With a spring in her step...

HELLO SUNSHINE!

It's official.  The sun is shining outside and it makes me want to dance.  I've had so much energy these last few shiny days.  You won't believe everything I've accomplished.

Look at the little garden we have in our backyard.  Well, right now it's DIRT.  But soon enough it'll be bursting with delicious fruits and veggies.

And……. these are seeds.  That's right.  Our vegetable garden is going to be spectacular!!  I even have a garden marker project on my mind.  I think I'll do it tomorrow.

Meanwhile, inside my house…..
















I stripped all the pillows in my house.  The decorative, fluffy, sofa pillows.  They've been the same for years and I'm ready for a change!  So I pulled off all the cover, ran by Hobby Lobby and grabbed pretty fabric.  This afternoon I whipped up all these pillow covers!  I started at 11:30 and was completely finished by 2:30.  (the solid pillow took the most time because of the trim)  But really, for less than $40 it was worth it.

 

This pillow, in particular, was inspired by Pottery Barn.

See?  Love pottery barn.  But I save my money to buy things there that are one of a kind.  If I can sew it or copy it….. it's just so satisfying!










I've also been doing a lot of cooking.  Since Ironman and I gave up "factory food" and now eat only whole food, I've been cooking much more.  So much more!  Which means I've had to clean up the kitchen much more.  WAY WAY MUCH MORE!  It's exhausting!  So I've learned to double up everything. It's just as easy to roast 2 chickens as it is to roast one.  So I double up.

Chicken Noodle Vegetable Soup.  I made enough for several lunches.  I don't want to have to stop during the day to prepare myself a quick meal.  Besides, this recipe is DELICIOUS


Ironman and I are eating whole foods nowadays.  Nothing made in a factory.  I've learned to read labels.  I do glance at the nutritional information, but nowadays I pay very close attention to the ingredients.  More than 5?  Or 6? ingredients?  It stays at the store.

Hello Spring!  I'm so glad you made it.

BOO!

Did I scare ya?

Ha!

It has been a looonngg time since I've posted to this blog.  I could say it's because I've been just so so busy.  Or I could blame it on the weather or the family  or commitments.  But the truth is, I just haven't been in the mood.  Plain and simple.   I just couldn't pile another commitment onto my day.  Whoops.  There I go blaming commitments.  Guess I gotta blame something!

So how the heck have ya been?

I've been b……whoops.  Almost said it.  Let's just say I've been thinking, creating, wondering, figuring and exploring.

Things I've been thinking:

*What has happened to that missing Malaysia flight?  Mysterious
*How can I organize my kitchen shelving so all those dishes can fit?  ALL THOSE DISHES!  Have I mentioned I love dishes? And glassware and serving ware.  Oh, and teacups.
When will somebody step up and stop the madness with Justin?  And Miley?
*A few weeks ago it was all over the internet that (gasp) Adele is only one year older than Taylor.  I got the drift that it was a "cut" to Swifty.  Well, let me say it's not ALWAYS good to look 10 years older than your age.  So I say Adele is the loser in this fight.  She looks like an old lady.  Not good.

Things I've been creating:

About 6 weeks ago I finally pulled out my embroidery machine.  Oh how I love Emmy.  That's what I call her.  Don't you name your mechanical children?  Martha (my sewing mating) and Emmy (my embroidery machine) have been catching up on each other's lives.  I've made napkins, curtains, pillow covers, and headbands.  All personalized.  By the way, want to change the look of a room in one day?  Pillow covers and curtains.  Bam.  You got yourself a whole new room.  And really, less than $100.

Things I've been wondering:

*Why do people enjoy decorating with burlap?

Things I've been figuring out:

*How to complete everything I want to do into one day.  Into a daily schedule.  Work out, tidy up, clean up, laundry, groceries, cooking, pay bills, garden, sew and STILL have enough energy at the end of the day to help with calculus, clean up some more, gather supplies for every……. should I go on?

And now to the exploring:

I'm planning a surprise birthday trip for my soon to be 16 year old.  She has no idea.  NO IDEA!  She knows that her brother and sister are going hiking for a week in Yosemite.   Sure, she was invited over and over again but had/has no interest in going with them.  So I decided to plan a little surprise.   One day before her Bro and Sis leave for their adventure, she and I are flying to…………..  stay tuned!!



