$4.55

And I was happy to pay that price.

Cosmo Cricket fun

Cosmo Cricket is having a design team call. I checked the pub boards on a couple of scrapping sites and checked out a few blogs (blogging is one element of the application). There's lots of competition out there. None the less, if you don't try, you can't get selected so here I am.



Let's review the list:
1. People who design really well. I think I do. My style is simple, but I still manage to get a few embellishments on there. ;)
2. People who love posting (this one was starred), maintain blogs (this one was underlined) and are connected with the online scrapping community. Here's the blog and you can read I said over at Linnecards.com and
Lifetimemoments.com.
3. People who love submitting. Yep, gonna send in some stuff this weekend. :)
4. People who are easy to work with, low maintenance and happy. Me again, and I'm totally deadline driven (it's required in my day job).
5. People who love Cosmo Cricket and know how to show it. Here I am again.
6. People who are available to focus on Cosmo Cricket (I don't think she expects exclusivity, but just so you're not spread too thin).Yep, I can prioritize and multitask with the best of them.

Forever 21

This isn't a post about wishful thinking; it's about the clothing store. One of my coworkers, around my age, is a big fan of this store. I guess it is popular with the high school/college crowd (she's got a high schooler), but there's still some stuff suitable for those of us of a more advanced age.

Yesterday, I finally checked out one and everything she said was true. The clothes are colorful, cheap, and trendy. Unfortunately for me, they were a little too trendy (I can't figure out how you're suppose to wear some of the clothes without exposing everything). And most of the things I liked weren't cheap. And if they were cheap (camisoles for under $4, capris for under $5), they were all out of Ls. Now, I'm not a huge person, but I also don't have the figure of a stick. I didn't even bother to try on the Ms because I didn't think they would stretch enough . Maybe super tight clothes don't bother other people because there were girls and women larger than me with armfuls of clothing. Based on their conversations, they were shopping for themselves. Still, I'll have to check it out again. Hopefully, they'll have some Ls in stock.

Commute costs

I just calculated how much my commute costs me at today's gas prices, just the fuel cost, not the wear and tear on my car. It is about $5.70 if I drive in and about half that if I carpool (I drive to a park and ride and meet my carpooler).

If I took public transportation, it would cost $3.40 each way (less if I bought monthly passes), involve three buses, and take up to two hours. Not really how I want to spend my time or money.

I did have one job where I took the bus. It was convenient, though I did have to make arrangements with my manager to work a half hour more every other day so that I could leave a half hour early every other day to catch the bus. At that time, gas was cheap, but I didn't own a car so I didn't have much choice. I didn't mind taking the bus since the stop was only a couple blocks from my house and it stopped right in front of my workplace. Granted, it took twice as long as driving, but I didn't mind since there were no transfers involved. Like I said, convenient.

Right now, I'm looking into carpooling with more people. My current carpooler's schedule only allows us to carpool one or two days a week. My occassional carpooler just gave notice. With gas prices being what they are (and the whole going green thing), I'd like to be carpooling four or five days a week.

Preparing for a crop

I'm going to a crop this weekend and need to prepare some page kits (you know, so I don't bring my entire stash with me). I started printing out photos last night and spent a few minutes at lunch today figuring out what others I wanted. The problem is, the majority of my photos from the past year are of the kids (my BIL's kids) and of those, 90% are of the twins. Granted, the twins are darling (I can hardly wait until they're old enough to come over for sleepovers), but I'm afraid I'm going to be tired of scrapping toddler pics. There's only so much pink and purple and flowers I can take in one sitting (not that little girl pages have to be in those colors, but those are the colors they're usually wearing).

Yeah, yeah, someday I'll scrap my China pics and all my vacation pics. My problem is, "moments" pages are so much faster and easier than "events" pages. That's something I need to work on. Or maybe I should just take fewer photos.

Credit card fun

Yes, fun is the right word. I went to my cc's website and ordered a card with a new design. Yes, it is a bit frivilous, but I think it will save me some headaches. Mr. Fix-it and I have ccs from the same company, but different accounts. He added me to his, but I still have my separate account that I hardly ever use. I guess the company noticed because when they sent me a new card, they also included a bonus. I will get a dollar credit each time I use the card in the next month up to a certain amount. So guess which card I'm using now? But I need to keep it separate from our joint card, hence the new design. So new design and $$, how can you beat that fun?

Frequent flyer miles

I used to belong to just about every plan available. I had accumulated quite a few miles when I flew to Asia. And when DH and I were dating, we lived in different cities so I was always flying to see him (easier for me since I was a student and he was working). I'd choose whoever was cheapest and most convenient so the miles were spread out. After we got married, I'd fly home to see my parents or I'd fly about once a year for work. But for all that flying (which really wasn't that much), I never got enough points for a free ticket. Then with airlines consolidating, my miles would get lost. Sometimes, I'd get free magazines subscriptions, just to get something for my miles.

I used to have enough miles on one airline for a free ticket, but they upped the requirements and I don't anymore (grrrr). I was about to lose my 40,000 miles and these I care about. I'm sooo close! I went shopping on their site to see what I could buy for cheap, but the only thing that remotely appealed to me was a newspaper subscription. But wait! I could donate charity miles. That's a win win. I scrolled through the list of recipients and at first I choose the Red Cross. But then I saw the Shriners Hospital. I know Uncle T donated lots of time and money there and they provide their services for free. While there was no way to formally donate in his honor, I know in my heart I did.

One of my favorite websites is gone

Good-bye Tastespotting.com. You were my favorite food website, my favorite place to check out what other foodies were interested in. Unfortunately, I thought you'd always be around so I didn't save a lot of links from your site. I'll miss you.

(Tastespotting had food porn photos with links to (mostly) food blogs. It was a great resource for recipes. Check out notcot.com, their parent site.)

Miscalcuation on vacation hours

Grrrrr, I received my Earnings Statement aka pay stub and I miscalculated my vacation hours. Remember I took a vacation day earlier this week? I should have taken it last week. I ended up losing around 4 hours. That's half a day I could have used to play. I've redone my spread sheet so hopefully this won't happen again.

How much laundry?

I recently went three weeks without doing any laundry. I'm not sure what is more embarrassing: not doing laundry for so long or that I have enough clothes to last that long. Granted, there wasn't much to choose from towards the end, but it wasn't like I was wearing rags to work. So is it a good or bad thing that I'm trying to thin out my closet? Do I want to be doing laundry more often?

Ahhh, technology

I'm writing this from Mr. Fix-it's laptop while lounging in bed. Ahhhh, bliss! He's in the family room watching a movie and that's where the desktop computer is. But I wasn't interested in the movie so here I am. I figured I deserved a break. I cleaned up the kitchen, did laundry, put away some SB supplies, and now I need some me (and you, lol) time. Off to do some surfing.

Father's Day card

Nothing like waiting until the last minute. Or maybe I'm in denial that Uncle T is gone. I'm used to making him a Father's Day card too. Or maybe I'm feeling guilty that I'm not going home for Father's Day (not that I usually do) so I didn't want to think about when it is.

Hope Dad likes the card. I used Cosmo Cricket's Cogsmo. I wanted to use one of their robot die cuts, but they were too large for the card. But I did use one of their journaling cards on the inside. It said, "You are out of this world." I thought Dad might appreciate that.

$4.37

It's getting more painful. But less painful than the station across the street from where I filled it. That station was a dime more a gallon.

The best laid plans (or no more cooking for me)

I had all kinds of plans for today. I took the day off; it's a "forced" vacation day because if I don't take a vacation day, I'll stop accruing and we wouldn't want that to happen. I was going to start with yoga, then cook, then scrap, and in between, do a bit of laundry and cleaning. The latter isn't too exciting, but what the heck, I've got the time.

Well, I slept in late, but still managed to get to yoga. It always worries me a bit when I overslept for no discernible reason. It was a good session; maybe the extra sleep gave me more energy for class.

Got home and started some laundry, ate breakfast, then started on the Pioneer Woman's lasagna. I was going to divide the recipe into four small lasagnas, one to eat, one to freeze, and two to give away (aren't I nice?). I was just about ready to start the assembly, when I realized I need to shred or slice the mozzarella. But instead of slicing the mozarella, I sliced my finger. Now it hurts like heck and won't stop bleeding. I sure hope Mr. Fix-it gets home soon because I'm staying out of the kitchen. And no scrapping today either. I'm staying away from all sharp objects.

My face hurts

Yep, I must have bruised my face when I did the face plant, but thank goodness you can't really see the bruise or swelling. Plus my sinuses are hurting; must have something to do with working out in the garden this morning. I think I need a nap, but then I won't be able to sleep tonight.

