Saturday Confessions (from the road)

This is my first time to take part in Melissa's (of A Familiar Path) linky party of confessions and for some reason I waited until I am trapped in a car riding along miles and miles of Florida highway and have been reduced to blogging on my phone as a sanity diversion as we make our pilgrimage home from Road Trip 2011.

Especially since I was heard earlier to mutter, "...or I'll throw your Airheads out the window." (even though I probably wouldn't because that would be littering).


We said goodbye to The Mouse this morning and I'm only slightly sad. The crowds and the frantic pace of getting along to the next attraction wears on my soul.

Destin was absolute perfection though. I want to go to there. Again. Now.


Did you know I read three books over the course of our trip? I did, I did. What? You want to know what I read? Okay. While We Are Far Apart by Lynn Austin (WWII Christian fiction that was really good); The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs (cozy and fun chick-lit but be warned of some language and a tearjerker ending that was unexpected); and Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. And before you ooh and ah and become super impressed by my reading fortitude I better confess it was the abridged paperback version. But still. Now I've started Claude & Camille: A Novel of Monet by, wait a sec, Stephanie Cowell. We've also been listening to Harry Potter on audio CDs while driving. We're on #2 now and it's been a fabulous way to pass the time for all three of us.

I'm on my second to-go coffee of the day. This time it's Dunkin Donuts and came with a chocolate donut, because it was necessary.


Our vacay has completely ruined my diet. Some of the food has been yummy, some icky (lots of fast food) and green vegetables and fruit have been, um...scarce.

I took my workout videos (TurboFire) and resistance bands with me and they stayed in the car. For over a week. (Hangs head in shame.)

We're so bummed about the shuttle launch being scrubbed yesterday. Oh the humanity.


Especially since we were already at Kennedy Space Center almost to the viewing spot. We toyed with the idea of staying to see the next attempt Monday afternoon but pulled up our big girl panties (well, big boy briefs for Scott I guess) and decided we needed to head on home since we've already been gone a week. We'll have to watch it on TV.

Speaking of TV, I feel completely out of touch with DWTS, American Idol, The Judds, etc. And I forgot to set the DVR for yesterday's Royal Wedding extravaganza before we left. I put in an emergency call to my dad asking him to set their DVR so Annelise and I can watch it next week sometime. I remember watching Charles & Diana's wedding at my grandparents' house (I played hooky from school, phantom cramps I think) and being glued to their 18" screen for hours.

It's true, I'm old.


Praise and glory for a rest area appearing out of the trees right when you need it. And they had vending machines.

I guess that's enough confessing for now. We still have miles and miles to go (who knew Florida was so big?) and I've been neglecting my co-pilot's duties (sorry Scott).

Over and out.

Miscellany (Because It's My Specialty)

I don't know about you but I always seem to have tons of important musings trivial nonsense bouncing around in my brain and start to feel panicky if I don't preserve it for posterity dump it out here on the ol' blawg.

Even (or perhaps especially) if it's completely random and inconsequential.

Blogging it out helps my brain calm down a bit, saves Scott from having to listen to even more of my rambles (because let's face if, if I didn't blog where would all my words go?) and just knowing that y'all occasionally read and comment is like the maraschino cherry on top of my hot fudge bloggy sundae (XOXO).

Who rolled out of bed and went to Target this morning looking like something the cat dragged in? Was it me?

Not only did I have to get the labor intensive snacks of grapes and pre-cubed cheese for Annelise's class Easter party tomorrow, I had to find some shorts for my constantly growing weed, er...I mean sweet daughter because 1.) it's already oppressively HOT and b.) she informed me that she's quite tired of wearing her school uniform shorts to play in.

Can I just tell you I was offended by the sign, in the girls' department, telling me to get my must have SHORT shorts here? Or something to that effect. Can I also tell you they resembled distressed denim underwear? Do I even want to know who buys their young daughter short shorts? No. I don't.

(And now I'm singing the Nair commercial in my head.)

Thankfully after diligent searching I found some cargo bermuda shorts that will be just dandy.

I also considered buying snacks for an upcoming road trip (!!) but was immediately overwhelmed by all the choices and unsure of what my people would want to snack on while we travel across three (maybe four? I'm unsure) states. To me, half the fun of road tripping is stopping at gas stations for healthy snacks whenever necessary.

