad. And salt does not make it taste any better. Hopefully the little bit of sirloin I had will get me through the afternoon…or at least until 4:00 when I plan on having an orange for a snack.

More reasons to love her

2010-04-27T08:42:00.001-05:00

We have so much in common. More than just our love for food. Here’s the proof. I think we could be such good friends, especially if by some chance we wear the same size shoe.

An Update on our Home-Building Project: A multitude of posts all wrapped up in one

2010-04-23T14:22:00.003-05:00

It’s all about the numbers

It’s begun. The bid process. Okay, first of all let me say, Holy cow! I never imagined how much it would cost just to find out how much our house will cost! Yes, I guess I really am that naïve. When I picked up the plans last week, I kind of expected multiple copies. I just had the number ‘3’ in my head. Ha! We got one. Uno. But we can make as many copies as we need.

So Monday I put Chad to work with a list of names of builders and phone numbers in order to find out just how many copies each builder ~~wanted~~ needed to give us a bid. I was astounded at the numbers. One builder requested SIX copies. Uh yeah, he gets three (and that’s being generous).

Tuesday I grabbed our originals and headed out (on my lunch hour) to have copies made. Luckily, I called around first. Prices ranged from $1.50 per page to $4.50 per page! (Can you guess where I went?) I figured five sets of plans would be a good starting place. Twenty minutes and nearly one hundred dollars later, I walked out with an armful of house plans.

A mere twenty-four hours after that, and meetings with two builders down, I was once again heading out to get more copies. More accurately, I was sending Chad. *Just a note: Communication with your spouse is paramount during the building process, especially when he’s made appointments to talk to ten different builders (I’m only slightly exaggerating) and you only have plans for three.* And just like that, another hundred bucks was sucked from my checking account. *Sigh* After that check I wrote for the plans last week, and now all the copies we’ve made, my checking account is gasping for air. My savings account is quaking with fear that it may be next. Lawdy, this is gettin’ pricey…and we’re not even building yet. At this point, the builders who have indicated that they only need one set of plans, because they’ll make the necessary copies, are ranking pretty high on my list.

It’s all in the details

Our first official meeting with a builder was Wednesday. Since I was working, I sent Chad all by himself (scary, I know). Anticipating some questions about the finishes we are considering, I sent him with a list of notes – a list I thought was pretty comprehensive. I’ve been thinking and dreaming about this house for months (years really); I know what I want. Don’t I?

Turns out, my list was far from comprehensive. Chad came by my office when he was done and started rattling off questions that he had been asked, for which he didn’t have a handwritten answer from yours truly. I’m fairly certain he must have felt like a contestant on The Newlywed Game. In my head, it plays out something like this:

Host: Chad, we’ve asked your wife, Jennifer, the following five questions. You’ll have 30 seconds to answer correctly, giving the answer that Jennifer gave us.

Chad: Uhhhhhh….

Host: Your kitchen includes double ovens. What kind of heat source did Jennifer say she prefers: gas, electric or dual-fuel?

Chad: Wait... What? Huh? We have TWO ovens?

And I’m sure it went on from there. I made no notes about stainless steel appliances because I figured that was a given. So how did Chad answer that question? Uh, that stuff that looks like stainless steel but doesn’t show fingerprints. That’s what we have now. Yeah, nice try honey, but that’s not what we have now. We have stainless steel and we will have stainless in the new house as well, despite the fact that it’s a bitch to clean.

But builders are bringing up questions that I haven’t even thought about. Do you want one showerhead in the Master Bath, or two? Do you want lights in the bedroom closets? Uh, yeah! That wasn’t on the plan? I totally missed that! I thought I would avoid all that and type up something before our meeting yesterday evening. And then he threw me this curveball: I see here you want stacked stone on the exterior. Have you thought about what kind of stacked stone? Uh, the kind that stacks. No, I didn’t bring in a sample. For our purposes yesterday, we narrowed it down to “something within the state of Texas.”

And then it was my turn to confuse him. You want a foot pedal for the kitchen sink? What? Indeed. Just like in hospitals. I don’t want to touch the faucet when my hands are dirty. And yes, I’ve seen the new faucets that you can touch anywhere to make them come on. That’s not as cool as a foot pedal. At least not in my book.

It’s consuming me

If I have my job, much less my sanity, at the end of this whole fiasco, count it as a miracle. This entire project is consuming me. I’ve been scouring the internet for pictures of kitchens, sinks, bathrooms, appliances, and light fixtures, etc, etc, etc. I feel the need to know exactly what I want as soon as possible. We’re not even building yet people!

The other day, while waiting on the copies of my plans to be made, I ran in to a nearby office supply store and bought a special expandable file just for house stuff (that’s in addition to the binder I already have). And I’ve made a list of the tabs that I’ll use to divide up everything, including all the pictures I've been collecting from various sources (like the internet).

This weekend I plan on going to the Parade of Homes, WITH my camera, to see if I can get any more great ideas or inspiration. I’m super pumped about the idea (and frankly, I would be even if I wasn’t currently trying to build a house) but Chad just scoffed at the idea. So what if we went in October? Surely the houses will be different this time around. Right? And since Chad has made it abundantly clear that it’s not high on his list of priorities, I’ve decided to take my sister. She has an eye for style. Plus, she’s a lot more fun when it comes to making fun of anything and everything hideous (yeah, we do that). I have no doubt that seventy-five percent of the pictures I take will be of things I absolutely DO NOT want in my house. (I once took a picture of the truck parked next to me in the Chili’s parking lot. It was awful – some dually that had been lowered to about 6 inches off the ground and then assaulted with every imaginable truck accessory. My friend Amanda was mortified that I would actually take a picture of it, because the owner might see me from inside the restaurant. I should find that picture and post it.)

As much as the Parade of Homes excites me, it scares me. I’m terrified that I’m going to walk into some house and see something I didn’t think of or, God forbid, leave thinking I need to change my house plans. I’m already having random freak-outs about the design.

A couple of weeks ago it was I was suddenly convinced that we needed to add a half-bath under the stairs. Chad just looked at me blank-faced like, “You have got to be kidding me.” We toyed with the idea but I gave up when I realized that adding the bathroom would eat up half my pantry. No thanks. Last Sunday afternoon my heart started racing while thinking about the fact that my kitchen sink is not right in front of a window. I’m still contemplating moving it to another area of the kitchen (but I haven’t told Chad). This morning I started to doubt whether I need double ovens or if I’d be better off just investing in a 48” range. My mother talked me down from that one. A couple of hours after that, I suddenly started worrying about where I might put the microwave and whether or not it should be built-in. Sheesh!

If you haven’t already caught on to just how neurotic I am, I’ll give you another example: this morning I heard a commercial for a tent sale, “blow-out,” at a local carpet store. I’m currently trying to convince myself that there’s really no reason to rush out and buy flooring because we’re not even building yet!!

If you've stuck with me this far, I have one question for you: When you dream of your perfect house, what specific features come to mind?

I'm still giggling about this

2010-04-19T11:44:00.002-05:00

Sara is always posting her “Drewisms” and, even though my little booger bear says some funny things, I never take the time to write them down. I’m going to regret that one day. This one was just too funny (at least to me) not to share.

Yesterday evening, when Chad got home from work, he immediately changed the channel from whatever sappy chick-flick I was probably watching at the time. After flipping through a few options, we ended up watching Life on the Discovery Channel. Pretty interesting show. If you haven’t watched it, the premise of the whole show is just show-casing different aspects of life on earth. I’ve yet to watch an episode in its entirety and honestly, it probably wouldn’t have been my first choice yesterday but it was better than Nascar (don’t hate me; I’m just not a fan).

Anyway, yesterday’s episode – or at least, the one that was on at the time – was show-casing reptiles and amphibians. They spent a large portion of the time following Komodo dragons. At one point, in desperation and dire hunger, one of the dragons bit a water buffalo. After about three weeks, the toxins secreted during the bite overcame the buffalo and it died (at which point it was a feast for the hungry Komodo dragons). If you’re interested, here’s the video.

Aislynn watched intently, and I was careful to monitor just how much she saw. The last thing I wanted was for my baby girl to have nightmares about this stuff.

After the episode was through, we headed to my parents’ house for dinner. Chad and I sat inside while Aislynn stayed outside with Oma and Paw Paw. I don’t even remember how we got on the subject but after we finished eating, I began recounting the Komodo dragon story. As if a light went on, my mother sighed and said, “Ohhh! Now it makes sense.” She went on to explain that while they had been outside, Aislynn told her that a lizard bit a moose and the moose got sick.

I couldn’t stop laughing. I am continually amazed at how my little girl sees the world and how she makes sense of it in her mind. To her, the Komodo dragon was just a big lizard (indeed, it is!) and the water buffalo a “moose,” but I had no idea that she had understood that the bite had poisoned the buffalo and made it ill.

I’m still giggling about this.

The unveiling

2010-04-16T16:43:00.002-05:00

For nearly four months now Chad and I have been working on our house plans. When we went in initially, I thought, "We'll be done with this in no time." I never expected to be so undecided on my house plans. I assumed that I knew exactly what I wanted. Ha! Four months later, we're pretty far from where we started but we're finally finished (I think...I hope). Okay, we're done with the plans. We're still a long way from having the house.

In any case, as I pondered blogging about the excitement of being done with plans, it occurred to me that I've never actually posted pictures of any of our plans. We'll friends, here they are:

Please forgive the quality of the pictures. I took them with my cell phone as the plans were spread across my desk. Needless to say, not the best camera and not the best lighting. But I think you can get the general idea. I'm a little skeptical of the exterior just because I'm not good at seeing something on paper and imagining it in it's 3-dimensional form. It's fairly close to what I had envisioned so I'm hopeful that it will turn out as I had intended.

Now begins the daunting task of getting bids. Ugh. At this point, I really hope we can make the numbers work. Chad and I are fortunate in that we aren't being forced out of our current house, and we're not on any kind of timeline, other than the one we've set for ourselves. That said, I think with current interest rates, it would be financially wise to build now. Interest rates will no doubt start to rise and although they do fluctuate, I don't foresee that being the case with the cost of materials and labor. As far as those two things are concerned, I only see the prices going up! But we've already invested quite a bit of time AND money to get these plans and I would be devastated to have to compromise too much because of cost (but ultimately, I don't have the luxury of an unlimited budget).

Say a prayer that we can keep moving forward and that our dreams don't get derailed by the dollars!

I'm hanging up my running shoes

2010-04-13T16:43:00.001-05:00

But only temporarily. As you might recall, I recently committed to my second 5K and recommitted to running on a regular basis. Ha! Evidently, the evil god of pollen had other plans and instead of inhaling life-giving oxygen while I ran last Monday, I was sucking in clouds of that icky yellowish-green stuff.

Tuesday morning I got up feeling a little under-the-weather but nothing too severe. By Wednesday morning it had zapped me. I stayed home from work but decided to go in Wednesday afternoon. With the help of over-the-counter decongestants, I made it through Thursday too. Well, that and the thought of having a day off on Friday. And I was ecstatic when 5 o’clock rolled around Thursday.

I practically skipped to my car with a list of fun activities dancing around in my head. All of them involved being outside and enjoying the beautiful Spring weather. I was going to clean out and replant the flower beds by the house, stain the deck and hang the hammock, after which I would enjoy a novel of my choosing while a gentle breeze flitted through my hair. And, of course, I had delusions of obtaining a nice golden glow while crossing all these tasks off my list. Ah, good intentions.

Friday and Saturday were about as productive as the dry cough that was plaguing me (and continues to do so). My cocktail of drugs made me feel useless during the day and the cough was keeping me awake at night.

By Sunday I was pretty much confined to bed. Well, until I decided that I needed to go to the grocery store. Huge mistake. I was attacked by a coughing fit in the middle of the produce section. I was quite certain that I was either going to throw up or pass out. Thankfully, neither happened. (That would have been humiliating.) Aislynn watched in horror as I clung to the cart for dear life with tears trickling down my cheeks (totally involuntary – have you ever coughed that hard? It’s no fun.). And I was convinced that all the other patrons were making mental notes to wash their produce extremely well before they ate it, despite the fact that my head was buried in my arm (partly to conceal the utter embarrassment splashed across my face).

After a night of little sleep – and LOTS of coughing – I gave in and went to the doctor yesterday morning. Turns out, I have an “upper respiratory infection.” I think that’s doctor-speak for we-don’t-have-an-official-diagnosis-for-the-crap-that’s-taken-up-residence-in-your-chest. And it takes up less space on those little forms they fill out.

So I left the doctor’s office with a “diagnosis” and two prescriptions, one of which is a cough medicine that should “zonk [me] out” so I can sleep. Pardon me while I laugh hysterically to myself (but only mentally because really laughing would cause me to cough and I’ve had enough of that today). Evidently, codeine has no effect on me…or my cough. I spent most of last night awake, hacking up a lung. Today I’m surviving on a slew of drugs and constant cough drops.

So I’ll be sitting out this weekend instead of running that 5K. Hopefully I still get the t-shirt. And full function of my lungs would be nice too.

To all of you out there who have been suffering from this year’s TERRIBLE allergy season, I feel for ya! I love Spring but I think we could all stand a reprieve from the pollen and all the troubles that come with it.

These would make me happy

2010-04-13T11:37:00.004-05:00

Spring is in the air. The grass is green, flowers are in bloom and my toenails have a fresh coat of paint. I've already started pulling out my favorite sandals, and despite the fact that I have shoes spilling out of my closet, I can't help but want more. Yeah, I know, I have a problem.

Here are a few that I currently have my eye on:

Do you see a pattern here? I just love a good wedge!

Of course, if I had an unlimited budget, I could easily be persuaded to add these to my collection as well:

Yeah, those top two are the same shoe but why not have them in both colors?

This last pair is just ridiculous. Regardless of how much money I had (even in my own little dream world), I would not buy these. I can't imagine that anyone actually would.

Words fail me.

Here's a thought to ponder: I don't think there could ever be a successful 12-step program for shoe addicts. At least for me, every new "step" would just make me think of shoes.

Hope you're all having a great Tuesday!

This might possibly make me the worst mother ever

2010-04-08T11:22:00.001-05:00

Is it terrible that I was actually relieved to drop my child off at daycare this morning? It’s usually the complete opposite. I usually feel that little twinge of pain – like someone pricking at my heart – to have to leave her there. After nearly eight months of the same routine, she still cries when I leave and it kills me every time. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve walked out of that daycare without hearing a scream or seeing any tears.

This morning was much the same, but the crying actually started at home. For one, the kid is tired. P. O. O. P. E. D. That’s the only possible explanation for her foul mood both last night and this morning. Last night she threw a fit for nearly twenty minutes for no apparent reason. And it always seems to be that way when I’m already feeling crappy – sore throat, ear ache and a headache so bad that I can’t help but contemplate the possibility of my skull actually bursting in a projectile manner. All the while, all I can think is that I hate the fact that Chad is away from the house so much because most of the time, I don’t even have someone to hand her off to. I call it tag-team parenting. Except I have no one to tag.

This morning I was feeling better but by no means 100%. My head is still a little foggy from the night time allergy medicine I took before I went to bed around 11:00 pm. I’m in somewhat of a stupor and moving slow. I don’t need any road blocks or obstacles, thankyouverymuch.

