Sounds I Love

Inspired by CKU...

1. Braeden's laughter
2. tinkling of Christmas bells
3. cars driving through the rain-soaked streets
4. piano music
5. click of a shutter
6. wind in the trees
7. '90s music
8. feet crunching on new snow
9. wind chimes
10. a cappella music
11. ocean surf crashing on the shore
12. pop of opening a can of soda

Right Now...

1. It is 10:53 pm.

2. I am wearing one shoe.

3. My shoeless foot is tucked up under my other leg.

4. I am listening to Tchaikovsky on XM Pops

5. It's sprinkling outside.

6. I can smell my Starbucks French Roast coffee in the kitchen. It's brewing now so I can have iced coffee in the morning.

7. My dog is pacing the floor.

8. My stomach hurts a little bit.

9. I am sipping on Diet Mountian Dew from Taco Bell.

10. I am rocking slowly in the recliner.

11. There's a bouquet of flowers on the piano that my husband sent to me yesterday.

12. Sitting on the endtable next to me is the following: a folded paper towel, the aforementioned Taco Bell cup, my makeup, my thyroid medicine, the DirecTV remote control, my cordless phone, a glasses case, a travel-size can of shaving cream, two different brands of solid deodorant, four pens, a box of tissue, my Weight Watchers book, my Weight Watchers points slider, a small plastic container that had hummus in it earlier, three ponytail holders, the edge of a pack of mild taco sauce, and a few crumbs leftover from lunch. Amazingly, I can still see the table underneath all that.

13. I am rocking faster.

14. I am wearing three rings: my temporary wedding ring (until I can afford to replace the one that mysteriously disappeared when Bebo was just an infant), a sapphire ring Jeff gave me for Christmas a few years ago, and my mother's ring.

15. I have scratches on both my arms. They were probably self-inflicted.

16. The curtain is folded up a little and needs to be straightened.

17. The lights behind me are on, but not the ones in front of me.

18. I am really starting to need to use the bathroom.

19. I am the only one at home.

20. The door is unlocked and will probably remain that way.

21. I'm still not feeling the effects of the sleeping pill I took 45 minutes ago.

22. My contacts are still in, and I'm debating whether to sleep in them tonight.

23. My skin is dry and itchy, mostly on my tummy. Weird.

24. The dog is getting more intense about going outside.

25. It's 11:10 pm.

26. I'm going to bed.

The Elusive Sleep

Somehow, it seems that I have forgotten a basic lesson: how to sleep. In truth, it's not so much how to sleep as it is how to go to bed.

I stay up ridiculously late for someone who has to start work at 6:30 am.

Take last night, for instance. I had the worst headache of my life yesterday, starting around 2pm. I tried to sleep it off, but could only lay in bed wishing my head would just go ahead and explode. Finally giving up, I took half a bottle of Aleve and two Sudafed (in case it was sinus-induced). Somewhere around 8pm the headache subsided enough to return to semi-normal function. At that point I had to go to Wal-Mart for a new iron and Pull-Ups, then returned home to do my nightly posting and attempt to clean my house before FEMA showed up thinking it was a natural disaster zone.

It was well after midnight before I finally got to bed, and closer to 1:30am before exhaustion tamed my racing brain and forced me into nothingness.

So here I sit, in my comfy recliner, laptop in hand - supposedly "working," but so sleepy I can barely hold up my head. I simply must start going to bed at a reasonable hour - 10pm would be best - but I just can't make myself do it. I look around at all the things that need doing and I cringe. The stupid thing is I barely got anything accomplished last night, in spite of staying up so late. Trash was picked up from around the house, the dishwasher was loaded and ran, and I squeezed in a load of towels. That's it. I must be the most inefficient woman on the planet.

Tonight I am not going to eat after church. I am coming straight home, doing my nightly post, and going to bed.

Yeah, right.