And believe me, I am bursting at the seams to tell you all about our trip but Scott put the hammer down and said I had to wait until we get back since he thinks putting specifics of when our house might be unoccupied out here on the blawg for all the world to see is not so, um...wise.

Don't the crooks know our house will not only be alarmed it'll be protected by two 11 year old cats? Because fierce? Is what they are (when they aren't sleeping or coughing up hair balls that is).

But maybe he won't mind me telling you that there will be a beach involved (!!), a couple of well known amusement parks and an historic happening will be witnessed.

Was I vague enough?

What's your favorite road trip snack?

Monday Morning Confessions

Well, I guess they're technically afternoon confessions by now.

I need to start keeping a record of my sleeping patterns. Make that my non-sleeping patterns. I woke up again this morning at 2:45, wide awake and so not wanting to be. I usually go ahead and stumble out to the family room to read or watch something on Netflix for an hour or two and then stumble back to bed in the hopes of catching a few more winks (often futile) before the rooster crows.

Even though we don't have a rooster.

I don't know if it's hormones, aging, diet changes, caffeine or what (?!?!) causing this sleeplessness (is it a type of insomnia?) but I just wish I could sleep through the night, even until 5:00 am, I'd be giddy about that right about now.

This weird interrupted sleep pattern usually leaves me feeling groggy and crabby and often with a headache to boot.

But I have finished some more books lately and all of Army Wives.

So there's that.

I tend to think I'm a bit cold hearted and unemotional but man, oh man, Army Wives really tugged on my heartstrings and even made me boo hoo. Now I can catch up with Season 5 (which is airing right now).

This morning, otherwise known as 3:00 A. to the M. and technically the armpit of nighttime, I watched an episode of 24 from its last season. Jack Bauer rocks anytime (but it's certainly not soothing, sleep inducing entertainment by any means).

In other news, our garden is finally showing signs of growth.

However we will just have to be patient for quite a while longer as there have been no sightings of tomatoes, cucumbers, okra or zucchini sprouting forth just yet.

(I always spell zucchini wrong the first time.)

Our little two row garden suffers from feelings of insecurity and inadequacy when it sees the sprawling garden next door.

But our garden bed has an actual rusted iron headboard, a fact of which I'm fairly certain our neighbor's garden is jealous.

Or maybe not.
Wouldn't it be awesome to be 7 and be able to wear a homemade (or school made) crown for no particular reason? Annelise certainly thought so since she hardly took it off Friday (even to HEB and Fuddrucker's).

When loading our cart at HEB after checking out (and bagging my own totes since they were short staffed), I fumbled and spilled our grapes. Annelise and I and a bagger scrambled to pick them up and then the checker proceeded to put them in a plastic bag and hand them back to me. I asked him if I could get another bundle instead since mine had fallen, you know, on the oh so clean floor of the check-out line. He said sure but I sensed hesitation in his voice.

I'm sure produce falls on their floor all the time but I'm not sure what their policy is. I choose to believe that they immediately discard anything that falls and maybe I'm in total denial about the fact they might follow the 10-second rule and toss it right back up with its produce family, ready for the unsuspecting shopper to come along and buy it.

So on our way out I picked up another grape trio bundle but felt a little guilty about it.

Saturday morning my feetsies got some long overdue pampering in the form of a pedicure (my deepest apologies to the nail tech) and my brows, lip and chin (yes, it's true) were finally, um, de-furred. I always get so red and blotchy after waxing, although this Instagram filter toned it all down to a mere pink. Thank goodness.

Instagram is my current favorite iPhone app because of its fun filters, but I still forget to snap photos with it as often as I should or could (kicks self).

We waited until the deadline (postmarked today) to send in our taxes. Whew! That was close. But finally done.

97.2% of the time I think Facebook is a major time suck, waste and silly (but yes, I still *check* it regularly), however on Saturday I thought it was pretty cool. A local boutique posted 25% off their Yellow Box sandals that day only, all you had to do was mention their Facebook special.

So of course these bling-y lovelies had to come home with me later that afternoon.
I know you might think they are just overpriced flip-flops, but not only are they cute and bling-y they are incredibly comfortable and supportive, like you can wear them all day and with everything kind of flip-flops. You should try them. Really.

