cheleblog

2012-02-13T05:34:00.001-06:00

UNGH. That's the sound I made when the alarm went off this morning. The coffee is helping, but it's still WAY too early.

So let's see how this working thing goes. I'm going to take the big Tylenols with me, just in case. I can take those and still drive. Heh.

Speaking of drive - here is the new car. GittyUp! He's already driven, like, 500+ miles since he got it. Very comfy for a fast car, and it has all the nice things like heated seats and a fancy radio. Now maybe we'll stop buying cars for a while. Maybe.

Last night we had Asian-inspired beef and rice (from the crock pot!) for dinner. It was pretty good. Next time I'll back off a little bit on the soy sauce and go heavier on the garlic.. but all in all, WAY good and we practically licked the plates clean. I think this would translate well for pork and chicken, too.

And hey - look at me, all typing pretty fast with two hands. It's much faster this way. Ciao.

2012-02-11T07:30:00.000-06:00

I was feeling pretty cocky last night. Well enough to whip up some (from-a-mix) cookies for our sad, empty cookie jar, toss in a load of whites, and stuff this little bear here.

Then the extra strength tylenol wore off and I was a hurtin' girl. Note to self: do not overdo it.

Today's big milestone is driving the car again - yay! freedom! - so there can be no heavy drugs this morning. Ragazz' is off to a day race, and I'm going to brunch and go to the grocery store (to buy only light things).

OH! And the car thing. Yes. There's another new (to us) car, because the big ol' Tahoe had to go away. He was WAY too thirsty, and if gas really is going to hit $4 a gallon in May that situation couldn't last. So now we have a very sporty VW GTI sharing the garage with Hammeh. And Hammeh looks HUGE next to this car. He's not named yet, which is a little disconcerting to me. Cars must be named! I'm just that way.

Also the garage seems about 10 times bigger. Maybe we should get another new car! No, wait. Not that.

All the weird drugs are out of my system now. Wednesday and most of Thursday are a blur. I crack up when I read my Facebook statuses, because I really don't remember writing some of those. Yikes. My favorite one included the line "I have big typhoon and voodoo. Not voodoo. Vicogvh."
Good God.

A domani, amici. Ciao.

2012-02-10T10:43:00.002-06:00

This post will have 100% more correct spelling, because I am 50% less drugged than I was yesterday.

This wrist thing hurts more than I thought it would. I spent most of the day Thursday in a pleasant vicodin-induced haze. Fun for a day, I guess, but I would hate to feel that way all the time. Typing is a little easier today, too, because I've got the weird "slide the arm around on the laptop so the fingers don't have to reach very far" method going on. But I can already tell that this can't go on very much longer.

Oh, and Ragazz' bought a different car yesterday. More on that (and pictures) domani, amici. Ciao.

2012-02-09T08:49:00.000-06:00

this will be the short one handed post. it's done. doc said that i had an extra tendon in there, which would explain the pain. they're all released now. yesterday i was goofy on the drugs. today there will be more because now it REALLY hurts. ow.

but my friends are the best cuz you make me laugh. ragazz is the best because he takes such good care of me. and nbow the vicodin is kicking in, so its tome to go lay doen. ciao,

2012-02-08T06:29:00.000-06:00

Today is the day. RELEASE THE ~~KRACKEN~~ TENDONS!!

I slept in until 6:00, because I figure the less time spent awake without caffeine, the better. It's not helping, really. Heh. The caffeine headache kicked in just as I was getting out of bed. Maybe they do this to you on purpose! You are so entirely focused on the headache (and also so awake-yet-groggy) that you really don't pay attention to anything they are doing to you. They're geniuses. Evil, evil geniuses.

I had the pre-op physical at my regular doc, and she declared me all fit and ready. I had an EKG and everything. Then, to celebrate, I went across the street and had a raspberry cream cheese croissant. Why? Because it is there.

I have to go take yet ANOTHER antiseptic soap shower. Man, they have this thing about wanting you to be really really really CLEAN before surgery! I don't get it! Heh. I think it's another distraction device: "Put this weird red soap on your arm. Yes, it will probably stain your nice, white towels. Now scrub your wrist for FIVE WHOLE MINUTES. Not three, not six. FIVE!" So I'll be in the shower with the timer set.. thank you very much.

Expect a few one-handed-typed, drug fueled missives on Facebook later today. Ciao.

2012-02-07T05:34:00.000-06:00

I'm obsessed with taking pictures of the full moon. Someday I'll get a real camera and try it.

My Monday began thusly: Pull out of the garage, push the button to close the door. Just as I pull into the street I notice "Hey. The door doesn't seem to be all the way down." Then I think "Nah, I'm crazy. It's down." So I turn onto the main street.
"No. That door WASN'T all the way down," so I pull a u-turn and head back into the cul-de-sac and back into the driveway. The door is, indeed, about 2" from fully closed. So I hit the button to close it.
And nothing happens.
So what do you do when nothing happens? You hit the button 17 more times, thinking "THIS time it will work." Except it doesn't. So I park the car, use the key to get in the front door (which I think I've only done, like, twice since we moved in) go into the garage...
And notice that the little arm that pulls the door up is now dangling helplessly. Uh-oh.

I knew that Ragazz' could fix it, so it wasn't urgent enough to wake him at 5:40 AM (see how nice I am to him?) and so I pulled the door down and shut it, left him a note and then I was on my merry way. He fixed it last night, because he is getting to be the handiest handyman when it comes to house stuff.

And then there was the rest of the day, during which I barely came up for air. I'm trying to cram a week's worth of work into a day and a half, despite my boss's best efforts to thwart me. Heh. It's like having a kid. The minute I get deep into the middle of something, I hear, "How do you print emails, again?" and "Uh-oh, I just pushed some button and now my screen is dark!" and "Where's that one piece of paper that I thought was insignificant and pushed to the side and now it's of the utmost importance for me to have it in front of me RIGHT THIS MINUTE?"
You see what I'm getting at.

We're also in the middle of calendar wars again. We go through this about once a quarter.. when he decides to put all sorts of stuff on his calendar and not tell me about it. (He'll be sneaky and CALL people about stuff instead of emailing, too, so there's no paper trail.) So every day there are these weird, cryptic notes on his calendar. "Fwer.2.sfu8."
What?
Then he'll ask me, "What is this on my calendar?" And when I tell him I don't know, because *I* didn't put it there, he gets all sad.
It takes about 3 days to get it all straightened out (and about 7 phone calls to UN-double-book him) and then we're back on track.
Yeah. So there's that.

I don't know what's going to happen when he has three days unsupervised with the calendar later this week. I dread what I will find on Monday.

(Also - a cheleblog rule review. None of the stuff that I've said here isn't stuff that I wouldn't actually say - and that I haven't said! - at work. Rule #2: "Never write stuff about work that you wouldn't say AT work.")

So - a half day today, then to the regular doc for a pre-op check-up. Tomorrow the tendons WILL BE RELEASED. And we'll talk more about that tomorrow morning. Ciao.

2012-02-06T05:02:00.000-06:00

I just had to take a couple hours' worth of Bear break time to try this. It's a Mobius Strip collar. It will work well as a scarf or a little shrug or, Ms. Malachi demonstrates, as a hat (I guess).

(Sometimes when I look at her I see her dad. Sometimes I even see a little bit of me. In this picture, she could BE my sister when she was twenty.)
(Also - she's not a thug. But she could be. Heh.)

We had a small housefull of people here for the game and I loved every minute of that. Everyone left fed and happy, the commercials were great and it took less than 20 minutes to get the kitchen put back together again. Oh, and there was a football game that was VERY exciting in the last few minutes, and Madonna sang. She's just a bit older than me, and she's still very very bendy. Note to self: go back to yoga.

And I successfully duplicated Aunt Cindy's dinner rolls, according to Ragazz'. And he would be the best judge of all. I made them a little smaller, and the secret was to give the dough a little extra rise-time. There really is nothing more satisfying than punching down and kneading dough. Next time I do this I'll take pictures.

It occurs to me that if I want to do it again, it had better be tonight or tomorrow. Once my wrist is splinted for good there'll be no kneading for a while.

I have a zillion things on my work plate today.. so much that it woke me up at 3:07AM. I guess I'll go in and get started. Ciao.

2012-02-05T10:02:00.000-06:00

I am not a spokesperson for this product, nor am I being paid to endorse it. BUT.

I was starting to despair because the water here at the Chateau is the hardest water ever in all of the history of mankind. I'm not even kidding. All of our dishes and cups and, basically, anything that went through the dishwasher came out with this weird film and spots. Everything still looked dirty, even though I knew it was clean. So I turned to the source of all knowledge known as the innernetz (and to all my happy homemaker sites). I kept seeing posts of LemiShine, over and over again. So I ventured out to WallyWorld (because everyone said that's where they got it) and got some. I tried it last night.

It works. AND THEN THE HEAVENS OPENED AND THE ANGELS SANG..

Well, maybe not that. But I was pretty happy. And until we get a water softener, this is what I'll use in the dishwasher every single time.

Today is the Stupor Bowl, and folks may or may not be coming over to watch it with us. I'm still making some grazing food (yum-yum dip and little smokies, and I'm going to convince ragazz' to go get us some sliders later.. heh..). I keep forgetting who is actually playing the game. I really just want to watch commercials and hang out.

I'm going to try Aunt Cindy's dinner roll recipe again, too. I've made modifications. I will be successful this time, I just know it.

Finally - my crockpot experiment last night was a tasty success. So here goes:

So Easy That It's Ridiculous Salsa Chicken Breasts

2 Frozen chicken breasts
1 jar of salsa (if you are making 4 breasts use 2 jars, etc. etc.)
1/2 jar of queso (if you are making 4 breasts use 1 jar, etc. etc.)

Spray crockpot with nonstick spray (or use a liner). Seriously. Otherwise you will regret it when you're trying to clean up the mess.
Put frozen breasts in crockpot, cover with salsa (turn breasts over to coat both sides), put a few dollops (about half the amount of total queso) on top, but don't stir it in.
Cook on low for 8 hours (or more)
About an hour before you are ready to serve, put in the rest of the queso, give everything a good stir, and then if you want, add a couple "glops" or cream cheese or sour cream. Quick stir again, then turn the temp up to high.

I served this over Zataran's Yellow Rice, and it was yummy. The only thing I'd do differently is this: take the breasts out of the crockpot, put them on a plate and let them sit for about 5-10 minutes before putting them on the rice. THEN spoon the sauce from the crockpot over everything.

Enjoy! Ciao.

2012-02-04T08:53:00.000-06:00

You'd think that I took this picture in black & white.. but I really didn't. This is just the color it is outside right now.

So.. Friday. Worked, hung out at the Capitol, came home, worked a little more, Brasa takeout for dinner, then we planted ourselves in front of the teevee. Sometimes it's good to have the week wind down quietly.

This morning I sent the boy off to the races once again, and as soon as I hit 'publish' here I'm off to some brunchin' with my BFF.

Tonight's crockpot experiment is thus: frozen chicken breasts, jar of salsa, some queso (Not too much, and maybe just about an hour before serving), and serve it over rice. A little side salad, too. That sounds easy enough. I'll get back to you with the results.

Ciao.

2012-02-03T05:42:00.000-06:00

Why this picture? I don't know.

The work hours flew by yesterday, and so did the home hours for that matter. I was productive - dishes put away and kitchen set back in order, bear's skirt started. Nothing of great importance. Just a day.