My child evidently feels differently about that. Aislynn was in a very needy mood and wanted to be held. I hated the words even as they spilled forth from my mouth but I told her, “I can’t hold you right now baby.” And that was the spark that lit the fuse.

From there it was a downward spiral of fussing and fits. She cried because she wanted milk. She cried because I wanted to put her down to pour the milk, so I held her (it’s amazing what you can learn to do with just one hand while a 30-pound child clings to your body). And she cried when I put her down to drink the milk. Thank God for Blue’s Clues. Yes, I’m still singing the songs in my head, even as I type this, but that dorky guy and his little blue dog kept her happy long enough for me to fix (ha ha) my hair.

At 7 o’clock – a mere fifteen minutes before I should be walking out the door – I still wasn’t dressed for work. Worse yet, I didn’t even know what I was going to wear. Aislynn was sitting in the chair watching me sort through her clothes trying desperately to find two things that won’t look ridiculous when I put them on her. (How is it that the kid only owns mix-and-match clothing but I still can’t find two pieces that work together?) In a joyous little voice she asked, “I go school today Mommy?” She waited for me to respond in the affirmative before she started screaming, “I don’t wanna go school today!” *Sigh*

As if I don’t already have enough insecurities about whether or not I’m a good mother, this morning I felt like I couldn’t do anything right. Her clothes weren’t right. Her hair wasn’t right. She didn’t want to wear her jacket. And she made it abundantly clear that she did not want to go to school. And at 7:30, we finally made it out the door. But she did not want to sit in her car seat because “the buckle seat hurts me Mommy.”

At some point during the twenty minute drive to school, her mood lifted a bit. She actually clapped when I finished singing a song. I had my iPod plugged in and the music was good. Or, on second thought, maybe she was just glad it was over. I have been a bit congested lately and I’m no singer to begin with. Hmmm. In any case, at least she wasn’t screaming.

I thought everything was looking up when I carried her into her classroom with no objection. I signed her in, dropped off her stuff and still no tears. Until my hand made contact with the door. She started wailing and I couldn’t get out the door fast enough. I swear my first reaction was to run. To bolt. To literally move in the opposite direction as fast as possible. What is wrong with me?! Shouldn’t maternal instinct dictate that I seek out my child to comfort her? To rush to her side as quickly as possible? No. Not me. Not this morning. All I could do was mentally curse the damned safety gate for blocking my exit.

Before I could escape, she was pawing at my leg, still sobbing. I turned and ushered her back into the room, to her teacher. And then it came, like it always does – that twinge of pain, the pricking of my heart. But this time it was more out of guilt for being just a little bit happy that today I don’t have to be the one to deal with her fussiness – the whining, the crying, the fits. Right now I’m not sure which is worse: the fact that I actually felt that way, or the fact that I’ve just admitted it publicly.

You’d think my job would have better prepared me for this. After all, I deal with whining, crying “children” on a daily basis. And sometimes they have fits. The difference is, most of them have PhDs or are pursuing one.

I now know why

2010-04-06T08:47:00.001-05:00

Do you know why it’s recommended that you exercise regularly? I do. Because you can’t just be lazy for three weeks and then think you can just jump (or run) back in like no time has passed.

Yesterday I signed up for my SECOND 5K of the year, which will be in just two weeks, on April 17. What was I thinking? No, not about doing another 5K. What was I thinking by being completely sedentary for the past few weeks? Let’s review, briefly:
The first 5K was March 7 – four weeks ago! In that time, I could probably count on one hand the number of times I’ve made a conscious effort to go running. Finding excuses to sit on my tush have not been hard to come by. My ankle is still giving me trouble. I need to clean the house (that one is never-ending). I’m too tired. I just want to spend time with Aislynn. Aislynn wants to spend time with me. Aislynn is sick (this has been true for a little over a week now). Just because.

So last night I decided enough is enough with all the excuses. I laced up my ankle brace and my tennis shoes and loaded Aislynn into her jogging stroller. And then I hit the hard top, iPod in hand. I was pumped. Until I actually started running. Maybe it was all the pollen I was inhaling but my lungs felt just slightly short of oxygen. I wasn’t heaving but it was a challenge nonetheless. Sitting on my rumpus for the past month has NOT helped my time. It hasn’t really hurt my time either but…

Anyway, I’ve found a renewed motivation to get out there and get moving. I’m determined to beat my time by at least a few minutes when I run the next 5K in a couple of weeks.

Always be aware of your surroundings

2010-03-17T14:05:00.000-05:00

Today’s lesson my friends: Always be aware of your surroundings. This is true if you’re alone on a dimly lit street, with your back turned at an ATM or in the checkout line at Target.

At lunch today my friend Kristi and I decided to take a little jaunt over to Target. This was a mission trip – you know, one in which you know exactly what you’re going to pick up once you get in the store. If you’re ever-so-slightly neurotic, like I can be, you might even make a mental map of your route through the store in order to get your goods as quickly as possible. You’re on a mission, a timeline, and you don’t want or need anything to slow you down. Such was the case today.

Kristi and I both had fairly short lists, with similar needs, so we were able to share one basket as we made our way through the store. It didn’t take long to pick up the things we needed and then make our way to the front to check out. That is the natural progression, after all.

Trying to be practical, and speedy, I suggested that Kristi get in one line and I’d get in the line next to her. Each had only one person checking out in front of us so I thought surely Kristi and I would be out of the store within 60 seconds. Thirty seconds later, Kristi had paid for her things and was headed to the car. I was still standing in line. That’s when I noticed that the cart full of sodas hadn’t even been scanned yet. The checkout girl had pulled her little scanner gun all the way over to the cart and was desperately trying to scan them all in. She looked just a little peeved.

By this time I was getting a little antsy but thought, “Be patient; you’ll be out of here soon enough.” That’s when it happened. The lady in front of me pulled out a cash bag and paid for sixty bucks worth of soft drinks in coins! I kid you not. No, not rolled coins. A pile of coins that the cashier then had to sit and count. Good grief Charlie Brown!

Rather than stand there tapping my toe and sighing in exasperation, I decided to change lines. Mistake number two. This time I got behind the other worst kind of consumer (or at least the one you don’t want to be behind in the checkout line) – the woman paying with multiple cards. Debit card, credit card, gift card…you name it.

After all that line-hopping, I still got out right behind the woman who paid in coins. So, always be aware of your surroundings, especially when you’re trying to pay for your stuff and get back to work within your lunch hour.

She did it!

2010-03-17T09:47:00.001-05:00

This morning as I was perusing though my regular reads, as I usually do, I came across this one on Summer’s blog. As you might remember, this was originally suggested in the comments of my post about the apple fritters (I still need to try those). Although I don’t think any of us would have any hesitation about actually going to meet Ree Drummond, I don’t think any of us ever imagined that the comments from that post would make it back to her. Well, leave it to Summer to write it up so eloquently. I think she did a beautiful job.

Summer, thanks for all the kind, and wonderfully written descriptions. And for actually sending the letter! It will be interesting to see what kind of response it receives. You are a beautiful soul, a gorgeous girl and a great friend!!

It's like being stuck on a stationary bike

2010-03-10T13:56:00.002-06:00

*First, let me just say that I just consulted Dictionary.com to check my spelling of “stationary.” For some reason my little brain couldn’t remember if it ended –ary or –ery. That’s just par for the course today.

Do you ever have those days when you’re in a hurry for some reason…maybe you’re running late for work, or whatever…and you feel like you’re in a rush the rest of the day? I’m having one of those days today and I wasn’t even running late this morning. It’s like I’m stuck on a stationary bike. I can’t walk, talk or type fast enough to accomplish what I think I need to do. The proverbial hamster wheel keeps spinning faster and faster but I’m not getting anywhere! So consider yourselves blessed, my dear friends, that I’ve taken ten minutes out of my day to post these absolutely pointless thoughts. Maybe this will be the punch I need to bring me down from idling so high (like Daddy’s old Ford F150).

For a while now, I’ve had my eye on this little beauty:

It’s a Nikon 85mm 1.4D AF lens for my camera. I’m quite positive that it will take exquisite pictures, if only I could get my little fingers on one. What’s holding me back, you ask? Well, the $1400 required to purchase the little booger.

Lucky me, a good friend recently referred me to a site that actually allows me to rent this baby. So, for a fraction of the cost (and yes, I got the extra insurance), they’re sending it to my house for me to use for to TWO WEEKS! I can’t even articulate how thrilled I am.

I’m brainstorming photo ideas and I’m open for suggestions. I have a two-year-old who is always a great subject for photography. As you can see, she’s always willing to have her picture taken.

I’m hoping for some ravishing sunrises or sunsets over the next couple of weeks because I’d really like to brush-up on my landscape photography. I took this one about a month ago as I was leaving for work one morning. Time was my main concern so I didn’t bother with a tripod. I’d like a do-over to get this one just right.

Months ago, I started a black and white photography project of some of the more recognizable landmarks here on campus. My ultimate goal was to get some good shots and use them as art on my bare office walls. This one was one of my favorites:

Maybe I’ll take some time over the next couple of weeks to actually finish that project.

And then there’s everything that comes with the emerging of Spring here in Texas. I’ve always loved this time of year and it’s the perfect opportunity for another passion – nature photography. I especially love unique shots of flowers.

I know, this one doesn’t really evoke thoughts of Spring, but I just love the vibrant colors!

I promise to post anything that’s just absolutely amazing, or that just really stands out to me. Heck, I might even post some that are completely disastrous. If you have specific ideas, please let me know!

Because I said I would...

2010-03-09T11:16:00.002-06:00

…give more details on the 5K:

The race was at 7:00 am this past Sunday and let me tell you, 7 o’clock felt extremely early for running 3.2 miles. I was actually up at 5:15 because I had the fantastic idea to wear my yoga capris, so obviously I needed to remove the ~~fur~~ ~~hair~~ ~~stubble~~…I wanted to make sure everything was smooth for optimum aerodynamics. Ha ha ha! I kill me.

I ate a healthy breakfast and sipped some water (and peed one more time) before I left the house. Oh Lordy did I have these fears of getting halfway through the run only to find that I was about to wet myself. Ladies and gentlemen, let me assure you that was not the case.

As Amanda, Meaghan and I stood at the starting line – okay, we were in the vicinity – my fears of wetting my pants turned to fears of taking a wrong turn and ending up on the route for the half-marathon. I had visions of myself huffing and puffing as I passed mile-marker 4, thinking, “Uh-oh. I went the wrong way. I wonder how long they’ll wait before they come to look for me.” But that didn’t happen either.

I think my final time was just under forty-two minutes. No, not my best time ever but I’m chalking it up to success anyway for these reasons:

1) I haven’t really been training hardcore since I injured my foot (not just since I went to the doctor – I was slacking off for a couple of weeks before that).

2) I’ve been training on a treadmill, which does half the work for you. Running on asphalt, up and down hills, is a bit more challenging.

And

3) I finished. Period. It was my first 5K ever and even though I walked parts of the route, I DID cross the finish line.

Just FYI – the overall winner of the 5K finished in just over 19 minutes. That’s a 6-minute mile folks, and not just a steady jog. Uh yeah, I don’t think I’ll ever be that gung-ho.

Amanda and I are already preparing for our next 5K on April 17. I plan to train more faithfully for this one (barring any injuries) and to run on an actual road rather than just on the treadmill. And by the way, here’s my shout-out to Amanda! She’s an amazing girl and she’s the reason I did this race. She’s got me completely motivated to keep going! Thanks Manda!!

…post some pictures:

Here we are just waiting for the "gun" to sound.

Me - running across the finish line. Woo-hoo!

Still smiling 3.2 miles later!

Thanks Kevin for taking these!

…keep you updated on the progress of our house:

Chad and I are going back to the drafter again today to make some modifications to the elevation. I think this is harder than the floor plan by far. The floor plan was just a matter of getting the room layout right. I know that it will be decorated to my taste (and subject to change every couple of years) but getting the exterior just right is going to be a challenge! I’m bound and determined not to lose momentum on this thing. I’d like to have a full set of plans AND at least three bids before my anniversary at the end of April. If we are to the actual building process by then, that would be even better. Doubtful, but ideal.

In case you're wondering...

2010-03-08T08:29:00.001-06:00

I survived my first 5K! I’ll write more details later and maybe post some pictures but for now, I should probably get back to work.

Some random thoughts on a Thursday afternoon

2010-03-04T15:54:00.001-06:00

I’d like the snot currently residing in my head to move out now. And by “move out” I DO NOT mean “relocate to my chest.” I’ve had enough of this unproductive coughing, runny nose, stuffed-up nose, raw throat and smoker’s voice. Remember the episode of Friends when Phoebe is sick and thinks it makes her voice sound sexier? Yeah, well, this is not like that. In my own mucus-filled head, I sound a little like Satan…or a school lunch lady.

Chad and I are finally to the “elevation” part of house-planning. We’ll probably make a few changes to the exterior drawings and then we’ll be ready to get bids. And that terrifies me. I just have this fear that now that we have a house plan we’re completely in love with, we won’t be able to work the numbers out (to our liking) to actually build the thing. Does that seem completely ridiculous? I now understand that all those changes I kept making were, in part, just a way to stall the bid process.

I’m fairly certain that I could put my head down and go to sleep right now without any problem. I’m attributing this partly to the sinus crap and partly to my child.

A month or so ago when I abruptly decided to start potty training, I never imagined that my kid would get it so quickly. That’s not to say that we haven’t had our fair share of issues – like refusing to potty at school – but she’s a champ at it now. So much so that my two-year-old will wake up two or three times a night to go potty. It’s like having an infant again, and it’s taking a severe toll on my sleep. I kid you not, the past couple of nights I’ve just laid there in bed hoping that she’ll give up and pee in her pull-up.

I guess my next obstacle will be teaching her to go to the bathroom by herself. Yeah, I don’t really see that happening anytime soon.

One of the ladies I work with has a subscription to Bon Appétit magazine and because she knows I love to cook (and eat), she gives me her magazines when she’s done with them from time-to-time. I flip through them and find recipes that I want to try, like this one from December’s issue. Or this one from last month. But don’t think it’s just all-things-chocolate because this one is on my list too. Tell me that doesn’t look some kind of scrumptious!

I’ve been thinking about taking a little inspiration from The Pioneer Woman and posting my step-by-step experiments – with pictures and everything, although I can’t promise the same witty commentary…or the great photography. But hey, I’m willing to give it a shot. And I’m sure I’d have plenty of willing participants here at work (or at home) that would taste-test them for me.

I think I originally had more to comment on but the sinus medication makes my head a little fuzzy. I keep telling people that, along with the mucus, it dries up most brain function. That’s how I feel anyway.

I love this woman!

2010-03-03T14:28:00.001-06:00

This is one of the reasons I read The Pioneer Woman blog. If you haven’t checked it out, you definitely should. Good heavens I want to try the recipe right now (and eat every last bite)!

I’ve seen her on a couple of morning news shows recently and I’ve decided I’d love to meet her. She seems so normal. Like you could just sit down with her and talk like you’ve always known her.