When Scott asked me how many pairs of Yellow Box shoes I had and if I really needed another pair I told him the truth (six) and (absolutely because this pair is bling-y-er).

He may have sighed and rolled his eyes a bit but ultimately gave up any further protest.

Scott, you are a good man, Charlie Brown.

And yes, those are my camo bermuda shorts from 2007. Why do you ask?

Do you have anything to confess? Go ahead, spill it.

Five for Friday

1.) I was so tickled by my cleverness (cough) when I set this in front of Annelise this morning.

(Please tell me you see my cleverness.)

Annelise however did not. At least not at first. She just grabbed a blackberry and was on the verge on plopping it into her mouth when I stopped her and told her to put it back down and look at her cereal again. She kind of looked at me like I had lost my mind (again) but she complied, dropped the blackberry back into its spot, said something along the lines of, "Oh, you made a smiley face, cute", graced me with a smile of thanks and then picked that exact blackberry up again and ate it.

Oh well, I thought I it was cute.

2.) Last night we went to a little Easter program at Annelise's school which got off to a rocky start. Not the program itself, but our actual getting there. We left our house 25 minutes before it started to make the five minute drive and our early bird efforts were immediately ground to a halt by a train. A loooooong, snail paced train. A train which Scott feared would only block us again at the next intersection a little ways down the road. So, instead of driving 1.5 miles and possibly waiting a few minutes for the same annoying train to pass (my plan) he decided to drive in the completely opposite direction at least 5-10 miles to go around the train, thinking it would somehow be a shortcut.

So instead of being in cheery early bird moods we ended up being white knuckled muttering grumps navigating through evening traffic and an unexpected road closure on two wheels and getting our daughter to her program 10 minutes after her appointed time.

My dad and Peggy, who left their house (two houses down from ours) much later than we did and drove the direct route and weren't stopped by the train at all, were already sitting in the auditorium by the time we got there.

Don't think I didn't give Scott The Look and The Sigh.

Because I did.

And maybe, just to be extra clear, I told him that I was right after all too because I am obviously mature and above rubbing it in.

But Annelise still got to sing with her class (turns out they hadn't got things started quite yet) and we all enjoyed the show.
Even from the back.

3.) In other news I've continued to get my exercise in every weekday (except for Wednesday for some reason) so that's good. And I feel better. However, I must confess I've been dating Ben & Jerry again. One frozen date led to another and to another to where I'm back to craving ice cream at night in front of the TV.

I must subscribe to the false belief that exercise is a permission slip to slack on my diet and that I deserve a reward for a workout or for mostly clean eating. Such a vicious cycle.

4.) Have y'all heard the good news? Set your DVRs, pop your corn and put the kids to bed early because Season 5 of Friday Night Lights, otherwise known as one of the best shows ever, starts tonight on NBC.

(!!!)

Of course I am in complete denial that this is the last (sob) season I'll get to follow the ups and downs of Dillon, Texas and Tim Riggins' jeans.

Thank goodness DVDs are forever.

5.) Hmm...I guess I don't have a #5 after all. I'm sure y'all are relieved.

So put a happy face on your cereal y'all and have a happy, happy weekend!

12 on the 12th {april}

1.) Annelise's breakfast & lunch assembly line. Why don't I make her lunch the night before?

2.) Annelise imitated The Godfather himself Marlon Brando (but she didn't know that).

3.) Time to leave for school.

4.) My much needed morning crack coffee.

5.) A little quiet time.

6.) Got my exercise on! Whoop!

7.) After workout recovery: spinach smoothie.

8.) Hitting the road to get my hairs did.

9.) Supper at the local salad bar.

10.) Bangs. Blond. Discuss.

11.) A little before bedtime reading.

12.) Settled in for DWTS results (lame, I know).

So, how was your 12th? Do tell.

Be sure to visit Amy's blog to see other 12 on the 12th posts.

*Amy had mentioned looking for signs of spring on this month's post. While I missed out on snapping any blooms I did snap (but didn't post it, oops) the temperature reading in the car which read 85. That might be summer in some places (jealous) but I guess that's spring in Texas. Urg.

A Closet Purge. And The Judds.

I wish I had something more exciting to report than the fact I attempted to clean up our closet this weekend.

But I don't.

