I WON I WON!

I WON! Thanks so much Where Women Create! i won a giveaway there from www.nostalgiaorganics.com. i'm so excited! when my hub was kidding me about all the time lately i've been checking out blogs i told him 'well they do a lot of giveaways...maybe i'll win something!' and lo and behold i did...

we have a hammock that strings across our master bedroom so this is right up our alley ~ from obliterated heart

Rocket St George has some awesome items that i can just look at all day long... but i've got big plans today so maybe tomorrow... well i've got big plans then too. but when i return i can stay up late and peruse the site bc i'm on spring break! (maybe i've mentioned that)

i went to see Alice in Wonderland in 3D this afternoon with some girlfriends. it was so worth seeing in the theater. wow. i just want to hang out with the people who are creative enough to imagine these movies. beautiful scenery, costumes, concepts.

i picked up a new magazine the other day called Paper. i'm liking it but i'm not in love. there is an awesome layout called What a Long Strange Trip It's Been photographed at the madonna inn.

this is the photographer Aaron Ruell. very talented.

2010 Goals Progress

Plan: not so good Al

Reads: finished Eat What You Love Love What You Eat by Michelle May, MD. interesting. nothing i haven't heard before but it is very thorough and has some nice lists, charts and recipes. i'll surely keep this in my kitchen library. i started A Walk For Sunshine by Jeff Alt.

i read A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson and i loved it! since visiting the Appalachian Trial as a kid i've always thought how cool it would be to thru hike. Bryson changed my mind so now i like to read about it instead.

Look Books

From the Cincinnati Locavore blog today the answer to a question i always ask- why do they charge as much for my salad as the steak or sandwich with all the sides? well now that makes sense. btw i am loving Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution show. i set the DVR and went to bed. the next morning bub told me that show i taped was really good. 'Life'? thinking the nature shots were probably cool. 'no the food one'........ really. then i'm watching it and hub comes in.. 'watch this part'... seriously he watched it too. the two boys who fight me tooth and nail on the health front? and so i watch. and it makes me want to cry. Jamie Oliver is now on my list of imaginary friends. (see recent post).

it's funny all the stuff that goes on when i'm home in the afternoons. in my next life i am definitely working from home with my dog at my feet. today 2 dogs, a boxer and a pug, come in the yard like they do this everyday. marina and i go outside to great them and a guy in a van pulls up... yes he is out cruising for his animals who apparently do this all the time. yikes! poor marina on a normal day looking out at them doin' their bidnes' in her yard!

blogging has opened up a whole new world of fashion for me... really, i live in the midwest (i think that's how they classify us) out beyond the suburbs even to what we call the boondocks. i love fashion, always have. i shop in the city and love to shop on vacation. my sis, mom and i even plan vacations to go shopping in Chicago or Indianapolis or Miami but online shopping has never really been my thing. but with fashion blogs i keep seeing these 'Look books' and ahh it's like a breath of fresh air. so many styles that i can id with, be inspired by or just enjoy. here are a few of my favorites of late

• Corey Lynn Calter
• APC
• Free People
• Ruche

so now i'm on the lookout for the look books. great concept. i mean i guess it's just an online catalog with their new stuff displayed in outfits right?

i am so going to try this in one of our rooms! a 'papered' wall! i'm going to go back in search for where i found that image.

bub has a friend over and they are actively working on putting together a rocket. haven't paid much attention until they come back in the house and said it flew 20 feet in the air.... 20 FEET IN THE AIR? yes with baking soda and vinegar... i need to pay more attention :)

just got back from a girls afternoon. book store tapas, an italian soda- ahh, an art show, dinner at the Mediterranean, and a lecture at the local college. these ladies are lifesavers. really. we are all in some of the same book club, lecture series, work together and just have history together. you just can't beat being with those who help your being. love them. the lecturer was speaking about Florence Kelly a close friend and fellow women's suffrage worker. wow these women did so much in a time when so little was expected of them. we had spent much of the evening moaning about a situation we are in and how we should handle it and what it might cost us personally. then to hear of what these women endured and how they stood taller faced with adversity. i do believe God tells us what we need to hear when we need to hear it. amen.