He doesn't beat me

Since I bumped my leg on the coffee table last night and I took a face plant with the vacuum cleaner this morning, I'm a colorful sight this morning. I'm hoping my face doesn't swell up or bruise too much. I see a bit of redness and some swelling on my face, but I hope the ice pack did its work and I don't have too much visable damage.

My fashion advice of the day

Black thongs with white/light-colored pants is not acceptable business attire.

If you insist on wearing the above, make sure the pants fabric is heavy enough that your thong won't show through.

If you insist on doing both of the above, don't lean over in public.

If you insist on doing all of the above, tuck in your shirt (but don't tuck it into your thong).

You're welcome.

$4.29

I'm not looking forward to filling up later this week.

Overdoing it

I guess working out in the garden for an hour before yoga was too much because I could hardly get through today's session. I think part of the problem was I was dehydrated, even though I make sure I drank several extra glasses of water before I went outside. I finished all the water I brought to class (which usually doesn't happen) and drank two more glasses as soon as I got home. Or maybe turning 40 gallons of compost was more work than I thought.

Contests

If there's one thing I like, it's winning. I think it is genetic since everyone in my family is always entering contests. To help you out, here's a few contests you might like:

The Pioneer Woman is giving away a Lucky clothes GC. I'm not sure I'm fashionable enough for Lucky clothes, but what the heck. Better hurry though because it ends soon!

If you're a scrapbooker, Luxe Designs is giving away several packages.

Good luck!

Mystery box

Guess! Come on, guess! I picked this up at a seminar last week and put it to use immediately. When I saw the flyer for the seminar, I was thrilled. I signed up immediately, but I couldn't convince Mr. Fix-it to attend. Too bad because I went to the wrong place and had to call him to figure out where I was supposed to go. I felt bad for walking in late, but they hadn't started yet and besides, there were other people that came in later than me (not that that excuses me). I actually learned a little at the seminar, but not as much as I had hoped. I thought it was going to be three hours, but it was less than an hour and then about 45 minutes of Q&A. Not quite what was advertised. But the best was yet to come (the box shown above). Some hints? you want some hints? The contents weigh about a pound, it's moist (you might be able to tell from the photo), ummm, it's very useful, I have some already...enough hints?


Have I kept you in suspense long enough? Did you guess? Okay, here it is:

It's the worms for my new vermicomposting system. I was told it would take 30 to 45 days for the worms to digest the first layer of food. That will be just in time to add a boost to all the veggies in the garden. I've very excited about this, can you tell?

$4.17

This is getting ridiculous, a six cent increase overnight!

$4.11

That's today's gas price. Good thing I filled up over the weekend at $4.03. Anyone want to take any guesses as to when we'll hit $4.50? (I just can't bear to think about $5.)

Garden update

Look! This might not be exciting to you, but it is to me. It is a Chinese long bean seedling. Remember, I got the seeds from my mom and she got the original seeds from my grandmother. I'm soooo excited mine sprouted!

One of my eggplants bit the dust, or more accurately, the snails got to it so I replaced it with a bell pepper. I also planted some more Swiss chard (why do I think I'm going to be tired of it soon?). I posted a recipe for Swiss chard on my other blog, if you're interested. I also planted a six pack of Japanese cucumber (I never found any English cucumber seeds or seedlings). Why did I plant them all? After losing one eggplant and having another not doing so well, I decided to plant all the cucumber seedings instead of sharing them with my neighbor. If you're in the area a couple months from now, feel free to help yourself. I'm sure I'll have enough to share.

More cooking

In keeping with my quest to become a SAHW, I cooked dinner on Sunday and Monday. I can't remember the last time I cooked three days in a row, really cooking, not like pasta with jarred sauce or quesadillas (two of our go-to meals). Sunday, I made Singapore noodles, which are curried rice noodles. I didn't add enough veggies, other than that, it was tasty. It would have been good with some red bell pepper, but I was too cheap to spend $3.99 for one.

Monday, I made Japanese Mum's Chicken, really, that's what it is called. The original plan was to make a couple batches of cashew chicken, one to cook and one to freeze, but I got tired of boning and dicing the chicken thighs (next time I'm going to buy boneless, skinless thighs) and just made one batch to freeze. I used the rest of make Japanese Mum's chicken. This was also inspired by the fact that the previous day, I soaked rice threads instead of bean threads. How embarrassing! After cooking the chicken, I added the bean threads to the sauce and voila! instant side dish. Mr. Fix-it was pretty pleased with my efforts. We'll have the leftover chicken tomorrow, then we're out of leftovers and I'll have to think about cooking again.

Scrapbook sale

If you need anything (or even if you don't), there's a Memorial Day sale at Linnecards.com. 15% off of almost everything in the store. And that's off of the already discounted price. Happy shopping!

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Today I cooked breakfast, lunch, and dinner...I think this is the first time I cooked three meals in one day. I never make breakfast (that's Mr. Fix-it's job), and often lunch or dinner is leftovers.

Breakfast was French toast and sausages, lunch was soup, and dinner was Mexican casserole and stir-fried spinach. I just realized it was an international meal day, lol.

This was brought on by my wanting to use up what we had in the fridge, you know, that using what you have and saving money and all that. We had some French bread that was a few days old and over a dozen eggs in the fridge. So that's what made up the French toast for breakfast. Last week, Mr. Fix-it made a roast so I chopped up the leftovers, added a can of chopped tomatoes, some beef broth that I had previously frozen, and Swiss chard from the garden and ended up with a yummy soup. We had an excess of tortillas and sour cream so I made a "Mexican" casserole, layering tortillas, enchilada sauce, refried beans, and sour cream. It came out a little too moist, but still tasty. We'll be eating that for a few days since we only ate 1/4 of the casserole.

Speaking of saving money in the kitchen, always use what you have. For today's meals, I didn't have to buy a thing. Normally, I wouldn't think of eating spinach with Mexican food, but since we needed to use it up, that's what we had and it was a tasty addition to dinner. One kitchen tip is to always have tortillas on hand. Now that I think about it, we could have had burritos with the leftover beef instead. Anyway, I hope I gave you some ideas about inexpensive cooking.

It's raining, it's pouring

Boy, is it pouring. I definitely won't need to water the garden this week. I was getting ready to put away some of my winter clothes (which just means moving them to another part of the clost) and now I'm glad I didn't.

Ouch

I just broke a tooth. Eating a piece of chicken. Not like I eating anything too tough or chewy. I hope my dentist has an opening tomorrow (I'm not in pain, that's why I'm not calling tonight). I'm not looking forward to the bill either. I'm sure that will be painful.

E-mails

As I mentioned in a previous post, I had to leave work a bit early (4:45 pm) on Friday in order to pick-up Mr. Fix-it and get to our babysitting duties on time. From then until I walked in this morning, I received 49 e-mails, plus a project schedule changed last minute, plus the people to finish this project are coming in late today, plus I won't know the status of this project until these people come in. No wonder I soooo look forward to my weekends!

Babysitting adventures

Last night, we babysat the twins while my BIL/SIL went to see my nephew's school performance. He's in preschool so they sure start young! It was a bit of a rush to get over there. Mr. Fix-it agreed to help babysit, so I had to leave work early to drive home, then drive over there. Thank goodness for the carpool lane.
My SIL seemed reluctant to have me (us) babysit so to encourage her, I gave them this for their anniversary. It is stack of 1 and 2 hour gift certificates for babysitting. The gift was really fun to make. I used a leftover Prima container (finally, I'm getting some use out of their excessive packaging) and backed the gift certificates with Bazzill Bling to give them a little extra oomph. Most of the ribbon came from my giveaway pile, so it felt good to use that up.

The girls kind of ignored me unless they wanted to be picked up; they were really interested in Mr. Fix-it. Maybe because they see him more often? Of course, he was responsible for playing with them and I was responsible for diaper changes. Little Miss C was an unhappy camper. Her mom said to let them cry it out when I put them down, but after 20 minutes of wailing, I figured something was wrong. (I can't believe her sister slept through that.) Turns out, she had a messy, very messy diaper. After a change and a bit more wailing, she went right to sleep, thank goodness.

After the musical, the family went out for ice cream. My BIL said my nephew really enjoyed his "alone" time with Mom and Dad. Poor little guy hasn't been getting as much attention since his sisters were born. I'm glad we were able to help.

Congratulations to me!

Since it was announced on her website, I can now proudly announce that I have been selected for the design team at Linnecards. I'm very excited to become more involved in the scrapping world. If you need any scrapping supplies, check out the shop. Everything is discounted and free shipping has a low minimum.

Teaser

Got some exciting news this morning. But can't spill the beans until there is an official announcement.