But look, I have blurry photos to document the disarray and disorder.

The bad news is I had purged and cleaned up my side(s) of the closet almost a year ago and through my oh, I don't know, let's call it laziness (and shopping) the mess took over again.

The good news is it didn't take that long to restore some order. Scott worked on his side too and we filled two bags to the brim for Goodwill and one bag for the trash.

It felt so good to be ruthless and get rid of clothes and shoes I hadn't worn in a while (and knew deep down that I wouldn't). Why was I keeping that stuff?And? Honestly? There's still a LOT of stuff.

But at least it's a bit neater and I can see most of it.

I flirted briefly with the thought of moving my long sleeved, fall-ish clothes to an upstairs closet to create more free space, but put that on hold for now.
Walking into our closet now feels so much better, it's ridiculous. I sometimes wish I was one of those people who was constantly working on organization but then I'd probably drive myself crazy and might not appreciate the results as much. I think I'm okay with being a spontaneous organizer.

I still need to tackle this side of our closet. It's a hot mess. I did purge several pairs of shoes but the baskets and shelves need attention desperately.
And I was totally going to tackle it this morning, you know first thing right after my coffee and bible study lesson.

Guess who stumbled across The Judds' new reality TV show on Oprah's network this morning and the world as she knew it stopped spinning?

Was it me?

(I can't help it...the drama, the mother-daughter relationship, the therapy, the confessions, the music, the clothes, the over arched eyebrows, the shocking colors of red hair dye available, the make-up, etc. all sucked me in and it was fascinating I tell you, absolutely eyes-glued-to-the-TV-fascinating stuff. The DVR is set my friends.)

*Do you organize regularly or when the mood hits?*

*Are you Naomi & Wynonna obsessed like me?*

Five for Friday

Would you be surprised if I told you I had a few random things rattling around in my brain for today's post and now that I am sitting here in front of a blinking cursor they seem to have escaped me.

However I will try to soldier on.

1.) Let's go ahead and express our collective shock and awe over the American Idol results last night shall we? It's nights like that that make me threaten to wash my hands of AI completely. Pia is crazy talented and crazy beautiful so maybe America thought she'd get plenty of votes and therefore didn't vote for her (or withheld their votes out of jealousy at her perfection) and/or oodles of tweenyboppers voted for Stefano based on his puppy eyes and pandering to the camera. Or AI is rigged and this was an effort to create even more hyped up drama (I do like conspiracy theories, but I'm not a nut).

And? American Idol producers? Don't ever, ever, EVER pull a stunt like having Roland Whoever and the TMZ team *chat* with the contestants and then...and THEN...finish things off with having the half-clothed, 89 year-old, freakishly bronzed Iggy Pop scream at me for 3 minutes of my life that I will never get back again.

Oh my eyes! My eyes!

2.) I am in the midst of a hair crisis, a crossroads if you will. Somehow I've managed to let my hair grow to a point that it is not short enough to fix easily and not long enough to pull it back or up when I'm crunched for time. And it's thick and unruly. It takes me forever to blow-dry, then flat-iron and by then I'm a sweaty mess right after my shower, which is so pleasant and not counter productive at all. When ever I reach this crisis point I usually give up and beg my stylist to CUT IT, JUST CUT IT ALL OFF NOW. I'm tired of the angled bob (yawn) and the peek-a-boo highlights (yawn), but I don't know what my options are. More layers and a messy, fringe-y look? Keep the angled bob but shorten it waaay up? Since summer is on its way and I'm committed to more regular exercise (again) I need lower maintenance hair or I might hurt someone.

My appointment is Tuesday so I must come up with an idea soon.

3.) Guess what? I kept my promise and am happy to report I did my TurboFire workouts every day this week so far. Oh yes ma'am, I did.

And I feel pretty good about it too (even though the above post workout photo may not adequately express my level of said excitement).

4.) I've been caught in something of a laundry vortex this week and I now realize it's my own fault. Up until this week I mostly did laundry on one particular day of the week and that was that. Anything needing to be washed waited until laundry day (unless it was critical), tackle it (not that it's crazy with our little family or anything) and be done until laundry day rolled around again as it's prone to do.

For some reason I tried to achieve laundry perfection this week (re: empty baskets or hampers) and found myself messing with laundry all week long. Blech. I'm reinstating laundry day pronto.

