Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen random thoughts:
1. I am not having the best day.
2. Yesterday, I blew off my diet and went a little crazy. I drank a strawberry cream slushie, I ate a Reese's peanut butter egg, I ate french fries. It was all worth it.
3. Despite blowing off my diet yesterday, I am back on it today.
4. On Tuesday my daughter learned to ride her bike just like that. I took pictures. She smiled alot!
5. J's teacher called me from school a little while ago to tell me J had fallen and warped his glasses. Again. The spare pare he broke last Monday. Now I am going to have to go to WM after work and see if they can be fixed because he is taking SAT's this week.
6. It is amazing how quickly everything is blooming and turning green. Last week there were no leaves on our Japanese maple and this week you can no longer see the plastic eggs hanging there.
7. My neice's birthday is Sunday and my mother just reminded me this morning and I was lucky enough to have some greeting cards at work and my checkbook. I quickly dashed off a card and check to her.
8. Yesterday I drove to Albertville to visit my grandfather who is not doing well. He is bedridden and on Hospice. He called me by name.
9. I payed the bills this morning. We are still in the black.
10. Next week, my mother is coming for a visit.
11. Pilates is going well. I am almost ready to try the advanced workout. Almost.
12. Tomorrow I am going to clean off my porch, wash my car, and buy a sofa.
13. I am off the next three days!

Tuesday

Yesterday, at about 3pm I was reading my book and enjoying my lunch. I was thinking ahead to Tuesday, my day off. I was planning to exercise and then drive to Albertville to visit my ailing grandfather. I thought I would cook some chicken for supper. I was feeling pretty good about all that. Then I remembered! I had switched days off this week and I am scheduled to work on Tuesday. Had to shift gears. (Thank goodness I rememembered, though). Okay so now I am going to visit grandparents on Wednesday. Here I am at work again for which feels like the 5th day in a row.

Fw: Terminations

There is nothing like getting an email from your boss with the word terminations in the subject line to make your heart go all a flutter.

Bicycle

My daughter, B, is learning to ride her bicycle. She is 6. J was almost 8 before he learned but we did not start working with him early enough. I know that practicing everyday is the route to success but sometimes it is hard to convince children of this. B, while learning (just like J) has spent a lot of time complaining and whining (we are raising two whiners). We try and convince her of how wonderful it would be when she can ride independently, and she is looking forward to it. Right now it seems so hard. I told her everyone has to learn to ride a bike. It is like potty training or learning to drive. It seems impossible now but later it will be so natural. (She was difficult to potty train, too. I do not look forward to teaching her to drive.) She is starting to ride 20-30 yards alone but isn't very good at catching herself when she starts to fall. She also wishes I wouldn't nag her so much. (Really, I am only offering advice on where she needs to improve.) I hope that in a few weeks I will be able to report that we are all riding bikes.

Bowling

I took the kids bowling on Thursday. It was Spring Break but because I had to work the kids only got two of the five days off. They spent the other 3 days at the Day Care where they attend Summer Care and Christmas Break. Of course, there was no school work required and they did go on a field trip but I still felt I owed them some fun. J suggested bowling. Now the last time I went bowling was December of 1993. I can count the number of times I have bowled on one hand. Yet J was still excited that he managed to beat me on both games. Neither of us bowled over 90. I think I could beat him without the bumpers because he hit the bumpers more than I did. Nonetheless, he has bowled quite a few times in the last few years. Little Sister didn't do as well, the ball was just too heavy for her. We had a good time, though, and no one had a melt down.

Saturday

It is Saturday again. It is a gorgeous spring day. Everywhere trees and flowers are bloomin'. (My apologies to allergy sufferers.) I went out and walked this morning before work. (Got to work off those calories I'm having tonite from Rosie's) Now I am ready for a nap.