Communication

It is so interesting how communication has changed over the years. I remember when we would make a long-distance phone calls and time them because we didn't want to spend too much money. I remember comparing long-distance phone plans to get the best deal. Now, with free long distance on my cell phone, I don't worry about long-distance calls anymore. And when Mom calls me, I ask her to hang up and let me call her back so she doesn't have to spend any money on the call.

I communicate with some people by e-mail, others by snail mail, some by phone, some by IM or PM, but none by texting. Don't know how to, don't care about it either. Mr. Fix-it isn't interested in texting either so we don't have it on our phone plan. One problem with all these communication methods is everyone has their favorite and if you don't use that method, you might not hear back from them. And I think that's rude.

Entering the modern age

It looks like 2008 will be the year we enter the modern age of technology. I'm writing this from our new notebook, and that means we have a wireless network at home too! Woo hoo! It's about time! It amazing how impatient one can get with technology when you get something new. The computer boots soooo much faster than our desktop.

This is really Mr. Fix-it's computer, but I've been testing it out the last few days. The history and bookmarks are all scrapbook and cooking pages. I think he'll be surprised the next time he logs on, lol.

I tried to set up our network myself. Really, it should have been very easy. But I couldn't get the router to connect to the internet. The manual was useless. The router forums were almost useless because most of the solutions assumed you knew how to set up a network so the one line answers just lead to more questions. I set the MAC address, blah, blah, blah. But still no go. One of the techies at work offered to check out the router to make sure it wasn't bad so I took him up on his offer. He called me a couple nights later to get some network settings from me and it turns out there were two settings that should have been the same, but were one digit off. He didn't even ask me about those settings because he assumed they would be the same, but I noticed the difference and told him. Guess I am detail-oriented, ha! ha! So he set up my router, brought it back, and Houston, we have a wireless network! The only slightly annoying this is, he brought back my router, told me he set it up, but wouldn't tell me what he did. Guess techies like to always be one up on their colleagues. I can't complain too much since he didn't charge me anything and I trust him more than I trust geeksquad.

We're also planning on upgrading our cell phones since we want Bluetooth. Actually, I don't really care about Bluetooth, but it will make it easier for me to multitask if I don't have to hold my cellphone in my hand. Gosh, think I'll ever get an iPod someday? (I'm coveting an iPod Touch.)

Thank you

Thank yous...they are sort of an inside joke, well, I guess not anymore since I'm telling you all. I'm not supposed to thank anyone because I usually get into trouble when I do. More on that later.

First, thank you to the guy who blew me a kiss. I didn't think that leaving you space to pull out of the parking lot was that big a deal, but hey, I'll take that kiss! And thank you to the lady who let me go ahead of her in line since I only had a few things to buy compared to her basketful. And should I thank my friend for her lovely thank you card? Yeah, I guess a thank you for a thank you could turn into an endless cycle. None the less, I'm thankful to have her as a friend.

As for why I can't thank anyone? Well, maybe just not at work. Many years ago, I thanked someone for helping me with a project (he did an extra good job). But I didn't thank anyone else so they all got bent out of shape, emails flew back and forth, and I was so upset by it all, I swore never to thank anyone again. But, I like to live dangerously and ended up sending a thank you e-mail again. Worded very carefully so as not to offend, to be all inclusive, and be casual, yet professional. Yep, offended someone else. This time, all the recipients and their managers were happy. But others felt I had raised the bar and now thank you notes would be expected by all. So now, no more sincere thank yous. I still thank people at work, but it really isn't very sincere. More like, "Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. I have a question about the second bullet point, blah, blah, blah."

Thanks to everyone who reads my blog!

Jury duty

Yep, that's how I spent my day. Right in the midst of our busy season and I have a project due this week. But, when I got the summons, I didn't have this project and we weren't quite as busy. I was a bit frantic last week trying to make sure I got as much done as possible and yesterday I left extensive notes for everyone in case I was selected as a juror.

This time, I had to go to Superior Court rather than the local court I had been to before. In some ways, it was a nicer experience. The juror room was huge with comfy chairs, several tables, and computer corrals. (I hope someone enjoys the current magazines I finished reading and left behind.) The cafeteria was small, but serviceable. There is much more activity, which made the experience more interesting.

I am so proud of my fellow citizens. There wasn't anyone who gave excuses about it being a hardship. No one who brought their children. Not too many complaints about the time. A few times, we had to self select based on the criteria they read off (not that they didn't have our info) and people lined up to go to the various courtrooms without complaint. So while I'm happy I wasn't selected for a jury, I am also happy to have served my civic duty and happy that we have the 6th and 7th Amendments.

My first forty...

dollar tank of gas. That was painful. Especially when you consider I'm driving a compact car.

(What, did you think I was finally going to reveal something about my age?)

Thankful for...

I have lots to be thankful for. I had lunch today with my friend who had surgery. She looks terrific, is moving a bit gingerly; all in all, she's doing really well. I was so worried for nothing I guess. Thank you for your prayers.

And my wonderful friend S is moving back into the ranks of the employed. She made the announcement via her avatar and I was too dense to notice. Thank goodness others weren't so dense. Congratulations!

From Indian to Italian

A local restaurant has gone through several changes. For many years, it was a successful dance/bar/restaurant. Then just a regular restaurant, then a Chinese buffet. There are waaaaay too many cheap Asian buffets in the area and unless you've got outstanding food or are extra cheap, you won't make it. And this place didn't.

Then it was an Indian restaurant. I love Indian food. I don't cook Indian food because it is too much work, but we don't go out for Indian too often because it is rather expensive. We only ate there once and the food was good, the teas were outstanding, the service was good, the prices a little high. Before we had a chance to try it again, it turned into an Italian buffet. A cheap Italian buffet. With pre-fab pizza crusts. And cheap pasta. And really expensive sodas (not that I drink soda that often). But at least it is doing well. We went early one evening and the place was filled with seniors (they get a dollar off of the already cheap $6.99 price) and then later with families. I wasn't thrilled with the food, but Mr. Fix-it liked the variety. I'd go back without complaint since there's a few things I did like (the roasted chicken, salad bar, and some of the soups were good).

It turns out, the owners saw the writing on the wall and in week or so, changed from gourmet Indian to cheap Italian. While I'm sorry the area couldn't sustain a quality restaurant, I'm happy the owners have found business sucess. Mr. Fix-it has been there for lunch a few times and said it is always crowded. There aren't any other non-Asian buffets in the area, so hopefully they will do well. I wonder if I can convince them to add naan to the buffet?

10,428

That's how many e-mails I have stored at work. A couple weeks ago, I was under 10k, which was pretty exciting since I'm a packrat. But we're incredibly busy at work and sometimes I have trouble wading through the 50, 60, 70 e-mails I get. Yes, I only keep the last e-mail on a thread. Yes, I delete unnecessary e-mails (but who's to say what is necessary and what isn't?). No, I don't see a light at the end of the tunnel for this workload.

Looking for a six pack

You wouldn't believe how difficult it is to find six packs of veggies, much less some of the "gourmet" varieties I like. We went to four different places. Next time, we'll just go to the local nursery first, even if everything costs more. The convenience and gas savings will be worth it.

So far I've planted three Japanese eggplants, one San Marzano tomato, three Sweet 100s tomatoes, and one Early Girl. I also planted some Chinese string beans, beets, Japanese cucumber, and more Swiss chard (all from seed). I hope the string beans grow. The seeds are from my mom and she got the original seeds from my grandma. Every year, she lets a few beans go to seed and saves them for the next year.

I still need to plant basil, bell peppers, and more tomatoes. And I'm still looking for English cucumber seeds and an Amish paste plant. But I'm running out of room!

Prayer request

A dear friend is having major surgery today. Please pray for a sucessful surgery and and quick recovery.

Frequent Flyer

No, I'm not flying anywhere. I'm taking about the bearded irises in my front yard. I had trimmed them back in January and was afraid I had killed them. But look at them now! I've got way more blooms than I did last year.

Lofthouse cookies

Once again, I fell prey to peer pressure. A while back, there was a thread on 2peas about Lofthouse cookies. Based on all the praise, you would have thought the cookies were created by Martha or The Pioneer Woman or some other cooking goddess. Supposedly, they are the softest, yummiest cookies you can buy. Intrigued, I browsed the supermarket aisles and found out several local stores carried them. But I resisted...for a while...until yesterday. We were out running errands and once again, I must remind you to NOT shop while hungry. Because we walked by a display of Lofthouse cookies and I couldn't resist. No matter that they were colored an unnatural shade of blue. They had my favorite sprinkles on them! I couldn't wait and as soon as we got into the car, I opened the package and took my first bite. And last. Talk about deceptive advertising. They are soft, but definitely not delicious.

