On a Diet

But not a regular, run-of-the-mill diet.

I’m on a financial diet. I admit I lurves me some shopping, but in my opinion, I think I have been using it as a substitute for something. Perhaps being alone, or maybe wanting to feel good about myself. Frankly, I’m not sure. I do know I buy gifts for a lot of people, and having a large family doesn’t help. Luckily I am done with Mother’s Day and Father’s Day gifts, and almost done with Christmas.

Yes, I am that bad.

I’m not cutting my card, but I am cutting myself from using it, with the exception of grocery shopping and getting the kids clothing they need. I pretty much have everything I need as does Hubby, and having lost weight during Lent facilitated me fitting back into my clothes, so that is a major plus. Oh, and I’m still losing weight. Getting in the habit of smaller portions sure is helping there!

And gift card shopping doesn’t count 😉

Bearing a Sadness

No, I can’t say that I am depressed. I have seen friends who have suffered from depression, and I can honestly say I’m nowhere near that. For that I am grateful. I don’t think I could write a post if I were in such pain.

I am, however, feeling very sad. It sometimes happens to me. It’s not cyclical, or even predictable as some hysterical maladies can be, if you get my drift! It just happens. The timing of this sucks rocks, though. I am used to keeping a cheerful face for the kids, but this time the whole family knows I am not myself. Trying to allay fears and lessen the impact is difficult, though. Usually this passes after a few days, and I hope that this time it will pass a bit more quickly than that. I am not one to wallow in self-pity. Unless I spill my coffee. But I am having a tough time keeping it under wraps. So, forgive me friends for my absence at your blogs. I promise I shall return eventually, as caustic and sarcastic as ever.

It’s just going to take me a little time 🙂

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 🙂

Gag Worthy

Be advised: pictures are forthcoming!

There are some foods that, by the pure loving grace of my Creator, I will never, ever ingest. Don’t get me wrong. I have eaten some pretty weird things, like muk tuk, but even the anthropologist in me has her limits.

First, there is Balut. Considered a delicacy in some Asian countries, it is a cooked fertilized duck egg. Yes, fertilized as in embryo.

Just add a dash of salt and some lemon juice, and you are good to go.

To the bathroom to hurl, that is.

Next up we have Haggis. Haggis is nothing more than a sausage, really. A sausage composed of sheep’s liver, heart, and lungs, seasoned and then stuffed into a sheep’s stomach, and then boiled for a few hours.

Hubby has partaken of this while deployed during a celebration. He said it wasn’t bad at all.

I don’t care to find out.

And finally, I come to a heartbreaker, Sardinian Marzu. I love cheese. I really do. I even partake of Limburger. But this…. I just could never, ever eat. Marzu is a goat’s milk cheese to which maggots are added.

Now, after “fermentation”, you are supposed to remove the maggots carefully, and eat the cheese. But some people leave the maggots, because they add an additional rich flavor to the cheese.

I don’t know about y’all, but I can do without ever knowing what cheese-infested maggots taste like.

As a reminder, it’s only a week until Easter, which means I do get to partake of some serious chocolate. That should make up for this post 😉

Animal Fears

Today started off on a low note, and the weather isn’t helping much. So, I am posting a funny today.

Remember to laugh, my friends. And don’t let the….. negative people bring you down 😉

Into Each Life a Little Rain Must Fall

It seems like into my life, a freakin’ hurricane landed. As usual, it’s the little things that pile up, some of which I am ill-equipped to fix.

I am….not the most handy person around the house. Sure, I’ll figure out some quick-fixes every now and then. But the drawer that I had “fixed”? That completely broke. And a couple of weeks ago, the doorbell stopped working. There are cracks alongside the bathtub edge, and I fear I have water damage in the walls, so that has to be checked by someone other than me. The spigot outside needs to be replaced, and several dead bushes need to be dug up.

My tool basket. Yes, there are Legos in it.

As usual, I will try my best to fix things around here, but I realize some things are beyond my control. But the drawer? Oh yeah…. THAT has to be fixed before my parents and sister come to visit. So, I’m looking up information as to how to go about it. That’s what the internet is for!!

And after the huge storm that passed through last night, I shudder to think what lies in store for me outside on the patio 😉

Things I have Done That I Will NEVER Do Again

I have written about my Things to Do Before I Die List™ before. There are romantic places, some innocuous things like camping, and even looking at fossilized bones. I have a weird personality.

But there are some things I have done that I will never, EVER do again. Frankly, I’m amazed I had the courage (or stupidity) to attempt some of them.

