Not Feeling Like a Team Player Today

I feel like a chump.

A wimp.

A loser.

Today is Inventory.

In preparation David has worked, in the last week, more hours than I can count. Maybe 90?

And I can't remember when he last had a day off.

Last night, or this morning rather, he got home at 1:30 (yes, am) and was up at 4am and out the door by five.

Meanwhile, I called in for a substitute because Maddie has had a fever. I was supposed to work a whopping 12 hours this week and with one click of my mouse I reduced it by 50%.

And here I sit in my pink sweats. My glorious but hideous pink sweats.

Just Wanted You To...

stop and hold your loved ones a little closer.

Short But Sweet

Did you see my mom this weekend?

No?

Bummer.

I did!

Fridays With Ernie 5

But It's Chicken!

I love these Eat-This-Not-That articles. No, I haven't gone out and bought the books, but Holy Cow! Nothing is safe!

Typo

I know that we get some weird weather here, but Sunday?

Welcome to Our Show

Facing a couple of 'Life Stresses', JP and I cooked up today's version of:

Would You Rather?

(game show music please)

(now my best Burt Convey voice)

Would you rather have Car Trouble or a Colonoscopy?

The Obsession

Currently, there is not a whole lot that annoys me more than this craze.

I refuse to get on board.

Friday night David and I made an unplanned late-night shopping trip.

And in his usual fashion, David wanted to avoid people, so we drove to a brand-new store that's about 15 miles from here, maybe further.

Some genius decided to build this fancy-shmancy new store across the street from a high school.

A high school!

1.) It's late on a Friday night

2.) As mentioned it's across the street from a high school.

3.) Judging from the parking lot, there was a dance going on.

4.) And all of you Twilight obsessors know - the first movie was coming out at midnight.

In other words - the aisles were filled with annoying teenagers.

Do I find all teenagers annoying? NO! (and I work with some real winners)

My sympathy goes out to the management of this store.

Chaos!

Mayhem!

There were even moms wandering around with the teenagers, all of them with the stupid plastic fangs in their mouths.

The magazine aisle was crowded with a circle of girls sitting Indian-style (oops - not PC) criss-cross-applesauce with magazines in their laps.

There was an almost constant sound of things crashing to the floor.

I couldn't get out of there fast enough.

But we did - and there were more teenagers in the parking lot.

I'm torn between suggesting that you do check out this store because it's so nice OR telling you to run for your life.

Either way - avoid it at noon. It's an open campus.

PS Yes, I'm well aware that I just alienated ALL of my friends. You vampire-obsessed weirdos.

Writer's Block Much?

There's far too much swimming in my head.

Too much sickness, busy-ness, birthday madness, Beehive happiness, husband inventory-ness. Too much trying to escape my mind through my finger tips.

Okay. You Asked for it.

No. You're too good of a friend. I won't list it all.

But I will take this opportunity to gently, gently tell Megan that I wish she could have joined Jehn and I for our

date with Elisabeth on Thursday.

Megan! Megan! Megan!

I am so excited!!!

But let me back up.

My ambitious friend, Megan, is juggling three blogs, one being a recipe blog that links to other recipe/cooking blogs.

(Did you know that I like to cook?)

Today I was snooping around and found a recipe that I had to rush home and make. It involved some unusual ingredients - healthy ingredients - and natural sweeteners (but today I substituted honey - still natural).

Now - I'm going to link you to this recipe. But I want you to remain open minded.

Promise?

Because I raced home and made it and It. Is. Good.

I'm very happy with it.

Ready?

Still open minded?

Take

A

Look

What do you think?

Two words: Try it.

Well done, Megan!

Fridays With Ernie 4

I'll have to stop and get mushy about Maddie later.

Until then...

"I'm Gonna Pop Youuu!"

Lately I've been doing some thinking.

(A dangerous pastime... I know)

What if YouTube had been around when we were kids?

Can you see it...? Our backyard plays with Derrick and Ryan - for the whole world to see. Ohhh. And the laughs we would have given them.

Maudanne, Charles, Pauline and Sleepy would have been household names.

Ummmm... Those are not fictional characters. Real people. Real drama.

Big Heavy Sigh

Let's make getting-in-shape even harder for Jess...

Cholesterol-Lowering Diet Plans

The American Heart Association recommends a step-wise approach to lowering cholesterol levels.

The Step I Diet

If you have high blood cholesterol and have not tried other dietary approaches, the Step I diet is the place to start:

• Total fat intake should be no more than 30% of calories.