My new weight loss plan

Skipped yoga last weekend. Haven't been walking at lunch. Been eating a lot of chocolate. My weight is down. Who knew that doing everything wrong would result in the pounds falling off?

The garage sale

Yesterday was the annual area garage sale and as usual, it was a bust. The good thing is we cleared out four big boxes of stuff. The bad thing is most of it went to Goodwill, rather than being sold. The good thing is we sold enough to buy us breakfast, lol.

To end on a more positive note, I did get a lot of weeding done in the rose bed while I was waiting for customers.

Missing Uncle T

March was a somewhat difficult month. Health-wise, I'm still feeling a bit too plump. Work has been crazy. One of my friends called it March Madness. And Uncle T has been gone a year. On LifetimeMoments.com, a woman was asking what she could do with her late husband's ties. Several people sent her links to quilts, bears, pillows, ornaments, all kinds of neat stuff.

I wish I had thought about this when Uncle T's stuff was being thrown out. Really, I just should have flown up and there and instruded. Then maybe I would have gotten back the stuff I had given him. Yes, I know they are just things. But why throw out photos and cards and my scrapbook? Why throw out the portrait of me and my siblings? I would have liked to have one of his old Navy blankets. It was wool and heavy and itchy. But we use them to built forts with the couch pillows (something we could never do at home). It would be so nice to have a quilt made from his ties. Or a throw made from Auntie L's fur coat. I really, really need to keep reminding myself that memories are better than things.

$3.45

Luckily, I filled up this weekend at the "cheap" gas station. Gas was $3.49 at my usual station and went up to $3.53 by this afternoon.

Never go out to buy dinner when you're hungry

Because you might buy twice as much food as you need. I stopped by the Chinese take-out place after work and somehow, I walked out with two 2-item combos and a beef noodle soup. That's more than enough for us. It was dinner tonight, will be breakfast tomorrow (what, you've never had Chinese food for breakfast?), another dinner, and maybe a lunch too, especially if I stretch it out by adding more veggies or rice. At least I didn't have to cook.

Getting home before it's dark

I was really looking forward to daylight savings time (even though I think daylight savings time is stupid). Spending more daylight hours with Mr. Fix-it. Not having to turn on my headlights on the drive home. Not feeling like my whole day was gone before I got home.

I must be getting old because for the first few days after the time change, I sure had a hard time waking up in the morning. Getting to work late meant that I didn't leave until 6:30 or 7:00 (or later). That meant I was driving home in the dark.

Today I work up early, got to work early, and still left at 7:00. Sigh, does it ever get better?

So domestic

Who me? Yes, it happens once in a while, lol. Did dishes this morning, went to yoga, had lunch, ran errands, cleaned up the garden, did laundry, cooked dinner (even tried a new recipe), did more laundry, made dessert.

This is probably normal for most of you, but it's a lot for me. Feels pretty good. So much so, I feel like doing more! Something must be wrong with me, lol.

$3.49

Yep, it is a bad trend. Gas prices continue to spiral upwards. Luckily, I was able to carpool one day last week and will carpool one day next week. Not as often as I would like, but better than nothing, right?

$3.39

Ouch, ouch, ouch! I could have filled my gas tank at #3.35/gallon the day before, but nooooo, I had to wait and ended up paying 4 cents more per gallon. Isn't this ridiculous? I think the days of $4.00/gallon gas are coming soon.

Friendship

I just received a lovely note in the mail from a dear friend. We had lunch last week, after not seeing each other for two or so years. I had left numerous "Hi, how are you" messages on her answering machine and sent Christmas cards, but had heard nothing from her. In fact, I was planning on dropping her from my Christmas card list last year. To my surprise, I received a Christmas card from her and later an e-mail. We finally were able to connect in person and, as the cliche goes, it was like just like old times. She shared what was going on with her life. You know that my life is boring so there isn't much to share there, lol. It was wonderful to see her again. We relate to each other on so many levels; there was lots of laughter, lots of support. I guess the lesson here is, don't give up on friendships. We are definitely going to have to see each other more than once every two years.

S: I still have the thank you "candle" you made on my bulletin board at work!

Back to yoga

I skipped yoga for two weeks and finally went back today. It felt good, but it sure wasn't like my last class. I was really proud of myself after that class. I did all the asanas (poses) and didn't do any extra savasanas (corpse pose for resting). It was the first time I was able to do that. Today, I wasn't so successful. I fell out of several poses and had to rest more. But that's the beauty of yoga. Each day is different and you just do what you can do.

Gas prices

Filled my gas tank today. It was painful. Gas was $3.29/gallon, but that was better than $3.35 at my usual station. On the bright side, I'm still getting 30 miles/gallon in my old car.

Foodies are so nice!

I recently wrote to Jaden of steamykitchen.com and she wrote back to me the same day. I was so excited! (gosh, now I sound star-struck) She didn't have an answer to my question, but said she'd look into it.

I'm looking for a recipe for green onion sesame bread (not green onion pancakes, if you plan on helping me search). Last week, I took the family out to a Chinese Muslim restaurant and my BIL loved the green onion sesame bread. So I thought I'd try to find a recipe. Thus far, no luck.

Anyways, all the foodies I've ever written to have all been so nice. Yep, I love food blogs!

My mixed up, confused day

Actually, this year has been one big blur. Life just seems to be rushing by. I didn't go home for Chinese New Year and I think that has really thrown me. My work schedule has been weird. Lots of rush, rush, rush followed by odd down times. Plus the constant worry of too many upcoming projects.

I was going to go to yoga this morning, but slept in and missed the first class. Then I got the time wrong for the next class and missed that too. Then when I did laundry, I found that I had left a tissue or two in a pocket so that was a big mess. Forgot to go to the bank, now I'll have to remember to go during the week. I'm tired even though I slept in (or maybe that's why I'm tired). Now it's raining and I need to go out and gosh this is just one long run-on post, lol!

An exhausting scrapbook day

I went to the Scrapbook Expo today. Met a friend before my first class, then it was go, go, go. We did some window shopping, then I rushed over to my first class. It was a Quick Quotes altered canvas class, nothing that I would normally do, but I was hoping to break out of my box. I think I'll stay inside my box, lol. Not sure what I will do with the completed project. Maybe offer it up at the LM auction. The project itself is nice, just not me. Don't want to discourage you from taking their classes. I did win a page kit so that was fun.

I had an hour break so it was more shopping. I was going to get some paper totes to store paper in (they were only $1, normally $6), but in the hour that I was gone for my class, they sold out of the few hundred that they had left. Just crazy! Oh well.

The project for my next class is definitely going in the LM auction. It is a perpetual calendar by Boxer. Again, not my style. I wish I had been able to see project photos before I signed up for classes. I didn't do much with the project in class because I want to embellish it more (and make it more enticing for the auction ). I was lucky again and won a $15 gift certificate. I choose a couple of stamp sets (happy birthday set and a sympathy set-a rare find), some clearance embellishments (pseudo Chinese coins, perfect for my China album), and ribbon. Out of pocket was only four something since I had my gift certificate. Yahoo!

I was so tired by my last class, I didn't do most of the layouts. But I did take photos so I could complete them at home. It is ironic that I signed up for this class accidently, but it is the class I liked the most. Even more ironic that the class is titled "All my children" and you know how many kids I have, lol. Good thing I've got nieces and nephews. We did two layouts in class and had enough supplies to create two more. I liked the designs, though I will modify them slightly; don't need any quotes that talk about "my children."

I was pretty good about watching my pennies. For those of you interested in scrapbook accountability, I bought some Chinese-themed paper that I haven't seen anywhere locally and not available at my usual on-line haunts, some adhesive, my goodies from Boxer, a couple packs of Heidi Swapp ghost letters (only a dollar each!), and um, several more yards of ribbon. (In case you don't know, many of the scrappers at Lifetime Moments, are tracking their usage, some are tracking their purchases too, hence scrapbook accountability). Of course, I didn't NEED anything I bought. Oh, by the way, I found my Quickutz. I still haven't found my Stickles or Crop-o-dile.

Please help me find...

my Quickutz handle, my two boxes of flowers, and the Stickles I just bought. Haven't used my QK in months so who knows where it could be. I'm desperately trying to finish my Valentine for Mr. Fix-it. Geez, I think I need to clean house.

Mr. Fix-it to the rescue again!

Mr. Fix-it noticed my car was leaking and it turns out I needed new struts. So we traded cars since I had to drive to a different work location today (a lot farther away). He put gas in his car before I left for work, took my car in, and now all is well. On top of all that, he did a car appraisal today. He only needs to do a couple more to pay for the repair, lol. Lucky for me, we had leftovers from work so I was able to bring him a piece of cheesecake to thank him.

