Thanksgiving Organizing

Leaving school on Friday before a holiday:  Relief

Putting things off until next week:  Lazy

Sunday evening with no thought of Monday morning:  PRICELESS!!



I started my Thanksgiving organization with a grocery list.  I always shop with a list.  Here is my routine:

The weekly grocery circulars come in our newspaper on Wednesdays.  I save them.
They are also online at the particular grocery store's website so it's not necessary to save them.  But I do.  Old habits die hard.

I have 3 stores that I frequent for sales:  Kroger, Brookshires and CVS.  Surprisingly, CVS has a lot of grocery sales.   We do have an Albertson's but after months of the manager telling me that particular location wasn't participating in the sale, or the shelves were cleared of sale items, plus the slow checkout lines I quit visiting.  I'm patient.  But not that patient!

Back to my routine:

I have a handy dandy grocery notebook that I bought at The Paper Source.  I label each note by the store name and I go through each circular writing down the deals including price.  

I check my coupons quickly.  It doesn't take as long as you may think.  I've been stopped before in the store and asked about time commitment.  It's just like anything else.  You get out of it what you put into it.

I shop the sales and nothing else.  

Obviously if there is something we absolutely need, I will pay full price.  But that is rare.

Yesterday I took my sales list to Brookshires and saved 40%.

Tomorrow I will go to Kroger for a few sale items.

I will also visit CVS.  The big deal sale I saw today at CVS involved iTunes gift cards.  Buy $75 worth of iTunes gift cards, get $20 CVS money in return to spend on staples such as toilet paper, paper towels, shampoo, nail polish.  Those are the things I usually keep an eye on for sales at CVS.  By the way, they call them "Extra Care Bucks or ECBs"  I call them "CVS Money"  Because really, that's what they are.  They print at the bottom of your receipt.  I wish there were a way to transfer that to your shoppers reward card because I have lost my receipt once or twice.  Sad when that happens.

I have quite a stockpile of things we use regularly.  If it's on sale for a cheap price and I can drop a coupon on top of the sale I buy as many as I think we can use in 3 months.

Today I pulled all our family's favorite recipes.  Checked ingredients already on hand.
Added one or two things to my Kroger list.

I feel better when I'm organized.  Less stressed and more excited to EAT!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

First Day of Thanksgiving!

Oh the joy of waking up in a quiet house with nowhere to go.  I'm going to drink a pot of coffee and watch cooking shows all morning.  Ironman got up early and left for a race.  He'll return about 2pm.  Both daughters are asleep and I'm going to let them sleep.  They can both sleep to noon if they choose. I enjoy a quiet morning.

Look what I bought:

 Yes.  I had to go buy a video cassette recorder.  We did not own one.  

 I've often wished I had the time and energy to have these videos uploaded onto DVDs.  Uploaded?  Is that the word?  Transformed?  Metamorphsized?  Well, you know what I mean.  I did some research online.  Okay, I read the banner at Target the other day while I was having some prints done for school.  I decided I'd send one or two of them off and see what I got.  But first I wanted/needed to watch the crazy videos.  Yes, they are labeled but I'm still not sure exactly what is recorded.

I looked at my family.  "Do we have a VCR?"  They all stared at me.  Of course Dancer Girl replied, "You mean an MP3?"  I'm pretty sure she doesn't even remember what a video tape looks like or how it works.

Once I get a bee on my bonnet I can not get it out!  I went online and did a search on Amazon.  All that showed up were used VCRs.  So I just did a WWW search and found the above machine at Wallyworld.com.  You know, that place I NEVER go?  I was forced to break my anti-walmart shopping streak.  I picked it up yesterday.

Now all I was searching for was a machine to play the tapes so we could watch them.  But this machine actually claims to have the power to record said video onto a DVD.  WOOP WOOP.  I haven't tried it out yet.  So I will let you know.

So glad I have a tech geek daughter who can just handle it.  "Here you go.  Your project for Thanksgiving Week"

By the way my other daughter will be building her wind project for science fair this week.  The Engineer will be home Tuesday.  I've already warned him that she'll need a little help.  Or a lot of help.


