Ten on Tuesday and about my weekend

I could be telling you about my fantastic weekend. Which really was fantastic – I daresay it matches or improves on LAST weekend, which also rather rocked. There was pool parties where Spencer decided to SWIM! With no PELICAN! With no attachment to ME! Like, I got out of the pool and he got back in because there were other people he wanted to play with. And he doggie paddled with his floogles all over the deep end. It was amazing. Truly, amazing.

I could be telling you about having my dear friend Autumn (who moved back down from NYC, Hallelujah!) over Sunday night and another friend Joy and her kids, and the fun that was. Gluten-free, casein-free was a success except for rice krispie treats which were made with real butter. But there was excellent wine (for us, not the kids, of COURSE) and fun conversation and the kids were on excellent behavior.

I could be telling you about how my mom spent the night Sunday night, and Monday I went to boot camp early in the morning which kicked my butt, and had Winghouse to use up any available calories for this weekend, and then did heavy yard work for four hours in the heat of the day. And the front yard is starting to look AWESOME except the one main flowerbed which neither I nor my husband have any interest in tackling. (We will though.) And the backyard is DONE except for painting the pergola. DONE. I should put honey-dos on my resolution list more often.

I could also tell you that I can barely move today because of boot camp and 4 hours of yardwork. Every muscle in my legs hurts. Arms, sore. Back muscles, sore. Butt, yep. Abs, yep. I shant be running today, I can tell you that. Cardiotrainer said that I burned about 1600 calories in my exploits yesterday. I’m sure Winghouse was about that, but oh, how good it was.

ANYHOW! Instead of telling you about my grand weekend (ha!), I’m going to answer some TOT questions. For more TOT, see Chelsea.

1. From your childhood, what do you miss most about summer vacation? I miss sleeping in (which I never do anyhow), watching movies over and over, and riding my bike to the next town to visit my friends. Mostly I miss HAVING a summer vacation. Just not enough to be a teacher.

2. Are you going anywhere on vacation this summer? I’m going to Delaware in August for four days. And my MIL is thinking about getting a beachfront condo so we might go to the beach for an extended weekend. I’m married to my cubicle, so I don’t go many places except the occasional day plane trip within the state for work.

3. What foods do you like to barbeque? I love to grill because it means less dishes. I’m on a zucchini kick (tossed with a little olive oil and sprinkled with Greek seasoning), and chicken, steak, shrimp, veggies, pizza … if it’s big enough not to fall through the cracks, it’s good to grill.

4. How do you celebrate the fourth of July? Nothing much. I’m not a big fan of fireworks, so it’s just whatever, really. This year we may have a party since we have the deck. I haven’t decided yet.

5. What’s your favorite beverage to drink in the summertime? Water, the occasional sweet tea, and new to the scene is this beer which I had on Saturday and fell in love with: Leinenkugel Summer Shandy.

Light, summery, and slightly too easy to drink.

6. What movie are you looking forward to seeing this summer? There are movies coming out this summer? X-Men looks good, and otherwise I might try to catch up on all the past movies I haven’t seen yet. There are a lot of them. Oh! And Harry Potter! That comes out this summer, right?

7. In the car: Windows or AC? If I have any sleeves at all, AC. If in a tank top and won’t be at too many stop lights, I’ll put the windows down.

8. Have you ever had a summer fling? Hmm. No.

9. Do you wear sunscreen? no, I usually don’t. I’m fastidious about getting the kids, but I’m so used to not changing color that I don’t ever worry about it. Due to the influx of tank tops and shorts I’ve been wearing, I’m starting to get a pretty dark base tan and it’s probably time to start slathering it on.

10. Do you have any favorite summertime activities? Playing in the sprinklers, enjoying a finished yard (one day, I swear), spending time outside in the shade with a big glass of water and a book, and swimming at my in-laws’ house. I would say swimming at my house, but there’s only the kiddie pool. This year maybe I can get in good with the other neighbor so I can borrow his pool when he’s not around.



And now, if you’ve stuck with it this long, I commend you. I hope your weekend was fabulous!