2010 Goals Progress

Plan: laundry, vacuuming, dishes- shattering a glass on the tile- wait that isn't part of the plan- returned from the afternoon out to find it all undone by 3 boys and a dog....

Meals: still working through the cinnamon raison loaf with butter and fruit on the side, the rest of bub's subway meatball sub, coke zero, italian soda, hummus, egg salad, white pizza, a little bubbly. and now jasmine tea to hopefully dry up this constant dripping!

Exercise: walked marina this morning

Kicking Off Spring Break

is this the cutest thing ever? saw this on Oh Joy Eats and had to share. i can foresee my posts getting long winded this week bc of spring break but i'm ok with that... i usually jot down notes in my journal all day then assemble them in the evening in the post but with being home more this week i'll just leave the window open...

someone left a comment on my blog yesterday and i so appreciate it. i wasn't sure when i started this venture if anyone would even find me. i wasn't sure i wanted anyone to bc it feels so much like an online diary spread open for all the world to see. then i thought well if someone stumbles on it that doesn't know me then ok but i don't want people who know me to read it. then that changed too. two blogs have adjusted my thinking. Kasmira at What I Wore Today has been having an interesting conversation regarding In Blog Life and In Real Life. and also Paige at Simple Thoughts talks about her blog keeping her honest and transparent. i like that. i know the last few years i've been consciously trying to be more honest and open with those around me. i often will now call people out when i think they are trying to make me feel bad. if i need something from someone i've been more apt to just ask. it's been an experiment that has made me feel more genuine. it all goes back to 'this life is just too short.'

Obliterated had a cool post of a Canon Camera sculpted cake. i tried to post the pic but my blogger is having issues. try again later. apparently it's a blogspot problem since a bunch of blogs i'm visiting today are commenting on the problem.

i usually don't stay home for Spring Break but this year i am bc of the planned summer trip to the beach with the girls. i have lots of goals for the week and hopefully not too much actually work but how can i be home and not catch up on things like laundry and paperwork?

i did sneak a peek at the bird's nest this morning and no eggs yet. i'll wait a week or so bc i don't want to scare off the momma.

hubs is working on the boat again today but it is frosty out there. bub is at a friend's house which always seems so odd not having him asking me to come look or saying 'hey did you know' ...i took my inlaw family to Half Price Books and out to eat at Outback Steakhouse this evening...

2010 Goals Progress

Plan: not too shabby worked out, read my Bible, threw in laundry and dishes, cleaned baths

Exercise: tried a new video my sis gave me. it was pretty good as far as The Firm series goes. the bar weights 9 lbs with all three pieces so it is quite a workout and it is only 20 min. so doable on a workday morning. i, of course, had to pump my iTunes Daily Inspiration playlist because the music in these videos is so lame but that's alright.

Reads and Quiet: still reading from Ecclesiastes.. loving this verse from this morning... 10:20 "Do not revile the king even in your thoughts, or curse the rich in your bedroom, because a bird of the air may carry your words, and a bird on the wing may report what you say. " earlier this week i read 7:2 "for death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart." from time to time i get a tad bit obsessed with the thought of dying... have i lived my life to the fullest, how will i handle the death of my loved ones, am i focusing on what's important... actually it was this line of thinking that ignited the spark of the blog and digging out of the everyday to find more meaning.

checked out 2 books from the library this week Harper's Bazaar Fabulous at Every Age and More Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. Both just ok.