In other news:

Remember how I told you about the Revlon nail polish that boast it will not chip or fade for 11 days?

I painted my nails on Monday afternoon.  They looked like this;

And here they are day #5.  

Hmmmm.  Didn't even last a week.  So really no different than my regular nail polish would last.
We were discussing this nail polish at work Thursday and I could already tell it was chipping on the ends.  One lady was just over the top concerned.  She questioned me like this;
"Did you use a filler?"  "Did you use a bottom and top coat both?"  "Did you apply 2 coats of the revlon polish"  "You must have gotten a bad jar"  "You must have done something wrong"  "You don't know what you are doing"

Okay she didn't say those last 2 comments.  But the way she was questioning me it was as if she was sentencing me to a life with no manicures ever!  I was wondering to myself if her middle name is REVLON.  Some people are quite intense.  And narcissistic.  How dare I find HER FAVORITE NAIL POLISH inadequate.  Wow.

So this week I will  watch the family videos, complete the science fair project along with Dancer Girl and The Engineer.  I will make a list of Christmas Gifts to order.  I will take a Christmas Card Photo and design the Christmas Card for this year, have them printed, mail them out on Friday.  I will go by the Post office and purchase Christmas Stamps.  (Oh, I may just order them online this morning while my house is quiet and I have the computer to myself) I will cook and bake and watch TV, stay up late, sleep late, ENJOY MY WEEK!!

Toodles

Job Evaluation, Doctor's Appointment, Shopping Spree and Basketball

What do all those things have in common?

I had to do them all yesterday.  Plus a regular work day.  And add the usual housework stuff.  And feeding the dog.  It was 9:30pm before I sat down and flipped on the television.

Let's start at the beginning and I promise I'll make it short and snappy.

I got a letter in my box that it was time for my formal evaluation.  "Please schedule a time to meet with the Director"  Good.  I've been wanting to meet with her and was thinking I'd do it after the holidays.  But now this gives me the nudge I need to get it over and done with.  So I emailed her and we decided 2pm in her office.  And so we met.  I told her I was dissatisfied with my job.  I told her that I had the skills and experience to do so much more and I felt like I was not being utilized to the best of my abilities and talent.  I also told her that although I had made no formal plans I was thinking of seeing what else was out there for me.  I felt good about our meeting and felt even better getting all of that off my shoulders.  She gave me some advise on how to handle certain situations.  I'm not sure I'll follow her advise.

I did show up at work today on time.

After work I had a doctor's appointment to discuss the reaction I've had since being on lisinopril.  I was nervous!  I decided I'd just throw myself on the mercy of the court and the nurse.  :)  I confessed that the I stopped the medication 3 weeks ago.  I confessed that I felt miserable while on it and that I feel so much better now.  Then I had to weigh.  OH MY GOSH why oh why do they weigh you and THEN take your blood pressure.  Like 5 seconds later?  (I was asking this of my hair stylist today and she said it should be like the DMV.  Just ask, "How much do you weigh?" And let the patient give you a range  We got a good laugh from that.)  To my shock and surprise I was down 8 pounds.  EIGHT!  Are you kidding?  WOOP WOOP  Then she took my bp.  I tried to take deep breaths.  What was that zen thing?  Why didn't I do some yoga before I came?  Does holding your breath help?  All these ran through my mind.  But I knew it was what it was.  I shouldn't have to do all that to have a normal range pressure  I also knew that I had been super busy at work, rushed home, rushed around the house, rushed to get to the appointment on time.  I didn't sit in the waiting room even 5 minutes before they called me back.  So I was prepared for a disapproving look from the .......... what?  Wait, what did you say my bp is?  144/78  WHAT?  I heard the marching band.  YIPPEE.  I knew I felt great.  I knew it.
Okay okay maybe the lisinopril is still in my system keeping it down......... is it?  It's been almost a month.  I left the appointment feeling happy, happy, happy.  I had a Rx for some lotion to help with the itching, a refill for my migraine medication that I really never use but when you need it, you need it.  And NO lisinopril.  He said there was no reason to continue it.  Return in 3 months for a recheck.  Well, thank you Doc.  I sure will.

