Y’all Called It

Lovegirl’s field trip went off without a hitch.  She enjoyed seeing the cheetah, the monkey who “ate some tasty looking fruit,”  riding the train, and the volcano.

Back it up – volcano?

“Oh Mama, the volcano was so pretty!  I think it was my favorite animal.”
“Honey, there is no animal called a volcano.  Are you trying to say flamingo?”
“I am trying to say vol-ca-no.  Volcano.”

(Not sure at this point whether I should be laughing or shaking she-who-is-sassy)

“What did this volcano look like honey girl?” 
“Blue with big feathers and pretty colors.”

(Log on to internet, g.oogle a picture)

“Is this it?”
“Yes!  That’s a volcano!  I love it!”
“That my dear, is a peacock.” 

Though I see how you could mistake a peacock for a volcano. Kind of like the squirrel that resembled a kangaroo.  

She’s killing me y’all.  And she’s just 3!  I cannot begin to imagine the fun that 4 will bring! 

I’m Nervous

Lovegirl is scheduled to participate in her first field trip today.  She and her classmates are going to the zoo, ironically enough. 

I decided not to chaperone.  I’ve noticed that when I am around, Lovegirl kicks her little buddies to the curb and wants to huddle up under me.  I want her to have a good time, fully experiencing the zoo and her first field trip.  So, I’ve opted to work come to work today.  I know she’ll be fine, but I can’t lie – there’s a part of me that wishes I was stealthy enough to slink around the zoo unnoticed by her just so that I can keep watch over her. 

Smoochy told me not to worry, just let her go, and she’ll be fine.  Such a smart man, that husband of mine!

TGIM – I Need the Rest!

Busy (for me) weekend.

Saturday

• Off to the gym for a quick 30 minute work-out on the torture device exercise equipment of my choice – the crosstrainer I think?
• Grocery shopped.
• I cooked for the week.  This week’s menu:  enchiladas (thanks for the idea PSerendipity!), spanish rice, refried beans, spinach salad, turkey meatballs, saffron rice, mixed veggies, “jerk” chicken, green beans, banana bread.
• Mopped, swept, cleaned bathrooms, vaccuumed.
• Repotted my entryway plants.
• Continued my one-woman war against backyard bamboo – cut down all the new sproutings that I could while keeping an eye on Lovegirl, who wisely decided to “read” in the shade while I toiled in the surprisingly warm spring sun.
• Gave myself a manicure and pedicure – pale beige on my fingers, pale shimmery pink on my toes.
• Watched parts of a basketball game or two.
• Crashed in the middle of what I thought was going to be a good game.  Was it?

Sunday

• Didn’t go to church.  Again.  This week I’m going to try a 10:00 service.  I’ve been so adamant about only going to 8:00 service, but I think it was getting to be too much, I’m going to try a later service and see what happens.
• Cleaned some more – laundry, a little dusting, cleaned out the dog’s crate, aired the house out, shredded a ton of paper – only 2 or 3 more tons to go!
• Went to a birthday party/cookout for a famiy friend’s grandmother.
• Dropped Smoochy off at the truck depot (?)
• Raced home, ironed clothes, prepped new babysitter, went to dinner with some friends to celebrate one’s birthday – I drank. 
• I guess I’m going to have to stop telling people I don’t drink – I’ve ingested more liquor (3 drinks in 6 months) in the last 1/2 a year than in the previous, oh 10 years or so.  I had some kind of martini – all I know is that it was blue, and it was good.
• Drove babysitter halfway home – I felt a little illegal passing her off to her mom at a gas station, but oh well . . .
• Crashed.

The View From Here

Lovegirl:  Mama, look!  There’s a kangaroo in the backyard!
Nerd Girl:  Lovegirl, there is not . . . (hmmm, just what if there is) . . . I’m coming.
Nerd Girl:  Lovegirl, that is not a kangaroo.  That’s a squirrel standing on his haunches.
Lovegirl:  Yeah, well, he kind of looked like a kangaroo from here.

Clearly, a trip to the zoo is in order.

Al Green Knew What He Was Talking About

Yesterday I went to divorce court with a friend for her initial hearing.  I was there to testify on her behalf regarding her parenting skills since both she and her husband would like custody of their children.  I never got to testify.

The lawyers talked, each conferred with their clients, the lawyers spoke again, all parties went into the courtroom, told the judge what they’d decided and a temporary ruling was made.  I won’t go into details, because they’re not really mine to go into.

In the 2 or 3 hours that we spent in the lobby, I heard a number of conversations ranging from allegations of child abuse to neglecting of “wifely duties” to who should get the flat-screen TV and which computer was worth fighting for.  These conversations flowed steadily as people waited for a judge to divvy up their life’s possessions.