February is all about the politics and legislating at work, and it ends with the big Rally at the Capitol. I got 2 big parts of that day organized yesterday. Proof that, if you just get outta my way I *will* get things done. Today I'm going to meet with my "friend at the Capitol" (note: ALWAYS bond with the Facilities people. They will help you.) and do another walk thru.

There's part of me that's kinda frustrated though. If I'd been allowed to do this two weeks ago, the way I wanted to, this would be so much easier. I'm going to be out of the office almost all week next week, which takes a whole week out of my planning time. Grrr. But whatever. Things get done in spite of the best intentions to thwart them.

Time to go do.. stuff. And have a Friday. Ciao.

2012-02-02T05:26:00.001-06:00

I took this picture before her other arm was done. My stories are on TV tonight, so while I watch those her skirt will go on as well.

Still more sad politicking going on yesterday, and it was really starting to get to me. So the only logical cure was MORE LIP GLOSS. Heh. And also - makeup shopping. Once a year or so it's time to clear out all the old stuff and start brand new. So my need to shop, plus my need to restock, PLUS Clinique Bonus Day = perfect! And I got a cute little butterfly bag. How could it get better, I ask you.

I've done some weird thing to my neck, so I can't turn my head fully to the left. I'm telling you that just in case you want to sneak up on me today. You will be most successful at that if you come up behind me on the left side.

Two declutter projects will happen on Saturday while Ragazz' is at a day race: the dreaded yarn bins (eeeek!) and the aforementioned makeup organizer. Also a quick tidy-up for the home desk.

Time to make things happen. Ciao.

2012-02-01T05:46:00.000-06:00

And now it's FEBRUARY!

January, the Month of Bears, was a huge success. When I finish up this last little girl, I will have made 7 bears. I really wanted to make 8, but the wrist thing slowed me up a little bit. And, of course, this is something I'll continue to do all year long.

And I'm happy to report that I've been soda-free for 31 days. I won't lie.. this is a tough one, and I keep looking for loopholes. Heh. But I can do it.

February is the month of decluttering, and I was looking for one more thing for it to be (since decluttering doesn't seem like a huge challenge right now). I decided on an additional challenge yesterday.. but it's a more personal one. And despite living my whole life out loud on the innernetz, there are still SOME things that are just for me. So I'll declutter and do my own thing, and that will be February.

Facebook is turning into the land of arguing about politics. Ugh. Here's the thing.. in reality, no amount of arguing is going to change the minds of folks who are truly committed to their beliefs. And people who are passionate enough to discuss and debate their beliefs are those who will TRY to change the minds of others. And those people won't change their minds. And thus, the fighting begins. I'm really trying to stay out of it.

Oh, and now I have auburn hair, and it's cool. Ciao.

2012-01-31T05:24:00.000-06:00

We went to Brasa last night. Mmmm. Just so you know, if we know you and we see you in real life, we WILL take you to Brasa at some point. Because it's just that good.

The one disappointment I had was that whole "no soda for a year" thing.. and they have the really good Mexican Coke (with REAL sugar) and Original Dr. Pepper (also with REAL sugar). Man.. those drinks taste so different - and so much better - with the real stuff instead of corn syrup. But, alas. A resolution is a resolution.. and I'm really trying to stick with it. So there was no soda for me, and instead I had Sweet Cafe con Leche. Very good. Also very caffeinated at 8:00 at night. Ooops. I didn't go to bed until 11:00, and I remember having some kind of yelling-out bad dream around 3:00 this morning. Poor ragazz'. So when my alarm went off at 4:30 I was already half awake, and truthfully I'm *still* a little over-caffeinated from last night, and now I'm drinking more coffee. Full-on meltdown forecast for later this afternoon. Viewer discretion is advised.

Speaking of resolutions.. I'm re-thinking the whole "pitch one thing everyday" thing. Mainly because I really don't have ALL that much to pitch anymore. I think I will still dedicate February to decluttering.. but that doesn't feel like a big enough stretch anymore. So I'm trying to think of another goal. Of course, I should be doing this BEFORE the last day of the previous month.. but I'll come up with something. Suggestions are welcome (and encouraged).

Finally - I tried a new fudge combination last night: peanut butter, buttercream, and mini chocolate chips. BoyHowdy. THAT's a little rich.. but very very good.

Ciao.

2012-01-30T05:18:00.000-06:00

There's just a little bit of snow on the ground, but yesterday was COLD. That bright, clear cold with wind that stings your cheeks. (It's pretty, though. Look at how blue the sky is.)

So we spent some time in here. The Como Park Conservatory.. where it's always about 78° and HUMID. I'm not a big fan of humidity in the Summer when it's 90°, but yesterday it felt glorious. We plunked ourselves down on a bench and just took it all in.

We agreed that it was an almost-acceptable (and way cheaper) alternative to hopping on a plane and flying to Cali. And there was a bonus:

SLOTH! About 1 second before I took this picture he peeked his little head up and looked around. CUTE. So cute. It was one of the best days of Winter thus far.

We went to the 1968 exhibit at the History Museum. It was interesting, but just on the edge of way.. too.. crowded. It was hard to get any pictures, but this one made me laugh.

How much do I love that dress and hat??

The day wrapped up with dinner, of course. Ms. Malachi and I spent time chatting over the kitchen counter while I marinated and boiled and even did some microwaving for good measure. She left around 8:00, Ragazz' fell asleep on the couch, and we were sleeping by 10:00. Like I said - stellar day.

Last full week of work before RELEASING THE TENDONS. There's so much to do. Ciao.

2012-01-28T09:37:00.000-06:00

Hello, Saturday morning. I kissed the boy and sent him off to race cars, and now I'm sitting at the counter.. drinking coffee, making errand lists, planning meals and avoiding the ginormous pile of laundry in the bedroom.

Just exactly the way I'd always dreamed my Saturday mornings would be. Ahhh.

Later today I'm going to attempt to replicate the famous family yeast rolls. We can't get her to cough up the recipe (and I can even understand that, I get that way!) - but it seems pretty basic. Worth a try, anyway, and at the very least we'll get SOME kind of yeast rolls from it. Some is always better than none.

I need to get this thing out of my system in the next couple of weeks.. because once the RELEASING OF THE TENDONS has happened there's going to be no kneading of dough for a few weeks.

Enough stalling, chele. Make the day happen. Ciao.

2012-01-27T05:39:00.001-06:00

Hanging out at the Capitol was fun. Government in action.. more people should see how it happens. And my papa was around all morning to make sure I got the good parking places. When we got to the Capitol, the hunt for parking started. I turned onto the closest street with public parking and got one of the first metered spots. I put 3 quarters in.. and the meter went crazy and gave me 2.5 hours (which should have been 45 minutes). Thanks, Mike!

Then we got back to the office ramp, and it's never easy to find a spot after about 8:00 AM.. but my favorite spot (the one I always get, and which I had earlier that morning) was open and waiting for me. Thanks again! It makes me smile every time.

We had to walk a couple of blocks, which I did sans earmuffs ($5). It was cold, and a little windy. By the time we got back to the office my right ear was starting to hurt. My mom wasn't right about a lot of stuff, but the one thing she DID get right was "Wear your earmuffs! You know how your ears get in the winter!" Yeah.. within about 3 hours I was in so..much..pain. Stupid bad ears. I got home and grabbed HWB (hot water bottle, my good friend) and kept that on my ear for most of the night. It's still a little twingy this morning, but at least I can hold my head upright. When my ear gets that sore, I walk around with my neck crooked and my shoulder pulled up....... I'M PRETTY. (shut up.)

It's FRIDAY, peeps! I can hardly wait to get home and throw myself on the couch for a while. Ciao.

2012-01-26T05:44:00.000-06:00

Yesterday started on a less than stellar note.

I got to work and had to call and leave messages for approximately 208324 various doctors and pharmacies (this is all the prep work for RELEASING THE TENDONS! Heh. Kracken.), asking them to call me back on my cell phone. Then, as my cell phone had been nagging me for a "system update" for about a week, I performed said update.

That's when my phone turned into a brick.

The phone rang, but I couldn't answer it. If I tried, the whole thing froze up, then rebooted itself. I could make outgoing calls.. but the display randomly turned itself on and off during the dialing process. And then ALL MY CONTACTS AND APPS DISAPPEARED.

Bad swears ensued. And my wrist hurt. And my boss was.. having a challenging day.

It got a little better after work, when I met up with my friend, the ever-vanishing Luuuuucy. This girl has lost SIXTY FIVE POUNDS, 35 since her surgery. I always thought it was cliche to say that someone "looked 10 years younger".. but it's true! She does! She looks fantastic, and I'm so proud and happy for her. YAY!

Then my ragazz - that cute boy in the picture up there - picked me up and went with me to buy a shiny new phone. He said that, really, his job was to just keep me from throwing the old phone at the poor Sprint person. Heh.

But I had a really great SprintGirl helping me. She was funny and sympathetic, AND she gave me $63 for my old piece of junk phone.. I warned her that it turned into a brick from time to time, but she did so anyway!

Then we had Chipotle, and Ragazz' got free food. He gets free food there on an alarmingly regular basis. I don't know how he does that, but we'll take it. We ate and began the long and painful phone set-up process.. It's like moving into a new house, setting up a phone from scratch. I've emailed and facebooked (?) almost everyone I know to get phone numbers and contacts back. So I'll say it again here.. If I should know your phone number or email address and you haven't heard from me.. you'd better send it to me. This time I'm backing everything up to Google, so I'll never lose you again.

It's off to the Capitol this morning. Time to do some government work! Ciao.

2012-01-25T05:40:00.001-06:00

I thought I'd just go in and get another shot in my wrist and that would be the end of it. Except, not so much. I get to call in today and schedule up some surgery on my wrist.

Woohoo!

I gotta tell ya, the specialty clinic has this down and is a model of efficiency. I'm not even kidding. The PA did an exam and sent me down for x-rays. By the time I got downstairs, they knew I was coming. I'd barely sat down to wait when they called me into the room. Got those done, went back upstairs, re-checked in with the doc's office and sat down. Literally 30 seconds later they called me back into THAT room. They did another quick x-ray in the casting room (there was some weird bone-thing going on in my left wrist. Turns out my right wrist is the same way. I'm unusual, but at least I'm symmetrically unusual.), saw the doc one last time, then saw the surgical nurse who gave me the lowdown on what comes next. I was in/out and DONE with all that in just under an hour. Wow.

It's an outpatient procedure, but there's still a little bit of hoopla that goes along with it. And I don't quite understand this - they do it with a local anesthetic, but I still have to fast the night before, AND have someone there to drive me home? I guess I'll learn more today after I talk to the scheduler.

They cut the sheath in my wrist to release the tendons (and you KNOW I'm gonna run around that whole day yelling "RELEASE THE TENDON". Heh.) and then, hopefully, all this nonsense stops. The weirdest part of all is that they don't know WHY this happened. They swear up and down that it's not from all the knitting or all the typing. I guess that makes sense.. if those were the issue, wouldn't it bother both wrists? After surgery, I'm splinted for 5 weeks, but only out of commission for a couple days. Not too bad.

It's always something, isn't it? Ciao.

2012-01-24T05:40:00.000-06:00

Whew. That was a tough Monday, what with the meetings and the crabby boss and lousy commute and all. I got home and all I wanted to do was retreat to The Fort. So I did.

Well, first I grabbed my ice cream.

So I had frozen pizza for dinner, ice cream for dessert, knitted a bit, texted Ms. Malachi.. then I was DONE. I went to bed at 8:30. Sometimes a girl just needs 8 hours of sleep.