Mercy

I just finished reading Mercy by Jodi Picoult, author of My Sister's Keeper (which I reviewed here.) It is very unlike the previous book. The underlying theme of the story is that in a marriage one partner loves the other more. In otherwords, if the sum of your love for each other could be measured, one of you would love more than 50%. Relationships, it points out are rarely 50/50 but usally 60/40 or even 70/30. This is an interesting thought to ponder. The basic storyline also asks the tough questions about euthanasia. If someone you loved was dying and suffering would you help them end their life? Does a person have the right to end their own life? I know this has been in the news a lot and is very controversial. I don't know how many states have laws governing this. I myself understand the right to end one's life. But don't look to me for help. Nope, I will kindly take the coward's way out. This was a very interesting read and recommeded.

Diet Update

This morning the scale showed a .4lb increase. This in spite of all the exercise I have gotten this week. I've worked really hard this week. However, after 3 weeks of not gaining a slight gain was to be expected. Eating out so much last weekend didn't help, either, I am sure. I am not going to be discouraged, though. I am going to keep at it this weekend and hope for a bigger loss next week. Easter is still 2 weeks away.

You would be real proud of me. In the breakroom there are donuts, leftover cake and cheesecake. A sales rep just went out to dairy queen to buy everyone ice cream. Here I sit still sticking to my diet.

Sofa Shopping

Let me just start by saying I don't like to sofa shop but it has become necessary again.

Shortly before I got married, anticipating my new income, I went shopping for my first sofa. I was living in a small apartment with only a love seat (hand me down) and a few rockers. My husband-to-be went with me on this shopping adventure. We went to a few stores and found what I liked at Rhodes Furniture. They had great financing terms and soon I was the proud owner of a sofa & loveseat. (Later we furnished most of our new house buying furniture at Rhodes and not paying any interest.) We had this set for 10 years and it held up for most of that. Toward the end the damage was mostly due to having two small children.

So in 2005 it was again time to sofa shop. Husband and I again went to several stores. We found a sofa we both agreed on at Ashley Furniture. They had just opened a huge store in Huntsville. Their furniture was well priced and attractive and they had generous financing. To sum up this experience: we were fooled. Two years later and the sofa will have to be replaced. It has not held up to wear. (And I mean it has not held up to being sat on everyday). One of the ottomons is bursting apart at the seam. The furniture which looked impressive in the store and which we paid a good price is not built to hold up to long-term use.

Now in 2007 I have come to terms with being taken advantage of by Ashley Furniture. Of course, I will not set foot in their store again. This time around I will not be wooed by a good price. If I have to pay more for a good sofa, then I will. The sales person at the Lane Store where we did not buy a sofa in 2005 was kind enough not to laugh when we came back this week.

It is tough finding something we can both agree upon. There are several things I do not like in a sofa. My husband wants his feet to touch the floor. We both would like something that will last nearly 10 years. (Oh, in case you were wondering, Rhodes has gone out of business.) We need something in a neutral color. I'm not actually going to use it as my primary seat. (I have my own large chair.) But I want it to look good in the living room. Here is one of the sofas we have looked at.

George Forman

I recently bought a new George Forman Grill. I had one in the past but never used it. I wasn't really into cooking healthy food at the time. I thought that the GFG was all about reducing the fat in your diet. Two things have happened to change my mind. 1) A few years ago we screened in our back porch and the outdoor grill has since been moved to the garage where it is very inconvienent to use. 2) I have been dieting for several months, slowly introducing more and more healthy food into our diets. My mother had a GFG and she enjoyed it, especially cooking salmon. So after discussing it I went and bought the latest grill at Bed Bath & Beyond using one of the 20% coupons they send me every month. I never learned to use the outdoor grill and I have always hated the smell of frying beef so the first thing I cooked was hamburgers. They turned out nicely. I have also cooked salmon and porkchops and yesterday I grilled some fresh pineapple (it was heavenly). You can use it as a griddle and I am anxious to try out this feature. It comes with 5 grilling plates (which can be washed in the DW) and a recipe book. You can make a lot of non-healthy foods on it as well. And according to the manual you can bake chocolate chip cookies. That remains to be seen.