#1– Go scuba diving.

I went once when I was 16 or so with my cousins, and it was amazing. I really enjoyed it. Fast forward to my honeymoon. I tried putting on the mask, and claustrophobia set in. I just can’t do it. It’s sad, because Hubby and our friend The Nomstress and her hubby love to go scuba diving. I guess I’ll just be content sitting on the beach, drinking a daiquiri and being waited on by Paolo.

#2– Dive in a shark cage.

I was not drunk. I was a guinea pig. My uncle wanted to do it, and none of my cousins (cowards) would go into the cage with him. My only thought was, “I’ll show them who’s brave…”, and in I went. The whole experience lasted maybe five minutes. In retrospect, I was not as aware of the danger as I should have been. I was in an area of Puerto Rico where once you go ankle deep in the water, you are an active member of the food chain.

Oh look! Sardines!!

Chalk that one up in the “Stupid Tricks” column.

#3– Dance contest.

And yet, alcohol was not involved. I was asked to be the designated driver for a group of managers who were in town for a district meeting. Being the only one familiar with the DFW area, it made sense for me to drive. Well, my manager friends decided to go to a club downtown, to a club that specialized in dance contests. It was like a sing-along bar, only dancing, not singing. And we all had to participate. The song? Madonna’s Vogue. Did I know what “Vogueing” was?? Nope. But I did win a free soda for being the only sober person dancing. That one goes under “courage”.

Believe me, there are many more. The list is pretty long.

And people wonder why I live a boring life 😉

On Appreciation

Sometimes we fall short of it. I know I have, many times. I have been a not-so-appreciative wife. I always try to see the upside of things, glass is half full, silver lining, etc. But lately I have been morose and down about not having Hubby home. It shows when I snap at one kid for not rinsing out a glass, or when I get impatient waiting for them to do some small chore. I am so used to having some sort of communication with Hubby everyday, that when I don’t, I immediately begin to worry.

And worry sometimes leads to resentment.

I know he is in a really tough spot, both figuratively and literally. His absence here has made me appreciate how much I took him for granted, and how much I really need him. I try not to resent the fact that he extended due to unforeseen circumstances, all of which I understand. But logic doesn’t help me much when I sit at home alone waiting for a text or a call. It doesn’t help me when I read the news. So, I have to shake this feeling off, and be more compassionate about his worries, and show him how much I appreciate the sacrifices he makes for me and the kids.

Counting down the days may help, but so will counting my blessings.

Prayers for a Friend

I am a firm believer that there is nothing I can’t handle, as long as God is with me. I am blessed that I have so many friends to pray for every night and every day. All prayers are heard, though not all of them are answered to my satisfaction! But they are answered, and for every closed door, there is an open window. I just have to look for it, usually in the most unlikely places. But trust me, the window is always there, open and waiting.

A few weeks ago, an online friend of mine who suffers from cancer had to have a brain tumor removed. He is a true warrior, in every sense of the word. He is also one of the most giving people I have ever known. There was never a stray anything that he didn’t take in. After the last major hurricane hit his area, he personally gave of his time and money to fix his neighbor’s homes, providing shelter while repairs went on. He wasn’t afraid to argue with anyone, and he was always offering of himself to anyone that needed a hand.

I have lost touch with him in the past couple of weeks, and fear for the worst. I know he is a fighter, and not even death makes him afraid. But I will pray for him to get better, so that he can finally come out this way to meet us, as was his wish to travel cross-country. And if God has closed that door, then I pray to find the window, where I can look up to the sky and see him arguing with the Archangel Michael.

Because that’s the way he rolls 🙂

When It Rains….

This past weekend, Eldest informed me that the battery in her laptop needs to be replaced. That’s nothing unusual, since the battery in my laptop has needed replacing for a long time now. But yesterday Son informed me that the kids’ computer no longer reads discs or memory sticks.

So now it seems certain tech thingies can’t wait for Hubby to get home. I have been wanting to upgrade the kids’ computer for a while, but Hubby is bringing the one he is using back, so I’m not sure if I should go ahead and get a new CPU, and install the other PC in the main reading area.

Of course, Son is all for a new PC in his room, where he thinks he can limit access to his sisters. And Little One is all about having her very own laptop in her room. That won’t happen for a few years, though. The gnashing of teeth will continue unabated until then, I’m sure. I swear, this house is fast becoming a computer and videogame system graveyard. I just wonder if there will be enough room for a new iPad 😉