Unexpected side-effects of this uber sexy ankle brace

2010-02-18T13:57:00.002-06:00

I’ve been a good little girl and have worn my ankle brace for the past three days, despite its hideousness. Okay, it’s not that bad but I can pretty much guarantee that it won’t be the next big fashion craze (but what do I know, girls are wearing baby bows in their hair and snow boots with skirts that barely cover their butts – in general they tend to look like they’re getting ready for the Hello Kitty spread in Playboy).

If you missed my last post, here’s the short of it: Jennifer can’t run without hurting herself (walking without injury is sometimes difficult), but officially, we’re calling it a sprained ligament. The doctor has instructed me to “take it easy,” wear lower heels, and walk the upcoming 5K. Ugh. For this week I’ve been sidelined all together so the treadmill in my laundry room continues to collect dust and serve as a clothes rack.

My appointment with the doctor was Monday afternoon so Tuesday I was exceptionally cautious. I pulled out the lowest heel in my closet – maybe an inch, if that much. I wouldn’t even call them a kitten heel. Anyway, I put them on with my brace and felt frumpy all day long. You’ve gotta understand, I love my heels. (The higher the heel, the closer to God, right? Just kidding.) A four-inch heel is empowering, sexy. They make me look taller, my legs look longer (and hey, my legs can use all the help they can get), and they keep the hem of my pants from dragging the ground. Plus, the spike heel doubles as a weapon that I can plunge into the shins of the idiot college students who choose to sit against the wall with their legs stretched out across the hallway. Okay, so I haven’t actually ever done that but I have considered it a time or two when my path to the bathroom was obstructed.

I quickly discovered that the low heel in combination with the brace didn’t help alleviate the pain in my foot so yesterday and today I went with a slightly higher wedge heel. A little height AND stability. It may not be the sexiest shoe in my closet but at least my foot is feeling better.

Three paragraphs later and I’m finally getting to the real reason I started this post in the first place. Wearing this brace has at least one unexpected side-effect – my hamstring is getting quite the workout. Maybe it’s the angle at which the brace keeps my foot, maybe I’m just walking funny because of the darned thing, but my hamstring is definitely tight and even a little sore today. Maybe I should get one for the other foot! Ooh, I’m on to something here. Instead of leg-toning tennis shoes, you just need a couple of braces, which you could easily wear with your heels, under your trouser pants at work, for an all-day workout. Of course, we’ll have to make them available in designer prints. Black is slimming and all, but it doesn’t go with absolutely everything!

And now for other random thoughts floating around in my head:

*I wanted to kill my husband this morning – or at least inflict serious bodily harm – when, while at the drafter’s office, he mentioned to me that he hadn’t had enough time to look over our current house plans. It wasn’t really so much that he “mentioned” it but rather kind of lashed out at me when I asked his opinion on some changes that we were discussing.

We’ve had the plans for more than a week. Just the other night I suggested that we make arrangements to meet with the drafter one morning this week, since we’d both be in town (he’s on night shift and gets off work at 8:00 am). He’s the one who said today would be best. So yesterday I called the drafter and set up the appointment and then promptly called Chad to inform him of the arranged time. And in all of this, never once did he say anything about not having had a chance to look at the plans. Hellll-oooo. Not once in the past week when I kept throwing around the words “house plans” and “changes” did it occur to you to look at what we were going to discuss changing? Oy.

So one moment he’s pissy because he’s only seen the plans “like, twice” and has therefore, not had adequate time in which to form an opinion (evidently) and then the next moment, when I’m asking him about some potential changes to the kitchen, his response is, “I don’t care; it’s your kitchen.” Again, oy! Have an opinion or don’t!

Fingers crossed, the changes will be made my 5:00 pm tomorrow and I’ve made Chad swear that we will sit down this weekend to look over and discuss them in detail. These are just the house plans people! Can you imagine the headache to come when we have to discuss fixtures – sinks, lights, cabinets and even drawer-pulls?

*I’ve decided to give up sugar for Lent. By “sugar” I mean its most obvious forms – sweet tea, candy, cookies, cakes, etc. I realize that most processed foods have some form of sugar in them but I am by no means going to limit myself purely to steamed veggies and proteins for the next 40 days (although it would probably be good for me). So far (all 36 hours of it), it’s been tough. Well, more challenging than I had anticipated. I’m trying to break the habit of reaching into the various candy bowls around my office every time I pass by them. And I guess it really had become a habit because I find my hand wanting to reach that direction, almost unconsciously.

*Okay, my final “thought” isn’t so much of a thought as a shout-out to Mandy, who, I just learned last night, reads my blog. Why? Yeah, I can’t figure that out either. Mandy, I hope you find my ramblings amusing. I’ll try to post more pictures – probably of shoes, because they’re like my drug of choice. After this whole ankle-brace thing, I think I’ll need a new fix. I’ve got my eye on these:

Because they’re just fierce. Yeah, I gotta have ‘em! Hmmm, now what would I wear with them?

Snap! Crack! Pop?

2010-02-15T16:17:00.002-06:00

A few weeks ago I was running on the treadmill and just as I was about to complete my workout, something in my left foot snapped. I definitely felt it and I’m willing to bet I would have heard it too, had I not had my iPod blaring in my ears.

So after nearly a month of walking around like a hobbled horse, I finally decided to go to the doctor today. The diagnosis – so far – is a sprained ligament. The cure? Keep it stabilized and don’t strain it too much. So the solution for that is to wear more reasonable heels (what the hell?) and to wear this uber sexy ankle brace. I kid you not it laces up AND has about three different Velcro straps that wrap around. They actually had a specialist come in to show me how to put it on properly. Yay.

After my personal instruction on the wrap, I had to have an X-ray of my foot, where they had me remove the wrap that it just took 10 minutes to get on. Of course, after the 5-minute X-ray, I had to put the wrap on again. It was like some test, except I felt like it was timed. The technicians in radiology were no help. They just opened the door and ushered me out, before I was done lacing the darned thing up. Ugh. Needless to say, I had to adjust it three more times once I got back to work, just to get it “comfortably snug” enough on my foot so as to apply the proper support, without cutting off the circulation to my toes. The good news is that I think it really is helping.

One last bit of instruction from the doctor: no running the 5K in March. I am allowed to walk but no running. We’ll see about that. For now, I have a free pass from gym class for a week (i.e. running on the treadmill).

Oh yeah, and I have to figure out what in my closet would be considered more sensible heels, and what pants I could actually wear with them without completely ruining the hem. When I explained this little dilemma to the doctor, he said he could write me an excuse to go shoe shopping. Silly man! I need no excuse to go shoe shopping!

Potty training woes

2010-02-11T10:45:00.001-06:00

There’s a fine line between too cautious, and not cautious enough. Our latest potty-training struggle is finding the happy medium between being comfortable with certain individuals and not comfortable with anyone.

At 4:30 yesterday afternoon I got a call from Aislynn’s school, and let me tell you, someone should really instruct them on leaving messages that won’t completely send a person over the edge with worry. (I’ll get back to the real point in a moment but for now I want to take the time to tell this story.)

I have an overactive imagination already but when someone from school calls and leaves this message on my phone at work, EVERY worst-case scenario runs through my head in about thirty seconds. I was nearly in tears by the time I got to speak with someone at the school to find out what was really going on.

So at 4:30 I got this message (obviously, I’ve changed all the names):

“Um, hi. Mrs. Houston? This is Mary Sue at Little Biters Learning Center. Please give me a call as soon as you can. Just ask for Mary Sue. Ummmmm. I already left a message on your cell phone.”

Okay, so that doesn’t seem alarming when you see it in writing but you just have to understand how my mind operates. Right away I start wondering what could be so bad that she couldn’t just say it in the message. So I dial the number. It rings. And rings. And rings. And rings. I didn’t think anyone was going to answer, which just made the thoughts in my head that much worse.

As I sat there listening to the phone ring, I imagined paramedics and ambulances, lights, sirens, stretchers…basically a scene out of ER or Grey’s Anatomy except the storyline this time revolved around my child. Finally, “Whitney” answered, only to put me on hold while she went to find Mary Sue, who – in my mind – was standing, arms crossed, talking with the paramedics and the daycare director trying to figure out exactly what to say to me when I called her back.

I kid you not, that’s how my mind works. It was so vivid and so real, and the thought disturbed me so much, tears were pricking my eyes by the time Mary Sue finally came to the phone. My breath kind of caught in my chest as I waited for the words to come out of her mouth.

~~“Mrs. Houston, there’s been an accident.”~~

“Mrs. Houston, Aislynn won’t go to the potty. We’ve taken her five times today and she’s only gone once. I think she’s holding it. I just wanted you to know.”

Are you kidding me? I’m going to be there in a little more than half an hour but you felt the need to call me – at work – to tell me that my kid is holding in her pee? Thanks for shaving off a few hours of my life with the worry that ensued after your cryptic message.

Don’t get me wrong, I understand the ramifications of NOT going to the bathroom for an entire day. I don’t want my two-year-old to end up with a bladder infection or sepsis when her bowel ruptures, all because she wouldn’t use the potty at daycare, but there’s not a dang thang (like the Texas drawl?) I can do about it from my desk at work. This goes on the list of topics that can be discussed with me, in person, when I pick up or drop off my child at your facility.

So, now back to the real point of this post. My child won’t go to the potty at daycare. (Funny how once you have children, “potty” becomes a regular part of your vocabulary.) At one point she protested at the mere idea of them pulling down her pants. Okay, so I’m doing something right. I definitely don’t want her pulling down her pants for just anybody – now, or later in life. I DO want her to trust her teachers at school. I’ve tried to convince her that it’s okay to go potty while she’s at school, and that it’s okay if her teacher stands there with her.

I understand her reluctance but it’s frustrating because she does so well at home. After only a few weeks of potty training, at home she’s in cotton panties with very few accidents, if any at all. Last weekend we even ventured to the mall AND wore panties to church with no problems.

For lack of any better idea, beginning today I’m going to implement a reward system. If I have to bribe my child with candy, so be it.

Do any of you mommies out there have any other suggestions?

House plans - Round 3

2010-02-08T16:16:00.001-06:00

I picked up our THIRD set of plans today and we’re still not where we need to be on square footage. I think we’re getting closer but it’s a little depressing to fall in love with a plan and then have to keep cutting and changing it until it no longer resembles the plan you loved in the first place. Arghh!

Here we go again...

2010-02-03T11:27:00.005-06:00

This morning at work – before my 16 oz mug of coffee – I was accused of being too perky…or awfully perky. Something like that. I really didn’t think anything of the comment, except that it was true, but I got an email apologizing, in case it had offended me. It didn’t. In any way. Actually, I usually want to slap people that are that perky and bubbly so early in the morning. The unusually early surge of energy stemmed from a conversation that started last night at the dinner table and resurfaced in the car on the way to work this morning.

A couple of years ago our church went through some major upheaval. We had some church members that thought their money entitled them to make all the major decisions, no checks-and-balances between our governing bodies, and a preacher that thought his job was done when he stepped down from the pulpit on Sunday morning. There were accusations of theft, mismanagement of money and lies and gossip swarming amongst the congregation. I think wounded pride – or conceit – finally did us in and the church split in two. In the end, I really think it was the lack of communication between the leaders and the congregation that did the most damage.

We spent a little more than a year searching for a new pastor and trying to heal. And there was a lot of talk about having a more transparent leadership where it really mattered. Obviously, as in all cases of leadership, there is certain information that shouldn’t be divulged to the body as a whole. We have to trust the leaders we elect to make the best decisions on our behalf and give us the information that we need to have. It’s true in politics, and it’s true in religion.

Anyway, we’ve had a new minister for almost a year and we’ve done some necessary restructuring. I’ve become more involved, and I once again feel like I have a place in my church. Two weeks ago we had our annual budget meeting. During the meeting, we voted on the new budget, new members of the Council, the Trustees and the Elders, and the decision to form a site-planning committee.

This new committee would be charged with developing a strategic plan for future expansion, future building projects and general facility improvements. As I understand it, they would only identify the projects that need to be taken on, not the actual design or implementation of said projects.

I voted in favor of forming the committee and even thought I may want to volunteer to be on it. I had the opportunity 10+ years ago to be part of the committee that designed the expansion of our fellowship hall and I loved every minute of it. The design the church voted for was pretty much my design (and to give him credit, my boyfriend at the time – we came up with it together) and I’m proud of that every time I step into that building.

So while having dinner with my parents last night, I found out that the committee has already been formed. What?! It’s only been a week since we voted on it. Yes, evidently the Elders – of which my father is a newly elected member – chose the committee. My dad rattled off the members of this newly formed committee and then said, “Kevin wanted you to be on it but thought maybe that wasn’t a good idea since I’m on it.” Kevin is our pastor and my dad, as a representative of the Elders (I suppose) is on this new committee. Sincerely believing that I could have something to contribute, I felt a little disappointed. But that’s pretty much where the conversation ended. Until this morning.

This morning the disappointment is still kind of swimming around in my head, and I said as much in the car on the way to work. In my careful analysis of the situation, I came up with these points:

My father really is a good choice for the committee. I sang his praises before, when he built my bookcase, and that’s just a sample of his abilities. He has building experience (he helped me build my current house), and he sees things practically. He’s the one I go to for advice in designing my house. I had an hour-long brainstorming session with him just last night as Chad and I are going to the drafter again today to make changes to the house plan. I don’t dispute him being a part of the committee, but it does lead me to my second point.
I think my parents did a great job raising me. This is to their credit, not mine. Now, as a parent myself, I’m trying to fashion my own parenting style after the model they set forth. That’s the point of parenting. If you do your job right when your children are young, you end up with a well-rounded, independent and competent adult (hopefully). I think I’m those things so it PISSES ME OFF for someone to imply that, because my father is on the committee, they don’t think I can offer anything original or valuable on my own. I’m thirty years old; I have my own opinions and my own thoughts and I DO NOT share a brain with either of my parents! I am my own person and proud of it!
My final thought on the matter came this morning as I really came to understand how this committee was decided. Evidently, the three governing bodies – the Council, Elders and Trustees – each nominated one of their members to be on the committee. The Elders then completed the committee from the congregation at large. So here’s the timeline: On January 24, we voted on the committee (the vote passed, obviously). Sometime in the 9 days since that vote, the committee was formed. There’s only been one Sunday in those 9 days and I was in church. No announcements were ever made in church opening it up to volunteers or nominations. All of this leads me to believe that the committee was formed prior to the actual vote to FORM the committee. Does anyone else see the flaw in this? We’re right back to where we were 3 years ago with decisions being made behind closed doors, by a select few, without the approval or knowledge of the congregation.

Transparency implies a lack of obstruction from view. Don’t form committees behind closed doors or drawn curtains. That’s what gets you into trouble. And maybe it is just a case of misperception (although I doubt that) but perception is as good as reality, in which case, shame on the leaders for not explaining the process in the first place!

**UPDATE**

After letting this rest for a while and really thinking about it, I thought I should come back and add just a little more clarification. I don't have any issues with the individuals on the committee. None at all. This is not about them. My complaint, in case it wasn't obvious, is how the situation was handled. Period.