5.) Last week I bought a red lipstick (MAC Russian Red, in case you're curious) because at that precise moment I absolutely had. to. have. it. (Do y'all have moments like that?)

So far I've been too scared to wear it in public because both Scott and then Annelise were somewhat shocked by the sight when I tested it out at home.

Isn't that sad?

Oh well.

Hope y'all enjoy your weekend!

*What did you think about AI this week?*

*Any hair advice?*

*Are you a laundry perfectionist or a set laundry day(s) type?*

*Red lipstick, yay or nay?*

Goodbye Hermie Jean*

Annelise had quite the shock the other evening when she checked on Hermie (her first *pet* that she got for her birthday). Imagine her surprise when she realized Hermie was no longer in his shell. Imagine the outcry. Imagine the drama. At first we were hopeful that Hermie had moved into the bigger empty shell we'd left in his tank just in case he ever got the urge to check out a new wardrobe.

Sadly, that was not the case**.

Hermie, our faithful, low-maintenance little crabby friend, had given up the ghost. Departed this earthly realm. Punched his ticket. Pushed up daisies. Met his maker. Went toes up (er...make that claws).

Hermie, my friends, had left the building.

Once Annelise got a hold of herself we began the arduous task of planning his er...funeral. She immediately ixnayed my idea of flushing him (no offense to Hermie) so she prepared his remains for a sunset burial the following day.

RIP Hermie

You were a good little crab.

*My apologies to Elton for taking a wee creative license with his classic song.

**I hope no one reports us to Crab Protective Services, but I think we let his tank get too dry (his sponge and seaweed were rather crispy) so a lack of humidity may have led to his early demise. Sorry Hermie.

Tuesday Confessional

This post was originally going to be titled Monday Night Confessional but that obviously did not happen. But when it's random, does timing really matter?

* First of all let's get the DWTS drama out of the way. Did y'all see it? Man oh man, I felt so bad for Maks and Kirstie! They both soldiered on and finished their dance with such grace, but still...I hate that they fell. Maks, in case you didn't know is my favorite pro dancer, love his style, humor and bad-boy attitude. He and Kirstie seem to get along really well (remember when he had to suffer through dancing with Denise Richards?) and respect each other.

* Annelise got to wear PJs to school yesterday (apparently this is the height of coolness), even though she was one of only a handful of fellow first-graders that didn't have slippers (the outrage!). She also (and I should add finally) got to have Show & Tell. There was much agony over the weekend trying to decide what to take since it couldn't be a toy (the outrage!). She decided on Scott's old lock box, that has a *secret* code, and which she uses to store important *things*. What was inside yesterday you might wonder? Her YMCA soccer trophy from three years ago and two marbles.

* Annelise picked these lovely roses from my dad and Peggy's well maintained flower beds (I always feel twinges of shame when I see ours).

* Also pictured is my scripture spiral with my verse for the first part of April. Honestly I've been slack with my memorization/practice. I've been choosing the verses twice a month and writing them down...and that's about the extent of it. Which is why I picked 1 Corinthians 15:58 since it reminds me "...to always give myself fully to the work of the Lord", which is an attitude that has been sorely lacking in me.

* Like Sunday? Who didn't go to church? Was it me?

* I don't watch Lifetime (no offense), however I've recently discovered Army Wives through Netflix. I'm on Season 2. Don't judge.

* I'm making a commitment to exercise everyday day this week. Hold me to it, m'kay?* Last week I did TurboFire three times which was a good start and will continue this week. It's a fun, fast-paced cardio kickboxing style workout. I really like combining one of the cardio workouts with either core work, HIIT or sculpting (included in the kit) or one of the weight workouts from ChaLEAN Extreme. They're not only good workouts, they are doable and the time seems to fly by (mostly). I love watching the little counter on the bottom of the screen, in a weird way watching it count down keeps me going.

*After blogging for oh, what is it, going on five years (5!!), I finally figured out how to get comments e-mailed to me. Duh! I've tried to answer questions or respond to comments in each post's comment section but sometimes felt like a dork talking to myself. Does anyone go back to read through old comments? I don't know. Now I can reply through e-mail with one click and I'm absurdly excited about that.