I feel about a million percent better this morning. It wasn't painful to get up, anyway. I'm hoping *knock wood* that it's a happier office day. It'll be a short one, anyway, because I'm gonna go get my wrist shot up. And then, hooray, I get to hang out with my extraordinary niece, because we haven't seen each other in way too long.
Well, too long except for those 12 or so years that we DIDN'T see each other, but those hardly count anymore. Heh.

Thanks to my friend Jenni-from-the-internet, I found a new online photo editing tool. So I can breathe a sigh of relief and not care if Picnik goes away. Now there can be NO MORE CHANGE for the rest of the year. Not that I mind change. Or really, I do.

I just remembered that I dreamed last night that I was supposed to play the clarinet in a concert, but then I remembered that I didn't know how to play clarinet. So instead, I grabbed a baby who needed changing and put a new diaper on it.
What? Oh.

"To see or play a clarinet in your dream suggests that you need to adjust your tone of voice."

"To dream that you are changing diapers suggests a need to clean up you behavior and change your childish ways. Perhaps you need to change your attitude and approach regarding a new idea or project."

Ciao.

2012-01-23T05:08:00.000-06:00

This little bear just makes me laugh and laugh. He IS Richard Simmons!

Sunday... Another one of those days where I never even left the house. I knitted, I made surprisingly delicious Japanese noodle soup with meatballs, I discovered that Netflix is now streaming The Twilight Zone.. it was a faboo day. Ragazz' was a painting machine downstairs in his mancave. It was a good day.

After sitting for about 3 hours straight (I had to get Richard Simmons finished and stuffed!), I felt all creaky, so I fired up the Yoga app and had a 30 minute practice. Even after all these years, I *still* can't get over how amazing it feels when I'm done doing that. Get that energy flowing again. Ahhhh.

They kept saying that it would be snowing this morning, but I don't see anything yet. I think they're just doing this to get our hopes up (or down).

New week, new adventures. Ciao.

2012-01-22T15:00:00.000-06:00

It's a day for painting (see: the artist at work in the picture above), knitting (see: well, you can only see my feet under the blankets there, but I'm knitting. trust me.), and being pretty lazy. Because it's Sunday, and that's how we roll.

2012-01-21T08:26:00.000-06:00

My Desert Friend will never fully understand the frozen tundra.. but here's the cool thing about it. When the temperature gets down into the double digits below zero and there's no wind, the air gets crystal clear and it's really quiet. And you get gorgeous sunrises.

However, it's still really, really, freakin' cold.

I had a little freakout this morning, because I just found out that picnik.com is going away. What?? That's how I fix up all my pictures and it's so handily connected to Flickr.
Then I started worrying - what if FLICKR ever went away?!?! I have all my pictures on there! (I don't think it will. I hope not.)

Internet panic. It's the greatest. I'm sure I'll find something else.. but change is hard.

My greatest discovery last night: cake vodka + lemonade. It's like the angels singing to an audience of puppies and unicorns against a backdrop of sunshine and rainbows. On an unrelated note, I may have a little headache this morning.

My Best Lady Friends™ are coming over for brunch this morning. Hooray! I must start cooking. Ciao.

2012-01-20T05:49:00.000-06:00

Sometimes, you just have to speak your mind. Even at work. Even if it's difficult. Even if it's unpopular. You just have to do it. I'm still here to tell the tale, though, so it wasn't that bad.

Side note: Don't ask me to be brutally honest if you don't want to hear what I'm going to say. Because I *will* be honest.

And then after work there was a nap, and then after that there was noodles and gravy at DeGidios. Sometimes (most times, really) it rocks to be an Eye-Talian girl.

This whole week got away from me, and Ms. Malachi and I didn't get to have coffee. Le Sigh. We'll keep trying.

It might be shaping up to be a spendy weekend. And that's all I have to say about that right now.

Good thing I'm going in to get my wrist shot up next week. It's getting my sore by the day. Oh, I don't know.. maybe I should tell them to do whatever surgery thing they need to do and get it over with. Except I need to find out how long it puts me out of typing-commission with that hand. It's what I do all day long, every day. And don't even get my started about the knitting! I would have severe withdrawal symptoms, and no one wants that.

Happy FRIDAY. Ciao.

2012-01-19T05:40:00.002-06:00

I can tell that winter madness is setting in. Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate. That's all I want. Then I find recipes that are easy - like this one for Peanut Butter Fudge - and I know I'm a goner.

1 tub of frosting
16 oz. jar of peanut butter
Dump both into microwave safe bowl. Do not stir
Microwave for one minute
Stir until well mixed
Pour into greased pan
Chill til firm

See? Told you.

Last night was all about the NOT sleeping. Went to bed at 10pm. Got out of bed at 11pm, walked around, got back in bed, read for a while, turned out the light at midnight. Got out of bed at 1am, walked around, etc. etc.

I think I fell asleep at around 3:30, then I had weird dreams. So I'm a hot mess this morning, and I expect that I'll be throwing a temper tantrum at around 2:00 this afternoon. Take appropriate measures.

I watched Glee last night while I was knitting. Okay, I get it. Don't watch it for the story arc. Pretend it's a cartoon. Listen to the songs and laugh at the absurd situations (these kids throw together an elaborate synchronized swim routine in 20 minutes? Sure. Why not? There's always a band around - that knows how to accompany any song that the groups bursts into? But of course! The teacher asks one of his students to be the best man at his wedding? Happens every day.) It's like an hour-long vacation for the brain, and there's pretty costumes and music!

Time to bundle up (it's -10°, windchill is -31°) and head out into the frozen tundra. Ciao.

2012-01-18T08:53:00.001-06:00

And the Month of Bears continues. This little guy is knit from yarn made from recycled PET bottles. I think I should call him "Granola".

Also - his shorts are WAY too short. Oh well.

It's cold. C-O-L-D cold. But all this cold with no snow really is freaking me out. And I can't help but think we'll be digging out of snowstorms in April, and that freaks me out even more.

Oh, So Cal. I can't wait for the day I live there all the time.

Our HOA had quite the contentious meeting. Sometimes I think that our property manager forgets that we are homeOWNERS, not renters. Don't be telling me what I can and can't do in my own four walls, Sport. He's young and idealistic and we old crotchety owners just blast him every. single. time. As owners, we squabble among ourselves.. but then we band together to rise up against him. I admire him for his stick-to-it attitude.. but he's never gonna win. Heh.

And thus, I'm glad I'm not around there all the time. It's exhausting. The Chateau is much more peaceful.

And finally:

2012-01-16T05:36:00.000-06:00

He's almost done now.. I fell asleep last night before I finished his scarf. We have quite the collection of bears on the shelf now!

It was a winning Sunday. And by "winning" I mean "We stayed in pajamas all day long." I didn't even go outside. I kinda feel like I missed something there, because I kept reading about how gorgeous it was. However, I was firmly ensconced in my chair with bear making accessories all around me and it just seemed like a lot of effort to move all that.

It's MLK day, but for some reason our office is open. Hence the being up really early. This is how wacky our sleep schedules are:
Friday night - both of us in bed by 10:00 (although Ragazz' couldn't fall asleep right away. I think he bailed out to the couch and fell asleep around 1:00)
Saturday morning: both of us up before 6:00. He raced all day and didn't get home until the wee hours. For some reason, I stayed awake that whole time too (except for a quick catnap at 11:00PM). I went to bed at 2:00AM, and I think he came in around 3:00 or so.
Sunday morning: I woke up at 7:30, decided that was too early and fell back to sleep, woke up around 9:30. He slept until 12:30 (!!!!) I don't know how he can do that. Sunday night I went to bed around 10:00. I woke up this morning at 4:20 AM and the lights were still on in the living room. He was sleeping on the couch, having fallen asleep reading at.. some very late hour, I'm guessing. I tucked him back in bed and now I'm up getting ready for work. His office is closed today. If I was a bettin' woman, I'd be betting that he doesn't get up til noon today.

Between the two of us, we could do a 24 hour watch. Also, it's almost like having the whole huge queen size bed all to myself, and all to himself. Heh.

Good thing is, there'll be no traffic today. And so onward to work. Ciao.

2012-01-15T11:07:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I tried making Chocolate Peanut Butter. I was a little iffy about this.. because homemade peanut butter doesn't taste like Jiffy (see what I did there?). But sometimes you just have to soldier on into new territory.

So I took 1 cup of roasted, salted peanuts and a scant quarter cup of chocolate chips and put them in the food processor. Next time I'll go heavier on the chocolate chips.

I pulsed it a couple of times at first, and then processed it for about 3 minutes. I stopped a couple of times to scrape down the sides of the bowl, and just before I finished, I drizzled about 1 tablespoon of oil into it. ** I added a pinch of sugar as well. (See: Not quite as sweet as Jiffy. Purely a matter or taste.)

Two cups of peanuts turns into about one cup of peanut butter. It's not completely smooth (I like a little texture), but I suppose if you process it longer it will get smoother and smoother.

Refrigerate over night and voila! Chocolate Peanut Butter! It keeps for about a week in the fridge.

Take it out of the fridge a couple of minutes before you use it (to let if soften a bit), or put some on a paper plate and zap it in the microwave for about 5-10 seconds... watch it carefully.

Enjoy!

2012-01-14T07:07:00.000-06:00

I didn't even hear the alarm go off this morning. Ragazz' had to wake me up, coffee in hand. I love that boy so. And now he's off to Iowa for a one day race. One very long day..

I had super-lazy-Friday-night, complete with pizza (from the man) for dinner, and lots of teevee stories. Ragazz' was in his basement RC mancave getting everything ready for today, but he finished up just in time to catch the last episode of "Beyond Scared Straight".. the show where the bad kids get yelled at by inmates, and I affirm my decision to always be a good girl and never go to jail.

Heh.

While he races today, I'm going to meet up with a friend for some yarn and conversation this morning, followed by an oh-so-exciting and glamorous trip to the grocery store. It's a dull life, but it's mine. Don't judge.

I have kitchen adventures planned as well. I'm going to try making chocolate peanut butter. If this turns out as yummy as I hope it will, perhaps I can just quit my job and be known as the peanut butter lady. I'd love that.

For now, though, I might grab a quick nap. It's 7AM and I've been up for two hours already.. and societal norms dictate that I get a teeny bit more sleep on a Saturday morning. Ciao.

2012-01-13T05:22:00.000-06:00

I was dreaming that I was here. Then I woke up and it was 12° and the windchill is -1°. Sigh.

However:
1. It's Friday
2. There's coffee
3. I live indoors
4. I have a boy who I adore (who adores me as well)
5. I have a job
6. I'm healthy
7. Life is generally awesome.

So I guess the good far outweighs the bad, so I will stop complaining.

Back to item #1 - it IS Friday. I'm gonna try my darnedest to get everyone (or just my boss) out of there early, so I can get out of there early as well. This is a good goal.

Ciao.

2012-01-12T05:38:00.001-06:00

Definitely a boy bear. He's wearing boy colors.

It's real winter now, I guess, because suddenly the temperature is like eleventy degrees below zero. Note to self - wear warm socks.

Last night I did just what I wanted to do - curl up on the couch and knit. I knitted and knitted.. and then I realized that I was ONE stitch off - and that error had occurred in the first row of the project. Then it was time to rip the whole thing back and start all over again. Ooops. I have this thing. If it's a project *just* for me, and if it's not critical (i.e. I have lots of mittens and gloves.. if I make a mistake on a pair, I will still wear them) - then anything goes. If it's a project for someone else, or an important project like my bears, nothing less than perfection will be tolerated.