Some thoughts on the matter

2010-02-01T16:16:00.004-06:00

A couple of weekends ago I had the rare privilege of leaving my child at home for the evening while I enjoyed some time with the girls. These girls were friends from high school, many of whom I hadn’t seen in well over 10 years. Through blogging, our paths have crossed again and we’ve found renewed friendships, and so many aspects of our lives that we have in common.

During the get-together, as Katy reminded us here, we discussed a common blog topic – high school. Other than our children (and our mothers-in-law), it was probably the most frequently revisited topic of the evening. And just like high school, we didn’t leave that night (i.e. wee hours of the next morning) without homework.

What were the defining moments of our high school career? The best experience? The worst?

Evidently, I lived out my high school career in isolation (that’s not completely true) because I can’t remember much about those four years that was really significant. My small group of friends and I had almost weekly movie nights. I remember watching The Shining at Katy’s house. I’m not really sure what was so terrifying about that movie. I think we laughed more than anything. And we vowed to broadcast “redrum” over the loud speaker, if we ever got the opportunity.

Movie nights turned into strange and fun times. We never knew how Zack and John would come dressed, or what would ensue after they arrived. I remember having marshmallow fights in the front yard. Let me tell you, there’s nothing quite like running around in the dark chunking over-sized, puffed-up sugar at your friends….except for maybe the sight of all the ooey, gooey, white mounds of formerly puffed-up sugar covering your parents’ yard the next morning. I don’t think my parents were too thrilled about it, or all the ants it invited in.

Lunches in the courtyard. We had our two specific tables where we always sat. We’d eat for awhile and then, inevitably, we’d end up in some kind of food fight. Strangely enough, I remember throwing more food at that poor shrub next to us than at anything – or anyone – else.

Junior and senior years I remember sitting in the parking lot after school. We’d just sit on the steps and talk, mostly about the up-coming movie night. We’d goof off while the rest of our classmates desperately tried to traverse their way out of the parking lot.

I remember sitting in Mrs. Lampo’s AP English class analyzing the split-ends of my hair, usually as a way of avoiding the topic of discussion (probably because I hadn’t taken the time to read the material). I recall congregating in Mrs. Richards’ biology class before school to discuss the most recent episode of Friends or just to talk with friends. I remember Coach Eike’s chemistry class, and being certain that Nathan and Justin would surely blow something up if they thought they could. Not because they were violent but because they possessed every adolescent boy’s fascination with things that go boom. There was the school psychologist, whom I assisted on an off-period, that was creepily interested in my sex life (or lack thereof). And there was Mrs. Ribardo, who was quite possibly the sweetest history teacher ever but couldn’t work a VCR to save her life.

High school for me wasn’t much different from that of most teenagers, I would imagine. During those four years, I had secret crushes, secret – and not-so-secret – feelings of inadequacy, and body-image issues that haunt me even to this day. I discovered two loves – one for a great friend (one of my best friends, at the time) and the other for photography. And I learned what it felt like to get my heart broken (or so I thought) by said friend. I felt betrayed by a girlfriend and so began by wariness of forming close friendships with women. I experienced depression for the very first time (although I didn’t realize it then). I felt awkward and unattractive and never quite as smart, or quite as talented, as most of my friends.

I wouldn’t say I squandered those four years but I’ve only learned to appreciate them as I’ve gotten older. Honestly, I wouldn’t go back and relive it, even if I could. I do wish I hadn’t taken it for granted. I wish I had appreciated the opportunities to read. I wish I had dedicated more time to lasting relationships. I wish I had paid more attention in all my classes, and really applied myself to studying more. I wish I knew then that I wasn’t the only one of my friends feigning self-confidence.

This is one of my favorite quotes by C.S. Lewis and I think it just about sums it up:

Experience: that most brutal of teachers. But you learn, my God do you learn.

Twice in one week!

2010-01-27T11:38:00.000-06:00

I'm wearing a skirt AGAIN today. Will wonders never cease? Pigs may fly and hell just may freeze over. On second thought, that may not actually happen until I wear a dress to work (which I don't anticipate happening anytime soon).

Of course, the entire ensemble is ruined by the Mr. Rogers -esque sweater that I'm wearing to keep from freezing to death in my office. Hmmm, maybe hell hath froze over.

An update

2010-01-25T15:05:00.001-06:00

Potty training was a great success this weekend. Only two accidents on Saturday and just one yesterday. Yee-haw!

I wasn’t brave enough to take Aislynn to church in regular panties yesterday so she wore a pull-up. I tried to take her to the potty once and the best part was the look on her face at the sound of the toilet next to us flushing. Her eyes were wide with surprise and then a smile spread across her face. Kind of like the first time you realize that the fun of a roller coaster is much greater than the fear.

When we got home, she went back to the big girl panties and I’m pretty sure I threw away a completely dry pull-up. For all the concern and worry, she didn’t pee once while we were at church.

To test her limits a little more, we even went out to eat (actually, I was just hungry and didn’t feel like cooking). I had extra clothes and pull-ups in hand but we didn’t need them. Hallelujah!

Our one and only accident yesterday was in spite of a valiant effort on her part to make it to the bathroom. We were at my parents’ house when she started telling my mother that she needed to potty. She took off running for the bathroom but unfortunately, didn’t quite make it in time.

I’m chalking up the past two days to success. I think she did pretty well, and I’m extremely proud of her.

Now, today and tomorrow she’s at home with Chad. When I last talked to him, she was having a little trouble with her timing. Like indicating that she needed to go potty as it was running down her legs and onto our floor. I think he’s waiting for her to tell him and I was just constantly asking her if she needed to go. Hopefully things have gotten better and will continue to do so.

A Random Note

I wore a skirt to work today. Not something I typically do. For one, I feel like they make my thighs look huge and I can only imagine how wide I must look from the rear. Truth be known, I’m quite sure that I look just as wide in a skirt as I do in pants (and it’s something I’m working on correcting). Anyway, I felt a little bit wild, a little bit brave this morning when I got up and decided on this mid-calf, straight, dark gray skirt with my knee-high black boots and purple shirt. So far it’s gotten me a lot of raised eyebrows. Not the “hubba hubba” kind of eyebrow-raise but more of the “she owns a skirt?” kind.

I’d like to make skirts – and even dresses – more of my regular attire. I love, love, LOVE skirts and dresses but rarely wear them anymore. It’s just an amazing feeling to put something on and feel feminine, and a little bit sexy. It may seem contradictory but it’s a feeling I haven’t had often in the past two years since Aislynn was born.

Potty Progress

2010-01-23T18:23:00.000-06:00

I've had Aislynn in her big girl panties since she got up this morning and so far, only two accidents. Both easily cleaned up. The first was in the middle of the living room. Oh well, that carpet needed to be cleaned anyway. The second was while she was playing in her bed. Again, easily cleaned. And the sheets were due for washing.

Admittedly, she hasn't been drinking as much today, but not because I haven't offered it to her. Quite the contrary. I've been trying to force liquids down all day but to no avail. She did make it through her entire two+ hour nap without wetting the bed again. A small success.

We'll see how the rest of the evening progresses. Tomorrow at Sunday School and church will be a real test. I think we'll go back to pull-ups; I don't want to risk a wet spot on the pew.

A decision that very well may be the death of me

2010-01-22T15:53:00.000-06:00

We’re potty training this weekend. Just decided. I’m going to put Aislynn in her “big girl panties” and hope like you-know-what that I don’t have to clean up too much you-know-what. Thank goodness I have stained concrete floors in the house. They shouldn’t be too difficult to clean.

Who am I kidding? Those floors need to be mopped anyway. Two birds, one stone.

Just let me keep believing that for now. Ignorance really is bliss.

What's better than running 4 miles on the treadmill?

2010-01-22T08:10:00.001-06:00

Realizing that you’re getting stronger and faster, and that the whole process is getting easier. Now if only my pants would get bigger.

He says it well

2010-01-13T12:49:00.002-06:00

The damn purple dinosaur nearly started a fight

2010-01-12T11:21:00.001-06:00

I spent the majority of this past weekend in Dallas at my cousin’s wedding. The weather was rather frigid; the wedding was beautiful. And, as you may have guessed, I took the opportunity to indulge in a little cake, some wine, and this FANTASTIC artichoke dip that I desperately wish I could duplicate. (If I can figure it out, I may just bring some to the bloggers’ reunion this weekend!) And after two days of indulgence, I came home last night with a renewed motivation to eat healthier from here on out. So Sunday evening I made Chad leave the couch where he was watching football to go to the grocery store with me.

As most grocery stores do, this one had one of those little coin-operated kids’ rides out front – a purple dinosaur…the one from The Flintstones. Dino was it? Anyway, Aislynn always wants to ride this thing and the last time we were there, I didn’t have any change. So when she exuberantly expressed her interest last night, I caved like any mother who’s tightly wound around her child’s finger. So sue me. I let her watch TV and sip from my Diet Coke, too. I may just be the worst mother ever. That aside, I pulled the two quarters from my purse and dropped them in the slot. Aislynn was practically bubbling with anticipation and….nothing. Absolutely nothing. The dinosaur didn’t move. Sorry, Aislynn, for another disappointing attempt to ride that damn purple dinosaur.

After the non-ride, we proceeded through the doors to do our actual shopping. But before we began, I decided to go to the Customer Care booth to get my fifty cents back. Yeah, I’m tight like that. Of course, just my luck, no one was at the Customer Care booth so I was standing there looking like an idiot, I’m sure.

Enter young girl. (She was probably still in high school at the very oldest.)

She looks at me and says, “Customer Care is closed.” So I responded, “Okay, I just need to get my fifty cents back because the purple dinosaur ate it.” With an expressionless face she looks at me and says again, “Customer Care is closed.”

Me: Ooo-kay. I just need to get my money back.

Her: Yeah, but Customer Care is closed.

Me (seeing red by now): I understand but I want to get my money back!

Her (indignantly): Well, Customer Care is closed. You’ll have to talk to a manager.

Me: Okay, who is your manager?

I kid you not, at that point she turned around and just ignored me. She wasn’t more than three feet from me so I KNOW she heard me. And I was nearly yelling as I asked again, “Who’s your manager.” I must have said it loud enough for the guy across the room to turn on his heel and come over to where I was standing. After explaining that I just wanted my fifty cents back, he promptly opened up a register and gave me two quarters. I had to bite my lip – hard – not to look him straight in the face and say, “I understand that Customer Care may close at 6:00 pm, but customer service shouldn’t!” I fumed for the duration of our little shopping venture.

What has happened to customer service? Am I the only one who’s noticed lately that it’s dying?! I think the Golden Rule of ANY customer service-oriented job should be to never say, or even imply, that something is not your job. Quite frankly, it may NOT be part of your particular job description but it doesn’t take much to say, “I’m not sure but I’ll be glad to find someone who CAN help you.”

And age shouldn’t be an excuse. Yeah, the girl was young but so what? I think it all really stems from respect, and you should be learning that at a young age anyway.

Thanks for letting me rant. I feel better now.

Nine West reads my blog

2010-01-12T10:08:00.001-06:00

Evidently, the folks at Nine West find my blog captivating. They must. At the very least, they read it because right after my last post, I got an email indicating that at least one of the pairs of shoes had shipped. It’s the only explanation.

Remember?

2010-01-12T08:49:00.001-06:00

Remember last week when I was contemplating this delightful little splurge and ended up buying this one too? Well, I’ve checked the status of my order a bazillion times now and it still shows that it’s “processing.” Excuse me? What’s the hold up Nine West? Your website indicates that orders placed after noon are shipped out the next day. It’s been EIGHT DAYS!! I want my shoes now. For that matter, why have you not responded to my email inquiry? For this I think you should overnight my order at no additional charge.

Thank you.

I can barely contain myself

2010-01-11T11:14:00.001-06:00

I’m waiting on 11:30 am to roll around. I’m taking an early lunch to go pick up the first draft of my house plans. I might just bounce right out of this seat soon.

T-Straps and Peep-Toes and Platforms, oh my!!

2010-01-11T09:53:00.002-06:00

*Just a note: I started this post last Friday.

This afternoon, as I sit at my desk trying NOT to freeze to death (it’s currently up to 62 degrees in my office), I’m imaginary shoe-shopping. Ever tried it? It’s easy. Just find your favorite shoe-shopping website and start shopping. Even put stuff in your cart. Then imagine you could actually afford all of it. (If you can actually afford all of it, please don’t tell me. It will just be that much more depressing.) My cart on Zappos.com is currently up to 15 items for a total of $998.81.

So, if you haven’t figured it out by now, I have a shoe fetish. I LOVE pretty shoes, especially high heels. My mantra has always been, if God won’t make me 6 feet tall, then my shoes will! Well, I’ve decided to use this for good. As I mentioned in my last post, I’ve signed up to run my very first 5K on March 7, 2010. Obviously, some training will be required – which I’ve already begun thankyouverymuch. Hopefully, a side effect of that training will be some weight-loss. So to keep me running, I’m dangling the proverbial carrot out there. As an incentive to keep going, I will buy a new pair of shoes for every five pounds I lose.

I figured it can’t hurt (too much) to have some specific shoes in mind, hence this afternoon’s “imaginary shoe-shopping” venture. At the top of my list so far are these little beauties:

New Year, new....everything

2010-01-07T16:58:00.000-06:00

Because I didn't mention it in either of my two previous posts...

Happy New Year!!!

Wow. 2010. On my mental calendar - the one I see only in my head whenever a specific date is mentioned - 2010 is still somewhere off in the future. It's not a milestone per se, but it kind of feels like one. Like graduating from college, getting married, or having kids. One of those events you imagine happening somewhere down the road but somehow always being a little out of reach. Like turning 30. Inevitably it happens and when you reach that point it's exciting. Hopefully. Sometimes, the anticipation far exceeds the event itself. Like turning 30.

As with any new year, this one comes with new goals, new experiences and new challenges. Maybe even some new friends. A new house? I hope so. A new baby? Who knows! I do hope to avoid any new heartaches, illnesses and injuries. Those can stay in 2009, as far as I'm concerned. Right now, at this very moment, the year looks pretty promising.

I refused to make any resolutions this year. Is that a resolution in itself? hmmm. All I know is that I didn't do so well with last year's. Being healthy and getting more exercise is always a goal. I have tried new recipes but they haven't been exactly healthy (tasty? yes!). I still don't read as often as I'd like. My list of books that I'd like to read is growing everyday. I tried to really get back into my photography and even enrolled in an online course but sadly, haven't given it 100%. I'll work on that. Organization still eludes me.

On a more positive note, Chad and I DID have family photos taken, which I used in designing our Christmas card. And I actually sent out cards for the very first time EVER this year! I have gotten more involved with church, team-teaching a newly created Sunday School class for 2- and 3- year-olds AND assisting with games at AWANA on Wednesday nights (mostly I just stand there with a whistle hanging around my neck but it counts). And I think I've definitely spent more time with friends. It's been nice to rebuild some old relationships, and reconnect with lost friends. 2010 surely has more in store!

Right after Aislynn's second birthday in November, Chad and I started the research phase of building a new house. Over the holidays we met with a drafter who should have the footprint ready this week. "Anxious" doesn't even begin to describe my current state. I've already thought of some changes that I might need to make to the plan. I've already dreamed up my kitchen, where we'll put the Christmas tree, how many people the dining room will seat when we entertain friends. I've even thought about how I will potentially paint Aislynn's room.