Tartan and Scallops

i may have to purchase this from Kittyrobot on etsy. Elsie on A Beautiful Mess pointed me there.

or this camera ring from Kaylah also on etsy. oh who am i kidding i'll get them both. easy going sunday morning checking into the blogosphere before getting ready for church.

after church my sister and i visited a new Goodwill Boutique in montgomery. i scored an ADIDAS polo for hubs, a dress, a HM knit skirt for layering and a few books.

we then enjoyed scallops and asparagus at Trio Bistro. the atmosphere there is entertaining because it's such a refined older crowd. i love old people. if i weren't peddling books all day i would so work with the aged population. some of these old ladies look like sunday is the only day they don the stylish wig and venture out with the family they see once a week. my sister and i then went to Panera Bread to sip and join the wifi connection so i could walk her through some blog steps. but for some unknown reason it would not work. we could bring up the blogs but couldn't sign in???? so who knows- we still sipped and surfed.

then for tackling a spring break goal... using the remote to take pictures with my SLR. one problem- we don't have a remote. but hubs did teach me how to use the timer. this is him figuring out the timer. i had to post the pic though because this sums up what i've looked like for the last month or so.

i did make some cards today with some leftover packaging from the Whimsy collection of Making Memories.

Birdie in the Nest! -and no that is not a euphemism

i walked Marina early this morning and walked around the house to see if there was a bird actually setting up residence on the front porch and... score! she flew in and out without seeing me. so good news = we will see eggs and little ones this spring and bad news= we can't use the front door for a month or so. small price to pay to see little beaks so close.

bub and i went to town this morning to see Diary of a Wimpy Kid. the theater was having a fund raiser for Matthew 21 Ministries. i can't believe i'm saying this but it was a really funny movie! i loved it not just tolerated it. it's spot on with the little guy and middle school and trying so hard to be "in." loved it. so i Wimped Myself...(see above) it looks like me right?

Lay Low from Iceland was interviewed on NPR this week. loving her and...

Joanna Newsome... i found her through Posie Gets Cozy... very different voice but also love the harp. we had a someone playing at our wedding. of course we didn't even hear her but that's ok our guests were entertained.

bub and a friend have been playing here all day... wii, on the computer, and lots of time down at the beach digging. they are trying to find a 'time capsule' they buried last december... no luck.

Reads: reading Eat What You Love Love What You Eat by May- nothing ground shaking but i'm enjoying it. she holds workshops so this reads more like a companion book to them.

Have i said i'm reading Julia Cameron's The Writing Diet. i think i have when i mentioned my friend sending it in the mail. also nothing i haven't heard before but i need daily reminders.

finished reading

*Give It All Give It Now by Fink. this would be a beautiful gift for someone.

*Letters to Zerky by Raney and i have to say it left me depressed. i enjoyed the trip around the world and especially the idea of taking your dog with you to Switzerland but to find out what happens to the family when they return was hard after i'd grown so attached to them.

*Pedaling Revolution by Mapes. i'm not a huge cycling fan since Marina came along and like to be walked. however this book was enlightening. i had no idea cycling had this much history and the author pulls you in to be excited about it

harajuku- i didn't realize this is a 'style'. i've heard the word but i associated it with those perfume bottles of japanese girls. According to Wikipedia, Harajuku is ...

"is the common name for the area around Harajuku Station on the Yamanote Line in the Shibuya ward of Tokyo, Japan.Harajuku is also a fashion capital of the world renowned for unique street fashion."

i had no idea but how inspiring.

Snow and Bird Nest

snow. yes snow on March 26th. we woke up to snow after we've welcomed spring. but a light snow. the car doors were frozen though.

then i came home and spotted straw on the front porch through the window. i opened the door thinking the birds may be making a nest above the porch lights as they've done in the past but no the nest is in the winter wreath i haven't taken down yet. well i can't very well upset their home now. can i still turn the porch light on when it turns dark? i pulled a chair over and took a looksy. no birdie eggs yet. hopefully they will choose us though. i'm not going to look for a few days and see what happens.

last day of work today for spring break. big plans. i'm not traveling south this year. of course i'm having second thoughts because i said if i do indeed stay home i'm going to "take a staycation" and scrap all week. well i've already got plans for 3 of the 7 days. but they are plans with friends and family that i don't normally make time for so i'm hoping i enjoy it and don't feel too structured.

