Monday Stuff

Sorry guys, but I am waaaaaaaaaay too busy today, so here’s an open thread and make sure to leave funny stuff for me to read when I get back!

Hope y’all have a great Monday!! 😀

Sunday Wisdom

Oy, what a way to start the day. We had plans to attend the annual dorm picnic today, only to find out Little One has a project due tomorrow and is having a friend over to help. Then my mother-in-law called us to offer her tickets to a shindig up north of Austin this evening, but it being a school night, we had to decline. And just when I start adjusting to new plans, the other kids pipe in with more stuff.

My glass was looking half empty. And then I saw this:

Wisdom from my friend Deb. Sometimes I forget how to be glad and happy for what I do have. Of course, some would argue that a half full or half empty glass means that there’s a bartender somewhere needing to fill it, but I’m willing to just be happy with the contents left in it 😉

First Marble

Well, today is the first of my 1,545 Saturdays.

I have no idea what to do.

I have thought about it all week, but Life always intrudes and makes a mockery of plans. Eldest has a video project to complete with the aid of Hubby, so that puts a bit of a crimp time-wise. So, I’ll play it by ear and just plan on a nice dinner with friends.

Seascape not included.

With my luck it the weather will turn, the dinner will burn, and the cork get stuck in the wine bottle.

But if you can’t laugh with your friends, who can you laugh with? And don’t say “by yourself”, because I’m tired of doing that all the time 😉

Back to Earth

Well, Hubby has been back almost a whole week. As expected, the euphoria is starting to recede a bit in favor of the mundane. That always happens. The trick is to make the mundane fun.

I’m talking about home improvements, people.

I am ashamed to say that my patio looks like a tornado hit it. Today I am enlisting Hubby’s help in cleaning and repairing stuff, as well as helping me get some pretty flowers for the pots outside. Right now he is having fun playing a videogame keeping busy, but sadly, his relaxation is coming to an unfortunate end.

YAY!!! Petunias!! I love them, and they love Texas heat. Hopefully they will come back the way the ones from last year did. Those are in the front sidewalk, and are doing very well. With my luck, Hubby will want to get something more exotic. He always tries to push the bounds of my black thumb 🙂

The Heart of Cooking

Sometimes my titles are a bit misleading. Actually, most of the time. But this one is pretty literal.This is one of my favorite pots, a gift from Hubby for Valentine’s Day long ago.

I love my Le Creuset™ pots. I own only three, but use them regularly. Just last night I made beer-braised beef in my 5 quart Dutch oven. This one I use for small casseroles and rice dishes. And of course, the 3 quart is for everything. I’m finding that I prefer cooking in porcelain cast iron far more than non-stick. And let’s face it: the color is far prettier than the dull charcoal of most non-stick pots and pans. It makes me happy to cook in a pretty pot, and if Momma is happy, she tends not to burn anything 😉

Losing Marbles

I received a chain email from a friend this morning. I usually read and delete, since I really don’t like to send along “forwards”. This one actually gave me pause. It was about a man who had calculated the average amount of Saturdays in the average lifespan. In 75 years, you have 3,900 Saturdays (75×52= 3,900). That is the average amount of Saturdays a human being has to enjoy. Admittedly, when that human is very young, it has no concept of “enjoying a Saturday”, but then again that same human has only the responsibility to investigate his or her environment, so it is enjoying pretty much every single day of the week. The man went on to tell of how he only had 1,000 Saturdays left to enjoy, so he went out and bought 1,000 marbles. Every Saturday he would take a marble, and throw it away.

By throwing the marble away, he could see Time running, and focus on what is most important in his life. There’s nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight.

By my calculations, I have 1,545 Saturdays left on this Big Blue Marble™. Now, I’m not going out to buy a bunch of marbles. If I did, the kids would end up playing with them. But I will concentrate on enjoying my Saturdays with my family, while keeping a journal of how I spent each one. That way, when I finish the 1,545th entry, I can then appreciate the little extra time I have been gifted on this Earth that much more 🙂

It’s Not Just a Job. It’s an Adventure!