12 of 12

Yeah, I did 12 of 12 today from Chad Darnell, but I don't feel like uploading, so you miss out.

Feeling a little stressed because I want to make Mr. Fix-it a scrapbook page for Valentine's Day and am not sure how to do it without him knowing since I scrap on the kitchen table. Pretty hard to hide what I'm doing. And, um, nothing like waiting till the last minute and you know I'm the slowest scrapper on the planet. Wish me luck!

CHA 2008 Winter

Or should that be Winter CHA 2008? Or CHA Winter 2008? Whatever. You know what it is. If you're a scrapbooker that it. CHA is the semi-annual Craft and Hobby Association tradeshow. Note that it isn't a scrapbooking show, though paper craft vendors take up half the space. That's a lot of paper, considering it is it five halls in the Anaheim convention center.

I tried to get an exhibitor badge from my company as I had in the past, but it wasn't to be. Still, I was able to attend under an assumed name and a bit of subterfuge. We were even able to sneak in Mr. Fix-it.

In many ways, this CHA was a different experience for me. For one thing, Mr. Fix-it was with me, so I didn't feel comfortable making him wait while I participated in a million make-and-takes. Two, since I was pretending to be associated with a store, rather than an exhibitor, the vendors were much more willing to talk to me. Just for this, it was much more pleasant experience. I was even able to freely "spy" on a couple of company competitors.

The show seemed rather slow, though maybe it was just getting a slow start. The make-and-take lines were definitely longer in the afternoon. Note that I did not pay attention to any of the new paper lines. I get enough previews online, though seeing them in person does make a difference.

A few things that did catch my eye:

* Glue Arts came out with a competitor to 3M's ATC gun. I liked the way it worked, but it is still too large for my tastes. They're coming out with a smaller version, more like a large tape runner later this year. I'm going to wait for that. Note that the Pro is a prototype and the final product will look different (so I was told).

* Tombow has a new glue pen. Worked very well. Their make-and-take was a decorated giant paper clip. I was impressed with how fine a line I could draw and how quickly the glue dried.

* Glue Dots are now available in plastic dispensers, also most like a tape runner. They work well, but are not refillable so I'll pass. Their current packaging is cardboard boxes or plastic bags. Much less material produced and much less to have to recycle. I'll continue to buy the old packaging.

* Score-it. A must for cardmakers. There are some competitors out there, but I didn't get to try them out.

* Tonic has a new paper trimmer. Like I need to add to my collection. But, I probably will, lol. It is in the $24.99 - 29.99 range; I don't remember the exact price.

* Glimmer Mist. Much much subtle than glitter. Very nice sheen.

I forgot to check out We R Memory Keepers Big Bite. Not that I need another eyelet setter. Still, it would have been nice to see it in person. The Zutter Bind-it-all is still very popular. I was sooo coveting it last year. They now offer corner rounders for chipboard. Very cool! But since I'm not into mini-books, I don't see myself buying them (there are two sizes).

As you can see, I was concentrating on tools. I have soooo much paper and embellishments, I could scrapbook for a year and still not make a dent in my stash.

One odd thing was I didn't see anyone I know. Usually, I see store owners (both local and online) or local scrappers. No one, nada. Though I did catch a glimpse of the handsome Tim Holtz. Now I wish I had taken a picture. Ah well, the memory will live on.

Memories

I found out one of the photo storage sites I was using is closing down. That's too bad because it was a good site in that they didn't downsample your images and the storage limit was huge. Plus it was free. I've got close to a gig up there and now I have to figure out where I've got those photos stored at home. I'd rather not save the photos if I don't have to, since I'd have to save them one by one (no CD burning option).

In any case, it has been fun to look over the photos. Some are five or more years old. One thing I found was the album I made for Uncle T about six years ago. I was upset when he passed away that I did not get the album back. It wouldn't have bothered me so except several people remarked on the album at his funeral and that I would get the album back. Although I tried to use copies of everything, that wasn't 100% possible and there were original photos and memorabilia in it. Now those are gone forever. Printing the photos of my layouts won't be the same, especially since I didn't scan at high res. Maybe that should be a lesson to me. Always scan at high res, just in case. That way I can save my scrapbook pages digitally, just in case.

I thought I didn't care that much about any of the pages I made. But when you find out they're gone, it really does break your heart.

It's Super Tuesday

I voted. Did you? (Obviously, this doesn't apply to all my readers, but I know there are quite a few of you who can vote today.)

Wish us luck!

We're off to babysit the twins and little G. That's three against two. Five against two if you add in the dogs. If you don't hear from me again, they've overcome me and buried me in the backyard.

Never send a man to do the grocery shopping

Yes, I know that's a sexist title, but it got your attention, right?

We didn't go grocery shopping this weekend so were running low on a few things. Plus there were some awesome sales on instant oatmeal and I had coupons. I was going to shop before work, but Mr. Fix-it wasn't working so I decided to send him instead.

First, a little background on the oatmeal. I'm not a huge oatmeal fan, but I've been eating it for breakfast because it is cheap and high in fiber. Normally, I use plain, regular oatmeal, you know, the kind you cook over the stove, except I cook it in the microwave at work. For convenience (and a flavor treat), I like to keep some of the instant oatmeal around. I found this awesome new multi-grain hot cereal by Quaker, Simple Harvest. Unfortunately, it is way more expensive than the regular instant oatmeal. For the sale, with my coupon, it would be free!!! Yahoo!

I only like certain instant oatmeal flavors: cinnamon, brown sugar, pecans, or combinations thereof. Sooo, what do he get? Vanilla almond. Yuck! (yes, I tried one and don't like it.) And reduced sugar brown sugar. Another yuck! Mr. Fix-it didn't realize he bought a reduced sugar version, which I refuse to eat. (Maybe I'll post about that later.) Luckily, I found a coworker who took the reduced sugar version off of my hands. Mr Fix-it will eat one package of the vanilla almond and will try to exchange the other. Grrrr, and I thought it was such a simple request.

Mr. Fix-it

I've been thinking about giving A another name on my blog, ala Pioneer Woman's Marlboro Man. Obviously, that name is taken and besides A doesn't smoke so I had to come up with something else. I thought that "A" was difficult to read throughout my blog, even though you're probably used to seeing initials instead of names. I asked A to come up with ideas and this was one of them.

Today, he earned that name and more! I drove his car to work because it was raining and I wanted the extra security of his car (newer, larger). He called to let me know that I had two new tires. Huh? It turns out, I had a nail in one tire. He was working in the garage and noticed that tire was low. Thank goodness I didn't drive my car to work today. Thank goodness A is observant. Thank goodness A takes care of me. So today is the perfect day to unveil A's new name: Here's to Mr. Fix-it!

Why I shop for scrapbook supplies online

Today I went to a (relatively) new scrapbook store because I was looking for a few specific items and I thought they might have them there. I knew they had at least one item I was looking for. As it turns out, that one item was the only item they had that I wanted. Of course, that didn't stop me from buying three things.

But back to original reason for this post. I was trying to scraplift a card so I was looking for certain embellishments. I know that Scrapworks chipboard flowers and Heidi Swapp ghost flowers are a couple years old, but still, I was hoping to find them or something similar. I was also looking for Prima Pop ups birds, which are at least year old. When this store first opened, it had the largest selection of Prima products I had ever seen. So I was hopeful they would have what I was looking for. Nope, no go. Nada. And they had never heard of Prima Pop ups. And they were not helpful in suggesting alternate products. I found ONE package of chipboard flowers. TWO packages of transparent flowers. Okay, there were more than two packages, I guess I should have said two styles. But really, not much of a selection.

And over the weekend, I went to a different store and as usual, I walked out without buying anything. I checked out the prices on a couple of items that are $1 everywhere else. They are $1.99 there. Ridiculous!! All I wanted was pop dots. Yep, they were out of pop dots. I was willing to buy them at their inflated prices and they were out.

At least when I shop online, I know if something is in stock or not. I don't have to make a special trip. Next time, I'll go back to my "favorite" LSS (local scrapbook store). Their hours and location aren't as convenient and their selection isn't as good as other stores, but they are friendly and consistent in their stock. They don't try to be cutting edge and I can usually find what I want there. Oh, does that mean I'm not cutting edge? Maybe that's why I'm not on a design team, lol.

Scrapping in China

If you're interested in scrapbooking with Heidi Swapp in China, here's your chance: http://www.scrapmap.com/sm_china_0908.html
Its a mere $1987 per person, plus airfare ($1345.00). For that, you get two morning classes with Heidi, including a free kit! The rest of the time is spent touring around Beijing. Frankly, that's a lot of time to be spending in one place. Plus, most days, only two meals are included.

