Posting Later

So talk amongst yourselves…

The topic: Will Aggie survive today’s ordeal??

Stay tuned!!! 😉

Best Laid Plans

Well, as usual, I try to make plans for Spring Break, and as usual, they come to naught. Not because I make grand plans or anything, but because invariably the kids’ schedules for school tend to creep in somewhere. So this week, we shall be travelling around the area playing tourists. First stop: The Japanese Gardens!

Pretty, isn’t it? It is a hidden jewel, but one worth enjoying. A picnic lunch after walking around, and then a trip to the zoo, just a few blocks down from there. And yes, tradition holds the kids take a picture of their mother with the flamingos. Tradition also holds I never show it to anyone 😉

One Fish, Two Fish

Possibly redfish, but no blue fish!

Here at Casa de Aggie, we have fish for dinner on Fridays during Lent. But fish every Friday can be boring. So, I have decided to make it into a gourmet holiday for the kids, making sure to serve different kinds, and involving them in the preparations. Eldest really likes to bake, and Son has gotten into sautéing. Little One is still in the “just eating it” stage. But I have hopes for her.

This evening’s offering will be salmon. Now, I prefer salmon raw, but I hear cooked it’s pretty good, too. I will make sautéed grape tomatoes with basil and mozzarella, steamed green beans, and homemade rolls. And if the kids were good today, I may be persuaded to make dessert. Perhaps a cherry pie to celebrate the beginning of Spring Break!

And the beginning of my descent into madness 😉

Stupid Fashion Rules

I am not one to blindly follow the fashion trends and fads. If I like something, then I will wear it, and probably keep it until the day I die. Or until it disintegrates. But sometimes those fads and trends do not make sense. For example, the most oft quoted fashion rule of all:

No White After Labor Day

Who knew there is history behind that?? Not only history, but common sense when it was still common. However, that rule is considered archaic by most people, and kept only by the most rigid fashionistas. So, in order to meet both contingents in the middle, fashion designers came up with the concept of winter white.

So yes, they took a color commonly known as cream and repackaged it. I think that was Coco Chanel’s idea. And I know, most men would still call that just plain white.

Another rule I have never understood:

Match Your Purse and Shoes

This is my current purse:

You bet a year’s worth of Godiva™ that I’m not going out to get the matching shoes. I love the print, but there’s a limit. Common sense dictates that your prints don’t clash. But let’s face it: it’s not like most people will be carefully looking at your shoes anyway!

And one that gets under my skin:

No Blazer With Jeans

That trend started in college. It was wildly popular. So popular that the local thrift stores were making a killing selling old men’s blazers to young college co-eds who wanted to look trendy. And no matter what fashion magazines say, it’s still popular today. Fashionistas say that it is “cheating” to wear a blazer or jacket with jeans, because you are trying to make a casual garment (the jeans) into more formal attire.

To that I say, Pfffffffffft!! If I like it, I will wear it!!

Remember, the only rule to follow in fashion is the one you make for yourself!!

Seuss Sithy

Today finds me running errands and wincing at the fact that Mass Effect 3 is now available. For those who need a translation, it’s a videogame. Unfortunately, that is all I know. Anyway, a friend sent me this, and I just had to steal creatively borrow it, so I could share it with y’all!

In honor of Dr. Seuss’ birthday, and his wit. Courtesy of my friend Kenneth!

Y’all have a great Tuesday!! 😀

Feeling Blue, and Loving It!

A few weeks ago, the Lawnmower Man came by to get the lawn ready for spring. He ended up having to actually MOW the lawn, because the weather had been fooling it into growing.

Anyway, he has a new guy on his crew. A new guy that apparently is from another state, or another planet, because he decided that my bluebonnets are weeds and must be eradicated from my flower beds!!!

Me: Holy…. why did you cut down the bluebonnets??

NG: Uh, well…they are weeds, ma’am.

Me: NOT IN TEXAS!

NG: Oh, well, I’m not familiar with that.

Me: Where are you from??

NG: California, ma’am.

Me: (smiling) Well, that explains a lot.