Childhood Books

On a whim, I ordered A Wrinkle in Time from Amazon the other day. I'd remembered liking the book as a kid, but couldn't recall what the book was about. I'm a few chapters into it, and now I remember why I liked it so much. It's highly imaginative and really quite intriguing.

It's made me think that it's time to slowly start collecting books from my childhood that I would like my kids to read. Do any of these sound familiar?

by Judy Blume:
Tales of a Fourth-Grade Nothing
Superfudge
Freckle Juice
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret

by James Howe:
Bunnicula

by Beverly Cleary:
Beezus and Ramona
Ramona the Pest
Socks

by Maurice Sendak:
Where the Wild Things Are

by Sid Fleischman:
The Whipping Boy

by Patricia MacLachlan
Sarah, Plain and Tall

Those are the ones I can remember right off the top of my head. I just hope they're all still in print!

Back from CKU

If you read all my blogs, you will see a common theme for today - it's my back-from-CKU exposition...

Anyhoo, I had a blast! We came back with roughly $350 worth of various and assorted goodies, from albums to rubons to paint daubers. We stayed at the lovely Opryland Hotel, indulged in decadent Haagen-Das ice cream (who knew there was such a thing as Bailey's ice cream??), and gabbed about life in general until late at night. It was amazing. I so desperately needed that break.

I also got ideas for Christmas presents - but I'm not telling here! :) Don't worry - it actually doesn't involve scrapbooks.

On other slightly different topics. . . I've been wondering what to do with my photographs of stuff - flowers and bridges and night lights, et al. I had a brilliant idea - I will put them into a digital scrapbook! After I collect 50 or so, I will send it to a book binding company and have it bound into a coffee table book. Coolness, huh?

Anyone want a coffee table book?

An American Tragedy

Where are the readers?

New Country

I'm going to start a new country, and I'm going to call it Procrasti-Nation. Okay, bad pun.

It might be my worst habit. I am notorious for taking my good ol' easy time, then rushing around at the last minute.

Which is exactly where I am right now - rushing. I'm scrambling to get my pictures together before Wednesday. Then I have to pack my scrapbook bag (and my clothes). Jeff's birthday is tomorrow, so I won't have much time then.

So why am I blogging????

Primer on Email Etiquette

I'm a little hot under the collar right now, and the air conditioner is working just fine. I received an email that wasn't intended for me - but it was about me. It came from someone I genuinely liked, and that someone was rudely accusing me of lying.

I didn't lie to her. The situation was beyond my control. Furthermore, had she responded months ago to the questions I'd asked, the problem would probably have already been rectified.

In case you didn't already know, it is extremely unprofessional to bad-mouth anyone via email. Not only do you run the risk of the wrong person seeing it, you also make yourself look very stupid.

I emailed back with a simple message: "I'm confused. Are you talking about me or someone else?" I don't expect a response, but I'm sure she'll get the hint.

On scrapbooking (and air conditioning)

Thank God, the air conditioner is fixed. It is really beyond how people survived 100 years ago - wearing layers and layers of clothing with no a/c. Am I spoiled? Yeah, probably. Do I care? No.

Now that I can actually work in the computer room again (it's been unbearable the last several days), I have to spend some serious time working out my photographs for CKU next week. I have seven days left to get ready, and a LOT to be done. I must admit that I am looking forward to the weekend. The intense scrapbooking sessions always seem to awaken my inner artist. There's just something special about the process - it's way more than the glue dots and papers. Each page I complete is leaving behind a piece of myself for future generations. I hope they enjoy the glimpse of the life I live right now. Sometimes I wonder how long the albums will last and who will eventually see them. It's nice to think that they will become some descendant's treasured books.

I don't always journal on my pages, but it is easily my favorite part of the process. Writing has always come naturally to me, and I enjoy telling the stories of my everyday life - sometimes funny, sometimes poignant. Those words are the soul of my scrapbooks. Without them, there just wouldn't be the same life. I will likely never be the type who gets published in every magazine, but I'm okay with that. I know I'm reasonably good at what I do, but even if I wasn't it wouldn't matter. Being famous isn't the point, is it?