The rest of my evening went like this;

Return home.
Pick up Dancer Girl.
Drop her off at Fencing.
Zip into the mall and buy some new lipgloss, under eye corrector and eyeshadow.  Look at shoes.  Don't buy any.  Look at handbags.  Don't buy any.
Go to car.  Call and order pizza.
Pick up Dancer Girl from Fencing.
Drive and pick up pizza
Eat pizza at home
Change clothes
Take Dancer Girl to the Championship Basketball Game for her school.  She is on the yearbook staff and was required to take photos.  We ended up watching the whole game.  Guess what the score was?
8 to 7.  HAHAHA  Neither team could make a basket.  All the points were from foul shots.  Dancer Girl's School Team came out the winner.  So, that was fun.
Drive Home.
Walk to the bedroom.  Put on soft pajamas.  Sit down.  Stare at the television.  Daydream of next week.


I'm tired.

Just a quick update:  Today is day #3 of my Revlon Gel Polish experiment.   The color is chipping just a little bit.

Off to cook some supper.  Toodles.

Nail Polish

Yesterday at school Mrs. O asked me about my nail polish.  She said she had heard of a nail polish that was very similar to the gel polish you get at salons.   That this nail polish was guaranteed to last 10 days with no chips or fading.  Wow.  That got me to thinking.

After school I ran by CVS.   I had a 25% off your entire purchase coupon and it was expiring in one day.  I needed a few things anyway so it was my chance to look at the nail polish.

Here is what I bought:

Color:  200  Stormy Night
Pretty, huh.  Not too purple.  Not too gray.  Not too halloweenish.


I tend to lean toward the pink/purple colors.  In fact I have way too many of that same color.  I took a walk on the wild side and bought from a different section of the color wheel.  I'm a maverick.



The polish went on as smooth as any polish.  I noticed nothing different about the thickness or "paintability"  Is that a word?  What I mean is it went on my nails just like regular nail polish.

Here are my nails right after I painted them.  I took it with my phone.  I just had to.  I had wet nails!  So the photo isn't that great.  You'll understand I'm sure.

I'm going to keep track for you and test it out.  It would be nice to find nail polish that would honestly last more than a week.  And this week my nails will get a workout.  I'm a teacher so naturally I wash my hands more than the average bear.  Over and over and over again!  For supper we had shrimp so my painted nails peeled and deveined a couple of pounds.  Typing and cleaning and opening and closing and folding and clearing - this will surely be THE TEST for this nail polish.

I have to say the color is still shiny and smooth.  No chips.  Onward to tomorrow.


In other news:  I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow for my rash.  I've been off the medicine for 3 weeks.  The rash has gotten better in some places and today I noticed it breaking out in other places.  The itching is ............. well, the itching is maddening.

Lisinopril

Well, it happened.  I've decided to get back in the swing of things and start blogging regularly.

I have a lot to blog about.

First of all, I had my annual doctor's appointment with the ole GYN in July.  Yes that was months ago. I'm just now telling you about it because it's been a looonnnggg few months.  At the time there was no news.  Which is good when you visit the GYN.  You do NOT want news.  You want NO NEWS.

I did get a little news.  My blood pressure was elevated.  And it was elevated last year.  And the year before.  The nurse would always ask me if I thought it was that white coat anxiety.  I don't think so.  She advised me to take my bp at random times over the next few weeks.  Keep track of it.  Just for my own knowledge.

And so I did.

And yes, it was elevated.  In fact more than once it was high high HIGH.

Now Ironman has been on BP medication for several years.  He told me he felt so much better.  He didn't even realize how bad he felt until lisinopril.  No more headaches.  No more afternoon drag.  He felt great.

So I made an appointment and went to my family doctor.  We talked about options and finally I left with a Rx for lisinopril.   A month later I returned for a follow up visit.  My bp was normal.  I felt tine.  Oddly I felt the same.  But I guess since the bp was normal, that's a good thing.

School started.