There, but for the grace of God, go I.  After I left the courthouse, emotionally drained and more jaded than when I went in, all I wanted to do was call Smoochy and tell him that we are NOT getting a divorce.  Ever.  So I did. 

Smoochy told me that he’d never contemplated divorce, so it must’ve been on my mind.  He completely missed the point.  I wasn’t comtemplating getting a divorce, I was voicing my expectations that we would not get a divorce.  Of course, this isn’t a free act-a-fool card for either Smoochy or myself.  I just don’t ever want to go through that – shuttling Lovegirl back and forth, fighting for tchotkes just for fighting’s sake, alleging untruths in the hopes that I would be favored over him, and the list goes on.  I’d never really thought about divorce and its repercussions until yesterday afternoon.  I hope it is something I never have to think about again, especially as it relates to our marriage.

I’m tired y’all.

“Let’s, let’s stay together
Loving you whether, whether
Times are good or bad, happy or sad.”

 

 

Go Team Pink!

I love N.BC’s reality show “The B.iggest Loser.”  Love it!  The contestants do phenomenal things as it relates to weight loss and lifestyle changes.  Some go home in the first week, and some strategize, play their cards right, continually shedding the weight, allowing them to stay until the finale.

Ali started the show weighing 234 pounds.  15 weeks, and many pounds later, she won the title “Biggest L.oser” having shed 112 pounds – 47.86% of her initial body weight, weighing in at a svelte 122 pounds.  She is the first woman to win B.iggest L.oser in the show’s history.

Simply amazing.  I watch the show because 1) I love a feel good story and 2) because it motivates me – I maintain that if those people, with so much weight to lose can work out 2 and 3 times a day, and drop hundreds of pounds in 3 months, surely I can take my self to the gym 3 or 4 days a week and do what I know is right!

Go Ali and even though I know they’ll likely never run across this spot – big congrats to all of the participants and continued success in your journey towards better health!

Click here for before and after pics:  http://www.nbc.com/The_Biggest_Loser_5/photos/#cat=635 (click on the pink team button in the upper left corner for before/after options.)

On a completely unrelated note:  D.anity K.ane’s song “D.amaged?”  Possibly the worst song I have ever heard.

It’s a Fiesta Baby!

So, Big Mama decided to throw a party of sorts.  She  invited her readers (I became one recently y’all and I love her blog – she is so funny) to share the contents of their closets.

I know that you are all waiting with bated breath.  Inhale, exhale.  Here goes:

If I’m not at work, I’m in jeans.  Period.  Dark and boot-cut, slightly faded with frayed hems, or trouser style, I love jeans.  Wish that I could wear them every day.

My casual tops run the gamut – from long sleeved t-shirts, to 3/4 sleeved t-shirts, to short sleeved t-shirts, I’ve got ‘em all!  Seriously, that’s my non-work wardrobe:  jeans and a t-shirt.  Sometimes I push the fashion envelope and wear a sweater or a tunic instead of a t-shirt, but 99.99% of the time, and that is statistically significant,  I have on jeans and a t.

On those days that I am forced to shed the jeans and t – you probably refer to those days as Monday through Friday – I usually wear a suit or a pair of slacks and a sweater set or blouse.  I like to think of it as Garanimals for Adults.  I don’t wear very many prints, and most things in my wardrobe work with each other.  It’s hard for black not to match black.  I digress.

               

I don’t have a big shoe collection – I have a collection of big shoes.  I wear a 12N, and that my friends is what is referred to as an “extended” size.  Thank goodness for Z.appos and Van Eli.  This is the cutest my shoes have been since . . . well, ever. 

I’ve tried to alter my style, but as I near 36 years on this earth, I realize that I’m a basic kind of girl.  I’ll never be high fashion, and that’s cool beans with me.  I do like to switch up the accessories, so in addition to my staples – wedding set and gold hoops, you’ll usually find me in one of the following necklaces.

My favorite item of clothing is my winter coat.  I absolutely love it, and look forward to its grey/brown/cream/orange warmth every year. 

And finally, a shot of what I see every morning as I contemplate outfitting she who is known as Nerd Girl. 

Oops, almost forgot.  I’m supposed to tell you what I’d wear if money were no object and I could buy and wear whatever I wanted.  Just about anything in B.anana R.epublic and A.nn T.aylor.  Well, except for the skirts and dresses.  The last time I was truly happy about wearing a dress, was nine years ago May and I had this one on:

 

Have a good weekend all!  A special fiesta ole’ to D.ora the E.xplorer for making this blogging time possible.  Peace.