2010 Goals Progress

Plan: #1 goal this week is to pull the plan back out and try to stick to it a little better... ok a lot better so i can get back on track

Quiet: boys have been working to get the boat back in the water before tournament time so i've had some quiet time. the turmoil in my prof life has not been so quiet but i can only control so much.

Meals: #2 goal this week is to get back on track to lose the winter weight by beach/reunion time

Read: still reading Blue Bloods- i do like it, crave it b/c it sucks you in (no vampyre pun intended) but it's so commercial it won't be a favorite. i really like finding that YA novel that is addictive, and fast moving, but also has more of a literary quality to it. i know we all need fluff sometimes but they can find that anywhere, right? also plugging on through the review stack. now reading a diet book. i can't think of the title i'll have to write about it tomorrow.

Create: goal #3 this week. learning to expand on some blog elements, catch up scrapbooking some, framing photos, and making some quick cards

Exercise: yikes. i can feel how bad its gotten so this goes along with goal #2 for the week. i'm going to use some of those videos and equipment my sis gave me.

Spending: we ate at a small restaurant after work. the food was really just ok. i'm getting tired of just ok food. bc i was out so late last night no packed lunch. so carry out chili. not the best but it was alright tasting. not worth the calories.

Gearing up for the Beach

dinner tonight with the girls i'll be spending a week at the beach with this summer. baked whole wheat spaghetti, homemade whole wheat bread, caesar salad and toffee truffles. we talked out the details and made sure everyone is on the same page with expectations. to sum it up: relax. read. sunbath. eat. repeat. ok so got it covered! i feel so honored these ladies thought to invite me. i think we will all get along slendidly and make some wonderful beach bum memories. we'll be going to Garden City, SC... i've been there once before with hub's extended family. i am in charge of finding one restaurant to visit during the week.

it rained like crazy on the way home. when i came in bub had "made" dinner from a recipe off the internet. he said it took him forever to find something to make with what we have here :) his chocolate waffles made in the Snoopy waffle maker were quite tasty~

so i made a Paula Dean dish last night all by myself for the first time. Baked French Toast Casserole with Pecan Topping and i forgot to snap a photo! however it was fabulous and coworkers raved... so apparently a job well done. i also made hub's chocolate gravy to add to the biscuits and real sausage gravy they were serving and people mainly said.. hmm.. that's interesting. bub requests these chocolate biscuits every time he has a friend over. he's so proud of them.

so today when someone i was dealing with was just being difficult i refrained from speaking my mind and started fuming. i finally settled on the thought, "nobody gets a free pass to be mr. nasty!" they don't! i don't care what life has dealt you, eventually you need to get over it. it's not only your life. you share it with others and being nasty isn't funny or smug or helping anybody. seriously just deal with the hand you're dealt and move on~ enough of the bad vibes we are only "spreading good vibes" here.

Duckies and Cheeseburger Doritos

i know spring has arrived when the ducks start traveling through our backyard. everyday around the same time this couple come through the back.

i'm getting excited about spring break next week. i have big plans to create and visit with friends and clean and ahh just generally get into S.P.R.I.N.G. first on my list is to make the following frame f

rom Simply Handmade.

one of my favorite blogs Simple Thoughts has a beautifully touching story posted. this is why i love reading blogs. that warm feeling that pulses through my veins as tears spring to my eyes~ lovely. God bless each of their big broken hearts.

Meals: so had a rough day and had to go to the grocery to get ingredients for the carry in tomorrow. i'm making a french toast casserole. so i'm late bc of a meeting after work and i'm hungry because my egg salad, crackers and yogurt has worn off. and there is a chip aisle. with Doritos. Cheeseburger Doritos. Not Cheeseburgers and Doritos- Cheeseburger flavored Doritos. yes they are worth the 150 calories a handful. washed them down in the car with a Pepsi Max Cease Fire (that's with a hint of lime flavor). felt much better having consumed a ridiculous amount of HFCS and aspartame. then realized i only have 8 days left in March to lose about 4 lbs and be back on track for the summer swimsuit body. probably not my best health choice today.