Of all the dreams I've had about this house, I keep having one recurring nightmare. Mostly that I'll fall in love with the plans but won't be able to afford the house. It all comes back to my fear of this huge 30-year financial committment. I have to think about not only the mortgage but also the cost of actually living in this new house, although I don't really anticipate a big change in my utility bill - in either direction. But then there's the added cost of additional kids, which is part of the reason we're hoping to build. Chad desperately wants more babies, and I'm slowly coming around to the idea.

Not only to I have to consider the cost of a new house, I have to factor in the cost of the existing property that we're not getting rid of. How will we use it? Income property? I sure hope so. But that will take money too. The little nusances that Chad and I have learned to deal with - the tempermental water heater, the horrible water pressure in the Master bath, etc - will have to be corrected before I could even think of charging someone else to live there.

Also new for 2010...I've decided, and even registered, to run my very first 5K. Hopefully the beginning of many. My long-term goal is to run a marathon (or at least a half) by the time I'm 40. Ten years to plan and train. Surely I can do that.

So welcome to a new year. I hope it brings new joy, new discoveries, and new meaning to my life and yours.

I Got 'em!!

2010-01-05T11:08:00.000-06:00

As well as these little beauties that I've been drooling over for months now. I just can't pass up a good sale on pretty shoes!

I don't have any particular outfit in mind yet but I'm sure I can find something with which to wear them. As with any good building project, you have to start from the ground up. I'm thinking black trousers or dark jeans and a snazzy little shirt. Hmmm, let the hunt begin!

On a side note, I DO have other posts in mind, that have nothing to do with shoes, but these short little spurts are all I have time for right now.

Just a Quick Note

2010-01-04T16:03:00.002-06:00

Yes, I’m alive. Yes, I survived the holidays (barely). And yes, I have updates on our house-building venture. But details on each of those will have to come later.

I’m busier than I expected today at work. Okay, not swamped but busy enough. Right now, amidst the chaos of the new semester and all of the work that comes with it, I’m contemplating a completely frivolous purchase of some luscious chocolate brown Nine West boots (knee-high) that are ON SALE. I’m so tempted. Yes, I have brown, knee-high boots currently residing in my closet but they’re saddle brown and these are a deep chocolate. A necessity? I think so. What think you?

4:45 comes early folks!

2009-12-22T10:57:00.004-06:00

It does indeed! Especially when you haven’t slept that well the night before. So you’re probably thinking I’m crazy. Why would any sane individual drag their ass out of bed at 4:45 in the morning….voluntarily? No, there wasn’t a fire. No baby crying. The husband wasn’t even snoring. But this morning, when my alarm went off at that early hour – as it does every morning – I actually got up and got moving. Why? Because that ass that I referred to earlier in this paragraph, is much too big! That’s why.

More than that it’s because I made a commitment to myself to run that 5K in March and by the grace of God, I’m going to do it WITHOUT wanting to die when I reach the finish line. That’s the goal anyway.

I was actually quite proud of myself this morning, not just because I was on the treadmill shortly after 5:00 am but because I did much better than I had anticipated. These things were working against me:

As previously stated, it was 5 O’CLOCK IN THE MORNING!
I was running on empty. Literally. I had had nothing to eat since the night before.
Stupidly, I hadn’t even had a glass of water before I got going. (I’m not condoning this. Quite the opposite, I’m usually a big proponent of the proper hydration. Water, water, water!)
Like I said, I hadn’t had the best sleep. Maybe it was all the excitement of our first meeting with a builder last night. (More on that later.)
Oh yeah, did I mention that it was 5 o’clock in the morning? The critters outside aren’t even awake at that hour. I know, because when I was done, I stuck my head out the door for some cool air. Nary a sound.

Turns out, running 3.7 miles in the morning isn’t so difficult after all. Admittedly, about a mile into it, I was sure that I was going to give up once I reached two miles but by the time I did, I was pumped to keep going. I tried to push myself to run longer and run faster but somehow, my time wasn’t as good as Saturday. Oh well. I’m chalking that up to all the factors listed above.

On a completely different note, Chad and I met with our first builder last night. It was a very casual meeting in the guy’s home. We met his wife and his dogs, and sat for two hours at his kitchen table with the conversation ebbing and flowing between our personal lives and the matter of building a house. I took in two pages of questions, with the intention of taking notes (and looking prepared) but it was more of a chat than the “interview” I had envisioned.

Chad and I finally left about 8:30 pm, and immediately agreed that we really like this guy. He’s a perfectionist. I can totally sympathize with and respect that! His wife is in the banking industry so we even got a little financial advice. He wasn’t pushy or presumptuous about us giving him the job. He just sat and talked with us like I imagine he would talk to his own kids (who are about our age). In fact, it was kind of like sitting and talking to my own father, who I constantly consult about my building ideas. All in all, two thumbs up for the initial meeting!

My practical, comparison-shopper-driven nature tells me that we should go see more builders, but my heart kind of tells me that he’s the guy for us. Plus, out of all the builders I’ve contacted, he’s STILL the only one who has called me back. That rates really high in my book. It’s just good business, folks. Regardless, I’ll shop around for whatever will be best for us.

On a side note: I was talking to a friend in church Sunday and I was finally able to articulate the daunting task of finding a builder. It’s like an arranged marriage. You make a lifetime (or long-term) commitment to a person without really getting that “dating” period. Except, I think these days it’s easier to get out of a bad marriage than it is to get out of a bad house. Definitely NOT something we want to deal with.

So our next step is to call the drafter. I’ve got to narrow down the fifteen plans I like into one that I love. And can afford. That might just be my goal over the next few weeks. It will definitely be a challenge!

No, this is the last one...really.

2009-12-21T15:26:00.002-06:00

Waaa-hooo for this! It made my day. In fact, just this morning my mother asked what I wanted for Christmas. I don't expect anything these days but it seems that my father has gotten a bit nostalgic and wants me to have something to unwrap come Christmas day. *sigh* So, I came up with the perfect gift - this cookbook. And then I found out that I won it! Now if only I could win the lottery, too....

**Just a note. A confession of sorts. I only recently started reading The Pioneer Woman, so I feel a little undeserving of this prize but I promise to cherish it always. And even try the recipes!

P.S. Sara, please "autograph" it as you offered. I think it will make it that much more valuable (even if only to me).

P.P.S I will likely have more to say tomorrow as Chad and I have our first meeting with our first builder tonight. No idea what to expect.

I swear this is my last post today. Probably.

2009-12-21T10:22:00.002-06:00

Um, what?

Take a good look at these pants folks:

They’re bargain priced today for a reasonable $347.50. That’s an incredible 50% off the retail price…if you’re brave enough to wear them. Just one question: Shouldn’t they come with a cummerbund instead of a belt? Stop! Hammer time!

How do you deal with conflict?

2009-12-21T10:16:00.001-06:00

It’s the most wonderful time of the year but it doesn’t come without its share of conflict. At least not in my family. So, I’m polling my audience to see how you deal with conflict.

Let me just say right now that I, by no means, enjoy conflict. I don’t necessarily try to avoid it but I do often try to pacify the situation (whatever it may be) with “It’s okay,” or “Everything will be alright,” when sometimes that just isn’t the case. I can take and take and take until one day I just reach a breaking point. That’s when I say, “That’s it” and usually cut the offender out of my life. After all, no relationship is sometimes better than a destructive one. I know I’m being vague but in order to avoid some grief, I just can’t mention specifics. Without mentioning any names, I’ll provide for you a scenario:

Someone within my family has been causing some tension over the past couple of years. I might add that this tension is mostly self-made on the part of this other person but has caused problems nonetheless. I thought our issues had been resolved when a couple of months ago, for reasons unbeknownst to me, I received a letter detailing just how hateful and unforgiving I am. In not so many words, this person called me a heartless bitch, but followed it with “but I love you.” Sure. Because I write letters like that to all the people I love. All the time. Anyway, since then I’ve decided that it’s just better to avoid any interaction with this particular person. The fact that this person is family makes it even worse – and awkward – but I reached my breaking point. I didn’t do anything to warrant such accusations and so I feel that it isn’t my responsibility to apologize or extend the proverbial olive branch.

And here lies the divide.

My sister, who can be more protective than a mother bear, is completely on my side. Actually, I think she was more offended by the letter than even me. So she tends to stand with me in thinking that any bridge rebuilding will need to be instigated by the other party.

My mother stands in the opposite corner. Where my faith tells me that I need to forgive and forget, and so does my mother, I find the forgetting part considerably difficult. To be insulted for seemingly no reason by someone who supposedly loves you can be, well….hurtful doesn’t even begin to describe. But my mother is adamant that I need to be the one to make amends. For what? For the imagined offense that I never committed? Is that like admitting that I was to blame and therefore giving credence to the hurtful words that were written to me?

Should I cling to my rhinoceros-like stubbornness and insist that the other party make the first move? Or do I just hold out and wait for this to all “blow over” without a word ever said? Will things be quiet for now until the next time (and I have no doubt that there WILL be a next time), when they are sure to only get worse?

So my dear friends, how do you handle yourself in tense situations such as these? I’m not talking about one little snafu, but rather repeated offenses that only seem to escalate with each recurrence? Experience has taught me to protect myself, and my family.

Training for Insanity

2009-12-21T09:10:00.000-06:00

Amanda is one of my oldest and dearest friends. There are few people, other than your family, that have known you really well since childhood; Amanda is one of those people for me. She's like family (Aislynn calls her "Aunt Manna") and I'd do absolutely anything for her. So a few months back, when Amanda expressed an interest, we started walking and jogging with the intention of training for a 5K. We were doing well for a while but then decided to continue training on our own because conflicting schedules were making it extremely difficult to meet up each night. Except "training on my own" quickly became doing nothing at all.

Let's back up...A few years ago, in an effort to lose weight before my cousin's wedding, my mother and I started walking on a regular basis. We'd keep up a pretty intense pace - so intense that sometimes it was just easier to jog. So we did. We began jogging for short spurts. Over time, those short spurts became longer and longer, until we were jogging a few miles a night. It was addictive. And not bad for the figure either.

Since then I've had a baby and a million reasons to get back to jogging on a regular basis. And a million excuses not to. If you've read this blog for any amount of time, you know that time is my biggest opponent in my quest to get into better shape. All the hours in my day are taken, used, spoken for... My next option would be to either cut my sleep to five hours per night or give up an hour of the three each day that I get to spend with Aislynn. Neither of those two options appeals to me greatly.

So, a few weeks back Amanda emailed me with the information on a local 5K that is to take place at the beginning of March 2010. Although we haven't officially registered for the race, we've verbally committed to each other. The date is set and so we have a goal to work toward. And just eleven weeks to get into running (or jogging) shape. I think the holiday time will be the perfect opportunity to train. I know I'll have at least an hour each day when Aislynn is napping. And I'll have the added benefit of staving off some of the typical holiday weight gain. I hope. As you can tell from my last post, a large part of my holidays will involve food...way too much food.

In light of my holiday goals of beginning a running routine (yes, I am a little crazy), when Chad got home from work Saturday morning, I strapped on the tennis shoes and iPod and climbed on the treadmill. I just wanted to get an idea of where I was at, and what kind of shape I'm really in (or not). My goal was 3.2 miles (5K) in under an hour since that's the time-limit we'll have come March. I'm proud to say that, with warm-up and cool-down, I finished 3.8 miles in just over 50 minutes. I pushed myself pretty hard but also surprised myself. For one, my level of endurance is higher than even I expected. At the same time, the pace I had to maintain to accomplish that was somewhat faster than I had anticipated. Am I on the verge of a new world record for running? No. But hopefully I AM on the verge of a new, healthier routine.

By the end of January, my goal is to run a mile comfortably. I mean without wheezing, without paramedics standing by, and without feeling as if my lungs are going to burst forth from my chest in a ball of flames. I'd also like to shave five minutes off of that time. Forty-five minutes, that's my goal. But given the way my thirty-year-old body feels this morning (butt hurts, calves hurt, abs hurt), I think maybe I should ask Santa for a new pair of tennis shoes.

The Next Few Days

2009-12-18T16:07:00.002-06:00

In my head at least it seems like the next few days are cram-packed with activities. For my own amusement and my love of list-making, here is my schedule.

SATURDAY:

· Go to holiday brunch/lunch/social (or whatever you want to call it) at 11:00 am

· Sometime after the social, get together with Mom and Nana to make tamales. YUM!

· Clean house. If I have time. And energy.

SUNDAY:

· Birthday party for Jesus at Sunday School. Must make food to take. Add “grocery shopping” to Saturday’s list.

· Seems like I have something around lunch but it’s not coming to mind right now.

· Caroling with church in the evening.

MONDAY:

· Work until 5:00 pm, unfortunately.

· Meet with builder at 6:30 pm

· If any stores are still open when we get done with the builder…finish shopping for Aislynn.

TUESDAY:

· Work until 5:00 pm…again.

· Go shopping with Daddy for Mom. Because I just don’t see it happening any other time.

WEDNESDAY:

· First official holiday from work. Yay.

· Wrap presents and hope Aislynn doesn’t open all of them before Christmas.

· Dinner with friends.

THURSDAY:

· Frantically prepare for Christmas Eve festivities.

· Does Aislynn have black shoes to go with her dress? Shop for black shoes, or whatever other last-minute items I didn’t get during my previous shopping venture.

· Christmas Eve service at church. Can’t wait!

· Tamale dinner at Mom’s house following church. Food and family. It doesn’t get any better.

· Watch Aislynn open her presents from Mommy and Daddy.

· Stuff stockings and await Santa’s arrival. Watch It’s a Wonderful Life for the 10-millionth time. LOVE that movie!

FRIDAY:

· Get up early to watch Aislynn open presents and stocking goodies that Santa left the night before.

· Help Mom prepare Christmas lunch.

· More food and family. Because that’s what we do.

· Regret having eaten so much over the past three days. Vow to never do it again.

Update

2009-12-15T08:16:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I wrote a rather lengthy and somewhat whiney post about the house building process. Good news! Last night one of the builders called me back. I wasn't home at the time but I've left instructions for Chad to call him today. Maybe we'll have a meeting set up soon (I sure hope so).

The Waiting Game

2009-12-14T16:23:00.002-06:00

I think a while back I mentioned that Chad and I bit the bullet and got pre-approved for a home loan. Now begins the fun of the building process. Honestly, I was the one that was completely gung-ho about building and now I’m wavering back and forth. Am I ready? Yes and no. I don’t know. Every night when I look around my living room at all the toys strewn about, I think of how nice it would be if Aislynn had a bigger room, or a play room for that matter. The same thing happens when I try to stuff yet another shirt or pair of shoes in my closet. Yeah, I guess I could just get rid of some shoes…but it won’t happen! Why does the idea of a 30-year mortgage scare me more than a lifetime commitment to one man? I wasn’t this nervous about having children!

So, after sitting idle for about three weeks, I finally started contacting builders last week. The idea got me all revved up again and excited to move forward with the project but now I have to sit and wait until one of them calls me back. For those of you who don’t know, patience eludes me. I just don’t have it. It’s been a mere 72 hours since I sent in my contact information and I haven’t heard anything yet and so I’m getting anxious. And pissy. And even more nervous.