Yippieeeee!!!!

Thank goodness, the air conditioner is finally fixed. It's slowly cooling down. The thermostat maxed out at 95, so I don't know how hot it actually got in here. It's back into the 80s now. Amazing how cool that feels after 95+!

Now I'm off to the PC. I need to work on my pictures for Creating Keepsakes University (CKU). I have barely scratched the surface of what needs to be done, and I only have a week left. Yikes!

Day Three

Still no a/c. The repairman came back fairly early this morning, only to tell me that the fan motor was burned out. Turns out it's a special, oddball motor. They only see a couple every year. He didn't have any in stock and had to order them from Chattanooga.

Naturally.

I have the crappiest luck. I just had a feeling that it wouldn't get fixed. Again. It has been an utterly miserable day. Since I work from home, there is no escape. My car doesn't even have air conditioning. The best I could do was lunch at Subway and supper at Taco Bell. Then I hung out at Wal-Mart for an hour or so, until I'd looked at everything I could possibly want to see.

I got home, planning to hop into a cold shower. Guess what? It's so hot that even the water in the lines was warm!

Yes, I know I'm whining, and I don't give a d*mn. I simply do not handle heat well. And it seems like every year this stupid air conditioner goes out during the hottest time of the summer. This has been by far the worst episode. It's never taken so long to fix it before. I'm just praying that they'll be here in the morning and I don't have to wait all afternoon for the repairman.

I need football season, and orange leaves, and crisp breezes. I need cold, clear autumn mornings, hot apple cider, and chili cooking on the stove. I need to wear my comfy old Harding sweatshirt, and my pink windbreaker, and my ratty brown Doc Marten wannabes.

In the meantime, I need Prozac. Better yet - tranquilizers. Put me in a coma until October. Please!

Now I really, really, REALLY hate the summer!

We spent $170 for our a/c to be fixed. It worked for about twelve hours. Now it's dead again. We do not have the money to fix it. We'll have to wait until tomorrow to fix it, which means trying to get ready for church in a stinky, sweaty house.

Excuse me while I go cry.

I REALLY hate the summer!

Our temps have been hovering at 100 degrees. Heat index is upwards of 105.


Would you believe that our air conditioner has gone out? The repairman is here. I couldn't believe he was working on the weekend. I was so grateful! I just hope it's fixable. I don't think I could take a whole weekend of this.

Dear Lord, please make fall come quickly!!!

OW!!!

I hurt all over! I don't mean a little irritating hurt - I mean aching down to my bone marrow hurt. My butt, my arms, my neck, my legs, my shoulders, my waist - all of it. Yeeee-ouch!!!

The cause of all this agony can be contained in a small box of free weights and one DVD case. In an attempt to improve upon my shapeless self, I bought the newest FIRM series - if you are up watching infomercials at the ungodly hour of 6am, you'll know what I'm talking about. I had an older set, but my dearest son accidentally broke one of the DVDs. Besides, I wanted something new and different to motivate.

The cost of motivation is high! I am going to become a stockholder for FlexAll at the rate I'm using the stuff. I expect the soreness to wane eventually. I'm so horribly out of shape (but really, when have I ever been in shape?) that it doesn't exactly come as a surprise that the workouts are kicking my tail with a vengeance.

I'm telling myself this is all a good thing. Soon enough I will start seeing results, and the lovely new me will be worth all the pain and gain.

In the meantime, bring on the FlexAll!

Invention

They've invented self-cleaning ovens. Now will someone please invent a self-cleaning house?? It never ends. Jeff is off work today, and by tomorrow my house is going to look like leftovers from a trailer park hit by a tornado. There's laundry to fold, dishes to wash, carpet to vacuum, tile to mop, supper to cook, sheets to change, furniture to dust....

I'm getting tired just thinking about it. One of these days when I strike it rich (ha!) I am hiring a maid.