That's a lot of money. We're thinking about going to China and that's close to how much we'd spend on the whole tour, not just one city.

Another thought

Maybe my recent negatives thoughts are from all the toxins I'm releasing from doing yoga. I don't know if toxins are really released when you do yoga (or get a massage), but the instructors always tell us to drink lots of water before, during, and after yoga to rehydrate and also to flush out the toxins. Drinking lots of water is always a good thing (except that I have to keep running to the bathroom).

The stock market is headed in the wrong direction

It looks like our big account is down about 2% overall, which isn't too bad, but does that mean I have too much $ conseratively invested? Some of our mutual funds are down 10% (ouch!) to give you an idea. The huge downturn was a topic of discussion with some of my officemates. The worrywarts were running around like Chicken Little. Plus, I think they were using the downturn as an excuse to probe about others' finances. I wasn't fooled! I think my attitude of I'm not moving my money around, I'm in it for the long haul, and hopefully, dollar-cost averaging and long-term growth will pay off when I retire surprised them.

I don't know enough about investing to move my money around all the time. Some people check their retirement accounts daily. Seems like that would be a stressor, not something that reassures you. Although, I do check our outside investments often--several times a month. Gotta keep tabs on the cash flow and move money out of savings when big bills are coming in. Long-term investments? I just hope the numbers keep creeping up (which they're not doing at the moment).

Of course, I wish I had some spare change to purchase some mututal funds that were at the lowest in over a year. But wishing doesn't get you too far.

I hope this phase doesn't last long

At the moment, I'm feeling like a fat, middle-aged woman. I look at myself in yoga class, all hot and sweaty, not a pretty sight. I've been eating better for a couple weeks now (not that I ate bad before, and yes, there were a couple of slipups, but not many), drinking lots of water, and I've started exercising. I should be feeling better about myself. But I'm not.

Yes, I'm impatient and expect a small weight loss after a week of exercising. Don't tell me that a pound of muscle weighs less than a pound of fat. Come on, a pound is a pound is a pound (not like tons where you can have a short ton, long ton, or metric ton). Maybe muscle is denser than fat so if I've developing muscles, I'll look thinner. But that's not happening in a week. I'm still my same flabby self, maybe just a little more limber.

I still break out occasionally, but have to deal with dry skin. I've got age spots, wrinkles, thinning hair. Asian women are supposed to look younger than their age. Somehow, my age seems to have caught up with me.

Another DT disappointment

I applied for another scrapbook design team on a whim and not surprisingly, didn't make it. It would have been for an awesome manufacturer; they make the coolest embellishments. Nice paper too.

I didn't really expect to be selected. I'm not cutting edge enough or funky enough or something. I'm just too simple of a scrapper. But still, I had a secret hope.

Day 3

of yoga. Oh my gosh, there were over forty people in class today. There were several newbies (lots of people with gift certificates) so it looks like the crowds will continue to grow. Someone asked the instructor how large the largest class was and it was over fifty people. Wow!

I'm definitely going to have to think about doing this long term. It is quite a time commitment. Here's how it breaks down:

10 minutes changing and getting stuff together
10 minutes drive to class
10 minutes sign into class, pick spot in room (important now that the classes keep getting larger)
90 minutes class
10 minutes drive home
20 minutes shower and changing

That's two and half hours each class. I originally considered Curves; the 30 minute workout appealed to me. But I couldn't find any place close enough that opened early or late enough. They definitely aren't geared towards working women. Still, I'm going to keep them in mind for the future.

Day 2

of yoga. Yesterday, I went to my first hot yoga class, 90 minutes of yoga in heated room. It's pretty intense, the yoga more than the heat. I got a 20-day introductory pass and so far I like it. Unfortunately, I'm not the only one who's signed up for this special deal so the classes are pretty crowded. I went yesterday at 6:00 am(!) and even then there were 16 people. That's one of the smaller classes.

The good thing about yoga, at least with the two different instructors I've had so far, is that this exercise is both mental and physical. There isn't any push to "feel the burn," rather you are supposed to listen to your body, move with your body--not against it.

Maybe it is asking too much, but I'd really like to see some difference after 20 days whether it is better endurance through the poses or even better, a little more muscle tone. I'm not sure how long it takes to build muscle tone, but I sure feel sore.

It's bloggie time!

Nominate your favorite blog at bloggies.com. No I'm not asking for votes, lol. Just thought you might find this fun. I did think it was interesting that there are very few repeat nominees. And I guess I shouldn't be surprised that several blogs have been discontinued. That's the nature of the internet. Which reminds me. I need to update my blogging list on the side since some people don't update their blogs anymore.

How many e-mail addresses do you have?

I have five: one for work, one personal that I check almost daily, one personal that I check every couple days, one I hardly check at all, but I keep because I need it to send large files and to maintain my google account, and one joint account with A. I also have a couple of inactive freebie accounts that I could probably reactive if I wanted. The two personal were to separate my fun life (scrapbooking) from my serious life (professional orgs, family). But I'm migrating more and more people to my fun e-mail since I check that one more often. Does that mean I'm having more fun in life? I hope so! lol! But I really think it means that I'm trying to simplify my life.

Can I blame Hotmail?

I sent a friend an e-mail and it turns out it wasn't her e-mail, but rather a friend that she hardly sees anymore. I had attached her name to the wrong e-mail. I know that when I selected her name, I felt some confusion. Several months ago, Hotmail updated their UI (User Interface, what you see on screen/how you navigate) and I hated it. It put almost all my e-mail contacts in my shortcut list, so I was searching the 50+ list for her name. I found one I thought was hers and used it. Obviously that was a mistake! How embarrassing for me! And maybe for my friend since the e-mail involved money. Big opps! At least she laughed about it.

Time for a change

In case you didn't notice, I'm trying out a new name. Let's see how long this one lasts, lol.

Back to work

After a glorious week and a half of vacation, it was back to the old grind today. Truthfully, it wasn't too bad. About 1/3 of the department is taking the rest of the week off, plus our parent company is on vacation so no e-mails from them. The drive in was easy, but there was an accident on the way home so it was stop-and-stop traffic. No fun at all. Monday will probably not be a fun day. Good thing I've got the weekend to recover from this week, lol.

Blog name

I'm considering changing my blog name, but I can't think of anything clever. Maybe I should change it to something boring like "scrapper al's life and more." I'm tired of the current name and the mini-tribute to the Junkitz company doesn't really matter anymore since they've declared bankruptcy. Rumor has it, they weren't financially responsible. I don't know the truth. But I still want to change my blog title. Suggestions are welcome.

Happy New Year!

Wishing you and yours a fun-filled, prosperous, loving, and all-around fantastic 2008!

Dueling mice

A few months ago, our computer mouse was acting up. (What is it about electronics that don't last??!?) After a few test drives, A picked out a pretty expensive new model, but what the heck, ergonomics are important, right? The problem is, our hands are different sizes so the new mouse hurt my hand. A managed to fix the old mouse; thank goodness we can use both wireless mice at the same time. Now you can tell who's been at the computer last, based on which mouse is sitting next to the keyboard.

Arizona

We decided to take a mini vacation between Christmas and New Years since both of us were off work. We hadn't taken a vacation together in forever (or at least a couple of years)! Arizona is different enough that we felt like it really was a getaway, even though it was a short trip.

We (truthfully me) did not get off to a good start. We got a bit of a late start because I didn't get up early enough. Then, I managed to forget my wallet so I didn't have any ID or credit cards with me. Normally, A does all the driving, but still, I felt very insecure without my wallet. Later, I discovered I brought the wrong contact lens solution and I didn't bring any extra bras so I have no idea was I was (not) thinking when I packed.

Our first stop was Casa Grande. I recommend taking the guided tour. The volunteer docents are so enthusiastic about the site. One of my favorite stories is that for as long as Casa Grande stands or until the Hohokam return, a pair of Great Horned owls will remain at Casa Grande. We were told that the owls have been there from at least the 1920s. While I don't want Casa Grande to be destroyed, I also don't want the owls to leave. They were quite a sight to see.
Our next stop was the Tucson Botanical Gardens. They currently have a tropical butterfly exhibit. We just love seeing these.
This is probably the third or fourth butterfly exhibit we've seen. I never tire of them.