And now it's November.  And I am covered in a red prickly rash  It's awful.  I managed it for more than a week.  Well, I didn't actually manage it.  I just tolerated it.  I soaked in aveeno.  I dipped myself in cortisone 10.  I noticed that the rash would pop up here and disappear there only to pop up over yonder.  It began on my chest and hair line.  Cleared up but popped up on my waist and hips.  That was awful.  Finally began to clean there and popped up on the back of my arms.  I didn't know what in the world I was allergic to.  I changed my deodorant, my shampoo, my hairspray.  Nothing helped.  Then one night Ironman asked me, "Do you think it could be the lisinopril?"  Well............................ let's google it
.
Oh come on, everybody googles symptoms.

And there it was.  Side effects:  cough, headache, nausea, diarrhea and RASH.  As I read through the less frequent symptoms I realized I had just about all of them.  The depression.  The fatigue.  The rash

Gosh, I have been depressed.  I even talked about quitting my job.  It was all I could do to get dressed.
Yes, I was depressed.

I never really had the cough or nausea.  But oh baby did I have the rash!

So I stopped the lisinopril.  Cold Turkey.  Stopped.  Did not talk to the doctor  I wanted the rash GONE NOW.

Within a few days I noticed the fatigue had lifted.  I was feeling better and no longer depressed.

The rash is better but still irritating.   I notice I itch everywhere.  I guess the nerve endings are irritated.

I do plan to return to the doctor.  I just haven't.  Here are the reasons:

1.  I quit the medicine without doctor approval.
2.  They'll make me weigh.  (It won't be pretty)
3.  My bp will be back up  Disapproving look from nurse
4.  SO BUSY!!

And so........ I'll keep you updated.

I've also thought of a fun thing to do with this blog.  It starts tomorrow.  I'm only working a half day.  So tomorrow afternoon stay tuned for some cute stuff!!

Toodles

Dear Blog, How Have you Been?

Hello Blog.

I think of you often.

Life is busy, you know.

I have many, many exciting things to tell you.  Halloween was fast and furious as always.  As a preschool teacher I will let you know that this event is almost as exciting as Christmas.  The candy, the costumes, the music, the decorations -- it's a fun time.  Of course, in preschool this is our motto:

No scary ghosts or witches
No creepy crawly bugs
Just lots of Halloween Wishes
and plenty of kisses and hugs

I put that poem inside a decorative bag and fill it with, of course, Hershey's Kisses and Hugs Candy.

Everyone came to school dressed in costume.  We had a Costume Parade.  Sang some fun songs, ate a special Halloween Cookie.  Moms were there to help change from costume to play clothes and then we ran, ran, ran on the playground.  I tried to "run off the sugar".

One small piece of advice to Moms of Preschoolers:  On a special day like Trick or Treat day?  Figure out a way to leave early.  I realize it can be hard with today's hectic schedules.  But when all the children in the class leave after the party with Mom........... the 1 or 2 children that are left at school have many tears.  I do my best to make it special and I hope I succeed.  But I feel just as sad as they.

Do NOT be the last parent to pick up your child.

Day after Day I have one sweet girl who is the last child.  The late fee is $25 a MINUTE.  Yes, a minute.  But Mom is consistently late.   One by one all her friends leave happily with a loved one.  This little girl sits sullen anticipating but knowing that white van won't be there until last.

Shame.

In other news:  Dancer Girl went to a party.  Yes, they went trick or treating although I wondered if 14 is too old!  I warned her:  Do NOT bring Reese's pb cups into this house!  But she did.  Oh no, she did.  So far I've managed to avoid them

I.T. girl has almost finished her college essays.

The Engineer is home for the weekend.


***************

Things I've googled:

How to Clean a Bathroom like a Professional  (yes, I did.  And yes I learned tricks)
How to Make a Bed like a Pottery Barn Designer (wow.  I'll never make it any other way)
Lisinopril rash.  Ugh.  I've been off the med for 3 weeks.  Rash is still hanging around.  Itchy
My Dryer Is Taking Too Long to Dry.  Ironman won't look at it.

OH, should I include a link for each?  Oh my.

Toodles!