*On a completely different note – does anyone know anything about cameras?  All of the pictures I’ve taken lately are blurry and I don’t know what’s going on.  The little “stop” icon is ever-present when I turn my camera on to let me know that the picture is going to be blurry, and I can’t figure out how to get back to shooting crisp pictures.  If you enlarged any of the above pics, you’ll see exactly what I’m talking about.  Thanks in advance if you can help!*

 

I’m in Love

Tia over at Shake Your Beauty mentioned these RoC microdermabrasion pads a post or two ago, and I thought I’d give them a try.  They are the truth!  I started using these on Tuesday night, and can already tell a difference.  My skin is smoother, softer, and clearer.  A coworker told me this morning that my skin looked “glowy.”  Glowy y’all!  This is not a term that has ever been used to describe Nerd Girl’s complexion.  Ever until now that is.

I found mine at W*algreens where they were $9.99 for 24.  There was only one container left, and now I see why!  They’re easy to use – just wet the “crystal” side and cleanse your face and then wet the ”diamond” side and condition. 

Have I mentioned how much I love these things?!?

Let’s Start Over, Back to the Way Things Were

So, having lost all electricity over the weekend, yesterday I emptied out the refrigerator and freezer, bleached the shelves, and went to the grocery store to restock.  Wonder what kind of recipes those recipe sites could come up with if I entered the following:

Current refrigerator contents:  1 baked turkey wing, green curried chicken, jasmine rice, cranapple juice, 1 dozen eggs, 1 stick of butter, cheese, mustard, ketchup, lemon juice, green curry paste, fish sauce, strawberry jam, 1 bud light, and 1 can of guarana juice my parents brought back from their trip to Brazil.

Current freezer contents:  1 pack of hot dogs, 3 sticks of butter.

Anyhoo, I am trying to be less wasteful with food.  I have a bad habit of stocking up on stuff – particularly freezer foods – and then not using it in a timely manner and tossing it all out.  I’d vowed that I was just going to buy food for the week’s meals and see how that went.  Guess all it took to get me started was a tornado or two.

Let there be light.

• Thank God – our lights are back on.  We haven’t had power since Friday afternoon due to the storms/tornadoes (?) that hit our area hard Friday.  (Back on around 1:30 Sunday a.m.) As much I enjoyed enjoy Little House on the Prairie, and used to want to be Laura Ingalls, I’ve got to say, I enjoy living with modern conveniences much more!
• I think like most “things” in my life when removed, I missed the choices that come from having electricity.  No, I probably wasn’t going to sit down and watch TV for 36 hours straight, or listen to the radio that long, or play Dora videos for Lovgirl for that stretch of time.  Or wash clothes or vaccuum.  But I like to make those decisions for myself – not have them made for me by severe weather.
• A note to all Jackson area residents drivers:  If the power is out, and you cannot rely on traffic signals – treat the intersection like a 4-way stop sign.  That’s it.  Stop.  Yield.  Proceed with caution.  It does not take a PhD in urban engineering to maneuver through powerless intersections.  How everyone missed this same question on the driver’s license test, I do not know.  But y’all did.  Just remember – 4 way stop sign.  Simple, really.
• Coincidence that while thousands of homes in our area were (and still are) powerless that the outdoor mall right down the street had full and complete power?  Hmmmm. . . I guess this economic stimulus is going to take place one way or the other.  
• And yes, I participated.  Lovegirl and I were both stir crazy yesterday afternoon.  So about 4:00, we headed to T*arget and Lerner.  Yes, I know, technically Lerner doesn’t exist – excuse me New York and Company.  But hey, you were Lerner while I was in high school, and nearly 19 (gasp!) years later, you’re still Lerner – if only in my mind.  My haul:  two tops – one a black/white print, the other a sunny yellow, and a pair of lighter weight black pants to get me through the spring/summer at work.
• I have thoroughly cleaned out the refrigerator and freezer.  Smoochy is convinced that the meat in the freezer is okay to use.  Which is fine.  For him.  I will not be partaking of meat that was frozen, thawed, and partially refrozen.  Nor will any child of mine.  While I do lament the loss of approximately $100 worth of chicken parts, faux chicken, and freezer burned deer sausage, I am not willing to risk my health.  A biology degree and one in public health where we had a whole trimester related to food safety/foodborne illnesses just won’t let me go there!

Now excuse me, I’ve got to go find my electricity bill and pay that bad boy – somehow I don’t think Smoochy will believe me if I tell him our lights are off because of a small, very centrally located tornado that only affected our address!

Hope everyone had a great, light filled weekend.