Books

I just finished reading The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. I really, really liked this book. Did it jump around? Yes. But it wasn't hard to follow. It was told by two different people's point of view. The author did a good job of helping the reader keep it all straight. It is the story Henry who time travels spontaneously without any conscious control and the love affair with his wife, Claire. The premise is very different than my usual reads but very interesting. It poses a lot of hard questions about how much control we may have over our futures. The time travelling is presented in the most believable way I have read (or seen) thus far. I would definitely recommend this book. (It does have some (but not a lot of) strong language, Ginnie.) Some time traveling books I have enjoyed before are The Mirror and The Threshold by Maryls Millhiser and the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon.

Thirteen Things to Pass The Time (at Work)

1. Read magazines: I have Good Housekeeping, Newsweek, Everyday with Rachel Ray, Working Mother, Family Fun, and Cooking Light

2. Play Mah Jong

3. Read a good book: Currently I am reading The Dirty Duck by Martha Grimes

4. Read blogs on the internet

5. Update my own blog

6. Shop: Amazon.com, Orientaltrading.com, walmart.com

7. Talk to friends: I talk to my friend Kim who is also at work with very little to do

8. Chat with coworkers. Actually, my coworkers have a lot of work and occasionally get annoyed when I stand around on their side of the building chatting.

9. Think about food, make grocery lists, look at recipes

10. Watch the clock. How many hours until lunch time?

11. Do a little work

12. Play Mah Jong

13. Eat

Electricity

Yesterday, after my workout and shower, I called my mother (on the landline) to disuss my Easter dress which had come in the mail on Monday and was too big. We were busy chatting away when the power went off and the phone went dead. We don't have a phone in our house that works without electricity. So, I thought I would get on the computer and send here a quick message to tell her what happened. Just as I was realizing that although the computer works without electricity the internet does not, my cell phone rang. Great! Mother and I finished our conversation. I decided I was about ready to leave to run a few errands. I heard some beeping outside and figured it was the recycle truck. I went into the garage and manually (have you ever had to do that before?) opened the garage door so I could extradite my car. There at the end of my driveway were no less than 7 men and 3 trucks and a front end loader. They were messing with the transformer (actually most of them were standing around). After some complaining on my part, (Do you think they could have rang the bell and informed me they were turning off my power?) they removed themselves from my driveway so that I could drive away. When I returned 2 hours later they were still at it. Luckily, they left soon after and I was able to microwave my lunch. The internet did not immediately come back on. The cable and the phone were okay, though, so I knew it was an internal problem. (Hubby had to walk through the house unplugging and replugging the power on all the routers, etc.) The spa did not take kindly to being turned off either, and refused to come back on. (It needs to be drained and cleaned and I was putting it off until Spring Break.) Well, at least my Sleep Number Bed remembered who it was and didn't deflate. Don't you love our dependence on electricity.

Favorite Songs Meme

I saw this mem on Rocks In My Dryer and it seemed like a really fun meme to try. I went with the prevailing idea which is songs from the past and tried not to choose any favorite from the last 10 years.

Favorite Song From Childhood: Golden Ring by George Jones and Tammy Wynette. I can still sing all the words.

Favorite High School Dance Song: Footloose


Senior Class Song: Our senior prom theme was Don't Know What You Got Till It's Gone. But there are so many songs that sum up that year. A few that come to mind are Pour Some Sugar On Me, Faith and anything from the Dirty Dancing Soundtrack.