Knitting. It's a harsh mistress sometimes.

But now Mr. Next Bear has the right number of stitches and all is well in the world.

I also forgot to set my alarm for this morning. Oops. Good thing Mr. Coffee was there to "beep beep beep" and wake me up. Mr. Coffee.. a lifesaver in SO many ways.

Ciao.

2012-01-11T05:54:00.000-06:00

One of my souvenirs from my old job life. Mmmm. Coffee.

Okay. I figured out Pinterest. And now I will be going wild and making boards and pins. You've all been warned.

Last night I had dinner with my friend Dawg (I'll never grow tired of that nickname. Heh.) and we got all caught up. After dinner and a quick stop at the adult beverage establishment I thought I'd be going home. That is, until I was group hugged by my Artist Niece and her Handsome Friend. They were about to go to dinner and so I tagged along with them, watched them eat, and we got all caught up. Happy Happenstance!

I am lucky because I know really really great kids, and I'm even related to some of them.

I can tell that it's about to turn cold out there (goodbye, 50 degrees in January) because oh my lordy I am all with the aches and pains. My once-broken leg and finger will forever remind me about weather changes. I'm like a grandma.

Also, I'm all with the dawdling this morning. It's almost 5:55 and I'm still in jammies. Sigh. Do not want to get off the couch. Ciao.

2012-01-10T05:35:00.000-06:00

Okay. Maybe ONE more picture of the tree. I can't imagine what will go in that corner when it's gone.

So it was a Monday. Oh. so. tired. After work we had to have a big nap. Then it was time for tamales.. except when we got to the restaurant we had burritos instead. It's like when we have pancake brunch with no pancakes.

Sometimes it's good to change it up a bit.

Then I came back to the Hacienda just to make sure it was still standing, and it was. No surprise there.

Tonight I get to have dinner with a friend whilst Ragazz' bowls, and that will be a Tuesday.

I feel like it's early to have the January doldrums kicking in.. especially when we haven't even had a *real* winter yet. But the holidays are over, and there's nothing exciting looming. Maybe we have to fix that.

Yeah. That will be my project today. Ciao.

2012-01-09T05:26:00.000-06:00

And another one. Pinky Bear. The next one has to be a boy, because I'm a little tired of making skirts.

It was a fabulous, lazy day. There was knitting, napping, a quick trip to Home Depot for shelving (we hadn't been there since the move. It still gave me the shakes.), and ranch chicken and rice for dinner. Then we plunked down on the couch to watch TV.

Then all the lights went out.

Well, the lights went out, but the DISHWASHER was still running. wth? "How is the dishwasher still running? It's not gas, is it?" Heh.

Ragazz' grabbed his phone (phone/flashlight/music player... smart phone is smart) and headed towards the basement, stopping to note that the outside lights were still on, and our neighbors still had power. Then I had the presence of mind to start flipping switches.

The living room and office had no power (basically the whole east side of the house), but everything else worked. Ahhh. Tripped circuit breaker. Flipped it back on and all was well. Still, it was a little eerie.

Is it wrong that, in my head, I'm already thinking "Four more sleeps 'til the weekend"? Because, I am.

Ciao.

2012-01-08T09:34:00.000-06:00

It's the last picture of the tree lights this year.

Since I've been up here in the northern 'burbs, I get lost more often. I know my way around the cities, south, west, and even a little bit of the east. But north? Nope. I still can't quite figure out how Hwy 10 and Hwy 610 are different. I get them mixed up all the time, but I almost always end up in the same place.

So when I run errands I have to use the GPS on my phone. Every once in a while it freaks out and says "CANNOT GET GPS SIGNAL IN THIS AREA", only to regain it in 1.5 milliseconds, so that doesn't bother me. But yesterday it failed me completely. I wanted to go to the bank to drop off my car payment.. and the innernetz AND GPS told me that there was a branch not far from here, somewhere in that weird 10/610 area. So I added the address and started on my merry way. Turn left here, turn right there... and then it announced "Your destination is on the left," and I was in the middle of a new town home development.

What?

So I tried it again ("recalculating route") and went up a block or two to where the businesses were.. and GPS led me back into the town homes and I ended up in front of the very same house.

The bank through which I have my car loan isn't one of the major players like US Bank or Wells Fargo.. but I'm pretty sure that it's big enough to have actual branches and not just operate out of someone's house.

So I guess I'll just go to the branch that I know in St. Paul, then.

Today we have NO PLANS on the calendar. It would be kind of nice to just hang around the house, so maybe we'll do that. Ciao.

2012-01-07T08:45:00.000-06:00

My box of balls, let me show them to you. Heh. I'm twelve.

The balls are going away today. The tree is half-naked in the living room. I wish there was a way to use these ornaments in everyday decor without looking like, you know, a psycho. But I guess they're more special if they only come out annually.

And now I will share The Rainbow Story™. (Aside: I like the way I have to announce and/or title all my stories.)

I stopped at Rainbow after work on Thursday, just to pick up a few things. Because I usually get there around 3:45 or so it's a quick in and out.Not so this day. It was crazy busy. But I figured that by the time I finished my shopping the crowd up front would be gone. Again..not so. There were 5 lanes open, each with a line that extended back into the aisles. There were four self-checkout lanes, and all four had some sort of error going on. The lines for those 4 were back into the aisles as well, and there was one poor kid trying to sort through the errors.

I heard the PA click on, and the manager called for "Bagging help up front." BAGGING help? How about cashiers? Why was HE not on a register? Or his Customer Service counter..why weren't THEY ringing up sales?

** my inner-front-end-retail-manager was going wild**

I stood there for another five minutes and I hit the breaking point. I turned to the customer behind me.. an older guy in a scooter chair.. and said "My life is too short to spend even ONE more second in this line!" and I stepped out of line, into an empty aisle...

And just left my cart right there. And walked out of the store.

Yes, that's the cardinal sin that retailers hate the most: the abandoned cart. But c'MON. I know there were other employees in the store. All hands on deck! Get 'em up there! RAWR!So now that store is dead to me. At least for a little while.

Hopefully today's retail experiences will be more enjoyable. Ciao.

2012-01-06T05:24:00.000-06:00

The more "governmenty" part of my job is starting, and I like that. Yesterday I went to the Capitol to scope out how we'll set up for our annual rally. A couple thoughts:

1. I dig all the marble. Those steps have been here for about a hundred years, and they'll be here for a hundred more.

2. People don't believe me when I say that you can just GO to the Capitol and walk around and take it in. It's OUR Capitol. It belongs to the people. If you pay taxes, it's yours. So go see what government is all about.

3. How cool is the view in the picture. Taken from the Capitol front door, looking West. That's the St. Paul Cathedral at the end of the street.

Okay, that was three thoughts. You get a bonus one.

This has been the longest short week in all of history. I'm not even kidding. And today I have a meeting that runs until 2:30. GAH.

We went to Mort's Deli for dinner. It's a place where I'd normally order a Cherry Coke with my meal, and I almost did. However. I caught myself, had water, and lived to tell the tale. So far, so good.

This all played out on Facebook last night, but it was so funny I want to memorialize it on the blog as well. We stopped at Target for a few things after dinner. We went to a regular, not a SUPER DUPER, Target because it was closer and it felt quicker. But because it's not the S.D. Target, things are in different places and they don't have a full grocery department or carry the full lines of products. And so we wandered. And wandered. At first we couldn't find the hand soap. Then we remembered that we need coffee filters for Mr. Coffee, and they didn't have those. That's when Ragazz' got all dramatical. "THIS TARGET IS BEREFT OF ALL THINGS! IT'S DESTROYING MY SOUL!!"

Good Lord.

Also: How much do I love him, he of the histrionics. ($5, and meaning here.)

Right after that we found the hand soap, thus avoiding any further angst, gnashing of teeth or rending of garments.

Time to start the day. Ciao.

2012-01-05T05:28:00.000-06:00

I was justthisclose to letting a work thing send me over the edge yesterday. Then I took a step back, did some yoga, gazed longingly at my cake vodka (I had nothing to mix it with. Heh.), knitted for a while, and got my zen back. And reminded myself: in this job, at no point in time do 600 people ever come at me all at once. Also: never let small people drag you down to their level.

Also also: co-workers called to just make sure I was okay. That speaks volumes, and means a lot.

So today we'll hit the reset button and start again.

NEXT. Oh my freakin' freakazoid: my wrist is starting to hurt AGAIN. Seriously? I looked back on my calendar. I've had two cortisone shots for this so far, one in April, one in September. It seems like they last just about 4 months. So I'm going to call the doc today and see what happens next. Do they just keep giving me shots (and should I just go ahead and schedule an appointment for January AND May)? Or do they have to do something else now? All I know is that it's been fine fine fine fine and then I woke up yesterday and bam! it hurt again.

I realized that this year I'll have just one W-2 form and no IRA/401k weirdness.. so that's a huge relief. My favorite tax professional™ and I can meet up and she'll take care of it and get me thousands and thousands of dollars back. Yeah. That's it.

A girl can dream. Ciao.

2012-01-04T07:46:00.000-06:00

Seriously, I don't even know what day it is anymore. I figured that yesterday would eventually feel like Tuesday because Ragazz' would go to bowling, but then he didn't do that. I need my cues. C'mon people.. work with me.

Falling back into the work groove was easier than I thought it would be. By 3:00 a co-worker and I joked that it was almost like we'd never left.. and not in that good way. Heh. This morning I get to go to a committee meeting that isn't even my own (filling in and taking notes), and it's offsite AND at 9AM so I got a sleep-in bonus. Of course, this contributes to the "what the hell day is it" confusion. Maybe I'm just getting old.

The next bear is sailing right along. The color on the picture is bad.. it's Magenta in real life. It will turn into a dress when I knit the skirt in, because, obviously, it's another girl bear. Can't you tell?

I hung out at the Hacienda last night. The meeting is on the west side of the world, so that all worked out for the swellest possible outcome. I discovered that my normally very quiet and sedate neighbor has started holding rave parties, evidently. What the hell? The building was built to be a condo so we have really nice thick walls and floors.. noise doesn't travel far or easily. So the fact that I could hear anything at all through the wall (really, just some muffled noises and thumps) meant that it had to be REALLY LOUD at her place. I stuck my head out into the hallway (where you can hear stuff) and holy mother of pearl... it was a rager.

When I got up at 6:30 I was tempted to crank up my music and place the subwoofer right next to our common wall.. but I'm a nicer person than that. Or I try to be, anyway. Maybe I should just slip some Tylenol under her door when I leave.

If you'll excuse me, there's exactly one cup of coffee left in the kitchen and it's got my name on it. Ciao.

2012-01-03T05:25:00.000-06:00

January is the Month of Bears.. So here's the latest one. I was going to name her Oprah (because the two boy bears before her are Opie and Otis), but she just doesn't look like an Oprah to me. Ophelia? Maybe. I'm open to suggestions.

Hello, 4:30 AM. How I've missed you. Not. It was easier to get going than I'd imagined it would be. I've never been one to hit the snooze button regularly. Why delay the inevitable? Especially when I know there's coffee to be had. I figure the faster I get up, the faster I can get caffeinated.

I kept track of work email, but didn't respond to too much of it. I'd rather know what I'm in for when I get back.