We had a mundane Japanese dinner the first night and a terrific Mexican meal the second night. The first was selected by the intriguing name from the GPS. The second was from the restaurant list the hotel gave us, plus, the parking was full when we drove by the night before which we took as a good sign. There were several cars in the parking lot even though it was early (before 5:00). At first, we were the only non-Spanish speaking customers. We were a little taken aback by the menu. We knew it was a Mexican seafood restaurant by the name, Mariscos Chihuahua. But I guess the picture of the shrimp on the restaurant sign should have been a strong indicator. There weren't any appetizers or entrees that didn't have seafood. Good thing we were in the mood for seafood, lol. I was a bit surprised by the assortment of hot sauces plus ketchup on the table. Why ketchup? And, were the dishes not hot enough on their own?

A ordered garlic shrimp and I ordered shrimp in chili sauce. I was assured it wasn't hot, just flavorful. Guess that was why all the sauces were on the table. Look at this plate: french fries, rice, and tortillas. I was in carb heaven! Oh yeah, and the shrimp, too many to count. Guess I shouldn't forget about the shrimp since they were supposed to be the stars on the dish. They were tasty, but a bit too spicy for my tastes. I still managed to finish off most of the dish.After Tucson, we headed north to visit a friend. On the way, we passed an outlet mall. Too bad I didn't spot it sooner because if I had, I would have made A stop. You know how I love outlet shopping. We had a nice visit with E and he choose a Chinese restaurant for dinner, which I smilingly agreed to with some trepidation. Hmmm, no Chinese descriptions on the menu and no chopsticks on the table. Not a good sign. Still, the food was hot and filling and tasty, though all the sauces were too sweet. There was enough food for us to stuff ourselves and for E to take leftovers home for another big meal. I'm not sure if it was the food or the temperature or what, but A and I suffered from some digestional distress the next day. Hmmm, reminds me of Thanksgiving, though this wasn't as bad.

Arizona was beautiful in a deserty sort of way, but the weather? Brrrrrrr!!! My poor skin was dying (and still is). I used up a whole (small hotel) bottle of lotion and it still wasn't enough. All in all, it was nice to get away, even if I do feel like a lizard at the moment.

More on Christmas

Recognize these boxes? They are leftover Harry and David gift boxes. We received a couple of gifts from vendors (though nothing as huge as we used to receive) and I just couldn't let the boxes go to waste (though the contents went to various waists, lol). Yeah, "packrat al" strikes again. Fortunately, all the boxes stack inside each other so they won't take up much room.

We spent Christmas with A's family and his brother's in-laws. For the past few years, we've spent it with my side, so this was a bit different. Traditions in his family are now non-existent since his mom passed away. (Or maybe we haven't had enough time to establish new ones?) And in my family, they've evolved or devolved, depending on how you look at it. Since Uncle T passed away, I just couldn't bear to spend it with my family and not have him there so I decided it would be better to spend it down here. As it turns out, my family was in several places due to Auntie M's passing so it was just as well I stayed down here.

We brought over cholesterol specials from thepioneerwomancooks.com. The olive bread was a bit too salty and I think we chopped the olives up a bit too fine since we used a food processor instead of hand chopping. But still, it was tasty. As were the bacon appetizers. Now you know we had to go out and buy all the ingredients for that, lol. They were surprisingly tasty. You can see them here in all their fatty goodness.

It was fun to see little G tear open his and everyone else's presents. He didn't quite get that they weren't all for him, especially since he was allowed to open his sisters' presents also. He's definitely got the oohing and ahhing part down. As soon as he tore into a gift, but before it was even recognizable, he'd cry out, Look at that, Wow!!! And before anyone had a chance to admire the gift, he'd be off to open the next one, lol. Next year should be even more interesting since the twins will be almost two, still a little young to understand what's going on, but old enough to get into everything.

In the past, we had gotten gifts for the in-laws' in-laws (got that?) since we were all opening gifts together. But this year, we thought they were opening gifts at someone else's house, plus there was the rumor that they weren't exchanging gifts. Well, we were surprised that everyone was opening gifts and that there were extra gifts for us. Opps!

Plus, we were a little embarrassed by the generosity of everyone. Not that we cheaped out, but we were more conservative than last year. I know Christmas isn't a tit for tat, but still, we were a bit overwhelmed by our gifts. Really, the best gift of all would be having all of A's family together for a holiday. But I don't see that happening any year soon.

We went to Target yesterday to check out the after Christmas clearances. Anything Christmas-themed is now 75% off. There were a few things left that I wanted, like some large gift bags, but I'm waiting until they're 90% off, lol. A says they'll be gone by then, to which I say, no problem, I didn't really need them anyways. I also didn't need the decorated As that I bought, but I couldn't resist.

I hope your Christmas was wonderful and full of love and joy! Happy New Year!

Playing catch up

We just got back from a little vacation to AZ and I'm so far behind everything. Need to unpack, need to do laundry, need to go grocery shopping. Why is coming back from vacation such a chore, lol?

I just checked Google Reader and I've got 35 blog posts to catch up on (and that's just the blogs that I've put on there. There's another dozen or so that I check sporadically). I still need to post about Christmas, Auntie M's funeral, and gasp! China. Sigh. Someday I'll be caught up.

A very scrappy Christmas

Santa baby (yep, that's how the tags were signed) brought me lots of scrapping gifts and a tee shirt. Most of these, I knew about since we bought the Cricut (an electronic die cutting machine) together and he showed me the tee shirt in the catalog and I loved the saying. I bought a couple more Cricut cartridges and figured that was it. But the box was awfully heavy and large for the cartridges and tee shirt. It turns out Santa A bought me a cordless Ott light, woo hoo! Perfect for taking to crops. I guess he figured out that I wouldn't buy myself one because I didn't need it. Okay, I know you're thinking I didn't need the Cricut either, but I do have a daylight lamp already, just not cordless. So it was a nice surprise. And I can hardly wait to wear the tee shirt to work.

I think that A was more excited about the calculator I bought him than his big gift (Rosetta Stone Spanish software). Oh well.

On a more discouraging note, I weighed myself this morning and my weight is back up to what it was in September. Could have something to do with me eating nonstop for seven hours yesterday, lol. Plus a huge dinner the night before. Plus all the goodies we had at work for a couple of weeks. A and I both want to lose the extra weight we gained, so hopefully, we can motivate each other.

Christmas cards

Have you finished sending yours out? Or do you not send Christmas cards? This year was a um, semi-half assed effort since I did not write a Christmas letter nor include a photo, although I did write a little something in every card and even a letter in some. I wanted to let some people know about the highs (going to China) and lows (Uncle T's passing) of the year.

Last year, I purchased several boxes of 50%/75%/90% off cards so I don't need to restock after Christmas this year. Though if I do find some I like at 90% off, I'll pick them up. But I need to change my card buying strategy. I really need to pick up two boxes of each style (not always easy to do on clearance) because I like sending everyone the same card. This year, I ran out of cards so I had to open a second box. Now I'll be all confused next year (not really, since I put little notes in the boxes, but you know what I mean). Each year, I select the cards I want to use based on my mood. Some years, I like elegant. This year, I went for humorous.

Then there's the dilemma of who to keep and who to cut. My list is pretty constant, all of A's aunts/uncles, a few on my side, scrapbooking friends, a few childhood friends, a few work friends. I decided to cut one friend off the list since I hadn't received a card in a couple of years, plus she hasn't returned any of my phone calls for a year. Yep, I figured I could take the hint. But low and behold, a card from her this year. Guess she's getting back on the list for another year. We'll re-evaluate if she doesn't call me at all this year. On the other hand, if I keep cutting people off the list, I can stick with the one card box per year strategy, lol.

More drama or is it trauma?

I had gotten two phone calls informing me of my aunt's passing, so I feel somewhat special that people felt the need to tell me. But then, one of the calls was from my uncle (my mom's brother, not the widower); he asked me to write something about my aunt. I was a little taken aback since I had seen my aunt maybe three times in the past 20 years. We weren't exactly close. I tried to demur, but Mr. Stubborn wouldn't take no for an answer. Unfortunately, he couldn't really explain what he wanted. I finally got the impression that this would go into a program or handout. So, I wrote a draft (with lots of blanks) and then talked to my mom to get more details. Came up with something I thought was appropriate, and gave it to A to read. Guess it wasn't my greatest work because he was a little hesitant. I told it was meant to be read, not read out loud. It "sounded" better to him then. You know, because writing a speech is different from writing a written piece. This morning, I dropped the sheet off at my cousin's because she's flying up tomorrow and could get it to my uncle faster than USPS. Then I called my uncle to let him know it was ready. It turns out, someone was going to read what I wrote. Who that someone would be, he couldn't tell me. I lost it then. I told him that first of all, I didn't feel it was appropriate for him to ask me to write something, but I did it anyway. Second, he didn't explain what he wanted so what I wrote wasn't appropriate. Third, if he was speaking, and two of my cousins were speaking, what the heck did he need more speeches for? Yes, I understand that he's stressed and sad. Yes, I know he's been very helpful to my uncle, the widower. But I really don't appreciate him adding stress to my life. So what I wrote is going in the trash (not really, it is going into my family files)

For more drama/trauma, I have been agonizing whether or not to fly up. On the one hand, probably no one expects me to go. On the other hand, I want to go to support my mom and show my respect for my uncle (the widower). A volunteered to drive up, but then, that would be a lot of driving, we'd have to get a hotel ($$$), we'd be tired. We decided it would be better if I flew up alone. But then, there wasn't any place for me to stay. Finally, I decided to fly up the day of the funeral and leave that evening. It is going to be a long day. When my mom heard I was coming up, she immediately called and said not to. I'm soooo upset now. You know how moms talk to you in that tone of voice, the "oh honey, don't do that" tone of voice. Damn it, it is my decision to make! Here I am trying to be supportive and you're shooting me down. Sigh, damned if you and damned if you don't.