So there you go.  I've been missing you all and thinking about you.  I'll do better keeping in touch.
Toodles

No Wonder I'm So Confused

I quit my job May 13, 2013.  I was so happy to walk away from that strange land of mixed up ways.  I had worked there 2 years and I never figured it out.  My greatest concern was SAFETY.  Yes, people.  Safety.  There were other concerns, too, like quality of instruction, individualized lessons and professionalism with the faculty.  But safety was the one thing that gave me a rash.  I could go on and on with specific examples but let's just say safety was neglected in every way.  Anybody could enter the building and roam the halls, no questions asked.  Anybody could pick up any kid from carpool whether administration had met them before or not.  Big things like that.  All the way to the little things like kids climbing on the back of chairs, taking items off the shelves unsupervised.  And about that rash.  Yes, I actually got a rash that wouldn't go away.  All that to say, I'm was ready to quit.  I'm glad I quit.  I don't miss it.

Before you get the wrong idea, this school is not in the poorest, roughest neighborhood.  This is a small  private school with the highest tuition charged in the city.

Even though I shudder when I think about the long, long days I spent there DOING NOTHING I still for some reason can not MOVE ON.  GET OVER IT.  I struggle to find the "what did you learn from it" lesson.  I learned……. that I have standards.  I learned that some thing are just NOT alright with me.  I learned that given the opportunity, I can handle a classroom of 4 year olds with excellence.  That's the word.  Excellence.  I had never been a member of a faculty that didn't strive for it.

Someone once told me the way to get over an old boyfriend is to find a new boyfriend.  Maybe that's what I should do.  I should find a new job.  So I made a list of my skills, experience and interests.  It looks something like this:

Skills:

Can clean a house top to bottom in 3 hours
I do windows
Can follow directions.  If I had the directions on how to build a space shuttle, I could do it.
Same with recipes.
And songs.  I can make up a song on a moment's notice
ability to get things done with no sleep
can do math in my head

Experience:

can live with the same man for 26 years without committing any crime
20 years of working with women without committing any crime

Interests:

Never quitting.  I am interested in figuring it out.


My goals for the winter:

Re-learn how to knit.
Keep up the exercise.  I really do feel better
Get my eyebrows waxed.  Man, they are out of control!
Send my college kids a care package from home


I actually like this unemployment.  Keeps me busy

I'm sure it was the guac

Today I had lunch at Jason's Deli.  I eat there often.  Well, once a month which is "often" for me since I don't eat out that much.  But today it was cold.  And windy.  And I had been sitting all morning.  There was a Jason's Deli just across the street and so I just decided.  I ordered a cup of chicken noodle soup and 1/2 of a salmon-wich.  Why did i order that?  I've never had it.  EVER.  Ironman gets it anytime he's eating at the J.D.  It just popped out of my mouth.  Oh, I'm sure it'll be fine.

I took my order home.  Opened the sandwich.  Let me tell you, they should call it a quarter sandwich instead of a half sandwich.  Shoot!  It was a big as a saltine!  I took one little bite.  Oh, ugh, the guacamole.  I just can't handle avocado.  So I scraped off as much as I could.  Pulled out just the salmon.  At one more bite and that was all I could do.  I moved on to the soup.

Things were going fine until about a half hour later.

You know the signs:

sudden fatigue.
dull yet pounding headache
stomach feels bloated


I decided to go lay down.  And well, you know what happened.  You don't?  I puked my guts out!  I haven't thrown up that much in…. well, since the last time I was so sick.  It wasn't pretty people.  I wasn't sure it would ever end.  What else is in my stomach?  I haven't eaten anything else.  Earlier this morning I had oatmeal with blueberries.

You know how it is when you get sick from something you ate.  You just know what it is.  It wasn't the celery, the berries, the milk, the bread, the dressing, the banana, the dessert……..it was the guacamole dressing on that stupid sandwich.  SO AWFUL!

Needless to say I got nothing done today.  I started to hang the new curtains in the master bedroom but I was just so tired!  I thought about finishing my pillow sham project.  But I'm just not in the mood.

Tomorrow is Sunday.  The daughters and I are visiting a new church.  New to us.  I'll let you know how it goes.

Aloha!

Church People

Yesterday while taking down my Christmas Tree I was listening to The 700 Club.  Yes, I watch that show.  I admire and enjoy Terri Meuwssen, Miss America 1973.  Pat Robertson?  Oh, he's a kook.  If you can manage to get through the first half hour, you'll be rewarded with the 2nd which is much more inspirational.  Lots of interesting interviews by Miss Terri.  But that's not the point.

There was a segment on a Secret Church Shopper ala Undercover Boss.  This man is contacted by the ministers of different churches around the country.  He shows up at a worship service incognito.  He takes note of everything from the parking ease or lack thereof, landscaping, etc. to more important things like how visitors are welcomed.  I assume he visits for several services over several weeks.  At the end he presents the minister with a detailed report of his findings.  Both good and bad.  I realize church leadership can be so busy and so overloaded with responsibilities that details can be easily overlooked.

I was amazed.