Some hodge with a dash of podge

1) The. Deck. Is. Done. Seriously! Well, not seriously. It really is like a third child, the work will never be actually done: the railings are up, cushions on all the seating and an umbrella is up. For all functionality, it's done. We still need to get and install our shutters for the windows, find a cute and inexpensive outdoor throw pillow (or two) for the chaise, and the pergola still needs to be painted but we are waiting on that to let the deck color wear. It's never ending, but I'm so happy with how it looks for right now. (The pillows on the chaise right now are my ikea pillows from the library. I wish they made them for outdoors)



2) I bought size 8 pants today. I'm still dumbfounded that I fit in size eight (although not in everything) ... I got these and I wouldn't have spent the money on them but they are half price for Memorial day and I still desperately needed some pants. They obviously don't fit like they do on the model, but they look pretty darn good if I do say so myself. I now have 2 pair of jeans, 3 crops, and 3 pair of dressy pants. Hopefully that's enough.

3) The cobbler told me my shoe is dead. I couldn't bear to throw them away so now they're in my back floorboard. I don't think wood glue would work because the crack is right along the ball of my foot. I'll part with them, but I just can't do it yet. I bought them on clearance at DSW years ago, but I still did some googling to see if I could replace them. Nada.

4) I'm really out of things, but I feel like a failure to not be able to come up with at least a couple extra things to say.

5) I want ice cream. I'm making due with bad wine.

6) You know what annoys me? When people (okay, on facebook) profess their love for someone in their status after one date. Especially when they're not 12. Every day is life or death, broken hearts or cloud nine. My life has never been so tumultuous, and I'm happy about that. I love my husband, but even when we were dating there wasn't a bunch of drama. Okay, so that's what I'm saying. I just don't get drama. We're in our thirties, people. We have kids. Let them have the drama.

7) I'm far too attached to Facebook.

8) We were supposed to have someone over tonight for dinner but plans fell through. Tomorrow we're driving to Altamonte Springs to a pool party. I love the people having the party, but 90 minutes to go seems like a bit too much. I'm the one who confirmed that we'd go, so obviously I can't complain. Sunday one of my closest friends and her childhood friend are coming over for dinner with kids and I've committed to cooking gluten-free, casein-free, no-red meat or pork. Hmmm. Grilled chicken, zucchini and potatoes it is! Do rice krispie treats count as GFCF?

It's my fault I'm boring

I feel bad that I have nothing to talk about these days, so I'm reducing myself to show you a picture of my poor favorite pair of wooden-soled madden girl shoes which cracked through this morning. It kept feeling like I had something in my shoe, and I took it off and figured out that it was broken. I'm now trying to figure out if they can be fixed, and if it's worth it to do so. I've had these shoes for 6 years or so, and I love them love them love them.

Book Club met last night at a hoity-toity wine bar which I wasn't too impressed with. The discussion was pretty good, and I was overturned on our next book, but that's okay. We're going to read The Passage by Justin Cronin. A "post-apocalyptic vampire tale." I have actually had it since before it was released and I tried to read it but couldn't get into it. So I guess I'm trying again!

AND! I needed new pants because none of my old ones fit, but I didn't want to spend much on them and Loft is having 50% off their clearance so I got two pairs of jeans for $15 each, and a cute pair of dressy goldish-tan slacks that are too short for heels but i could wear with snazzy flats for $7.45. Seriously. I'm so excited to have something that fits properly besides the one pair of black crops that my manager gave me.

The rails are going up on the deck today. How exciting is that? Otherwise, the only things in my discussion arsenal is "teething sucks" and "yay for upcoming 3-day weekends". Anything going on for you this weekend?

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Ten on Tuesday

1. Have you ever used Craigslist?
I have! I bought a china cabinet from a tiny old Asian man, and then also bought his table and chairs. I sold my old washer and dryer, bought a couch, and listed a dresser for free. I love Craigslist, but I never actively remember to check it when I'm in the market for something so I have a feeling everyone's getting a better deal than I am.

2. Can you sew?
Yes! I used to be quite good, especially at making tote bags and pajama bottoms, but my dog chewed the cord on my sewing machine and I never got my mojo back. My MIL got me a new sewing machine two years ago and the most action it's gotten was taking it out of the box. Nary a bobbin's been threaded.