Reads: i started a new YA novel today Blue Bloods. i'm embarrassed i haven't read it sooner but there's no time like the present. it should be a quick one

Nailed It.

Wow look how great my nails are coming along?! or not really but i do love this gray nail polish i saw on abeautifulmess . not such a lofty goal though. just gonna have to start over.

She and Him have a new single out and a new album coming out the end of this month. btw i often dance in my library with a few of my closest friends. ok well i think about it. i need to learn how to embed a youtube video... this blogging thing really makes me wanna learn how to DO MORE.

hey hey! nailed it again... it's amazing what thinking in a warm shower will do. same thing happened last week when i was trying to figure out those "buttons" i just start with the thought 'it can't be that hard... they are everywhere!' and then a "ooohhh" sneaks in.

what i really love about blogging is the community i feel when i cruise around blogs i'm following. i get inspired and think "oh-oh i know right?" then want to blog about something germane. tee hee hee. sneaking that word in because i came across 'germane' (def. relevant to the conversation) reading this weekend and looked it up. i think i can work that into the daily conversation.

Patricia Heaton's lecture last week keeps coming back to mind. she said at one point she had a few kids, work was increasing and she realized she was tired and cranky most of the time. she realized she was going to be tired for the next 20 years but she didn't want to be cranky so she made the choice right then and there not to be cranky. she couldn't change her circumstance (and frankly didn't want to) but she could decide to react differently.

2010 Goals Progress

Meals: hub made lasagna for the lunch guys (and me) today. i'm loving this group. i can't believe they came up with the idea themselves (and i invaded). increased my water intake but unfortunately also the jelly beans intake. this is not going in the right direction.

Exercise: treadmill... i actually enjoy it once i'm out of bed

Nails: nailed

Reads: not so good Al... make up testing in the library today so i was stuck in my disorderly office... organizing and chasing out people who can't read the "DO NOT DISTURB" sign. seriously 3 of these people are a.d.u.l.t.s. scary.

Create: catching up on my blog reading after being gone all weekend. next up learning how to put a flickr photo collage on my blog.

Spring is Tea Time!

I joined my sister and mom's social group of ladies yesterday for tea at The Bonbonerie Tea Room. They failed to tell me they are no longer wearing hats since the official Red Hat Ladies sent them a nasty letter requiring registration fees. how the heck did they track them down i wondered? who knows... Bonbonerie just opened a new tea room. i had a cherry vanilla black tea with our tier or goodies. i love the yummy little biscuits with clotted cream and jam.

afterwards me, my sister Yo and our mom shopped around in O'Bryonville. a little shop across from The Bonbonerie called Kismet looked enticing and indeed it was. they carry Natural Life, Free People and this new line i haven't heard of before called Papaya Art. i found a green long sweater on clearance and a little hair clip.

Ten Thousand Villages is always a cool place to visited for free trade crafts. i have been looking for a new ring and found a gorgeous (and affordable) little rose one here at Margot Madison. i'll share a pic of it later. we made the usual rounds of Archiver's, Borders, Target, Sams, TJMaxx, DSW and then ate dinner at Zip's Cafe. i bought a few Simply Handmade booklets at Archiver's and hope to make some goodies from them.