• Saturated fat (the kind that is solid at room temperature) intake should be less than 10% of calories.

• Polyunsaturated fat (liquid at room and refrigerator temperatures) intake should be 8% to 10% of calories.

• Monounsaturated fat (olive and canola oil) intake should make up the rest of total fat intake (about 10% to 15% of total calories).

• Cholesterol intake should be less than 300 milligrams daily.

• Sodium intake should be no more than 2,400 milligrams daily.

So... I can't eat until I get out my calculator and compute every little morsel that goes in to my mouth. I have to start the math during the last meal to be prepared for the next.

Ohh - and I have to have big results by June.

More Pampering

I wanted to do something today.

Something for me.

Something I love to do, but have never done it alone.

But I felt... weird.

I could go on all day, getting dirtier and dirtier...

A Pedicure! I'm talking about a pedicure.

I couldn't bring myself to going in and getting a pedicure without a buddy. In the past I've gone with my mom, Maddie, or my girlfriends Nettie and Mary (separately).

I am so in need! I gave Maddie a pedicure on Sunday (yes, I was that bored). As always, it turned out beautifully. Of course it helps that she got Jaye's cute feet.

But I skipped my own, and probably should have scrunched in to that awkward toe-reaching position and just trimmed and painted myself.

Nope. It's settled. I'm not doing it.

Besides, I need those talented girls to paint on some cute sunflowers to get me through this recent blanket of snow. Ugh.

Monday Outing

Ohhhhhhhh... the joy of working for the school district and having the same days off as the kids.

Let's take a moment to sigh a happy sigh.

I highly recommend taking your family to

Like us, you probably have his book in your collection.

The Exhibit is long enough that you feel like it was worth the drive, but not so long that you want to blow your brains out after trying to keep your kids corralled.

(is it just me or do Maddie and Isaac share a face?)

I took this opportunity to take a short walk around campus, hoping to inspire the kids and get them excited about their future college days.

Then we were able to track down dad for a yummy lunch at

It may be the last time we see him until April. Have I mentioned that this month is inventory?

Ugh.

Could Somebody Pass Me a Water Bottle?

And since we're already tear-y, I'll just quietly mention that today was Maddie's last in Primary.

With all of her "firsts" in 2009, I'm going to be dehydrated.

SpiderMan Returns

Playing his Welcome (back) song in Primary would have been a lot easier without tears.

Not a Great Way to Kick Off the Weekend

Nothing could make me more hungry than the doctor telling me that I have to go on a diet.

And no, I am not taking The Challenge.

Staring At the Walls

It turns out that there is a fine line between...

I love being home, being in my house, in my space, I hope nothing calls me away, relaxing

to

The walls are closing in on me, I need to find some girl friends to go out with tonight.

Less Than 7 Degrees of Separation

Just putting a couple of my favorite shows together...

Did you know that she

used to be married to his brother?

PS I haven't watched any of her movies, but it appears that she's not always Cute Little Pam.

Fridays With Ernie 3

Small Scale Pampering

I'm really not as caught up in my looks as my recent posts indicate.

But here I go again.

I'm really hard on my hair. (sorry Stacey)

I wash, blow dry, and flat iron my hair every day. So when it's been 4 to 5 weeks since my last appointment, it's a bit dry. Really dry.

This morning I treated my locks to a deep conditioning.

Why is this post-worthy?

Because it was a pick-me-up for my whole self, not just my hair.

I feel better.

And I think I'll survive until the next time I sit in my Miracle Worker's chair.

Is it a Hollywood Secret?

Are you all enjoying his new show?

It's fun to have him back on TV. Who am I kidding? I still watch reruns of his last show.

Now... I know that so much of our hair, skin, weight (etc.) is genetic. Clearly, this guy has great jeans. I mean genes.

He is 45 years old and has skin to die for.

My question is this: is it his lucky gene pool that gives him such a beautiful complexion? Or is it some miracle product?

If you find that it is something topical (not an injection) that gives him those irresistible cheeks, please drop me a note. I'd be willing to pay top dollar for that stuff.

"Stand By For News"

My heart hurts.

I adore this man and used to (back in the old days) arrange my commute around his broadcast schedule.

I remember sitting in the driveway with the car running on countless evenings and after a long day at work, not able to tear myself away until I had heard The Rest of the Story.

Has there ever been a voice so comforting and trusted?