And I will not be the type who cleans the house before the maid gets here, either.

Recipes

I haven't posted much in the way of cooking goodness lately, and since I've tried several new recipes in the last few weeks, I thought it was high time to share the wealth.

Aromatic Couscous & Veggies

3/4 c . orange juice
1/2 c. water
3/4 tsp. salt
1 c. whole-wheat couscous
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 med. zucchini, cut into 1/4-in slices
1 med. yellow squash, cut into 1/4-in slices
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, sliced
1 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. cayenne
1 15.5oz can chickpeas, rinsed & drained
1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes

Bring the orange juice, water, and 1/2 tsp. of salt to boil in a small saucepan. Add couscous, cover, and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes, then fluff couscous with a fork.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add zuchcini, squash, onion, garlic, curry powder, cinnamon, cayenne, and remaining salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until veggies start to soften. Add the chickpeas and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Serve over couscous.

Serves 4. PER SERVING (3/4 c. couscous & 1 1/4 c. veggie mixture): 366 cal, 7g fat, 11g fiber. 7 WW pts per serving.


Chicken Souvlaki with Rice and Yogurt Sauce

8 chicken tenders
2 tbsp. red-wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
3/4 c. plain fat-free yogurt
1/3 c. finely diced cucumber
1/4 c. chopped fresh mint
2 tsp. olive oil
2 c. hot cooked brown rice
2 c. shredded lettuce
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 c. thinly sliced red onion

Combine chicken, vinegar, 1 minced garlic clove, oregano, and 1/4 tsp. each of salt and pepper in a medium bowl; let stand 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine yogurt, cucumber, mint, remaining minced garlic clover, and remaining salt and pepper in small bowl.

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until browned and cooked through, about 2 minutes on each side.

Arrange 1/2 c. rice on each of 4 plates; top with 1/2 c. shredded lettuce, 2 chicken tenders, 1/4 of tomato and onion, and 1/4 c. of yogurt sauce.

Serves 4. PER SERVING: 282 cal, 6g fat, 4g fiber. 5 WW pts per serving.


Curried Chicken Salad with Grapes

2 c. shredded cooked skinless chicken breast
20 small seedless grapes, halved
1 carrot, coarsely grated
1/2 celery stalk, thinly sliced
1 tbsp. chopped parsley
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 onion, grated
1/4 c. plain fat-free yogurt
1 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
4 c. mesclun salad greens

Combine chicken, grapes, carrot, celery, parsley, and lemon juice in medium bowl.

Combine onion, yogurt, curry powder, salt, and pepper in small bowl. Pour over the chicken mixture and toss to combine. Divide mesclum among 4 salad plates and top with chicken salad.

Serves 4. PER SERVING: 171 cal, 4g fat, 2g fiber. 3 WW pts.

(Note: I add 1/4 c. fat-free Miracle Whip to keep the salad from being too dry. It does not affect points.)


All these recipes came from Weight Watchers Ultimate Flex & Core Cookbook.

So Much to Do...

So little time.

I really hate gospel meetings. I know, I know - I should be thrilled to listen to God's word, right? I do enjoy that - I just hate being subjected to four days of some country preacher's soapboxes. That's what our gospel meetings usually entail. It completely shot my whole week. So now I have to play catch-up.

Besides the usual mounds of housework, I have to prepare my "homework" for Creating Keepsakes University. I'm actually quite excited about it - Mom & I are going in August. Friday we'll be taking various classes, and Saturday we'll be making an entire album. To prepare, we have to collect quite a few pictures, all specific subjects and sizes. I'll be helping Mom do the editing on hers, since she'll never figure that out on her own, and I'm the one with Photoshop, anyway.

If I'm lucky, my new workout equipment will come in the mail this week. I ordered the new FIRM set that you see on the infomercials when you're awake at 4:30 in the morning. (Should I say if?) I know it will kick my tail, but the new versions have an "express option" that cuts the workout time in half. Otherwise I'd never have ordered them. 55 minutes is longer than I can spend or survive!