Zip's is known for its burger so it has been on my list of eateries to visit for a while... once again yum. the burger, cheese fries and saratoga chips do not have a place in my new year's eating plan but it is the weekend... and the first day of spring so... so nothing i'm turning over a new leaf. i have about ten weeks left of structured life at work and i'm just going to suck it up and stop celebrating with food. enough. i can not go into summer like this.

i love dishes. when we married we registered for china. i've always loved Mary Engelbreit and so when i happened upon her teapot dishes i bought 2 sets for everyday use.

then i during my teaching stint in Kentucky i was introduced to Bybee Pottery. i wish i needed more dishes because these Lenox Chirp dishes are gorgeous.Nancy Pearl interviewed author Mike Lawson on her Book Lust podcast. she said she reads book reviews not to hear how the reviewer likes the book but she's looking for a reason to read the book. is the subject matter one she's interested in, is there an interesting character, or setting. i like that and i need to make sure i'm applying that in my library newsletter book reviews and the award books.

Books of the Year

These are a few of this year's reads i've blogged about. i read Black Elk because it is on several reading lists including Spiritual Top Ten and i think the College Recommendations. i, however, did not enjoy this book. enough said. A Dog Year is fabulous as previously stated. Going Bovine, odd, hasn't sunk in yet.

i have no idea why this is underlining but i don't have time to figure it out tonight. here are a few i'm working on. Raising Cain- i should have read this when bub was younger but i'm working on it. it just gets pushed to the side b/c it isn't fast paced. i read guides like they are novels, thus Diana Hacker's A Writer's Reference- she's genius. i might be kindred spirits with the guy who read through the encyclopedia- AJJacobs i would so enjoy that. A Woman's Book of Days- just glancing at it when i get a chance to see if there is anything i should jot on the message board for the kiddies. Making the Most of Today- i talked about before. not crazy about it but good quotes at the top. Daily Reflections of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey reminds me of why this book was so ground breaking.

pretty girl taking a rest from working outside with the boys.

Another long day... testing at work... bub's school activity... school play... home by 9:30...PM... i am constantly amazed at the "characters" who participate in high school drama. several of them are made for the stage, others not so much and yet they sing/croak, dance/stumble. honestly i love them. they are so enduring.

loving Photobucket for email stationary and Shabbyblogs for free blog accessories. i've been playing around with it them this week but i need more time to focus and get those buttons on the other side.

2010 Goals Progress

Plan: shot

Meals: wwt w pbj, bub made me a "tea" with honey, cinnamon, and splenda- yum (really), baked potato and steak, chips, cheese, walking taco- i'm supporting the concession stand but now that i think of it A- they aren't supporting me with the healthy eating and B- it was so not worth the calories

Reads: finished Going Bovine. i can appreciate the "message" and the imagination but not sure i'll be able to sell it to my patrons. i really need to think about who to pair this one with. took notes on Daily Readings and 1001 Books

Create: i'm not doing too good on the create front. i've been sliding in counting blogging but i need to do more... photos, scrapbooking, cards... i've been working on a ring but it didn't turn out so great so i'm going to back up and try something else.

Socializing tonight... but a few things

2010 Goals Progress

Plan: i need to get back on track with the plan. man.

Meals: realizing i "celebrate" more often than i thought. i'm going to have to buckle down to get in shape before that big reunion this summer. forgot breakfast because i was drinking a pepsi to stay awake. lunch didn't pack so we had Gold Star- have i mentioned how so not worth the calories it is? dinner however was lovingly prepared on the grill by hubs- steak, potato and asparagus

Reads: Pedaling Revolution: How Cyclists are Changing American Cities by Jeff Mapes is alot more interesting than i expected. my Real Simple magazine came in the mailbox yesterday and it's a goodie. continued with Daily Reflections and Daily Habits.

Isn't It Amazing How You Can Hear A Smile?

Yesterday was the first day i missed a blog post. i almost got out of bed last night to just get one started but decided that might be a tad obsessive... i was home for all of 10 minutes awake yesterday... so today i'll have to cover two days in one!