3. Do you pour syrup on your pancakes or dip your pancakes in the syrup?
Holy revelations, Batman! I always pour, and I'm never happy with the outcome. It's always too much or too little. Dipping! That's totally the way to go from now on. (Please ignore the fact that I'm not a huge pancake fan and never ever order them except the occasional banana nut pancake or multigrain pancake.)

4. Rain storms: Love them or hate them?
Love 'em. I actually enjoy driving in them too, if you can believe it, as long as I'm not in a hurry and it's not raining so hard that I can't see. But my favorite way to enjoy them is snuggled in bed with no place to go.

5. Do you like swimming?
I do enjoy it, but I'm not great at it. I can doggie paddle and float and tread water. I know the mechanics of the other strokes, but I get frustrated because I don't go that fast and I end up flipping over and kick/floating my way to whereever I want to go, if I care to go anywhere.

6. What kind of drink do you order at Sonic?
I don't actually ever go to Sonic. The commercials are funny (I love how heartbroken that vampire looks), and I always say, "Oh, that looks good" but in the realm of fast food it's the last place I ever think to go when I think to go for fast food. Which is also close to never. So of the three times I've been to Sonic, it's been orange juice every time because I've gotten breakfast - that bacon and egg sandwich on Texas toast. Yum.

7. Are you funny?
Sometimes, but the funniest I ever am is while being sarcastic so it's generally at the expense at others. I'm sorry in advance. At least I can usually make you laugh about what I'm laughing about too.

8. At what age will your kids get cell phones?
I don't see the point of kids having cell phones when they are not old enough to be anywhere without parents. So ... 14 maybe? 15? I might have to get a land line again so.

9. What’s your favorite vegetable?
Wow, that's like picking a favorite kid, really. I love mushrooms, but I've recently been told that they're not a vegetable but a fungus. Curse you, Suz! Cucumbers, brussel sprouts, spinach, chard, tomatoes (I know, fruit), jicama, corn, lettuce (I'm weird, but iceberg is my favorite), squashes, asparagus. I'm sure there's more than I'm forgetting but I can't think of anything. Not a big fan of potatoes, but I'll eat them well seasoned or loaded with butter and sour cream (you know, not healthy).

10. Were you a Girl Scout?
I was a Brownie until they wanted me to do stuff to prepare to be a Girl Scout. I say that I didn't really want to do them and didn't want to stay a Brownie, but in retrospect I didn't really understand what they wanted me to do and my mom was not active in it so I dropped out. I'm a Brownie-school drop out. Take that, Frenchy.

Weekend wrap-up

I really needed that long weekend.

The best part? All of it.

Thursday I stopped at the butcher to use a Groupon on chicken and ground turkey, and was annoyed when I got home and found that the dude had given me bone-in chicken. Sunday I went to thaw one of the chicken bundles and realized that he actually gave me boneless chicken for bone-in price ... Score! $1.79 a pound vs 2.99 a pound. I wish I had bought way more now.

Friday we did some comparison shopping for more things we need for the deck, but didn't actually get anything. My list is an umbrella and umbrella stand, two throw pillows for the chaise, and cushions for the regular chairs. We've decided to keep our old furniture and refinish it the same color as the deck. It's good furniture, just old and we didn't take care of it as well as we should have. My father-in-law ordered the railings which should be in next week.

Friday night my neighbors came over for hamburgers and corn and roasted zucchini and lots and lots of sangria. Lots. Of. Sangria. It was a good time.

Saturday was a friend's daughter's first birthday party; dinner with family Saturday night for family birthdays, a longer run (2.5m). Late night watching The Kings Speech.

Sunday - bacon and brie quiche, lounging in the kiddie pool, watermelon, baseball in the backyard, sunning on the chaise, catching up on DVR, a short run (1.9m), Harry Potter movies. Good times.

Five more days of work, and then I'm graced with another 3-day weekend. Will it top this one? Only time will tell! Hope yours was good too!

Friday Hodge

-- I arbitrarily took today off, so as I type this I am sitting on my deck in my pjs and a cup of coffee while Hubs take the kids to daycare. Taking a random Friday off with nothing in particular to do is a great feeling. My weekends have been so full lately that I haven't had any time to just sit and relax. So that's what I'm doing.