While typing this I decided to contact a couple of other builders. My list is up to four. Whoo-hoo. No, that’s a HUGE step for me. It’s like admitting that I’m serious about this. Which I am. Mostly. I’m serious about wanting a bigger house, just not so sure how serious I am about the monthly payment.

Yesterday afternoon I went to a cookie exchange at a friend’s house and for two hours I sat there admiring how she had decorated for Christmas. The mantle and hearth were decorated. There was a Christmas tree in the kitchen/dining area, not to mention various baubles adorning the window sills and even a tree outside. All I could think was, “I want a house that I can go all-out decorating. Maybe I’ll have it by next year.”

For now I guess I’ll sit and wait. And continue to dream about the house I’d like to build. Hopefully my wish list won’t be too far out of control by the time one of these guys actually calls me back.

This is going to be a short post

2009-12-11T11:38:00.000-06:00

What the hell is with college-age girls wearing bows in their hair? I mean bows that I would consider for my 2-year-old (maybe). It may just be my opinion but dressing like Hello Kitty should be reserved strictly for girls under the age of 6.

Yes, it snows in Texas

2009-12-04T12:53:00.001-06:00

I could take a picture for you but I don’t feel like moving from my desk chair where I’m staring out the window watch the snow flurries dance to the ground. No, it doesn’t happen often, and I could probably count on one hand the number of times in my 30 years that I’ve actually seen it accumulate, but it does snow in Texas.

Go ahead, make fun of us because we get excited to see a few snowflakes and because we’re completely unaccustomed to driving in these conditions. When you’re done, stop for a moment just to watch the snow fall. Maybe it’s nothing new to your eyes but try not to forget the beauty and the fun in it.

Right now as I write this, I’m envisioning a blanket of the white stuff covering my lawn in the morning, and clinging precariously to the bare branches of my trees. There’s just something so serene about a light dusting over the branches of an evergreen, or the way it glistens and glitters when the sun shines on it. That may not be reality for us right now but it doesn’t keep me from fantasizing.

Now it’s over but at least we can say it snowed this winter.

Kissas Ights

2009-11-30T16:28:00.002-06:00

Thanksgiving has come and gone and now it’s time to prepare for Christmas - unless of course you’re one of those over-achievers who has already finished decorating…and shopping…and wrapping. I am not one of those people. I’ve thought about decorating and I’m excited to get it done but haven’t had a chance yet to pull all my stuff out of storage. I also thought about shopping but not even the Black Friday sales couldn’t pull my tired hiney out of bed Friday morning. That, and I have no idea what I’m going to buy for anyone, and 5:00 am is waaaayyy too early just to browse the stores.

Obviously some people have time to do all of their Christmas decorating the minute that last turkey left-over has been served. Heck, some people start decorating before the poor bird is even cold. Again, that’s not me. Truth be told, the past couple of years just haven’t been that exciting. Putting up Christmas lights and other decorations is just too much trouble if no one can see them. I live in a rural area and with the exception of a few planes and Santa himself, no one can see any effort I may make to decorate my house. So leave it to a child to reignite my Christmas spirit.

Last night on the way to the store, we drove past a couple of houses already donning icicle lights and wooden snowmen in the front yard. I guess I’ve become…not callous, not jaded, just… accustomed to twinkly lights and plastic, light-up nativity sets. And even though this will be Aislynn’s third Christmas, this is the first year that she has really shown any enthusiasm for the festivity of the season. The “Kissas ights” as she calls them are new, and mesmerizing, and enchanting.

Thank you, baby girl, for letting me see this holiday anew, through your eyes!

A Momentous Week

2009-11-20T11:32:00.002-06:00

The last 7 days have been eventful, to say the least.

Last Saturday, my little girl turned two. Two! Can you believe it? I think I’m still in denial. It seems like just yesterday I was headed home from the hospital with that sweet little bundle of joy in my arms. Now two years have passed and she’s sweeter than ever. Every day is a new challenge and a new discovery. I still love watching her little mind and personality develop. What an amazing blessing she has been in my life!

Anyway, we had her birthday party at the house Saturday afternoon. What a huge success! We decided to buy an inflatable bouncer for her and then invited some of her friends, and ours, over for the occasion. I vowed that it would not be as big and as unorganized as her first birthday. Ah, good intentions… I think we managed to keep the guest list to a minimum; she had eight little friends over, two of whom only stayed a short while. Despite the reduced guest list, I still felt conflicted between entertaining (and supervising) the kids, visiting with the parents (my friends) and getting all the food served. Thank God for good friends! All in all, I’m chalking this one up to success. The bouncer was a HUGE hit and all the food was de-lish!

Sunday was all about recovery. I managed to recover a little of my sanity and I uncovered my kitchen counters once again. There were quite a few dishes to clean up after the party – despite the use of paper plates, paper cups and plastic utensils.

Monday was, well, Monday. Back to work and back to my normal routine.

Tuesday brought a whole new excitement. For the first time since Aislynn’s birth, Chad and I decided to have some family pictures taken. I took off from work Tuesday afternoon just for the occasion. I rushed home to change clothes and retouch my makeup before getting Aislynn ready. The weather was a bit cool – and windy (boo) – but after two-and-a-half hours, we have 300+ shots, quite a few of which are absolutely amazing. It was so much fun. Kind of nice to be in front of the camera, instead of behind it. Plus, I got some great new ideas for my own photography.

After pishers, as Aislynn calls them, we went out to dinner – as a family. That just doesn’t happen often any more. For one, it’s not often that we all have a night together. Secondly, going out to eat can be quite a challenge with a loud two-year-old that likes to throw things. Rather than be that family, we usually just stay at home.

As much as I was anticipating family portraits, I was much more excited about my Wednesday lunch meeting. Chad and I jumped ahead a little on our long-term plan and decided to meet with a mortgage broker about building a house. Originally, we were going to wait another year but decided to start a fact-finding mission, if you will. Our inquiry resulted in pre-approval at a pretty phenomenal interest rate. So by Wednesday afternoon, we were flipping through house plans and contemplating our next move. The idea of building the home I’ve always wanted is beyond exhilarating, but the checklist of things to do is growing by the minute, which has me just a wee bit overwhelmed at the moment. I’m on information-overload right now and I’m beginning to think that my wish list is bigger than my budget.

Thursday was dull in comparison to Tuesday and Wednesday. I had to go back to the eye-doctor for like the ten millionth time since September. For some reason, they can’t get my prescription right and it’s causing all sorts of problems – headaches, blurred vision, etc., etc. The doctor thinks it’s because my eyes are too dry, so I’ve been using drops constantly and even a lubricating salve at night before I go to bed. After a week of wearing daily contact lenses – and relatively no problems – he said my eyes are starting to look better. Rather than give me more dailies, he decided to go back to my old brand of contact lenses. I’m now discovering as I type this that it must be the contacts because I’m having the same problems all over again. My patience with this issue is long past gone. I can’t wear my glasses because they’re three years old and my prescription has changed since then. I don’t want to waste money on a new pair (which I desperately need) until I know for sure what my new prescription is. To say I’m frustrated doesn’t even begin to describe my current state. I’m sick and tired of using my paid sick leave to go back and forth to the doctor. I’m ready to be done with this. I just want to see again!

Now it’s Friday and things are a little dull here at work. My major commitments have been completed so I’m searching through online house plans yet again. I just called the eye doctor and managed to refrain from screaming. They actually had the audacity to ask if I wanted to come in again. Are you kidding me? No, not in the least. While I wait for a phone call from the optometrist, I’ll contemplate what I’m going to eat for lunch. Welcome to my exciting little world.

I hope each and every one of you is having a fantastic week! Happy Friday!!

Contraction Conundrums and Appalling Apostrophes

2009-11-13T14:03:00.004-06:00

Contractions make me cringe. Especially when they’re wrong.

According to Dictionary.com, grammatically speaking, a contraction is defined as:

a shortened form of a word or group of words, with the omitted letters often replaced in written English by an apostrophe.

This is NOT (or should I say, isn’t) a difficult concept, yet over and over again I see people get it wrong. Why?!

Here in Texas, we commonly cram the words you and all together as a designation for multiple people, and hence we have the “word” y’all. It’s pronounced “yawl” but is sometimes stretched into two [excruciating] syllables, depending on the severity of your southern drawl. As someone who regularly uses the word in casual conversation, I feel the need to lay out some tips for those of you who feel it necessary to use it in writing.

The list is short – there are only two – but they’re important, so please pay close attention.

It’s Y-(APOSTROPHE)-A-L-L. Like this: y’all. See, the apostrophe conveniently takes the place of the “o” and “u” in “you.” It’s like a little stand-in for those two letters. Seems simple enough, right? You’d think.

*Just a side note: look at all those apostrophes I’m using! Notice how they’re in the place of the letters I’m leaving out. Nice.*

Y’all already implies plurality; there’s no need to add more. Like y’all all. It’s redundant, and quite frankly, excessive. And let’s not even get started on redundancy right now. ATM machine anyone?

Where some people simply place the apostrophe in the wrong position, others don’t know where to put them at all (or when to use them) and so they just toss them in haphazardly. Plurality and possession are two completely different things; apostrophes are commonly used to designate the latter of those two. Here’s a nice little flow chart that I found on this blog, just in case you’re not sure.

Contractions vs. Possession: the You're/Your Debate will have to be left for another day. I think I've given you enough to digest for now.

You have GOT to be kidding me!

2009-11-12T13:41:00.001-06:00

I just realized that I’ve been walking around…work…with my zipper down! Luckily for me, if anyone else noticed it, they did not point it out to me. Depending on the person, that could have been mortifying. Utterly humiliating. Now I’m sitting here trying to determine exactly when the little sucker ooched its way down, because surely I didn’t just neglect to zip it. I spent my lunch hour in a frantic and hurried search for a new pair of jeans so I have my suspicions that it happened then. I just thought these fun little zebra-print panties were for my eyes only. I think my saving grace may have been my shirt, that just almost covers my zipper, down or not.

I'm taking requests

2009-11-12T13:23:00.001-06:00

It’s no secret that I haven’t had much time to blog lately but I haven’t had much to say either. Okay, that’s not completely true. I have had LOTS that I could write about but I’m not sure those topics would be totally appropriate here. Yes, it kind of defeats the purpose of this here little online journal of mine but trust me, to maintain even a modicum of peace in my family, I better keep those thoughts to myself, or at least restricted to the office water cooler.

In light of this, I thought I’d try something new…I’m officially opening myself up for suggestions. For my blog (not me, personally). Does anyone have any good ideas for topics?

What Scares You?

2009-10-29T13:05:00.002-05:00

Boo!

Obviously, I’m kidding. But in honor of Halloween this weekend, and because I just read this article, I want to know what really scares you. Here are a few of my fears:

Snakes. I'm pretty sure I could scale a greased wall if it came down to getting away from a snake.
Scary movies. Yeah, I'm a big wuss. Scary movies give me nightmares. The more realistic they seem, the worse it is. I attribute this to my sister and the babysitter making me watch Nightmare on Elm Street when I was about five years old. And I will not watch a scary movie with my feet on the floor. Just won't happen. Even if I'm in a theatre, I wad myself into a little ball in that small seat but no part of me will be touching the floor.
Asphyxiation. I have a recurring dream - although I haven't had it in a while - that my mouth is full of some kind of mush and no matter how hard I try, I can't get it out and I can't breathe. See what kind of mental scars those scary movies have left?
Anything that could harm Aislynn. She truly is like a walking extension of my heart and soul and I would be devastated if anything ever happened to her.
But most of all, I'm scared of walking out of this room and never feeling again the way I feel when I'm with you. Just kidding. I couldn't resist; I love that movie. And don't even bother checking it for accuracy, because chances are, it's NOT word for word.

Have a happy and SAFE Halloween everyone!

Dear Father Time,

2009-10-26T15:56:00.001-05:00

My life is zooming by. I turned thirty this year and I swear it seems like just yesterday I was only 17. I can still remember the presents I got that year. I find it hard to believe that I graduated from high school nearly thirteen years ago; from college nearly nine years ago. It’s been five-and-a-half years since I got married and it seems like mere minutes have passed since I announced that I was pregnant. In less than three weeks, my sweet, precious baby girl will turn two! All of these major events seemed to have happened in the blink of an eye, so why – oh why? – won’t this day end? I blinked a moment ago and I’m pretty sure the clock actually went backward.

I'm surprised...

2009-10-23T15:58:00.001-05:00

But I really shouldn’t be. It should be obvious that you don’t actually have to know what you’re doing to get a job anymore (just take a look at our government). I walked into one of my favorite clothing stores last weekend with one thing in mind – a denim pencil skirt. I looked all over and couldn’t find it so finally I asked one the sales associates if they carried it in the store, since I had only ever seen it online. Her response: What’s a pencil skirt? I don’t think you need to be fashion guru to be employed in a clothing store, but some basic knowledge would be helpful.

Yeah, I'm off to a good start

2009-10-23T11:19:00.001-05:00

Here's a rundown of my morning, so far:

5:40 am - Drag my exhausted butt out of bed, get ready for work.
6:30 am - Start trying to get Aislynn up.
6:40 am - Change shirts, because I don't like the one I have on.
6:45 am - Emphasize to Aislynn, once again, the need to get up and get going.
6:50 am - Go back to the closet and stare aimlessly at all the clothes for a different shirt. Change again.
6:55 am - Finally get Aislynn out of bed.
6:55 - 7:05 am - Struggle with my obstinate child to get her dressed and ready for school.
7:05 am - Change shirts one last time before rushing out the door.
7:15 am - Finally leave for work after picking up my mother (we carpool).
7:55 am - Sit down at my desk with my steaming cup of coffee to begin my day.
7:57 am - Spill said cup of coffee on my right thigh and keyboard. Just great. Now I feel like an idiot.
7:57 - 8:10 am - Diligently attempt to clean up coffee and save keyboard from total destruction.
8:30 am - Have exhausted all efforts. Keyboard is fried.
8:35 am - With head hung low, ask my boss if I can get a new keyboard, because there's no way I'm getting anything done today without one. Again feel like an idiot.
8:40 am - Get rooked into planning and organizing the department Christmas party, again.
8:50 am - Head to office supply store with list in hand.
9:00 - 9:20 am - Stare at multiple keyboard options. Don't know which one to get.
9:25 am - Leave office supply store with loot in hand.
9:35 am - Finally back at my desk.
9:40 am - Remove old keyboard, which is by this time possessed and typing things on its own.
9:45 am - Forego assistance from computer tech and begin connecting new keyboard. It's not rocket science.
9:50 am - New keyboard not working. Begin reconnecting old keyboard (which I'm pretty sure is still making noises, although its been unplugged and tossed aside for the past 10 minutes. Demonic possession nearly certain.). Maybe I'll be able to at least log into my computer.
10:00 am - No hopes of old keyboard working. Even the dark forces can't resurrect this thing.
10:05 am - Swallow pride and ask computer tech for help.
10:10 am - Computer tech reconnects new keyboard and his mere touch seems to have brought it to life. I'm definitely an idiot.
10:15 am - Begin cleaning up mess left behind after game of keyboard switcharoo. Move ALL liquids far from any office equipment.
10:30 am - Finally begin work.