The last day of vacation was mostly uneventful.. except for the tomato sauce incident. I got all cocky and decided to use the food processor to make sauce. I tried to process two cans of whole tomatoes at once, forgetting about that whole volume thing. So it was overfilled. And so when I tried to pull the bowl off the processor, all the excess came rushing out from underneath said bowl. Uh oh. I caught it in time, thankfully. There was a little mess on the counter and on the machine.. but none on the floor. I started yelling "OH NOES! OH NOES!" and ragazz' came running in to the kitchen to save me, because he's swell like that. He helped me get it moved to the sink and dumped into the pan. Lesson learned. The sauce was fantastic, and really tasted just like Gramma's. So there was spaghetti and meatballs and garlic bread and that was the perfect way to end vacation.

Ragazz' went to the track for a while, and I got to watch the Beverly Hills Housewives go to Hawaii. Really - don't we all just jet off to Hawaii to celebrate our friends' birthdays? I think we should start that tradition. Yeah.

I'm going to leave the tree up until Sunday. The living room will look a little empty when it's gone.

Now I'm delaying the inevitable "get dressed and get to work" thing, so I'll go do that. Happy Tuesday that feels like a Monday. Ciao.

2012-01-02T09:34:00.000-06:00

One last New Year's Eve shot. We were very red and purple and black and sparkly. Also: pearls. Heh.

I keep reading that the way you spend the first day of the year is the way that the entire year will be. If so, I predict that we will be doing a lot of wrenching (for him), knitting (for me), reading, napping and eating pizza. That sounds pretty good.

I started playing with the food processor yesterday, too. I made cashew butter. Well then. THIS is a good thing. I'm going to try peanut butter next. Today's experiment will be tomato sauce.. I'm pretty sure I can puree whole tomatoes down to silky smooth, lump-free sauce, which is exactly how we like it. NO LUMPS. Mmmm.

Last day of vacation. It feels like I've been off for a loooooong time. Which is good, I guess, because there won't be this many days off again for a while. Le sigh.

As ragazz' says - it's absolutely *crucial* that we win the lottery. Maybe 2012 will be our lucky year.

Ciao.

2012-01-01T13:09:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year!

We rang in the new year with our friends from the SheridInn, but we did it at the Millennium Hotel in Minneapolis, which was very fancy (and very cheap with a Groupon.) We dined at Fogo de Chao, which instantly transported Ragazz' to his happy place. The four of us did a spectacular amount of damage.. I don't think we've ever had a tab quite THAT big there.

This morning I had sticky bun french toast.. which sent me to MY happy place. The yum!

And now it's time to just lay about.. because that's how the first day of a new year should be spent.

Ciao.

2011-12-31T10:09:00.001-06:00

Resound11, #31: One Word. What word do you want to use to describe how you will approach 2012?

The picture above captures it perfectly. The quiet of the morning, when I'm up before the rest of my world. My coffee, my internet machine, and most of all - the chance to write.

Peace. That's the word.

Peace.

2011-12-30T10:08:00.000-06:00

Resound11, #30: Future Self. Today, write a letter to your future self to read on 12/30/12. Write about what you have accomplished. Write about who you are and who you have become. Write a wishlist.

Writing a letter to myself IS too cheesy. But this is the perfect opportunity to put my *official* 12 in 2012 Goals List by Month out here for the world to see. Because if it's out here, then I'll be more likely to DO it. Heh.

January = Month of Making Bears
This one is pretty self-explanatory. I'm going to continue to make bears for the Mother Bear Project. I don't have a set number in mind. At the end of the month, I'll send them all off, and they'll make kids in Africa happy. How cool is that?

February = Month of De-Clutter/Pitch 1 Thing a Day
Also self-explanatory. Every day, I'll get rid of one thing. Big or small.. just ONE thing. And "pitch" doesn't necessarily mean throw away. It can get donated, recycled, etc.

March = Month of No Bad Swears
Oh my. This will be difficult. Because although I *seem* like a nice, kindly person, I can swear like a sailor. "Bad Swears" are any and all words that you really shouldn't use in front of a kid.. so yeah, "fart" counts, too. Heh. And this month will see the start of the "slip up" jar. When I slip up, a dollar goes in the jar. At the end of the year, all the slip up dollars will get donated to a good cause.

April = Month of No Chocolate
When I thought of putting April as "no chocolate" month, I thought "This will be easy! It's after Valentine's Day." Then someone reminded me about Easter. Uh oh. Although I did a whole YEAR of no chocolate once.. I think I can do it.

May = Month of Sending Good Thoughts
This is hard to quantify, so you'll have to trust me on it. Every day, I'll spend some time sending good thoughts to a person. I'm thinking I'll ask for requests from people. I'm looking forward to this.

June = Month of Walking
30 minutes a day, five days a week. Even if it's on a treadmill.. it still counts.

July = Month of Yoga
I hope to start this BEFORE July.. but I can focus on it in July. 30 minutes a day, five days a week.

August = Month of No Junk Food
Again. Oh my. THIS could bring me down. I'm a thoughtless snacker sometimes. Junk food = chips, candies, or really any kind of EMPTY calories. Stuff that you don't *have* to eat to live. Heh. I will probably always be a thoughtless snacker.. or a stressy snacker. If I can do that with carrots (which I actually LIKE), that would be a big win.

September = Month of Bringing Lunches
This is in honor of the start of the school year! I think of how much I spend on lunches.. or how often I just don't eat, or eat junk food (see: August!), and realize that this would be a good habit to start.

October = Month of Pictures
I take (and post) almost a picture a day anyway. So I don't know yet if this will be a picture of the same thing every day (is it weird to take a picture of yourself every day?), or a theme-thing or what. I'm open to suggestions.

November = Month of Being Grateful
I'm thankful everyday.. Thanksgiving month makes me more aware of that anyway. This month, I'll list 3 things I'm thankful for each day.

December = Month of Good Deeds
This month is about giving back, and doing good things, for others. So each week of the month, I'll do at least one good deed: donating, volunteering, helping, etc.

When I break it out like this, it seems entirely do-able. I can do *anything* for 30 days!

Oh - and no soda/pop/call it what you will all year. Fizzy water = good. Beer = good. Coke = no!

Holy cow.. Happy New Year's Eve Eve! Ciao.

2011-12-29T09:22:00.000-06:00

Resound11, #29: Let Go. What did you let go of in 2011? Or is there something that you need to let go of in 2012?

Every year, I say I'm going to let go over stressing about things over which I have no control. And every year, I get a little better at that, but I'm nowhere near perfect yet. So again in 2012, I'm going to remind myself: I can't control others' behavior, or most things that are happening around me - I can only control my reaction.

~~~~~~

SheRall and I headed out to the fancy Edina mall yesterday. In every single store, my reaction was the same.. this stuff is kinda neat, but I *really* don't need any of it. So, that's a big win over the chele who used to buy things just for the heck of it. The coolest thing I saw (and tried on) was this ring from Tiffany.
A mere $33,500. Or really, just a teeny bit more than what the Tahoe cost. Truly, a bargain at TWICE the price.

Maybe not.

I did my semi-annual "free money" thing, too. I brought the jar o'coins to the money counting machine and cashed them all in. I was disappointed, in that it was less than $50. It must have been heavy on the pennies and nickles this time. In the spring when I did this there was almost $100 in there. Still - free monies! Gotta love that.

I find myself kind of longing for snow. I know. I'm crazed. It's just so brown out there. And brown is different if it's desert brown (because in Palm Springs there's the brown, and then the incredible bright cactus flowers that grow out of the brown). I'd like it to either be green or white, please.

Next day of vacation starting right... now. Ciao.

2011-12-28T09:45:00.000-06:00

Resound11, #28: Five Things. Five memories that you would like to never forget about 2011.

First of all, this annoys me. If they are your MEMORIES, you aren't likely to FORGET them. Ugh.
Also, these prompts seem to be getting lamer as the month goes on..heh. But I'm this invested in the process now, so I'm compelled to finish.

I'm going to list the top 5 things that come to mind about 2011:
1. The Chateau.
2. Giving up AudreyCar, buying HammehCar.
3. Officiating Jenni & Matt's, and Jen & Eric's, weddings.
4. Vacation in Palm Springs.
5. The Oriole Bird invasion!

~~~~~~

SO! Yesterday.. I did something. Oh yes! I went to Old Navy and spent my Gramma money (My most favorite part of Christmas), I had PANCAKES with my BFF, I ran a couple errands, and then I camped out at the Hacienda. And then my head exploded into a massive head cold, which was not quite so awesome. But my wonderful Ragazz' brought me cough syrup and Breathe Right strips (that's love right there) and this morning I'm a little drippy, but not enough to deter me from today's plan. Which is shopping at the fancy mall with SheRall. We're going to pretend we are rich ladies. Oh yeah.

On with the next day of vacation. Ciao.

2011-12-27T09:03:00.000-06:00

Resound11, #27: Everything's Going to Be Okay. What is one thing, a sign if you will, that has shown you that things will be just fine in 2012?

I don't even need a sign. Everything's going to be just fine in 2012 because.. well, because it just is. Things happen the way they're supposed to happen, and I always find a way to deal with what happens, because that's what I do. As the wise men (or really, Journey,) once said: You've gotta roll WITH the changes. Heh. Cuz if you roll against them life is too. darn. hard.

~~~~~~

So let's do a quick Christmas weekend recap!
Friday, Christmas Eve Eve: Poor Ragazz' ended up working for most of the day. Stupid work. Stupid outage. Stupid, well, it pays the bills. But still, stupid. So while he worked, I finished up the last minute items, wrapped presents, did laundries and generally tidied up. Then we got word that our Jersey peeps were coming to the house, so YAY! We hung out, made merry, drank cake vodka, and got all caught up. Again: Why don't they LIVE here? I ask you.

Saturday, Christmas Eve: I got up early to get all the cookery started. Things just clicked along right on schedule, and the family all descended upon the chateau at just about the same time. The day was sort of a blur.. We danced around each other in the kitchen. Gotta LOVE that open layout. Lunch/Dinner was served buffet style and everyone ate up just about every single morsel. Except for the devilled eggs, which we forgot to take out of the fridge. Oops. Then there was the chaos of present opening, and KB, niece, niece's friend and I hung out on the couch and watched the yule log channel and admired our slippers. Everyone cleared out at a reasonable hour and then we got to just SIT and that was glorious. Then at around 9:00 Ragazz' had the grandest idea - to take a drive along Summit Avenue and look at all the pretty lights. That was even more glorious.

Sunday, Christmas Day: It was a great morning of wrenching (for him) and knitting & White Christmas (for me), and then in the afternoon we headed up to Duluth. We got there in record time (with very little speeding, I think), and found the only restaurant in Canal Park that was open. FABULOUS Thai food. What a find! That one got recorded in the permanent memory book, and we'll go there again. Then we went to Bentleyville. Holy Hannah. What can I say about Bentleyville?

Yeah. It was all awesome.

Monday, Christmas Post Day: I was a teeny bit under the weather.. coughing and the like. Ragazz' was a little low power, too. So we napped and wrenched. I made matzo ball soup, and Ms. Malachi joined us for dinner and then she and I had a Real Housewives marathon whilst poor Ragazz' just hid. Heh.

Today I'm on my way to PANCAKES with my BFF notprada. Fab! And did I mention - vacation this whole week? I haven't even peeked at my work email in days. Love this.

Ciao.

2011-12-26T10:02:00.001-06:00

Resound11, #26: Outro. Share the song that helps you leave 2011 behind and ring in the new year?

This is easy - and difficult. (Because I am an enigma - wrapped in a mystery! Heh.) For as much as I live my life out loud on the innernetz on a daily basis, there are some things that don't come out easily, or often. So here's a tidbit.

At the end of every year, I try to find one tiny spot of quiet in one day. That day happened to be this morning.. so it's all happy happenstance. In that one tiny spot in the day I make a list of all the things in my year - the good, the bad, the ugly - all the things that come into my head when I just let my mind go quiet.

I look the list up and down.. take it all in. And then I sing a little song to all the things and release them all.

There are places I remember
All my life, though some have changed.
Some forever, not for better.
Some have gone, and some remain.

All these places have their moments
With lovers and friends, I still can recall.
Some are dead and some are living.
In my life, I've loved them all.

But of all these friends and lovers,
There is no one compares with you.
And these memories lose their meaning
When I think of love as something new.
Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before.
I know I'll often stop and think about them.
In my life, I love you more.

And then it's time for the next thing. Ciao.

2011-12-25T08:44:00.001-06:00

Resound11, #25: All is Love. Who do you love unconditionally? Who loves you unconditionally?

That very sleepy boy in that picture right there. He's my other half, my soul mate, a worthy adversary (we're about 50/50 in Words with Friends.. heh), the first person I want to see in the morning and the last person I want to see at night. I am the luckiest girl in the world.

Besides, who else would let me do THIS to a picture of us??

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Love,
chele

2011-12-24T08:39:00.000-06:00

Resound11, #24: Try. What is the one thing you would like to try in 2012?
Sewing. I think I would be pretty good at it, and I don't know why I never learned. Maybe 2012 is the year to do that.