-- For 10 minutes, anyhow. I'm terrible at relaxing, so once I do it I start thinking about all the things I should be doing. So in 10 minutes Hubs will be back home and I'll make breakfast.

-- I want to participate in this 30 day song challenge on Facebook, but the first day is "your favorite song". I can probably answer all the others, but my favorite? I don't know! Too much pressure! Help! What's your favorite song?

-- We've been trying something different with Spencer for dinner. He has to sit with us. I make him a plate, and he has to sit with us. If he doesn't want to eat, fine, but he has to sit until everyone (including Henry) is done eating. He generally has a few bites of food out of boredom. It's not a great fix (he still throws a fit about anything green on his plate) but at least he's eating a little, and I hope that he won't be a terrible influence on Henry by the time he's old enough to not eat everything in sight.

-- Henry ... is teething. Again. Now he's getting the teeth on either side of his bottom teeth. Top ones still not through yet. Have I mentioned how much I hate teething? Spencer was not like this while he was teething. I know he was fussy, but this is a whole new ballgame for me. I had a dream that Henry got all his bottom teeth in, in one day. And they were all molars. It was a tough dream.

-- When he's not fussy though, this kid is so much fun! Since he started crawling so early, now he's back to being content to sit so he'll crawl to where he wants to be and play with his toys (or Spencer's toys, more likely). And he gets so excited by everything! He smiles and his whole face just lights up. He's such a joy.

-- When he's not teething. Or getting the snot sucked out of his nose.

-- I keep getting distracted by the squirrels playing on my roof. And tree. And fence.

-- Now that I've successfully put veggies into waffles, bread, and muffins for my son to eat, I'm wondering if I can make homemade veggie pasta. Would that be difficult? Could I freeze it? Any ideas please?

TOT - photos

Photos! So I was looking forward to this TOT, and I was going to take all my pictures this weekend and make everything all pretty, but then I checked Chelsea for the “questions” a day too early and then I forgot after that. So I remembered this morning when people started posting, and by then it was all about scrambling. So … photos not pretty. Taken by phone, because I’m classy.



1) Favorite piece of furniture: If we’re talking inside of the house, it’s my bed (see photo of bed for bed). Outside, my new chaise lounge. Obviously I like to lay around and do nothing. It’s all about things I never have time to do.




2) Favorite thing on the wall: I like the cuckoo clock on the boys’ wall that used to be my husbands’. I had to hang the pendulums up so they wouldn’t yank it off the wall, but it’s pretty neat. Also, I love my mirror in my room (not pictured, heavy wood from Bombay Co).



3) Your bed as it looks right now: I wanted to take a picture this morning before I left for work, but Hubby was still asleep in it and I thought he’d kill me for posting a picture of him sleeping for the world to see. So I’m going to post how it looks when I get home. Fingers crossed, it will be made – I don’t do it. (ps - Score! My Hubby rocks.)


4) Your pantry: Nothing to say. Zattarans was on sale at Publix. So was the chicken broth. I keep cleaning it, and somehow it doesn’t stay that way. At least there are currently no plates of food that Spencer has hidden so he can say he’s done eating dinner.



5) Favorite jewelry: my wedding set.



6) Your favorite book: Here’s a stack of my favorites.



7) My most comfortable shirt: all my tank tops. I love my tank tops. Love (ps - I forgot to take this picture. Just go to Old Navy's website and search "tank tops" and insert into this spot right here. I have most of them, especially the bib style).


8) Your messiest room: I have parts of two rooms. The part of the living room with the kids’ toys and my side of the bedroom. Apparently May was unsuccessful on my resolution to keep my dresser cleaned up. Note to self – clean that up tonight. Yeah, sure.


(oh hey, the mirror I like so much is behind that giant mound of clothing! see, I did take a photo of it!)



9) Your house shoes: I posted these yesterday, but here’s another picture (next to two other pairs). The ones on my feet are my favorite. Hubby detests all three pairs.



10) Yourself: blurry, but I am not particularly capable of taking a picture of myself. This was taken today at my desk at work. Blurry or not, it was the most successful of the mini-shoot.