Ok, so for me, shopping isn’t exactly a job. I do enjoy shopping a bit. Ok, quite a bit. FINE!!! A LOT!!! Anyway, sometimes shopping doesn’t go the way I plan it. This past Sunday we went to the outlet mall in search of Timberland boots for Hubby. His were quite old and worn, and he was in desperate need for a new pair.

And since he was getting new shoes, I saw a window of opportunity!

I have been toying with the idea of acquiring cowboy boots. I know, I know…. I live in Texas and don’t own cowboy boots. In my defense I could never make up my mind over which style/ leather/ heel I like. But I think I found a pair I could really enjoy wearing.

Yeah!!! Aggie boots!! And let me tell you, that toe can do serious damage. Anyway, I decided to go look for them at the Cavender’s Factory Store. Full disclosure: I have never been in a “cowboy store” that sold women’s wear. I was bedazzled by rhinestones everywhere!! Jeans, shirts, sandals (yes, sandals at a boot store), candle holders, wall hangings, even cowhides had rhinestones on them. Once I got past the blazing kaleidoscope, I made my way to the women’s shoe section. I had little hope of finding the boots, since we live in relative proximity to three major universities. But look I did.

And ended up questioning my presence on this planet when I saw these:

These are actually rain boots made to look like cowboy boots. My question is WHY?? I just don’t get it. Rain boots don’t need a makeover. It didn’t help matters when I witnessed several women fawning over them. Hubby said they looked like Vera Bradley had metastasized, which is another story altogether. We had gone to the Vera Bradley outlet and his first words in the store were, “It looks like a unicorn beshat the place,” and “This is what happens when a leprecaun vomits.” Needless to say, shopping that day came to an abrupt halt.

He is so much fun to have around 😀

One of Those Days

I know adjusting is never easy. Today finds me out of creamer, low on coffee, out of Pop-Tarts™ (not for me, but for Hubby), disorganized in a feeble attempt to clean up messes around the house, and strung out, because I have to run errands for my mom that will take me out of town for the day.

Yesterday the trip to the outlet mall was a nightmare, but at least Hubby has new boots. As for me, I went into Cavender’s to see if they had some nice cowboy boots for moi, but alas, the mob and the styles contained therein drove me into a stabby state, so boots for me will have to wait. But at least I got to enjoy one of these:

The world famous Johnny Rockets Chocolate Malt™!! And it was soooooo good!!!

Now, off I go to Goodwill© to drop off what seems to be half of my daughter’s closet, and then go grocery shopping. Hopefully I’ll have made a big enough dent in the garage that my van can finally fit 🙂

Back in the Groove

Some of you may be familiar with what I’m typing about. Hubby is deployed for a certain amount of time, and upon return, we need to re-establish our habits once again. Last time he was deployed, I pretty much left him alone for the first few weeks, letting him acclimatize to his surroundings again. It makes for a weird living arrangement, but it seems to work.

This time I figured on doing the same thing. After all, the Sinai is not exactly the most stable region in the area. But I get a vibe that some things have changed in the weirdest ways. Yesterday he told me he was ready to get rid of his old clothes, since “that’s not his wardrobe” any more. And he told me he needed to go shopping for shoes. SHOES!!! Yeah, that tripped me up a bit, until I saw his Timberland boots. They are almost ten years old, pretty torn up and need replacing. I did heave a sigh of relief. So today, WE SHOP!!

But not for long, for obvious reasons. He has Mass Effect 3 waiting 😉

GUESS WHAT????

HUBBY IS HOME!!!!!

I had to keep quiet about because the kids read the blog, and couldn’t spoil the surprise!

Of course, my sister and my Mom were upset that I didn’t tell them, because had my mother known he was coming she would have prepared a feast.

In retrospect, maybe I should have told her. Nah!! My jeans fit now, and I don’t need the temptation of her food to challenge the bounds of denim 😉