Good gracious! I hope the day gets better from here.

Priceless!

2009-10-20T16:52:00.001-05:00

A couple of weeks ago I headed to Houston - in the torrential rain - to spend the day with my cousin, Pamela. Really, we're "fruzens" - a term Pamela coined many, many years ago. It's a melding of "friend" and "cousin" because we were great friends before we ever knew we are related. (A funny story for another day.)

Anyway, we spent a few hours at The Galleria, which is basically like Disneyland for shopping. I swear, you could spend three days there and not make it into all the stores! (Need proof? Here's a map.) Of course, it could be that it just seems so grand when compared to our oh-so-inadequate local mall. But anything would - it's that bad.

Like any good shopper, I went with a list - in my head, not in my hand. Wait. You don't do that? Well, I do. I can't manuever around the grocery store without one and I sure can't just meander around the mall without some sort of shopping plan. So this venture was to consist of:

eyeliner that I can't buy locally (and I refuse to pay $10 in shipping for eyeliner that's not much more than that itself) because, like I said, our mall is, well...lacking in pretty much everything
a nice dress (cocktail) so I can make Chad take me out this holiday season
shoes - because they're always on my list
work attire. It's what I wear most often so I'm always looking for new items.

The eyeliner was my first purchase, mostly because I knew exactly what I wanted. Of course, this was after we stopped in to a couple of shoe stores. I even tried on the pair of beautiful pewter platform heels that I've been coveting for the past couple of months. But, I didn't want to commit to the heels before I found a dress with which to wear them. So we moved on.

Now the dress was at the top of my list, because I needed a way to justify that shoe purchase (as if I ever need a way to justify a shoe purchase!). We searched high and low but to no avail. I could not find a decent dress at a decent price. Ugh. Along the way, we did have some fun.

As we were perusing through Nordstrom, I found a nice top - for a mere $138. Aww, too bad it was an XXS! Now let me just tell you that there is nothing about me that is an XXS (I've never even seen two Xs in front of an S on a clothing tag!), except my budget. So, we quickly passed it by, and made our way to accessories, where we found these little jewels:

That's Pam, sporting her find. Cute, huh?

And here I am. That little puppy was a bargain - only $68. Up close it looked like felt you could buy at any craft store, but I'm sure it was some exotic wool or something.

As sexy as they may be, we decided to forego the hat purchases, and continued on to shoes. It was kind of hard to miss these babies, because, well, they don't exactly blend in...with anything.

The picture doesn't really do them justice. Here, I'll help you get a better image in your mind: from top to bottom they were gold and silver, with a little bit of every swamp thing imaginable (Pam's words, not mine). What you can't see in the picture is the bling on the heels. Yes, there's even bling on the heels! These things would have been gaudy even for Liberace. I was just about to take a picture of the price tag - a reasonable $1195 - when the sales associate walked up and asked if he could help us. I was so dumbfounded by the boots in front of me that I couldn't even come up with a witty retort. So we placed the boots back on display and headed on.

By the end of the day, we had walked around that mall quite a bit, without too many bags in our hands to show for it. I didn't get my pewter heels but I did buy a couple of more practical pairs that I can wear to work (and have). Plus, I didn't want to go home empty-handed. But the best part of my day wasn't in any bag. Pamela and I had such a good time just talking, posing in goofy hats and reminiscing. So here's what it comes down to:

Eyeliner - $17.50

Shoes - $100 (two pairs)

A day with my "fruzen" goofing off like we're still 15 - Priceless!

I need more days like this!!!

Update

2009-10-19T13:52:00.000-05:00

Today at lunch I just happened to be in the vicinity of the store where I made my last pants purchase. Since I was nearby, I decided to duck in and try on a pair of the same pants in a smaller size. As I suspected, the waist fit perfectly, but they were a little too snug through the thighs. I could have gotten away with it; it's not like they would have been in danger of splitting when I sat down but still, they didn't live up to my standards. Ah, the search continues.

Calling all Ladies...

2009-10-19T09:49:00.002-05:00

My search for decent pants continues and as I struggle to find pants that fit properly, I have to wonder if anyone else has this same problem. Frankly, I’m tired of fighting to find pants that fit my waist, my hips and my height – simultaneously! Even worse, I’m sick of spending money on pants that I wear twice before I realize that they just don’t fit right. For what I’ve spent lately, I could have bought some very high quality designer pants (do you think they fit better?).

Seriously, about six weeks ago I went shopping because my stash of pants at that time were too loose. Roomy and comfy is one thing, but these were baggy in all the wrong places. Fortunately for me, one of my favorite stores had all their pants on sale – buy one get one. So, I bought about five new pairs of pants. And they fit – at the time. Then I lost about 8 pounds and now they don’t fit anymore.

The pair I wore to church yesterday was hanging way too low. The crotch was somewhere down around mid-thigh and I can only imagine how saggy and baggy my butt looked from behind. Let me tell you, church is definitely not the place you want to worry about whether or not your underwear are showing every time you have to bend or squat to deal with your 2 year-old – especially if your underwear happens to be the zebra print thong you bought on a wild whim.

Now, I’m by no means complaining about the weight-loss. In fact, I hope it continues. I’m proud of my efforts to get into better shape and trim my figure, which is why I’m also reluctant to go shopping for new clothes. I don’t want to spend the time and money searching for the perfect fit only to have it be completely wrong with the loss of another 5 pounds.

So, my dear friends, I need your help with these two questions:

What should I do in the meantime to remedy my pants problem? Obviously I need decent dress pants for work but if they don’t fit well – not too tight, not too loose – they aren’t exactly work appropriate
When I reach my goal weight, or just lose enough to justify one whole smaller size (I’m in between right now, which is the biggest problem), what brand would you recommend? What style is your favorite?

So, what does this say about me?

2009-10-14T14:33:00.001-05:00

As a person who is the first to admit that she has a negative body image, this article is quite disturbing. I foolishly strive – on a daily basis – to attain a model-esque figure, knowing that I will never be 120 pounds and a size 4 (or 5 foot 10 inches for that matter…thank heaven for 4-inch heels!). What kind of message are we sending to young girls?

Personally, I’m damn near obsessed with improving my figure – constantly judging myself by the number on the clothes tags, or the number on the scale. I’m always starting a new exercise routine or daydreaming about how I will one day have Heidi Klum’s figure. (Even pregnant she looks better than me.) Balancing that with being a mother, a wife, a friend and a co-worker is a daily challenge. I haven’t quite figured out how to make time for regular exercise. It’s a rat race just to make dinner and bathe Aislynn when I get home in the evenings. If I give up one of the few hours I have with my baby girl, I feel guilty.

Every morning my alarm goes off early with the hope that I can drag my exhausted butt out of bed for a run on the treadmill before the daily cycle begins again, and every morning I turn off my alarm and go back to sleep knowing that 6 hours just isn’t sufficient for brain function. I’ve “invested” all sorts of money in workout DVDs and fitness equipment but most of the time I just WISH I could spend some time with it.

A few years ago I was watching some weight-loss show on TV. I don’t remember the title but the premise of the show stuck with me. The story covered a former model who was attempting to lose weight and regain her modeling career. I don’t remember what time span the show covered but by the end she had lost a considerable amount of weight and was down to a size 10. She did regain her modeling career – as a plus-size model! Are you kidding me?! “Plus-“ or “Women’s-“ sizes in most stores DO NOT include size 10, yet they’ll use what I would consider an average size to model their clothes. It just makes me sick.

According to the MSN article, and the show I just referenced, I’m gargantuan. Huge. Ginormous! Although I don’t necessarily believe these things about myself, I know I’ll always struggle with my own body image issues. I just pray that I won’t pass those same issues along to my own daughter. I want Aislynn to grow up to be healthy and happy, not always obsessing over some unrealistic picture of “perfection.”

Things that don't make sense to me:

2009-10-01T16:52:00.003-05:00

Sleeveless turtleneck sweaters. I’m not a big fan of turtlenecks anyway – mostly because they just don’t look good on me – but sleeveless turtleneck sweaters just confound me. They make about as much sense at fur shorts. Or micro-minis with snow boots.
The re-emerging 80s fashion trend. Particularly shoulder pads and leggings. I saw on the news yesterday that designers are “reinventing” the sweat suit by making dresses out of sweatshirt material. Didn’t we do that already? I specifically remember people wearing over-sized sweatshirts as dresses, usually hanging off one shoulder. And no, a satin belt doesn’t dress it up. For that matter, bedazzling a pair of sweat pants and pairing them with ankle boots does not make a work-appropriate outfit.
Why people refer to the last book of the Bible as the “book of Revelations.” It’s just one revelation folks.
Wearing a dress that comes down to your knees as a shirt, AND pairing it with jeans. Likewise, wearing a shirt that barely covers your rump with nothing underneath and calling it a dress.
People who call my cell phone, DON’T leave a message, and then expect me to call them back. Or those that I call and leave a message only to have them call me back before they’ve listened to the message. Why bother?

I’m sure this list will continue in the future, but this is it for today.
Oh wait, one more:

Sock hats in the middle of summer…in Texas! Like wearing a wool suit in Hell.

And here I thought the high school social hierarchy would only rear its ugly head at reunions

2009-09-29T12:40:00.003-05:00

I’m sitting at my desk reading through online news articles when I came upon this one. I have to admit I laughed out loud. Not only was I not part of the “in crowd” in high school but because of it, I’m destined for a lifetime of health problems? Doubtful. Only as much as you put stock in that social status. I knew then that I was not part of the “popular” crowd, but you couldn’t have convinced me that I didn’t have some of the best friends ever. I’ve had the pleasure to recently reconnect with some of them. I’ve been through some pretty rough sh** with others and yet they’re still a part of my life. Did high school affect my mental stability? Yeah. It made me sane. I think the fact that I wasn’t consumed with being popular, or “powerful,” has contributed to my great mental health today! (All of you reading this and snickering to yourselves about my “mental health,” you are exactly the ones I’m referring to as helping me maintain a healthy mental focus in life.)

Oh yeah, and evidently Aislynn is doomed to health problems too since I’ve decided to work away from home. Ha!

Dear Bayer Healthcare,

2009-09-25T13:28:00.002-05:00

Thank you so much for making Aleve-D Sinus & Cold. When I came across your box in my medicine cabinet last night, I was pretty miserable. My head was groggy and I was fairly certain that the pressure behind my eyes, nose, and cheek bones would blow my face right off. To be honest, I was hoping for it, just for a little relief. Once I laid down, I was faced with certain death – by drowning in my own mucus. Not really the kind of death worthy of a headstone. “She suffocated in a pool of her own snot.”

I had two objectives as I washed that little pill down with a glass of water, as instructed on the box. 1) I wanted to breathe and 2) I wanted some rest. I must applaud your product on the first objective. I can definitely breathe again! All the snot is now draining to my stomach but at least it’s no longer occupying my sinus cavity.

Regarding the second objective, I do have to register one complaint. A suggestion really. The box indicates that this particular formula is “Non-Drowsy.” First, let me say that those words should be in a much larger and bolder print. For that matter, “Non-Drowsy” isn’t quite accurate. I think “No chance in hell of getting any decent sleep once you take this” might be a better statement. Thirty minutes after taking the medicine, I could feel it start to take effect as I prepared for a good night’s sleep. Forty-five minutes after taking it, I was in dreamland. Freaking weird-ass dreamland. I can’t even begin to articulate the visions that were dancing through my head and intruding on my restful slumber. A mere two-and-a-half hours after the sugar plum freakies, I was awake. Not just mildly conscious but wide awake.

I tossed and turned for an hour before I gave up and got up. I had hoped that some television might lull me back to sleep but to no avail. And just in case you’re wondering, there’s nothing good on TV at 2:00 am. No, it doesn’t matter how many channels you get. Thank God for the DVR because I was able to catch up on some of my favorite shows that I missed this week.

By 4:45 am, it was obvious that sleep wasn’t in the cards for me so I worked out – a little light kickboxing and jump rope – before I crawled in the shower to begin my normal morning routine. All has been well since then, except I feel a little spacey, which could be the second dose of the medicine or the lack of sleep. I’m not really sure, but I feel the need to offer a disclaimer to anyone I speak with. I think something like, “I cannot be held accountable for anything I say or do as I am sleep-deprived AND on drugs.” More than once today I’ve had someone ask me, “Are you okay?” which is probably a result of the glazed-over look in my eyes. That, or the slow-response time in general conversation.

I also feel as if your medicine could double as an appetite suppressant, although I am, by no means, advocating it as such or suggesting that you market it that way. I just noticed that I only ate half of my lunch, which is admittedly kind of wasteful. After further consideration, I can’t necessarily attribute this to appetite suppression. It may very well be that I am just too tired to lift food to my mouth. Either way, not a completely unwelcome side effect.

Well, on that note I should probably get back to work. I’ve surveyed the area under my desk and I’m contemplating crawling under it to take a nap. I really don’t see how that could be any less productive than how I currently feel. Besides, I think I just inadvertently insulted a visitor to our office. Playful banter evidently requires more than 3 hours of sleep to be effective. Less than three hours and it just sounds rude. But thanks again for the little white pill that has turned my entire day into a drug-induced, sleep-deprived stupor. My brain may not be fully functional but at least I can breathe!

I might possibly be the worst person ever

2009-09-24T11:22:00.002-05:00

This morning while walking into daycare to drop off Aislynn, I was behind a woman guiding in her young son. Because I was holding Aislynn’s hand – and practically dragging her along – my gaze was naturally fixed downward. That’s when I noticed it. The poor woman’s pants were split up the back seam. Yes, I caught a glimpse of her white undies. I even debated momentarily whether or not I should discreetly point this out to her. Mind you, I don’t know the woman…although I often see her dropping off or picking up her kid. I recognize her because she pulls up to the curb and parks her car as if she’s too good to park in the parking lot and walk a few extra feet, like the rest of us parents. But that’s neither here nor there. In that matter of seconds, I couldn’t decide what would be more humiliating – having a complete stranger tell you that your bottom is about to fall out, or having that complete stranger NOT tell you, just to let you go on about your day with your white panties obviously showing through the hole in your black pants. It probably makes me the worst person ever to walk the earth (and then again, I could be exaggerating just a bit), but I didn’t say anything. It was raining and I was already in a hurry, and quite frankly, I think I would have been just a little embarrassed myself if I had said anything.

For this little act of treachery, the fashion gods have frowned upon me. As punishment, I will evidently fight my own shirt for the rest of the day. It’s drapey by design but it keeps falling too far forward or too far back. And the built-in cami is driving me insane. It’s too short so I keep tugging, unsuccessfully, at the bottom hem. If I raise my arms even slightly, I risk baring my middle to anyone within eye-shot (not a pretty sight by my own standards).

Oh yeah, and on a completely unrelated note, I have the sniffles. Just great. Why, oh why, won’t this funk move out of my head? The pressure was nearly unbearable earlier. I was actually contemplating sticking a hot metal skewer up my nose to see if I could release some of it. Only kidding. Well…mostly.