~~~~~~

Merry Christmas Eve! Our Jersey Peeps came to visit and drink and make merry with us (They're our very own "Jersey Shore"..except with not so much big hair. Heh.) We always have a laugh riot when they're around. WHY DON'T THEY LIVE HERE? I ask you!

I have my cooking schedule posted and have begun the meal prep process. The ham went into the crockpot moments ago. Such a simple thing: Take a sliced Cure81 ham. Put it in the crockpot. Cover with apple cider. Cook on high for 4 hours.
Really - there's NO messing that up!

I am also responsible for corn casserole (which I can make with my eyes closed, really), mashed potatoes and spiked (and non-spiked) cider. This should be an easy day, food-wise.

My big find of the night yesterday - Pinnacle not only makes Cake and Whipped Cream flavored vodka.. They also have one that is supposed to taste like cookie dough.
Cookie. Dough.
I'm actually afraid to buy it. I might have to start attending meetings after that.

Now I must put away the rest of the dishes from the dish washer, and do some general tidying up. The fam is rolling in here at 12:30, and then it's Christmas!

Merry! Ciao.

2011-12-23T08:52:00.000-06:00

Resound11,#23: Today is all you have. Describe your perfect day.

While it would be nice to say that my perfect day involved departing from my Palm Springs mansion in my Bentley convertible, driving to the airport to fly in my private jet to Venice for the weekend....

I think it would be better if my perfect day would be something that I would actually DO. Like this:

Wake up next to my boy. Go to our favorite greasy spoon for breakfast (lots of coffee and Eggs Benedict). Jump into our car (a Tahoe, not a Bentley), and drive to the North Shore. Take a walk along the trails at Gooseberry Falls, stop at Betty's Pies for lunch. Drive home the long way - stopping at the casino if we're feeling lucky. Go to Brasa for dinner, invite friends over for cards and dessert, and then fall asleep curled up next to each other.

My tastes are pretty simple. Although it WOULD be cool to have a Bentley. Heh.

~~~~~~

I'm down to just the wrapping of presents now, and making up my schedule of when to start each of the dishes tomorrow. It takes a bit of orchestration to have everything done at the same time! Then we're ready for tomorrow's festivities. HoHoHo! Ciao.

2011-12-22T07:33:00.001-06:00

Resound11, #22: Identify the Problem. What one little, nagging issue that, if solved or eliminated, would make your life better?

I'm usually pretty good about taking care of the little things that are bugging me. The bigger things, or those that require mechanical know-how, are tougher because I can't just DO them myself. I have to bug Ragazz' to do them, or they're things that I don't think about every single second. Example - Right now my car needs new wiper blades. I'm thinking about this now because I'm writing about it.. but in 10 seconds when I'm on to the next paragraph I'll forget all about this. And I won't remember until I'm driving later today and it's snowing and suddenly I can't see all that well out of the driver's side of my windshield. SO! Note to self: Go buy some of those today, and have Ragazz' install them tonight. Let's see if I actually do this.

~~~~~~

YOU GUYS I AM ON VACATION AND I DON'T HAVE TO WORK UNTIL JANUARY 3RD. I'm a little excited about this.

We had celebratory Noodles for dinner and then we walked around Maplewood Mall a little bit. I haven't been there since I was 10 years old or so. I just never have a reason to go out to that side of the world. We bought the last of the presents there. I think we are actually DONE.

There was mandatory work fun to attend at lunch yesterday. It was spectacularly poor timing, because several events conspired to make the mood in the office a little less than holly-jolly festive time. It happens. But I was just not in that ho-ho-ho place, and if it hadn't been for my BFF@work friend's attendance I wouldn't have gone. I'm thankful for that friendship this year *smile* . Also, Ragazz' periodically texted smart-ass comments to me which made me almost laugh out loud a couple of times. Heh.

But now IT'S VACATION, and I think that the time away will improve everyone's mood when we get back.

Today I will grocery shop for the holiday meal necessities. I'm hoping that I beat the crowds on this. Wish me luck. Ciao.

2011-12-21T05:19:00.000-06:00

Resound11, #21: Embrace. What guilty pleasure have you embraced this year?

I thought this was a weirdly-worded prompt, because it talked about long baths being a guilty pleasure. GUILTY pleasure? Oh hell no. Long baths are just a regular pleasure, I will take them as often as possible, and in no way am I ashamed to admit that.

My true guilty pleasure? The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Oh my gawd. You guys. I don't even know how this happened. One day I was just... compelled to watch. And like one hit of meth, I was hooked. I am seriously considering getting full cable back at the Hacienda JUST so I can record and watch every single episode over and over again. (I wouldn't do that at the Chateau... fill up the DVR with episodes. I couldn't do that to my poor Ragazz'.) I want to buy the DVD of Season One, so I can see what I missed last year. I.. I...
I'm smarter than this. Really, I am. Heh. In my head, I'm 100% intellectual, and I *do* watch the nightly news, and Almanac, and I love documentaries, and I like reading WAY better than watching TV..
But goddam. I love those housewives.

~~~~~~

Ms. Malachi and I sat down for a meeting with a lobbyist yesterday, so she could learn more about what lobbying is all about. And, really, I'm interested too. Last year was the first time I'd ever done any legislative stuff, and it was fascinating. It was a great meeting. He's very well connected, and if she decides to do anything with this he'll be a great help. The neatest thing of all, though, was to sit back and watch and listen. I was blown away because that little girl who loved Barney (*shudder*) and the Pink Power Ranger and Camp Snoopy is a really smart, savvy young woman now. I'm so proud of her.

Four hours til Christmas vacation! Well, four hours of work, and then two hours of mandatory fun (AKA work lunch/party). Then twelve days in a row of NO WORK. Christmas vacation is much better knowing that there's a job to go back to when it's done.. unlike two years ago, when I was just unemployed after vacation. Yuck. Life is much better now. Ciao.

2011-12-20T05:31:00.000-06:00

Resound11, #20: Elevator Speech. How would you sum up who you are?
"I'm that one girl they always told you about."

~~~~~~~

Last night I fell asleep at around 5:30. PM. I laid down on the couch to close my eyes for "just a minute".. then I woke up at 7:30 for about 10 minutes, at 8:15 for five minutes (long enough to think: is it morning or night?), and finally at 9:00 I got up and went to bed. I guess I'm worn out. Do I even have another day and a half of work left in me this week? Tune in tomorrow to find out. Ciao.

2011-12-19T05:10:00.001-06:00

Resound11, #19: Then and Now. What was your life like a decade ago? How has your life changed since then?

Ten years ago I was in what I like to call "the dark place". Yuck. I was completely estranged from my family, I was in a bad relationship, and at Christmas time I was seeing my therapist once or twice a week just to get by. I actually don't even want to think about it or talk about it anymore. It was that awful.

Life is much brighter and happier now. My ragazz', my family of choice, my friends, my job, my house(s), my health. I am living proof that you CAN get through the dark times. What's that saying? "When you're going through hell, just keep going." If you *don't* keep going, you'll get stuck there.

~~~~~~

Yesterday we laid low, because Ragazz' was still illin'. That cold can't decide if it wants to sit in his chest or his head, so it's in both. So we watched football (man, those Vikings just suck, don't they?), and had Trader Joe's Kobe Burgers for dinner (they're very good), and then we watched Toy Story 2 because I'd never seen it. Yes, I've lived under a rock. Heh. I loved it.

Just two and a half days of work this week, and then let the Christmas vacation begin. 13 sleeps' worth of time off. Hoo.Rah. Ciao.

2011-12-18T08:50:00.000-06:00

Resound11, #18: Traditions. What are your December traditions?

When I was a kid: We'd go to midnight mass. That was when midnight mass was *actually* at midnight.. now there are churches that have midnight mass at 8pm. That's not fair. We had to fight to stay awake that long!

Christmas was celebrated on Christmas morning. My youngest sister would get up at about 6am and wake everyone else up. She did this until we were all well into our teens. Some years, my auntie, uncle and cousins (on my mom's side) from "up north" would come down for all the hoopla. When they did, there'd be 10 of us in our tiny house and presents from one end of the living room to the other. It was always better when they were there. Even though it was chaos, having her sister around seemed to keep my mom calmer and on a more even keel. We kids always kept each other entertained and distracted.

We opened presents one person at a time, so everyone could ooh and aah over the treasures. It took a LONG time to get everything open.

My grandma, aunt and uncle (from my dad's side) came over just after lunch, and then it was present time part two. My aunt was the queen of weird present-giving. When I was 10, I got a silver princess phone-receiver cover.. EXACTLY like this one:

(wow. it's amazing what you can find on Google images.)
(and no.. I didn't HAVE a princess phone. I was ten years old, for God's sake.)

One year, I got two Christmas placemats, and each of my sisters got one. My aunt had purchased a set of four and split them up. Yes, she was that cheap.

(An aside - this is my aunt who left millions of dollars to the girls' high school and college after she died. I'm not even kidding.)

We had lasagna for dinner. Sometimes there would be a turkey or ham, too.. but that was almost an afterthought. After dinner, all the men-folk would fall asleep in the living room and all the women stayed in the kitchen and did dishes. If we'd had turkey, my grandma would sit at the kitchen table and pick all the rest of the meat off the bones. I'd sit with her when she did that, and we'd have wonderful talks. I miss that.

TODAY: Ragazz's family celebrates on Christmas Eve, which was a little hard to get used to. We get together around 1:00 and everyone opens presents at the same time. It's a lot more efficient, and we get done quicker.. but sometimes I feel like I miss what other people are getting. Heh.

Ragazz' and I exchange our presents.. well.. whenever we feel like it. Last year I think we exchanged gifts about a week BEFORE Christmas, because we're both impatient when it comes to presents. Heh. This year we're trying something different. It's been a spendy year, what with new houses and new cars and all. So we picked an improbable store: the local hardware store, which is AWESOME because they carry everything in the world - and we're each going to buy the other person any $20 item they want. OMG you guys, you cannot *believe* how excited we are about this. This might be the best new tradition ever.

Then on Christmas Day, if the weather cooperates, we're going to see all the lights. I am jumping up and down excited about this, too, and I'm hoping it could be a new tradition.

So Christmas is a lot different now, and I miss some of my old traditions (most notably the food), but what's most important is who you're with at Christmas. As long as he and I are together, we could go to the White Castle drive-thru and to K-Mart, and *that* would be the best Christmas ever. (Well, maybe not THE best. Honey, disregard that last sentence. Heh.)

Ciao.

2011-12-17T10:26:00.001-06:00

Resound11, #17: Appreciate. What's the one thing you have come to appreciate most in the last year?

The simple things. Home. Kitchen. Family. My happiest moment of the week is sitting in the living room after Sunday dinner... just hanging out with the people I love most. It really doesn't get much better than that.