Many of the things this man mentioned, I have experienced first hand.

Have I attended numerous worship services IN A ROW and no one speak?  yep
Have I attended weeks and weeks of a regular small group Bible Study and yet the leader never speaks to me?  Or introduces themselves?  In fact, no one speaks to me?  YEP AND YEP

Ironman and I attended a small group BIble Study class together for over a year.  Sure we were absent here and there.  But for the most part, we had showed up weekly.  Not ONE PERSON spoke.  Week after week after week.  Ironman eventually refused to go.  I stuck it out for awhile but then one fateful Sunday……… well, here's the story:

I walked into the class.  Sat down on the 2nd row.  The class was just about full with only a few empty seats one of them right next to me.  I had scooted over on purpose.  I left the seat on the end empty on purpose.  For a latecomer.  Yes, I try to be considerate.  When I think about it.   Back to my story.  I was alone.  Ironman, like I said, had given up and was going to meet me after class in the worship service.  The lady directly in front of me was also a regular attender.  This particular Sunday she was taking attendance.  Why do they even still do that in churches?  I have no idea.  But this class did it.  I guess they want to keep track of numbers?    She looked at me and said,

"Is your husband coming?"

No good morning.  No hello my name is……  Nothing.  Just is your husband coming,  I guess she at least had noticed I had a husband with me most Sundays.  I don't know.  I'm pretty sure she didn't know my name.  She had a list on her lap.  I assume it was process of elimination.

"No, he's not coming today"

And that was it.  She turned back around.

Probably 10 minutes later after the leader had started the class, a man entered quietly in the back.  He was late.  Hey, been there!  See?  I knew I was thoughtful leaving an empty seat on the end of a row.  He quietly moves across the room and whispers to me, "Is this seat taken?"   "Oh no"  I said.  And I kinda scooted over just a bit.  You know, moved my purse that was on the floor near my feet.  That kind of stuff.  He sat down.  I told myself "Introduce yourself"  But class was going on.  The teacher was presenting his well prepared lesson.  (which is the reason I kept going week after week.  The teacher was prepared and smart)  The seconds ticked by and I made a decision to just not say anything. Ugh.

Then Miss Attendance Taker turns and looks at me.  She says something I didn't quite catch.  I see her reach for her magic paper and mark my husband present.

Wait……….. hold it…….. this man right here next to me?  That came in a few minutes tardy?
He's not my husband.

Have you ever NOTICED my husband?  Have you ever NOTICED me?  Before today?  We've been attending every Sunday for OVER A STINKIN' YEAR!  Oh my gosh.

That was the last straw.  Sure, you could make a case that Satan was so happy that happened.  And so happy that I was the first one out the door when class was over.  And so happy that was was totally distracted for the rest of class.  And you'd be right.

But how much should we have to endure?  I mean, after a year……

And so we no longer go to a small group Bible Study.  I miss it.  Which is probably a big reason why I watch The 700 Club many days.

I don't think I'll ever be able to get Ironman back in a group Bible Study.  Ever.
I'd like to find one.  I'd like to make a new friend.

If that time comes, you can bet your sweet bippee I'll be introducing myself to people around me.  I'll be saying good morning.  I'll be making SURE the attendance keeper knows my name.  And one more thing, Small Group Bible Study Leaders?  Lose the name tags.  I hate them.  You think it helps learn people's names.  But it doesn't.  Introducing yourself and speaking to people around you is how you learn people's names.  Step out out of your comfort zone.  Say hello to people around you.  I know you do it in the line at Target.  So do it at church, ok?

Rant over.

Carry on.

Our Disconnected Christmas

"What did y'all do before the internet?"

The Engineer asked me this on Christmas Eve.  The Engineer is 22 years old, almost 23.  In February.  And he does not remember life without the WWW.

This Christmas our internet connection disappeared.  To be exact it disappeared on the Sunday before Christmas.  Which was the day all the "kids" were home for the holiday.  Without internet, netflix didn't operate.  We couldn't download a movie on DirectTV.  We were using the data on our phones lickety split.  I.T. Bear girl had a hotspot on her phone that we used for a while but wow, the data it pulls!  Too much.  So we saved it for emergencies.  Like sugar in war time.

Then when things couldn't get any more BORING, our DirectTV went out.  That's right, folks.  No internet, no TV.  And very spotty 3g.

Now, you might thing "well, it's Christmas.  You should be turning off the electronics anyway"  And you'd be right.  Kinda.  You see, Ironman works from home many days.  Without internet, it's impossible.  He has a business to run.  He can't be out of touch.  The Engineer had a girlfriend to keep in touch with.  (ha)  I.T. Bear girl had classes to register for and tuition to pay.  Oh, paying bills!  I couldn't check on my Target Debit Card.  For all I know some guy in the Far East is treating his friends to a big old celebration courtesy M.E.!  Yes, our lives are technologist managed.  I made up that word.  Or I thought I did.  The computer didn't correct me.  Hmmmm  Guess I didn't make it up.