Trick of the trade?

2009-09-23T08:55:00.002-05:00

I’ve always been told that restaurants keep the temperature pretty low because people tend to eat more when they’re cold. It’s one of those little tricks they employ to boost their own business. Do department stores use similar devices to increase their revenue? I’m convinced they do. Do you ever wonder if clothing stores use tricky mirrors? I mean, is it some sort of special glass designed to make shoppers appear thinner? More than once I’ve tried on clothes and thought to myself, “Wow, I don’t look so fat after all.” These thoughts fall apart quickly once I get my purchase home and see myself in my own mirror. Somehow, my reflection in the bathroom mirror at home never strikes me as being as slender as it seemed while I was in the store. Surely this isn’t just my own twisted self-perception.

Just some gripes

2009-09-22T14:02:00.003-05:00

Katy’s post, and the subsequent comments, made me think… Does anyone else find it completely infuriating that gift cards have an expiration date? What the hell?! No one ever walked into a store and pulled a twenty out of their wallet just to have the cashier explain that it expired. “I’m sorry ma’am. The US Treasury issued this bill three years ago. It expired last week.” It just doesn’t make sense to me. And what’s with the fee they charge you to “reactivate” the card? “I can reinstate your cash ma’am but it will cost you $5.00, effectively making your twenty dollar bill worth fifteen bucks.” Yeah, that would go over well. I think that should be considered a form of thievery.

While I’m bitching, am I the only one that’s disturbed by the restrictions on children’s meals? No, I don’t mean the options at McDonald’s. I’m talking about the many, many eateries that offer children’s portions at a reduced price. Have you noticed that – most of the time – they very explicitly limit the smaller portions to folks 12 and under, or to senior citizens? Excuse me? Who are you to say that I’m not allowed to eat a meal smaller than the gargantuan dishes you’re offering to “adults?” Speaking of adult-sized portions, why are they not limited to people 13 and up? For all of you restaurants out there that do this, I’d just like to applaud your continued efforts to promote America’s obesity epidemic! Next, why don’t you put weight restrictions on the desserts? Can’t you just imagine the waiter or waitress coming back to the table with the manager to tell their patrons – very discreetly – “Sir, you look to be pushing every bit of 250 and therefore, we cannot serve you the apple pie a la mode, as our menu clearly indicates that it is for individuals below 195 pounds.” (If you read this in a snooty French accent, it’s even more amusing.)

New Blog Layout/Template

2009-09-16T13:22:00.003-05:00

Okay, I'm getting bored with my current blog layout. I need a change. Something fresh. Something new, and maybe with brighter colors. So, where exactly does someone as computer illiterate as me go to find something cool? I'm not savvy enough to design my own from scratch so suggestions are welcome!

Disturbing...on so many levels

2009-09-16T13:20:00.003-05:00

While perusing the headlines this morning, I came across this article. Where do I even begin? It's disturbing, on so many levels. What's the world coming to, really?!

Potty Ponderings: Bathroom etiquette that SHOULD be common sense

2009-09-08T18:47:00.007-05:00

If you haven't caught on before, I work at a public university, which lends itself to some interesting sights - from stupid drivers to questionable attire - on a daily basis. I often wish I could capture some of these sights on my camera phone but alas, I never have it with me at the right moment. Or I'm driving and that just wouldn't be safe. I'd have to group myself in there with all those other stupid drivers, which I'm trying diligently to avoid. But I digress. Today's topic has been on my mind for some time now and I feel that it can go unsaid no longer. We'll call it potty training for college students.

Listen up boys and girls because these are things you should know. These are little tidbits of information that even my 22-month old daughter has picked up on...and she's not potty trained (yet).

I'll start with the boys and to be completely fair, the list of dos and don'ts for boys isn't quite so long. I think it should go without saying that I don't have much cause to spend an extended period of time in the boys bathroom. The closest I've gotten is walking by on my way to the vending machine. Which brings me to my first and only point for you guys... Shut the door! I know the custodians prop it open when they go in to clean but would it kill you to close it when they leave? No one wants to know what's going on in there. Despite what you might think, some business should remain confidential. Granted, we know what you're doing in there but we by no means care to see or hear it.

Now for the real meat of this post...my beef is really with the girls.

Number 1: flush it...along with number 2. This should really be quite obvious but I find that there's a large percentage of the bathroom users in my building whom this concept completely evades. Flushes are not rationed, that I know of, so if it takes once or twice, do it! Just have the decency to make sure everything goes down before you leave.

This brings me right to my next gripe. Be mature enough to flush the toilet if the person before you didn't. Why must you bypass the stall all together when you see that the toilet hasn't been flushed?

Moving right along...

I'd like to post a sign in the bathroom that reads: IT'S A TOILET STALL, NOT A PHONE BOOTH. For heaven's sake, put your cell phone away when you're doing your thing. I know it's a public restroom but have a fraction of decency and afford the person in the stall next to you the tiny bit of privacy they deserve while they're there. Is the conversation about the cute boy who sits next to you in class really so important that it can't wait until after you've peed? Doubtful.

On a similar note, just because I know you does not mean that I want to talk to you while I pee. I don't particularly care that we walked in at the same time, or that we have a mutual friend. For all intents and purposes, once I close and latch that door, I'm in my own little world and you no longer exist. So stop talking to me! We're not that good of friends.

It's a public bathroom. Yes, it has germs but spending 20 minutes and an entire roll of toilet paper covering the toilet seat isn't going to keep any of them from getting on your precious little hiney. Get over it! If you're really worried about germs, think about all the ones that just got on your cell phone because you've got it out while you're taking care of business. And you've got it pressed to your face. I wouldn't be too concerned about the germs that might get on your butt.

Want to kill germs? Wash your hands! Those same girls that are on their phones while they lay the paper barrier between the toilet seat and their derriere are typically the ones who "forget" to flush and then walk out without ever glancing at the sink and soap dispenser. As Aislynn would say, "Ewwwww, yucky!" Enjoy that snack you just pulled out of your bag and are about to stuff in your mouth with those grimy hands that you neglected to clean.

For those of you who are smart enough to wash your hands, please don't shake water all over the counter. Most day it looks like someone bathed their dog in there. There's no reason to have one huge puddle extending the entire length of the counter top. And if you do dry your hands, it only takes three extra seconds to put your paper towel in the trash. C'mon now; there's just no excuse for throwing them on the floor.

You there, the one primping your hair... and yes you, putting on your make-up: Please make room for the bathroom users who would like to get to the sink to wash and dry their hands. This is not your personal salon. Please don't suffocate me with your perfume and/or hairspray. Besides, why are you spending so much time on your hair when you obviously didn't make an effort with your clothes? If you're going to roll out of bed and go to class in your pajamas, does it really matter if your hair looks slept on?

Your consideration of all of these requests is greatly appreciated!

Who are the idiots running this show?

2009-09-02T14:38:00.002-05:00

Hello there, cyber friends! Yes, I’ve been gone a while…busy, busy, busy at work with fiscal-year end and the semester change. Whew! It’s been a crazy couple of weeks in my office and frankly, I don’t see that changing any time soon. I don’t really even have time to write down all the thoughts that are going through my head. Here are some of the topics I’ve pondered - but alas, haven’t written about (and still may) – recently:

· Bathroom etiquette

· Hallway etiquette

· The gene pool – it needs cleansing

· My piss-poor attitude, as of late

· A desperate need for “me” time

· What I’d do if I won the lottery

But one topic in particular is on my mind and really needs immediate attention. Who the hell decided that it would be a good idea to go from one student information system to a completely new system at the busiest time of the year?! Obviously, this place is being run by a bunch of monkeys. Monkeys with too much money to spend – not on the employees, of course – because someone paid a whole lotta money for this new software program that isn’t working.

Each day is a new line of students at my door wondering why payments are being correctly posted to their accounts. I have to deal with Student Business Services and Student Financial Aid who evidently can’t communicate with each other. If you call one office – and are LUCKY enough to have someone answer – the response is always that the problem (whatever it may be) is the responsibility of the other office. So inevitably, some portion of my day, every day, is spent in a futile game of he-said/she-said with some representative or another of these two offices.

Monday, the first day of the fall semester, the new system crashed because, evidently, at a school with 43,000 students, it never occurred to the higher-ups that the system should be able to handle more than about 3,000 users at any given moment. Just brilliant.

Now, I’ll be the first to admit that my computer skills are somewhat limited but I thought it should be pretty obvious that before launching a completely new system, you should test it in, I don’t know, a hypothetical-type environment to see how it will interface with all of the other software you already have in place BEFORE launching it into production! Ugh.

Okay, I think I’m done ranting for now.

Excuse me a moment, while I puke!

2009-08-11T14:57:00.002-05:00

Is anyone else greatly annoyed by the blatant self-promotion on Facebook? Do any of you have those friends that are constantly trying to promote their (barely) burgeoning music career or some other venture? It makes me sick. Stop posting s*#t in your status that no one cares about. You really want to know how many people give a crap? Create a separate account for your band/business/whatever and see how many people become fans or friends of it. Use it to promote whatever thing it is you do, regardless of how insignificant.

While I’m ranting about Facebook, why do some people feel the need to use abbreviations for every single word? i dont care if u can txt supr fast. Is it rlly that hard 2 typ an xtra ltr or 2? And we wonder why the majority of college graduates have less-than-stellar writing skills? Do they even know the full spelling for half the words they use? I have my doubts.

Holy crap! I just found this website. Who knew? I think I’m in love.

It's about time someone said it!

2009-08-07T08:48:00.002-05:00

This about sums it up.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen ranks right up there with Gladiator as one of my worst movie experiences ever

2009-08-04T11:58:00.002-05:00

Okay, before any of you devout Transformers fans send the lynch mob out for me let me say that I actually rather enjoyed the movie (although not as much as the first). The special effects and action sequences are nothing short of amazing, even if there were a few too many and not quite enough storyline for my liking. Nonetheless, it was fun to watch and even took me back to my childhood days when I desperately wanted a few Transformers of my own (yeah, not your typical little girl, I know).

Last Friday, after work, Chad picked me up for a long-overdue date night. Just the two of us. Since he’d have to get up early the next morning to get to work, we opted for an early date of dinner and a movie. For the sake of time, we went to Chili’s (just a side note – the 2 for $20 deal is a pretty decent value) for a quick bite before we rushed over to the theater for the 6:15 pm show time. Up until that time, the evening was rather enjoyable. Then we got into the movie theater and our nice evening went to pot.

Because the movie has been out since June, they’d already moved it to one of the smaller theaters and it could have been smaller still given that there were only about 20 people there. At least six or seven of those movie-goers belonged to one family unit – what I’m now referring to as “the redneck family from hell.” Unlike most groups that attend a movie, they didn’t care to sit next to each other. Instead, they opted to spread out across the theater. Mom and Dad were behind us. Jimmy-Joe and Bobby were down the row to our right, with Billy, Johnny and Junior somewhere a few rows in front of us. What’s the harm in that right? Well, they decided to talk. Through the entire movie. To each other. And no, they couldn’t possibly speak discreetly to the person next to them. Instead, they had to continually talk across the theater to each other, loud enough for all the patrons to be privy to the conversation. I ~~thought~~ hoped that it might end when the previews were finished but no, not so much.

To make matters worse, Jimmy-Joe and Bobby never matured past the age of fourteen (despite what age might be indicated on their driver licenses). Every scene with Megan Fox (which is quite a few, in case you haven’t seen the movie) I had the pleasure of hearing a low, moaning Oh-my-God coming from their direction. I was pretty sure one or both of them was going to wet themselves – in one way or another – before the final credits rolled. At one point, Jimmy-Joe evidently had to leave the movie for a few moments (maybe the Megan Fox scenes were getting too intense for him). When he returned, I had the distinct pleasure of hearing him ask Bobby – in a not-so-quiet voice – “Whadda miss? Whadda miss?” Followed by “Oh my God!” when the next shot of Megan Fox filled the screen. Could it get any better? Evidently, yes. Mama, behind me, kept telling Daddy that we was being too loud. Somehow it completely escaped her attention that in doing so, she was being extremely loud herself.

As if that wasn’t distraction enough, the theater went from comfortable to sub-arctic the entire time. Had I buried myself any further into Chad for warmth, we probably would have been molecularly fused together. About the time the temperature became bearable, the air would kick on AGAIN and my teeth would start to chatter. And it continued for two-and-a-half hours! Just delightful.

It probably goes without saying that I was ready to get home when the movie was over.

Oh, I guess I should explain my Gladiator experience as well (but just briefly).

Oh so many years ago when the movie was first released, Chad and I went to see it – with about 2 million other crazy individuals. It was a late showing, the theater was packed and somewhere along the way, I was struck with one of the worst headaches ever. To my dismay, we were forced to sit in the fourth row of the theater, with only two seats remaining on my right. The two guys that took those seats smelled badly of body odor (ugh) and laughed through the entire movie. It’s not a comedy folks.

I realize that none of this is in any way enlightening or profound; I just felt the need to share it with you. Thanks for letting me ramble.

The Word List

Don't fall over

Let the FRAMES begin!

Weekend Recap

Call me crazy

Happy Easter!

Pure Evil

To all my friends...

I'd really like a reason to buy a pretty little party dress for the holidays

This counts as my post for today

I can not for the life of me understand things like this

I still consider it success.

Stupid things you learn the hard way (alternately titled: Stupid things you probably shouldn't profess in such a public forum)

Some things I learned while ringing the bell for the Salvation Army

This is more of a CHALLENGE than I originally anticipated

My fascination with shoes...

Two in one day! Holy Moly!

I love a good challenge

Holy Cow!

This totally sucks.

I'll keep this short

To my good friend, Kristin

Some thoughts for the day

And men wonder why women have body issues

I know, it's been a while.

I love this quote

At a loss for words

We're proud to announce that our family is growing...

Better Late than Never

Food for thought

More reasons to love her

An Update on our Home-Building Project: A multitude of posts all wrapped up in one

I'm still giggling about this

The unveiling

I'm hanging up my running shoes

These would make me happy

This might possibly make me the worst mother ever

I now know why

Always be aware of your surroundings

She did it!

It's like being stuck on a stationary bike

Because I said I would...

In case you're wondering...

Some random thoughts on a Thursday afternoon

I love this woman!

Unexpected side-effects of this uber sexy ankle brace

Snap! Crack! Pop?

Potty training woes

House plans - Round 3

Here we go again...

Some thoughts on the matter

Twice in one week!

An update

Potty Progress

A decision that very well may be the death of me

What's better than running 4 miles on the treadmill?

He says it well

The damn purple dinosaur nearly started a fight

Nine West reads my blog

Remember?

I can barely contain myself

T-Straps and Peep-Toes and Platforms, oh my!!

New Year, new....everything

I Got 'em!!

Just a Quick Note

4:45 comes early folks!

No, this is the last one...really.

I swear this is my last post today. Probably.

How do you deal with conflict?

Training for Insanity

The Next Few Days

*Update*

The Waiting Game

This is going to be a short post

Yes, it snows in Texas

Kissas Ights

A Momentous Week

Contraction Conundrums and Appalling Apostrophes

You have GOT to be kidding me!

I'm taking requests

Update

Update