~~~~~~

Ragazz' came down with a bad chest cold. At least we are alternating the sickness, so one of us can take care of the other. Maybe the snow needs to fall and cover up all the germs.

So while he was sleeping last night, I got all caught up on the Beverly Hills Housewives. Again, let me state for the record that I am *completely* ashamed of this. But yet I cannot stop. There's almost always one really good screaming cat-fight on each episode. I laugh and laugh. And then I try to imagine my 'jay friends and I doing that over brunch. THAT makes me laugh even harder!

On this grey Saturday (good golly it's gloomy. $5 for alliteration.) I woke up at 7:00 and threw a chicken in the crockpot. This time I just rubbed it with some olive oil and ranch dressing mix. It smells pretty good, as do my hands. Heh.

Then if I'm particularly motivated, I will Christmas shop. Maybe. Ciao.

2011-12-16T05:14:00.000-06:00

Resound11, #16: Ordinary Extraordinary. What was one of your most extraordinary ordinary moments this year?

*points at picture above* THIS. This moment was the extraordinary ordinary moment. The first full day that we were in Palm Springs this year I woke up early (as usual), opened the door.. and THIS was the view. It took my breath away.
I want to go back there. RIGHT NOW.

~~~~~~

This was what I accomplished after work last night! Well, this and a little bit of laundry. He's almost done. That's his scarf on my needles next to him. I was literally falling asleep and decided that he could wait until today for that. I decided that his name should be Opie (because he's Otis's brother bear), and I guess if I make a girl bear her name will be Oprah. Because my mind just works that way. Heh.

FRIDAY! FRIDAY! OMG IT'S FRIDAY! I couldn't be happier about that. Ciao.

2011-12-15T05:16:00.000-06:00

Resound11, #15: Discovery. What discovery did you make in 2011? What kind of impact did it have on how you view the world today?

I could *totally* go the easy route and explain how I discovered UV Cake Vodka. But like I said.. that's almost TOO easy (and makes me sound like a bit of a lush. And I'm not. Seriously.)

I don't know if I had any big AHA-light bulb goes on moments. Not that I can remember at 5:04 AM, anyway. So I guess I discovered cake vodka, and it sure made an impact on our party-goers last weekend. Heh.

~~~~~~

We had an actual, honest to gosh, go out for dinner date night last night. They really are more special if you don't do it all the time. We figured out that it's maybe twice a month now, instead of twice a week. Our waistlines and our wallets thank us.

So we went to the Black Forest Inn, because even this Italian girl needs some schnitzel every once in a while. And while mine was good, Ragazz's sauerbraten was too. die. for. He practically licked the plate clean as I kept sneaking bites.

I got our Christmas cards.. well.. picked up, anyway. And there is one of this weekend's projects.

As you can see by the picture, Bear #2 is well underway. He's got legs, a sorta-head, and one arm. This one is going much quicker, because you always learn the little tricks after you finish a pattern once.

Off to face a Thursday now. Ciao.

2011-12-14T05:28:00.000-06:00

Resound11, #14: Home is... Where do you live? Where is home?

I fully realize how very lucky I am, in that I have *two* places that I can call home. And even though, every once in a while, I'll get a little fussy about what got left in THIS place that I need to have in THAT place.. it works! I love my little, teeny, tiny western house. It's my fort! And I love the shiny, brand new chateau (and that kitchen)! And to have both places in which I feel completely at home is worth a little "Oh, that's at the OTHER house".

~~~~~~

I woke up this morning to an email that said one of the gals I went to high school with had a stroke. Yikes. Prayers to her and her family. Life is precious.. keep your loved ones close.

Last night ragazz' bowled (not the 299 of last week, but 280 is still pretty good. At one point, between two games he'd rolled 16 strikes in a row. geez!), and I multi-tasked. I worked on bear #2, had a "phone date" with Luuuuuuuuucy, and watched mindless TV. That felt good.

Ciao.

2011-12-13T05:08:00.000-06:00

Resound11, #13: Best Gift. What was the best gift you gave yourself this year? This is an ongoing one. I keep trying to give myself the gift of not having to be in constant motion 24x7. It's okay to NOT go full-tilt all the time, constantly doing something. When I get home from work, my first instinct is to start cleaning up, start the dishwasher, start the laundry, make a grocery list... sheesh. Chele, it's OKAY to just. sit. down.

** side note This is why I am such a knitter. I can't "just sit" and watch TV. When I'm knitting I'm doing something. Heh. **

So this is something to think about today. Or really, tonight. When I get home from work, I can sit down. I can read, or knit ( !! ), and not be tasky.

~~~~~~

Yikes, it was tough to get out of bed this morning. Yesterday was as UNmotivated as I thought it would be.. and it wasn't just me. My co-worker was feeling it too. I can't imagine what next week will be like. Maybe we'll all be there in our pajamas.

Ciao.

2011-12-12T05:03:00.000-06:00

Resound11, #12: 12 in 12. Name 12 things you'd like to accomplish in 2012: changes/wines/cities visited/monthly goals.
OOH! I *love* this one, because it's all listy and stuff. The whole "12 monthly goals" jumped out at me right away, too, because I can do anything for a month. I swear, after having given things up for a year, your whole perspective changes. I've already got the no soda for all of 2012 on the list. I'll start thinking on the monthly goals now. In no particular order, here are some. I'll list them all by month on New Years:

month of yoga
month of walking
month of pictures
month of bringing lunches
month of being grateful
month of sending good thoughts
month of no chocolate
month of no bad swears
month of making bears (to send to Mother Bear Project)
month of no junk food
month of declutter: pitch one thing a day
month of good deeds

Oh my gosh, look at how that list practically just made itself. I still have to figure out which months to do what.. Example: I'm not gonna do walking in January, because I am NOT gonna walk outside when it's -22 degrees. I'm not that dedicated. Heh. I'll define the goal on the first of the month, and report progress at the end of the month. I'm all happy about this now.

~~~~~~

Yesterday: was the day of blessed nothing-ness. We got the house cleaned up post-hoedown.. and it was the quickest cleaning in history. I don't know if we're better at it now, if there was less mess because we made the "ONLY USE PLASTIC" rule for utensils and glasses, or if this house is more conducive to quick cleaning. Whatever it is, it worked. Everything was DONE by 11:00, and then we just moved slow and did what we wanted. We didn't even have people over for dinner.. which was kinda weird, but okay. I was a little peopled out. Heh.

I am really wishing that THIS was the last week of work. I have a feeling it will be a spectacularly unmotivated week, so I can't even imagine what next week will be like.

Happy Monday! Ciao.

Year Six.. The Tradition Continues

2011-12-11T12:21:00.001-06:00

1. What did you do in 2011 that you'd never done before? Set up Chateau Del Skar (established: 2011)

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions and will you make more for next year? I'm making a resolution for next year, similar to the infamous "no chocolate for a year" resolution. This time: no soda (diet OR regular) for a year.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? No.

4. Did anyone close to you die? No.

5. What countries did you visit? Everyone stayed here in the USofA

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011? It would be nice to get a little raise at work.. but otherwise, I'm all good.

7. What dates from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
July 2: The day Ms. Malachi & I saw each other again after WAY too many years.
May 30: Trip to Palm Springs.
August 30: Closing on the Chateau, and let the painting begin!

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? All. That. Painting.

9. What was your biggest failure? No failures.. just do-overs!

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? I had a couple rounds of colds and flu (AFTER the flu shot.. thank you very much.)

11. What was the best thing you bought? My new car! I love Hammeh the HHR.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Same as last year. My ragazz'. He is the most amazing man in the world.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? I think I did a fairly good job at staying away from the haters.

14. Where did most of your money go? Mortgage, car, and the Chateau. We've been really good about not going out as much.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? HOUSE! CAR! ANOTHER CAR! MALACHI! There were lots of things to be excited about.

16. What song will always remind you of 2011? Again.. late... but once I heard "Me and Lazarus" by Iron & Wine, I had to listen to it for about 7 days in a row.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? Happier! This was a great year.
ii. thinner or fatter? The same as last year.. which was fatter than the year before. I thought I could re-join the gym, but that wasn't a good place for money to go. I DID do a lot of yoga (hello, there's an app for that) and I need to recommit to doing more again until I get a raise.
iii. richer or poorer? A little poorer.. I wasn't *exactly* planning on getting a new car this year, but I still have enough. I'm good at living within my means.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of? I'm going to try to be more of a walker next year. It's good exercise that doesn't FEEL like exercise!

19. What do you wish you'd done less of? Worrying. It doesn't do a thing to change the outcome of a situation. (same as last year)

20. How will you be spending Christmas? With my ragazz' and our family. (same as last year)

21. Did you fall in love in 2011? I fall in love with him every single day. I am the luckiest girl in the world. (same as last year)

22. What was your favorite TV program? Modern Family, Grey's Anatomy, New Girl, and *hanging head* The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. I'm so ashamed...

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? Hating people means that you're giving them real estate in your brain.. and I refuse to do that. So to all the haters: go away. (same as last year)

24. What was the best book you read? I read WAY more last year when I wasn't working! The highlights this year were Tropic of Cancer (again!), Bossypants by Tina Fey (SO funny), and I'm about half done with Freedom by Jonathan Franzen. AND I just started Mindy Kaling's book Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me (and Other Concerns).. which is even funnier than Bossypants.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery of 2011? Because I've got a longer commute than I've had in years, I needed to find a good radio station to fall back on when I inevitably forget my CDs or iPod at home. I rediscovered 89.3 The Current.. LOVE. So much so that we joined MPR. Gotta support the music.

26. What did you want and get? Oh my gosh.. my FOOD PROCESSOR! Thank you, Honey!

27. What did you want and not get? I can't think of anything. I'm so lucky. (same as last year)

28. What was your favorite film of this year? We were SO freakin busy this year. Did we go to any movies? I think we saw True Grit this year

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? This year's birthday weekend was less than stellar, since we both spent hours and hours throwing up. Ew. I am one year older than I was last year at this time.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? I am incredibly happy with life RIGHT NOW.. I can't think of one thing that would have made it any better.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011? Buying clothes is one of the areas I've really cut down on. I bought a few work things from Old Navy (comfy and cheap!) and I splurged at the end of the year.. I bought a party dress for New Year's Eve.

32. What kept you sane? My ragazz'. (same as last year)

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Now that James Spader is on The Office, I've rekindled the old flame. Heh.

34. What political issue stirred you the most? Health care and gay marriage. Don't get me started. (Yes.. health care is a right, not a privilege, and two people who love each other should be allowed to get married.) (same as last year)

35. Who did you miss? My Papa.

36. Who was the best new person you met? Of course, getting back together with Malachi has been great.. but since I knew her when she was BORN she's not *technically* new. Heh. I've met lots of quality new folks lately, though.. and most of them were at my house last night!

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011? Be patient, trust and know that things will work out for the best. (same as last year)

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

From an OLD Sinead O'Connor song:

"I have all that I requested.. and I do not want what I haven't got."

2011-12-11T09:39:00.001-06:00

Resound11, #11: Best Meal. What is the best meal or best food you've eaten all year?
We haven't gone out for dinner nearly as much this year as we have in the past.. which is just great, because it's cheaper, and I love to cook. Sometimes, though, the food I like best is the food I don't have to cook (or clean up after!). One of the best dining out meals was at King & I Thai. We had a coupon, which meant it was cheap, too - all the better. But oh my lord.. their peanut sauce was to DIE for.