* I've been having trouble sleeping. Again. Not going to sleep mind you, but staying asleep. Waking up at 3:00 or 4:00 am, reading for a while, then feeling tired, finally drifting back to sleep right before Scott has to get up or I really do, feeling groggy, cotton-headed and cranky. It's not fun.

* I popped into the library yesterday while Annelise was at dance and since I'd had a lot of water I had to visit the ladies' room, where there was already another occupant. Said occupant DID NOT wash her hands (flashbacks to Seinfeld & Poppi) before she left. EWWW! Since she had her laptop on the floor of her stall (again eww!) I later recognized her out at one of the tables and gave her a verbal beating inside my head. And maybe little bit of my stink eye.

Happy Tuesday, y'all!

*How do y'all reply to comments? Do you reply to every single comment (I don't and often feel guilty) or as the mood strikes?*

*Have y'all had a Jerry moment?*

*Anything to confess?*

Five for Friday

1. Y'all. Annelise is fully embracing her seven year old status, what with collapsing in a fit of giggles at burps (and other noises), making festive armpit music and now that April has officially arrived, April Fool's pranks. Last night before bed she made a list of the *pranks* she is planning (but wouldn't let us see it of course). Oh yes, she did.

I'm fairly worried about what her conduct color status will be by the end of school today.

Early this morning she be-bopped downstairs to tuck this surprise in Scott's planner thingie that he carries to work.

Then she asked me for a quarter, made a quick paper rubbing and later tried to *loan* Scott a paper quarter. She then left this for me behind my coffee cup. I was so startled. Smirk.
She has also been practicing the best way to pull someone's leg by pausing in the middle of calmly talking and then inform them there is a spider on their shoulder. Or something like that.

I feel so sorry for teachers today.

2. Last week, Big Mama asked her readers about their favorite shampoos which led to a few tips about baking soda. That might sound like a stretch, but apparently baking soda can be very clarifying when products build up on our hair. Some people even shared tips about using it to brush their teeth (done that, liked it, FYI) and wash their faces. I decided to give that a whirl.

I sprinkle a bit of baking soda into my palm, squirt some Cetaphil, add a teensie bit of water and then wash my face. It works like a gentle exfoliater and the nifty thing is both Cetaphil and baking soda are CHEAP and available almost everywhere. Try it. I think y'all will thank me.

3. Did y'all see American Idol last night? Are y'all even watching it?

Hello?? (is this thing on?)

I'm disappointed that Naima was sent home, I really liked her funky spirit, creativity and she is a talented performer but her reggae Elton John obviously didn't please the collective masses. I was quite ready to say good bye to Thia though. Yawn. I was also hoping that Stefano would be leaving with her, but I guess all the little girlies are voting for him.

And one more thing, Scott thinks I have flipped my lid but quirky, blindingly smiley Paul is actually growing on me. When he plays the guitar it seems to quench his stage skipping and grounds him a bit more. And I really like his Porter Wagner suit.

4. Have I told y'all my not-so-secret bucket list thingie to be in a flash mob someday? It's true, I do. Somehow, somewhere, someday...maybe it will happen. So of course when I saw the previews for that show Mobbed, airing conveniently after AI, I knew we had to DVR it.

Okay, it was really cheesy. Like curdled. And Howie Mandel stresses me out. BUT, I l-o-v-e Tabitha and Napoleon (NappyTabs on SYTYCD) and the whole flash mob concept.

But I think I'll stick to YouTube videos when I need my flash mob fix.

5. And since all I can seem to talk about is TV (what? am I shallow?) I will close with this.

Last night over supper Annelise said Shazam, like out of the blue, so of course I had to tell her all about one of my favorite TV shows of the super cool 70s, known as SHAZAM. It wasn't until I got to the part about the young super hero guy traveling around in an RV with an elderly man as a sidekick and trying to stop bad guys, that I realized how truly absurd this show was.

What can I say? I was 7 or 8, it was the 70s and I also couldn't get enough of Isis, Sigmund and the Sea Monster and let's not forget this oh-so-realistic with such high-tech special effects 70s classic, The Land of the Lost.

That was quality Saturday morning TV at it's finest, my friends.

Hope y'all have a fabulous weekend!

***I think I used y'all about eleventy hundred times in this post. Sorry. Hope y'all will forgive me. xoxo