My stomach hurts. It kept me up all night, too. Ugh.

I can be really random, can't I?

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Don't worry - I'm not going to put up spoilers just yet.

As I'd planned, I stayed up all night to read the book. It took roughly 5 1/2 hours. (Granted, I'm a pretty fast reader.) It was everything I'd hoped for and expected from the last book. Rowling is simply brilliant. Don't think I've ever read anything that engrossing. I started crying a hundred pages or so from the end and didn't stop until I read the last words and closed the book. At one point, I was absolutely sobbing. No book has ever made me cry like that before.

I truly hope she decides to create a totally new world and a new series of books. It would be a shame if this is the last we see of J. K. Rowling.

Now I'm off to start Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series. That will take considerably longer; I believe there's 14 books in the series, with the last coming out in November. Never saw myself as a fantasy fan, but if you like Harry Potter, you will most likely enjoy the Goodkind books as well. He, too, will be wrapping up the series this year - an end to a long, arduous, exhilarating, and sometimes heart-breaking journey. I'm looking forward to it.


On a slightly different note - I had a fabulous time last night. I tried tofu for the time (loved it), saw the HP movie (it was very much like I'd imagined in the book), and most importantly, gabbed for several hours with a friend that I believe is a "kindred spirit." It's been a long, long time since I had that much fun crammed into one evening. Probably going to make this week feel rather mundane! LOL

Big Day Tomorrow!

I am so excited about tomorrow I can hardly stand myself. A friend is meeting me tomorrow afternoon, and we are going to see the new Harry Potter movie, eat at PF Chang's (a new experience for me), and . . . drum roll, please. . . wait in line at midnight to pick up the newest and last Harry Potter book! I am just nutty excited. I get to spend time with a friend, catch a movie, eat out, get a new book. . . and spend time with a friend. That is a rare thing for me these days.

Don't expect to hear from me anytime soon. I plan on staying up all night tomorrow to read the book!

Thirty

So it's really not as bad as people make it out to be. I feel no different now than I did before my birthday. Actually, it was a pretty decent day. I had a couple of disappointments, but since my birthdays are historically rotten, thirty was a definite improvement.

Jeff got me a book I wanted and a CD set from one of my fave Christian groups. I was impressed, because I had given him no clues whatsoever. We headed to Chattanooga and saw Transformers, which I thoroughly enjoyed. It was probably the best movie I've seen since Star Wars Episode I. 'Course, I am a child of the 80s - as were most of the people in the theater. I was amused - the only kids there were with their 30-something parents, and there were multiple mobs of 30-something guys there. It was just plain cool.

I really really really wanted hibachi grill for lunch, but the place was actually closed. I was annoyed - after all, they're Japanese, not American! It was the only restaurant in town that was closed for the holiday. Grr.... I told Jeff he'd better give me a rain check, and we wound up at Chili's.

We don't go to Chattanooga without hitting the bookstore, and I bought Bebo some books from the clearance rack. He hasn't put one of them down since I gave it to him. Cute. Then came the sucky part - I had to buy something to wear to a wedding I'm going to tomorrow. I really despise clothes shopping. It's frustrating and depressing. If I find something that fits, it's cut too low in the neckline. Makes me utterly crazy. But I did manage to find an acceptable (if somewhat dorky) shirt to wear. I'd like to beat in the brains of today's fashion designers.

We went to church - oh, rah! - ate out at Shoney's - oh, rah! - and attempted to set off a few fireworks in the backyard. Braeden was, as usual, terrified, so we aborted the show early and called it a night.

So that was how I closed out my 30th birthday. No big deal, really. I was surprised (and maybe a little disappointed) that no one at church noticed, 'cept my Grannie and Peepop. Oh, well. Such is my life - I tend to fly under most people's radar.

Yawn. Must go back to work now. Ugh. Fridays suck.