After I calmed down I proceeded to show him where the bluebonnets grow in my yard, and told him they were off limits until they seeded. He apologized and even offered to get new seeds for me, but I declined, thinking this year would be the Year Without Blue. But lo and behold, my bluebonnets came back!!

Pay no attention to the other weeds.

They cannot be beaten!!

I wish the rest of the weeds could be, though 😉

Historicality!!

I love making up words. I think I enjoy it because English is my second language, and it was a challenge for me to learn it. And what better day to come with a new word than on Dr. Seuss’ birthday?? The man had a gift for brevity, and a beautiful soul to show for it.

“It has often been said
there’s so much to be read,
you never can cram
all those words in your head.

So the writer who breeds
more words than he needs
is making a chore
for the reader who reads.

That’s why my belief is
the briefer the brief is,
the greater the sigh
of the reader’s relief is.

And that’s why your books
have such power and strength.
You publish with shorth!
(Shorth is better than length.)”
― Dr. Seuss

It is also Texas Independence Day! On this day, Texas adopted its Declaration of Independence, effectively telling Mexico that Texas was free from tyranny. It is also the birthday of General Sam Houston, who is rumored to have wanted the ratification of the document on his birthday. What a way to celebrate!!

Long may she wave!!

And as a short aside, today also marks the day that Puerto Ricans were granted citizenship by President Woodrow Wilson. So if not for that, my path to being a Texan in love with Seussian wordsmanshippery  would not have happened. I hope y’all have enjoyed this little tribute to some wonderlyful historicality 🙂

Leaps and Bounds

Well, it’s that day again!!

FEBRUARY 29th!!!!

True, it’s not a national holiday, but it’s fun to have a birthday or anniversary on that date. My neighbor’s son was born on this date, and he is turning 3 today. Well, no, not really. I remember when he proudly told me last Leap Day that it was his birthday, and you could have knocked him over when I told him he shared that birthday with this fellow:

How many kids get to say that??

I admit I’m more of a Batman gal, but I would have loved to share my birthday with Superman. Heck, I would have loved to share my birthday with Superdog!! 😉

My Voodoo List

There are times when I get frustrated. Everyone does. But Lent has made me realize just how happy I am when I get to consume sugar, mostly in the form of chocolate. I have been a grump around the house, and find my patience frayed more so than usual. And y’all know patience is one of my strong points. I thought long and hard about how I can cheer myself up and improve my outlook on life, and came upon the best idea ripped off from Laura ever.

I’m making my first ever Voodoo List©. That’s right! Anything that just ticks me off for no reason will be placed on that list faster than a pin goes through burlap. So far, these are my entries for the week:

• The Oskars™. Yes, I misspelled it on purpose.
• The US Post Office. I paid the $0.56 I owed on postage due on a package on Wednesday, and I have yet to receive it.
• Danica Patrick. Over-hyped, and over-blown, and definitely over dumb.

Believe me, there will be more. I will update weekly for my sheer enjoyment. Feel free to leave any suggestions in the comments.  😉

Why-Oh-Gee-Ay: YOGA!!

As most of you know, I am not the most active gal around. I hate exercise. Well, I hate running. I hate doing the stair machine. Elliptical is the devil’s work. You get my drift. Even Sweating to the Oldies was a bit too hectic for me. I used to have a membership in a gym a long time ago, and while it was nice to get away for a while, I always felt intimidated by the people working out. It seemed to me like I was crashing a Gold’s Gym commercial.

But I’m growing older, and I’m starting to feel the aches and pains that come with the grey and the wrinkles. Several friends have suggested I try Yoga. Now, I’m in no shape to be twisted like a pretzel so that I can achieve inner peace. I have balked at trying it because I don’t have elastic ligaments and don’t relish the thought of trying to do a Chinese split or bend over backwards to touch my toes with my nose. However, my new friend Elizabeth (who photographed me for the TRD) is getting her certification as a Yoga instructor, and it just seems like Fate is pointing me in that direction. Either that, or this Lent thing is really playing havoc with my head.

So, I think I will try Yoga, with the possibility of either becoming very fit and flexible (SHUT. UP!!), or relegating myself to Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum as the world’s only living pretzel.

I’m hoping for the former. But the latter could bring fame and fortune. It’s a toss up 😉