Sad news

My mom called tonight and I knew it wouldn't be good news. She called to let me know that my Auntie M passed away earlier today. We're all worried about my Uncle B. They were married for over 50 years. They don't have kids, but other members of the family will be helping out. You know, like with the funeral arrangements, and staying with him so he won't be alone. There are already plans for a get together in February. I still don't know what I'm going to do.

Difficult decision

I've been getting updates about my aunt in San Francisco and the news isn't good. Basically, she's getting liquids via IV for comfort, but nothing else. I suspect it will be less than a week before she goes.

So now the decision part. Should I go up for the funeral? A and I have plans for a mini vacation. Is vacation more important than showing support for the family (which is what I think funerals are for)? Usually, I would say not. But we haven't taken a vacation in two years. I know A would understand, but I would feel terrible canceling.

If I do go to the funeral, it would be to support my mom. A little to support my uncle. But really, if I hadn't gone to China this year, I wouldn't have seen my aunt and uncle. Before this, I hadn't seen them since my wedding, oh so many years ago. So I probably wouldn't have even considered going (except to support my mom). I'm all torn up over this. I hate having to make these kinds of decisions.

Cardstock craziness

Lifetime Moments is clearancing out their 8.5x11 Bazzill cardstock. If you hurry, there's still a few sheets left (very few). I myself lost my mind and purchased over 200 sheets, it might be closer to 300 sheets. Hey, it was all 50% off (because of how much I purchased). Plus I was so close to free shipping, it was better to spend more to save the minimum $9, probably more, in shipping. Plus, most of it was free since I won a GC. How's that for lots of justification. I have noooooo idea where in the heck I'm going to put all of this. I really don't have room for it, sigh. So if you need any letter-size cardstock (perfect for cards), you know where to find me.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!

We've got an appetizer baking in the oven, then we need to pack up the car with gifts and more food for the drive over to M&C's. It will be a small gathering tonight, only our side of the family (which I will enjoy). Tomorrow, there will be twice as many people with C's side there also. Should be interesting with a 3 year old, the twins, and a newborn. I'm looking forward to all the kid time.

Thus far, it has been our easiest Christmas. The timing was right so I wasn't too stressed out for work. We're not going out of town. Shopping was easy. I got almost all my cards out (still looking for a few addresses ).

I'm especially thrilled with the gifts I got for A. His big gift came to the office a couple weeks ago and I bought his little gift on the way home on Friday. He took care of his dad and brothers (without too much prompting) and we even got a couple extra things for people. My side of the family decided to not exchange gifts, which worked out for the best since we were all running around with the funeral plans and such. Shipped gifts would have probably ended up on empty doorsteps which would have been bad.

Well, A's loading up the car and I need to finish getting ready. Merry Christmas and hope Santa's good to you this year!

Coupon fun and frustration

Did my usual Sunday grocery shopping this morning, but had to go by myself because A was working. On the one hand, I like shopping by myself because I can wander up and down each aisle looking for unadvertised specials and combine them with coupons. On the other hand, I can't watch the cashier because I'm too busy unloading the cart, so it is difficult for me to check prices (more on that later).

I'm still debating which store to shop at. I used to go to the one down the street (less than two miles), but they are always running out of the advertised specials because it is such a popular location. But then they opened a branch less than half a mile away so I started shopping there. Much quieter, but smaller and not quite as large a selection. For example, today I went to the larger store and they had several items I could not find at the smaller store. On the other hand, the smaller store is in my city so my tax dollars would benefit me more (not that I spend that much, see below, lol).

Today, I spent $33.38; coupon savings was $23 (woo hoo!) and some change. Of course, I had my grocery store club card or the total would have been another $30 more. Ridiculous, isn't it? Yeah, some people don't like giving up their personal info. If so, sign up and give a fake name/address. But then, you wouldn't get the extra coupons in the mail which saved me $5 today. So yeah, you wanna help me save money? I've give you my name and address. (I used to be much more careful about that stuff, but with computers and the internet being what it is today, I figure privacy is a lost cause.)

I scored huge in the meat dept. There were a bunch of markdowns for meat with sell-by dates for next week. Since I'll cook most of it today, no problem. Chicken thighs for 65 cents/pound. Ground beef (yeah, it was the high fat version, but oh well) for 99 cents/pound. But my best score was cornish game hens. It was an advertised special, and I had a coupon so two hens cost me 13 cents! And since they were already frozen, I just stuck them in the freezer for later. I still have to make another trip to the a different store since I refuse to buy vegetables at their outrageous prices.

Back to my frustration at the checkout. I should have checked my recipt while I was there, but I had a cart full of groceries (even though I originally had four items on my shopping list, lol) and there was a huge line. Turns out, I was overcharged $2.50 on the clearance vitamins I bought. That's a lot! Plus, it is the principle of it all. So I will be making a trip to the grocery store tomorrow after work (it is literally on the way home). And I'll pick up another pack of cornish game hens. I've already made room in the freezer, lol.

Japanese spaghetti and meatballs

No, I'm not talking about the Japanese-style spaghetti you get in Japan or Little Tokyo. I'm talking about the yummy dinner A made last night. We had some leftover sauce from this oddly named recipe, which tasted like soy sauce chicken. A bought some ground turkey and made healthy meatballs with oatmeal and flax seed for filler. Then he cooked up some udon noodles and added the leftover sauce. Add in some steamed asparagus and yum! Hope he continues with this cooking trend; he's cooked three nights this week already!

Old technology to the rescue

We're one of the few people on the planet without cable, satellite, fiber optics, or some other form of television besides the regular ol' network stations. My bil just called to ask us to tape "Heros" since his satellite is out. Of course, this means he'll have to dust off and hook up his old VHS machine to watch the tape, lol.

It's December

Can you believe that it's December already? So what's going on with my roses? I usually trim them back after Christmas. But I'm getting lots of new growth right now. On all of the bushes, front and back yard. Crazy isn't it? Hmmmmm, global warming anyone?

Haven't started Christmas cards. Still need to decide if we'll do photos. I bought Santa hats last year on clearance and A agreed that we could do a photo shoot with them. Now, just to remind him of that.

Still have lots of Christmas shopping to do. Bought A a really great gift (at least I think it is great, lol). Spent a LOT more than I usually do. Good thing we cut back on other people, lol.

Actually, we don't spend that much at Christmas. People talk about spending hundreds of dollars on their kids. On the one hand, I am shocked. If they took that money every year and put it into a 529 account for their kids, think of the gain on the kid's college fund. On the other hand, if you bought them a computer, that's way more than a couple hundred bucks. How much do kids really need anyway? Do they really have to have the latest gaming console, and new clothes from American Eagle, and an iPod, plus stocking stuffers? Yeah, just call me Scrooge.

Domestication

I'm no Martha Stewart, though I put forth some domestic effort this weekend. Made chicken soup with matzo balls yesterday. Took some over to bil's today. They're all sick so I thought sil might not feel like cooking, plus isn't chicken soup the universal cure all?

At bil's, the girls were bawling their heads off. Poor kids were over tired, with stuffed up noses. Finally, we took C out of the crib in the hopes that E would fall asleep. Little C's nose started running and she was fussy, but I didn't mind. There will come a time when the girls won't want to be held so I need to enjoy this while I can. C fell asleep in my arms, sooo sweet!

Did a bit of Christmas shopping. Only got one present out of the way; A really wasn't interested in shopping. :(

Then for dinner tonight, I tried a new recipe. It was a variation of soy sauce chicken. A liked it so I think it will go into the rotation. Then I tried a new muffin recipe. Another hit. I told A not to expect this every weekend, lol. I'm definitely better on the cooking front than the cleaning front, though I've been putting some effort into that also.