I picked up the current issue of Artful Blogging this past weekend and i was so engrossed in it i accidentally carried it with me to carpool to the Smarttalk Lecture series. Opps. That means it went with me to Shanghai Mama's and to the Aronoff. it walked about 8 blocks. the ladies wanted to know if they weren't entertaining enough that now i'm bringing my own reading material :) oh but they are so entertaining and so was Patricia Heaton. Oh. My. Goodness. She is so making it on my Imaginary Friends list. right up there with Barbara Kingsolver, Michael Perry, Alicia Paulson and Nigella Lawson... speaking of the illustrious Nigella she made an appearance on NPR this morning.

i had to shush the boys so i could take it all in... ahh.

Back to Patricia she was so honest about Hollywood... loved her wit and humor and wow her openness about her faith. i was blown away. when the annual list of speakers comes out i make immediate predictions.. who will be great, who will be ok, who the heck is she? tee hee hee. i didn't have high hopes for Patricia and i was so pleasantly surprised.

Shanghai Mama's was fabulous as usually. i could eat crabmeat cannoli every day... ok well not if i'm gonna get skinny but i could enjoy them everyday if my fate were to be skinny and eat yummies in the same lifetime. and plum wine. the sweeter the better for me. mmm.

i called my special friend madeline from her mother's phone to see if she could have her aunt pick me up for the carpool. isn't it amazing how you can hear a smile? when i spoke she said "OH DASHANNON!" with enthusiasm. after setting up the plan i walked back in with her mother and said, "wow it is so good to be so loved."

Read: Still plowing through Going Bovine... it's growing on me although i'm pretty sure i've got it figured out... i do love the cover

also reading 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. i'll have to add some notes from that later because i want to finish a ring i'm making before heading off to bed to continue reviewing the cycling history book.

Meals: wwtoast w pbj, leftover Shanghai, Penn Station, seriously now that i'm writing it all down, i veer from the plan ALOT and thus my weight veers ALOT, i need to tone it down.

spreading good vibes~

I Love It When A Plan Comes Together

The curtains~

and the Liberty of London for Target rainboots~

Finally made it to "town" today and found those rain boots that have been haunting me, just in time for spring! when I came home hub had been working on the curtain rod and up went the curtains. Perfect. i wish i would have taken before pictures because it really changed the whole area. i do love it when a plan comes together. the curtains look so pretty i now want to redecorate the corner. a vintage wooden box holds coloring books, paper and stickers bub is way past using, an old wooden desk that just isn't working there between Marina's condo and bubs other school desk... we discussed and he needs time to think about letting go.

I had a wonderful day running around with my sister after church. we hit all the regulars- Archivers, Borders, Target, TJMaxx. i had to visit 2 Targets to find the boots in my size but the 2nd one had so much more Liberty stuff so that was a winner. they have dresses, pj's, kitchen cuties, and stationary that is going on my waiting list for summer markdowns.

The last time i was at Archivers i saw the Melody Ross Designer Collection and loved it but thought i should wait... this time i had to make a few purchases. she has little sayings like Domestic Bliss, Proud to be Artsy, I Make Stuff, Creative People are Seldom Tidy... loving them. i can see these will be ones i don't want to use up because i just love them.

I did pick up a copy of Artful Blogging to see if i can figure out how to create my own background.

2010 Goals Progress:

Plan: weekend!

Quiet: this morning hub left early and bub was at a friends so i had a while before heading to church.

Meals: ham, cheese and pineapple on wwtoast, milk, Arizona sf peach tea, Larosa's pizza and Jojo's salad (yum!), water, lemon, Target mango smoothie, Vanilla Coke Zero, a few bites of bub's Little Debbie :) - not too bad for running around~

Read: I'll continue the cycling book for review in bed.

Exercise: shopping?

Spending: not so good Al... (Happy Days)

Squirrelly

Earlier this week i came across Enjoy Cupcakes' website and loved it but didn't bookmark it.

silly me that little trailer haunted me until i found it again. this puts two of my favorite things together cupcakes and Airstream type trailers. someday i will own an Airstream.