So what did we do?  We ATE.  I cooked.  In fact, I baked so much that our top oven started making this weird sound AND started locking us out!  So I quit using it for long roasting recipes.  We played games:  Risk, Life and Battleship.  You Sunk My Battleship!  We worked a puzzle.  We played instruments.  We took naps.  We went to the movie.  The one in the theater.  I had almost forgotten about that!

Then our freezer died.  Our deep freeze.  Years and years ago, my MIL gifted me her freezer.  She warned me that it was 25 years old but worked perfectly and so, not being one to turn anything down even something I felt totally unnecessary, I gladly moved it to my house.  For probably the first 3-4 years all we kept in it was popsicles and ice cream.  Boy did that change.  Now all these years later I keep TONS of veggies and fruits, frozen servings of recipes I made too much of, Eggo waffles (!) and big bags of ice.  You can never have too much ice.  R.I.P. Kenmore freezer.  You've served us well.

So with no internet, no TV, a small freezer stuffed to the gills with food, we celebrated the birthday of our Savior.  And it was nice.  It's always so nice.  And fun.  As a girl who grew up with little tiny no big deal Christmases, it's more than I could have ever imagined.  I do not take it for granted.  God did
do more than I could even begin to dream.


The day after Christmas I was passing by the computer in our home office carrying a huge bag of laundry.  Oh yes, we did laundry.  Forgot to mention that.  Wait…….I did laundry.  I glanced at the modem expecting to see a big fat red light and what did I see?  A GREEN LIGHT!!  I held my breath, dropped the laundry basket, sat down in front of the computer.  Don't say anything, Patti.  Just try to connect.

Click.

The glorious message from ATT
You are connected to the internet"

But just to make sure, I typed in a webaddy:  www.blogher.com.  My daily read.

Yes!  It was true!  We were connected.

I announced it to the fam.

All four of them jumped up and started scrambling for their computers.  Ironman laughed and said, "Does anybody remember where my computer is from like 10 days ago?"

And suddenly, my house was quiet.

I enjoyed the loud rambunctious unplugged family time.  But the silence was sweet.  I could feel our house take a deep breath and close it's eyes.

It was a great Disconnected Christmas.

Today was……..The Hunger Games!

Why am I so hungry today?  I think it's the cold gloomy weather.

For my quiet time today I read the story of Rehab the prostitute.  How Joshua's men told her that as long as she stayed inside her house, she'd be safe.  But venture out and she was in danger.  I'm no Bible Scholar.  But I thought about that all day.  I decided to stick close to Jesus today.  Grab onto his leg and cling for dear life like preschoolers do to Mom the first day of school.  I needed to be safe.  Out there………. in the gloomy cold world……. there are french fries, and frappucinos, and oreos!  And I don't even like chocolate!!!

For breakfast I had quinoa with a little cinnamon.  I'm realizing quinoa doesn't store well.  I had some leftover in the frig and although it was fine….. it just wasn't as delicious as freshly made.  Oh well.  I'm still glad I had it right ready!

I made a smoothie about 11:30 because I was so hungry but had errands to run.  Didn't want to have a food emergency.  Wow, that blueberry smoothie recipe?  With the almond butter and banana?  And pumpkin seeds?  YOWZA

Before I get back to what I ate….. I'm having problems finding herbal iced tea.  I don't really enjoy hot tea.  I looked at Kroger and World Market.  Ended up ordering online.  I just wait straight up tea because I live in the south and……. well, it's my drink of choice!

About 4pm I had a small bowl of bean soup - another excellent and easy recipe in The Daniel Plan book.

When Dancer Girl gets home from Driver's Ed I'm going to stir fry some veggies.  Throw in a few wild shrimp.  She has a wide variety to choose from for dinner as I have many, many tupperware bowls full of delicious leftovers!

Oh, get this.  I told her I was going to Kroger and "what would you like me to get for you".
"Oreos!"
"Really?  I haven't bought those in 15 years"
"I know, but I've been craving them"

So.  Have you read the ingredients on the back of the oreo package?  Wowza.  I couldn't bring myself to buy them.  So I came home and googled up a recipe.  Yes, there's sugar and butter and more sugar……. BUT it's gotta be better than chemicals and artificial stuff.  I'll post a photo when they're complete. And the taste test results - of which I won't be tasting.

Jesus, thank you for sticking close  to me today.  In my weakness, you are strong"

Toodles