Song That Makes You Think of College: U Can't Touch This (freshman), Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me (Auburn)

Favorite Rock & Roll Song: Well I'm not even sure I know the difference between Pop and R&R. I looked on MusicMatch and I had very few songs listed from either genre. So instead of answering favorite Disco, Pop, or R&R I thougt I would just tell you some of my favorites that are not country songs: Come Monday (Jimmy Buffet), You and Me of the 10,000 Wars (Indigo Girls), Sun Comes Up, Tuesday Morning (Cowboy Junkies)

Favorite Disco Song:

Favorite Country Song: My Home's in Alabama (Alabama)

Favorite Pop Song:

Favorite All Time Love Song: Wind Beneath My Wings (Bette Midler)

Favorite Break Up Song: Hard Habit to Break (Chicago)

Favorite Slow Dance Song: I'll Still Be Loving You (Restless Heart)

Song That Always Makes You Cry (or made me cry when I first heard it): Skin (Rascal Flats)

Songs About Your Kid/s: Front Porch Lookin' In (Lonestar)

Favorite Christmas Song: Please Come Home for Christmas (Eagles)

Favorite Gospel/Praise Song: Shout to the Lord, Anything by Rich Mullins

Favorite Ringtone on Cellphone: War Eagle! (Auburn's fight song)

Now that was fun trip down memory lane. I had to look up on the internet to even think about what we were listening to in high school. For me a lot of songs remind me of a particular memory. (Because the guy I dated in high school is not the man I am married to some of those memories have been pushed way back in my mind.) I hope you have fun with this meme. I tag: SIL, Mom, Ginnie (should get a good variety that way.)

Random Thoughts

Not much going on here but I have to post because otherwise it would be 3 days. I am listening to a really good album right now by Taylor Swift (self-titled). Take a listen. It is country music but not what you might be used to. I am also reading a really good book called The Time Traveler's Wife (I realize I may be late to that party.) It is a beautiful spring day and I can see it out my window. (If you are a new reader you may not realize I spent the previous 12 years at a job without a window.) The pear trees are quickly turning from white to a glorious green. Spring has arrived.

Bookishness

I found this meme on Rocks In My Dryer.

1. Hardback or trade paperback or mass market paperback? Either.There are some authors I always read their new novel, others I would rather not pay for a hardback.
2. Amazon or brick and mortar? Amazon. They are just so much easier to deal with.
3. Barnes & Noble or Borders? No Borders here but we do have Books-A-Million
4. Bookmark or dogear? I never dogear. But lots of times I read a book without using a bookmark and just have to locate my place each time.
5. Alphabetize by author or alphabetize by title or random? Well, if I keep a book on my shelf for a long time, I usually sort them by size to make it look neat.
6. Keep, throw away, or sell? Who would throw a book away? I usually donate to the library or lend to someone else. I read entirely too many books to keep them all.
7. Keep dustjacket or toss it? I keep it.
8. Read with dustjacket or remove it? I remove it and return it when finished.
9. Short story or novel? I really do not like short stories.
10. Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket? I've read all of Harry Potter.
11. Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks? Both, it really depends on the book.
12.“It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time”? Dark and Stormy, I really do not like fairy tales or fantasy fiction.
13. Buy or Borrow? Both
14. New or used? Mostly new because I am too lazy to seek out used book sources.
15. Buying choice: book reviews, recommendation or browse? Mostly browsing though I follow others recomendations. I rarely listen to a national review.
16. Tidy ending or cliffhanger? Please, save the cliffhanger for T.V. I want my novel tidied up.
17. Morning reading, afternoon reading or nighttime reading? Anytime, day or night.
18. Stand-alone or series? I like a good series but usually prefer the books in it mostly stand on their own.
19. Favorite series? The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. You need to read these in order.
20. Favorite children's book? Call of the Wild
21. Favorite book of which nobody else has heard? Under the Haystack
22. Favorite books read last year? We are All Welcome Here by Elizabeth Berg
23. Favorite books of all time? Well there is no way to narrow that list down. But because you asked please see this post.
24. Least favorite book you finished last year? Big Bad Wolf. Someone lent me several of these James Patterson books and I can't bring myself to read anymore.
25.What are you reading right now? Big Cherry Holler
26. What are you reading next? The Time Traveler's Wife

If you are a book lover than consider yourself tagged.