Marina is always entertaining but today she actually caused a giggle. when she sees something out the window she growls and whines at the back door. i didn't see anything (like a neighborhood dog loose, strange prowler etc.) so i opened the door. she took chase after a squirrel, it took off to the back of the property where it promptly hit the unseen fence and bounced back on her head... confusion ensued... it landed and r.a.n. Marina then took chase again but in the end the squirrel did indeed get up the tree as usual. i always wondered what would happen when she caught one on those squirrelly things.

2010 Goals Progress

Plan: I take it easy on the weekends, relax try not to stress "The Plan"

Quiet: again lazy, solitary saturday

Exercise: again weekend, lazy

Read: On the reviewing front I finished Comfort Living: A Back to Basics Guide to a More Balanced Lifestyle by Christine Eisner. It's a contender in the Body, Mind and Spirit category. Also finished Letters to Zerky by Bill Raney but i confess i can't list it on my 2010 read list because i read about the first third, scanned the middle and read the last third. After i get a better feel of the rest of the category i'll go back and read it though. i'm just feeling a little rushed.

Meals: an easy Saturday just needed to take care of my own since the boys are busy... leftover steak and mashed potatoes, Crystal Lite, Vanilla Coke Zero, grapes

Spending: again "comfort of home" luckily i don't do a lot of shopping online unless it's etsy or something i can't drive to and i can refrain... sometimes

No Athletics Please For the Safety of All Involved

i am going to bed. my truck acted up on the way home from bub's basketball shindig Players vrs. the Moms. whose idea was this? do they know how dangerous i am when athletics are involved anything past catching something like a piece of candy thrown at me... actually scratch that- anything involving coordination. yoga, i do yoga. i've fallen off the bike while taking a "spinning" course, i've flown off the back of a treadmill.. and now they want me to take to the court with 11 yr. old boys who ENJOY sports... it was sad, scary really. one of the dads asked if i was shooting or trying to pass the ball. seriously.

Strawberry Lemonade

A really long day... starting early... ending late. but at least we did accomplish some items from the checklist. working with a new guy at our bank who is seriously funny.

Meals: yikes afraid to even blog about it in case more calories sneak in... grabbed a muffin, cookie and a cappuccino from the reception i hosted this morning, warmed up a bowl of chili, cheese, a few crackers and sour cream for lunch with a left over cookie, coke zero. we did have a nice family dinner at Red Robin's using a gift card hub received from the gifted kiddies when he helped them make paper snowflakes. Bruchetta chicken sandwich with garlic oven fries and strawberry lemonade. definetely worth it and i do love me the free refills, "more strawberry lemonade ma'am, more mac and cheese little man?" why yes indeedy we would thank you.

Exercise: slept in since we stayed up past midnight last night with J having some venting time. his venting of course since we are so dog gone happy being married. to each other. :) you should hear us trying to give advice to a young single bachelor seriously why is he asking us for advice?

Spending: refrained from telling bub to go ahead and pick up something else when he went to spend his money on a Nerf gun.

Reading: I'm still reading Going Bovine and it just continues to get weirder. seriously weird fiction. not sure i'm going to be able to sell this one~

A Little Madness

As the fam walked out the door this morning SPRING greeted us at the door. Sounds, smells and that morning spring fog followed us to the vehicles. Ahh.

A little madness in the spring is even wholesome for the king. Emily Dickenson

Company is over so i don't have much time to write. Hub made chili last night in our lovely red Martha Stewart pot and it smelled heavenly as i went up to bed. Unfortunately those pleasant thoughts were spoiled by the book i was currently reviewing when a wife, child and dog died in the end! then off to sleep peacefully? no a fitful night.

I do like how I can write a post and then later go back and edit if i think i might have had the perspective wrong. It has made me be a little gentler with myself. Less pressure.

As i was putting on my walking shoes Oprah was talking about shobotties. I thought What I Wore Today came up with that term. Usually i pride myself on being informed about my interests- books, fashion etc- but no this was a rerun even. I saw it last year and totally passed over the shobootie term. Hmmpf.