Saturday

It's Saturday at 11:31 and I am already tired. I went out and walked this morning before work. I've also spent the morning dusting shelves, sweeping and mopping. It is time to sit down and rest now.

AtHomeDaddy called us before 8am this morning to complain about the fog in LA (lower Alabama) he and his family are on their way cross-country to Disney World. I'm not sure if he thought we were responsible for the fog or that we could do something about it. Or maybe he was up too early and wanted someone to share in his misery.

14.8

Despite my prediction last week that I would gain weight this week I again saw a loss! I am very excited. That brings my total loss to date to 14.8lbs.

I have done the Pilates Basic Workout 7 days in a row now. Of course, it is too early to comment on results. Everyday, though, I could see an improvement in how well I could follow the exercise. After a week I am able to do most of the exercises without the modifications. Pilates is not as hard as I thought.

I've also added a weight loss supplement. I have tried many of these in the past with various results. As a pharmacist I do not generally recommend these products unless pressed. Personally, though I am always looking for a boost. Of course, there is no miracle pill. Exercise and diet are a must and I have been working very hard at staying on my diet and exercising 4 days a week plus the Pilates. The supplement has really helped control those afternoon cravings, though.

Now this weekend my SIL is coming for a visit and Chinese food has been mentioned for supper. Also, Saturday night I will have my traditional Rosie's dinner. So I am not going to hold out for another pound for next week. But it is looking like I may be able to make my goal of 5lbs before Easter!

Dear Me - Part II

What a great idea that you can read about here.

Dear Me (1985),

I know that your life seems to be mostly over now. I am writing to tell you that all this will just be a bad memory someday. Those friends who you cherished and who let you down (and refuse to sit with you in the lunchroom) will only be remembered in the past. That group of girls who are so popular and make your life miserable (think Mean Girls) will marry too young, have babies, never finish college and grow very bitter.

That little foster sister that the state returned to her natural mother will grow up to be a beautiful young lady and you will see her again.

The trouble your brother caused your parents will be seen later as not as bad as it could have been. He will marry well and have 3 children for you to be an aunt to.

Quit trying to be so different. I know you want to fit in badly and your response is to stick out. None and I repeat none of this will matter in 20 years.

You will survive high school and will find college a whole lot more fun and enjoyable. You will meet someone who will love you and (gasp!) you will have children. Just hang on and try not to take everything so seriously.

Love Me (2007)

Dear Me - Part I

What a fun idea that you can read about here.

Dear Me (1992),

I know that Pharmacy School is hard and you are wondering if you will survive and if it will someday be worth it. The answer is yes! Someday, you will have the money to do many (probably not all) of the things you dream about. You will live in a nice house, drive a nice car, go on vacation, and keep your thermostat on 70' in the summer. I need to let you in on a secret, though. No one will care if you make a C. After you pass the boards no one will ever ask you how well you did in school. Those students on the front row making A's will not get better jobs or make better money. It is important to work hard but try not to take everything so seriously.

I know that you think you are in love with that boy. You believe that everything surrounding that love is the trajedy of your life. This is not true. He will marry someone else and you will get over him. You will meet a wonderful, successful man and he will be the love of your life. He will treat you well and share your goals and dreams. You will be happily married and have two beautiful children.

Someday, you are going to realize that life does not revolve around you. Please enjoy college and hang on to those friendships. Everything else will fall into place according to God's plan.

Love Me (2007),

Cell Phone Rant

Long Island Dad's article about Children and Cell Phone's and also his post about cell phone signs got me to thinking. And because this is my blog I think I will rant a bit.

In general, I do not like cell phones. I feel like they are a necessary evil and I am trying to learn to live with them (like traffic and vegetables). I do admit to having a cell phone and using it for such mundane things 1) finding out what the kids want for dinner and 2) locating my mother in Wal-Mart. But I am one of those people who use my cell phone for my convienence and not that of others. I generally, do not give out my number because you are not likely to reach me that way. My husband is very frustrated by this. I leave it in the car (often on the charger because I let the battery die.) When I am at work I do not keep it with me. In the house it is tucked inside my purse so I do not hear it ring. If I go somewhere and they ask me to turn it off (or to silence) I might take a week to remember to turn it back.

Because I feel so strongly about it, I practice not talking on my phone while driving. I believe that talking even handsfree can be dangerous. But Please do not hold the phone to your ear while trying to hold the steering wheel with the other. My kids are usually in the car with me. I don't want you to cause a traffic accident endangering their lives. I was behind a police officer doing this recently. (And no, don't shave or apply make-up, either!)

I am not going to chime in on cell phones and children. Our children are 6 & 8 and as of yet have no need for a cell phone. But did you know teens use text messaging to cheat in school?

I am going to talk about my biggest pet peeve. Do Not Talk To Me and On Your Phone at THE SAME TIME! People do this all the time in the customer service area I am a part of. I think it is so rude! I can wait until your cell conversation is finished to conduct business. Please, step aside and let me wait on someone else. I have important information to tell you and I am not going to compete for your attention. I have gotten over people walking around shopping while talking (afterall, I am guilty of this as well) I have gotten over people talking on the phone while dining (although, I think it is courteous to step away to a quiet corner). I have not yet gotten over rude people sharing their side of the cell conversation with everyone around them.

Have cell phones made our lives more convienent? Yes. Have they improved the quality of our lives? No, I don't think so.

Books

I really like the Richard Jury Mysteries by Martha Grimes. I just finished reading the Anodyne Necklace. These books are set in England,usually in small towns outside of London. Inspector Richard Jury has seemed to partially fill in the gap left by Havers and Lynley when I reached the end of the series written by Elizabeth George. I know that murder mysteries are not every ones choice of genre. Until recently, if asked, I might have said I did not particularly like them myself. I had previously found books by authors such as J.D. Robb & Sandra Brown unpleasant. However, now that I am reading through the Kinsey Millhone (Alphabet Murders) by Sue Grafton and these Richard Jury books I am reconsidering my opinion. I have also enjoyed the Anna Pigeon Mysteries by Nevada Barr. (These are all set in National Parks). And highly recommend them. I really get into these books. I rather immerse myself and get carried away to time and/or place. They are all very descriptive. They all have a commonality which I like in my books: the description of violence is kept to a minimum. You right remember how vivid I dream. I don't need any help with my imagination, thank you.

Diet Update

I lost 2.6 lbs since last week. Yeah for me!! Of course the WW website tried to put a damper on my enthusiasm by pointing out that this is too much for one week. But hey! When you look at the slump I have been on and realize I have lost only a total of 2.9lbs since 1/29/07 it is still a steady loss. I worked really hard this last week. I exercised 4 days and I really stuck to the program. I even started the Pilates workout today. (We will see how I feel about that tomorrow.) I know that the way my weight loss works I may show a slight gain next week. But I am going to try and hold on to this feeling and be encouraged. Now it is time for a reward (non-food of course!).

13.6 NET LOSS

Thirteen Things I Like About March

1. It is not February (or January)

2. Bradford Pears bloom (though only for about a week)

3. St. Patrick's Day - we all pretend we are a little Irish and it's the only holiday in March. Although, next year Easter will be in March again.

4. Spring Break - even though I still have to work and we hardly ever go anywhere. I think it holds over from childhood.

5. Green everywhere - trees, grass, shamrock's

6. Flowers blooming - daffodils, tulips,

7. Winter is officially over March 20th.

8. Spending spree (Although our tax refund comes mid-Feb with online filing and direct deposit, March is when we traditionally buy the big ticket items.)

9. Daylight Savings Time begins - What? This is supposed to be in April.

10. Okay so there are not 13 things I love about March. Can anyone help me out here?