~~~~~~

The Hoedown was a rousing success.. as evidenced by what my kitchen looks like this morning. We know the best people in the world.. and it was excellent to see all of THEM getting to know each other too. Love love love it.

Ciao.

2011-12-10T07:25:00.001-06:00

Resound11, #10: High/Low. Share your best and worst moments of the year.

Best moment of the year? That's easy. The day that Ms. Malachi (niece extraordinaire) and I ran across the Caribou parking lot and laughed and cried and jumped up and down and hugged each other after almost 13 years of being apart. My heart was so full.. (seriously, you guys.. I tear up just thinking about it. I'm such a dork.)

Worst moment of the year? Also easy. I can laugh about it now.. but the moment that I looked up and saw paint dripping onto the brand new bedroom carpet in the brand new house was THE WORST. Luckily, my *other* beautiful niece was there, and helped fix that tragedy. Heh. And then two hours later we had to fix HER painting incident. HA! Definitely a first-world problem.. but it was still an awful feeling.

~~~~~

We're having a scaled down version of the Holiday Hoedown this year. And while I would have *liked* to invite the entire world, we had to trim the list. Now I know what all you wedding-type people feel like. But I think this will be a better manageable sized list, and everyone will actually FIT in the house. Heh. I have about eleventy things on the to-do list, but one of those things is NOT "hauling all the RC ~~shit~~ er...equipment.. out of the kitchen", which is making preparations much easier. Thank goodness for a roomier house with an RC lab in the basement.

So I'm going to get at it. YeeHaw! Ciao.

2011-12-09T16:19:00.001-06:00

Resound11,#9: Best Photo. Today, please post your best photo of the year. It doesn't have to be the best technically, it doesn't have to be the best visually, but it should be a photo that you consider the best. Does it have special meaning? Is it of a significant event or moment?

This is, hands down, my most favorite picture of the year. We're at Inspiration Point in Newport Beach, California. We were on our way back from Palm Springs. Both of those places are our most favorite. It's getting to be a tradition, taking our picture when we get here. This time, on a whim, I just planted a kiss on his cheek when he was snapping the picture. I love that I'm smiling even when I'm smooching him, and I love his smile no matter what. I love the beach and I love the ocean.. just all love, alla time!

And in my mind, I'm always a little bit there.

2011-12-09T05:12:00.001-06:00

Evidently I am awake before the person who is writing the Resound11 prompts, so I get to write about whatever I want this morning.

I posted this picture to Facebook last night, but he's so doggone cute I had to post it again. I looked at him again this morning and decided that his name should be Otis. And Otis Bear will soon be heading to Africa to become a kid's new best friend. What a cool adventure. I'm proud of him! Heh.

After I finish up one more pair of mittens this weekend (trying to use up the last of the furry yarn) I'm going to make a brother bear for him. It only seems right that I send two of them off together.

Yesterday was a calm day at work.. what a refreshing change. Truly, this job is n-o-t-h-i-n-g like my last one in terms of stress, but board meeting week gets the closest. The newest, smartest thing I've ever done, though, is to just record the whole meeting (hoorah, digital voice recorder.) and take notes and type from them the NEXT day. WAY less stress. I still jot down a few notes during the meeting, but I can actually pay attention to what's being said, so I'm doing a better job of capturing all the info.

I'm ready for a Friday. Who's with me? Ciao.

2011-12-08T04:51:00.001-06:00

Resound11, #8: Catch Phrase. What's your trademark phrase?

Oh my. I have a few trademark phrases and chele-isms. Like "oh my", for instance, which is what I say when there just really isn't anything else to say. Or "I can't know that", for when I don't - or can't - know something. Heh. My papa was the KING of Mike-isms, though. Maybe because English wasn't his first language (although, as we used to point out to him, he'd been speaking it for, you know, 70 years or so. Heh.).. but more because I think he used to just play with words.

For example: Pannekoeken.. as in that restaurant where they serve those big pancakes. He ALWAYS, always called that place "Bamboozle." Why? I don't know why.. he just DID.

Or if he was really tired, he never said he was exhausted. Oh no. He was "exonerated", which meant even MORE than exhausted. HA! I like to use that word too.

If I think of more chele and/or Mike-isms, I'll add to this. For now, it's really early and I'm not caffeinated enough. In fact, I'm still a little exonerated.

~~~

I lived through the big board meeting.. just barely. I like the smaller executive committee meetings better, when it's just "us" and we're not involving as many outside factors. They turn it into a big hoopla (there's a chele-phrase) and make it all about the show and not about the work that needs to be done. But, whatever. It's done now and that was my last big thing before Christmas vacation. Whew.

I treated myself to this book yesterday - The Food Processor Bible. It's about as big as a bible, with a billion (or 500) recipes and tips and tricks.W00000t! The first thing that caught my eye: peanut butter! I can make peanut butter in this! (Yes, I know I can buy that at the store. Shut up.) Panko-breaded chicken strips caught my eye as well. Well then (catch phrase).. this will keep me busy - and keep us well fed - all winter long.

Ciao.

2011-12-07T05:02:00.001-06:00

Resound11, #7: Achievement Unlocked. What goal did you set for yourself and achieve this year? Did you achieve something that you didn't think you could?

Huh. This one was took a minute (and an extra cup of coffee). I didn't do a big "resolution" project this year, as I've done in past years: no chocolate, no bad swears, etc. Sometimes I think those kinds of challenges are silly and arbitrary.. but right this second it's making me think: Did I set the bar too low (or not set it at all) by NOT challenging myself this year?

Not that I didn't get things done.. that's not it. But did I *push* myself on anything? Nothing leaps to the front of my mind immediately. So that tells me that next year it's time to make a tougher resolution, and stick to it. Now I just have to think of what that will be.

~~~~~

It's the last big board meeting of the year today, which means that everyone in the office is wigging out. The more they wig out, the more I'm just putting my head down and trying to push through it. It'll be fine. Mostly, it'll just BE. I've done all the planning I can do. At this point I'm just a passenger, along for the ride.

Two weeks and one day until Christmas vacation. Not that I'm counting. Ciao.

2011-12-06T16:41:00.001-06:00

Resound11, #6: Thelma and Louise: Who is the Thelma to your Louise? Who is your partner in crime? Did you reacquaint yourself with an old friend? Did you make a new friend? Or, perhaps, you are a lone ranger?

I have lots of "Thelmas" in my life! I'm very lucky that way. The Thelma I've known longest, though, is SheRALL. She and I can get together and laugh for hours and hours over the dumbest possible things. We've got a lot of history together, and that means lots of inside jokes. She's the queen of the nonsequitur ($5?) and the obscure observations. Her latest lately: "How old was I when I was twelve?"; "I was really struggling last night, but now I have clean underwear"; "I wasn't even going to buy anything today, and now I have a cheeseball!"

See? Not funny to anyone else.. but I was in hysterics just typing those.

Speaking of old friends... Last night I went out for dinner with a bunch of girls from high school days. I was telling another friend today that it's amazing what a lot of years' worth of distance will do. All those cliques are just gone. Everyone gets along. It was a great time and I was out very very late on a school night. Totally worth it, though. I can't wait to do it again.

Ciao.

2011-12-05T05:01:00.001-06:00

Resound11, #5: Theme Song. If your life was a television show, what would it's theme song be?
This is so easy (and, true confession, something I've thought about).

Look at what's happened to me,
I can't believe it myself.
Suddenly I'm up on top of the world,
It should've been somebody else.

Believe it or not,
I'm walking on air.
I never thought I could feel so free eee eee.
Flying away on a wing and a prayer.
Who could it be?
Believe it or not it's just me.

It's like a light of a new day,
It came from out of the blue.
Breaking me out of the spell I was in,
Making all of my wishes come true ue ue.

Believe it or not,
I'm walking on air.
I never thought I could feel so free eee eee.
Flying away on a wing and a prayer.
Who could it be?
Believe it or not it's just me.
(Joey Scarbury - Greatest American Hero)

~~~~~~~~

That weekend just FLEW by, didn't it? Sunday night dinner was just me and Ms. Malachi.. We had massive amounts of comfort food, played Angry Birds and Words with Friends, and watched The Virgin Diaries (which made our heads explode. We just kept shrieking and covering our eyes.)

The racer came home, trophy in hand, at around 11:00. Now all is right with the world once again. Time for work! Ciao.

2011-12-04T08:19:00.001-06:00

Resound11, #4: Superpower. What have you learned that you can do better than anyone you know this year? What can you do that no one else can?

This is tough. Because I was raised on all sorts of catholic guilt, I don't like to be braggy. I also absolutely *detest* it when people get into the whole "I have done this better/more/in the most superior way possible" thing. Ugh. Drives me nucking futz. True fact.

So all that being said I think that ~~I am the BEST at everything, hands down~~ there are lots of things that I'm pretty good at, and I love helping people learn how to do those things. Like knitting - I've taught a few people how to knit, and I'm the one that they can come to when they're hopelessly stuck on something - or they've dropped a stitch about a million rows back - and I can usually fix the problem.

And I'm a pretty good cook, and I love trading recipes and tips. I think that makes makes *all* of us better (and happier, and fuller!).

But I think the thing that I'm best at is taking care of my peeps. I've made it my life's mission to make everyone feel important, special and loved when they're with me. I know how it feels to be with people who actively try to make you feel like you're NONE of those things.. and no one should ever, ever have to deal with that. Love 'em up!

Ciao.

2011-12-03T08:49:00.001-06:00

Because I often have a lot going on (hey - it's a busy, glam life I lead), I'm a little late to this, while some of my friends have already started writing their one-word-prompted entries.

I write to stay focused - and if people read my blatherings, hey, that's an added bonus! I've written words every single day since I was eight. Thankfully, blogging was invented, otherwise I'd have TWO semis full of notebooks and journals to haul around with me (instead of just one, covering everything from ages 8-35.. heh). And December, as we know, is all about the focusing. So! Without further ado.. the first three words, and starting tomorrow it'll be one per day, and a bit more indepth.

# 1 - One Word: What is one word to describe your 2011?
NEW. New house, new car, and another new car, new relationship (with Ms. Malachi, niece extraordinaire). This has been one of the best years EVER.

#2 - Vices: Did you slip back into any old habits you wish you hadn't? Did you gain any new habits that you wish you'd have walked away from?
Three words: Two. Percent. Milk. My ragazz' is a big big fan of 2%, and he doesn't drink nearly as much milk as I do. And oh my gosh.. after a lifetime's worth of skim, well, 2% is THE BOMB. It is also THE FAT (and not in that good "phat" way). So note to self. 2% for him, and it's back to skim for moi.

#3 - Virtues: What good have you done in 2011? Where do you really shine? What have you done that makes you proud of yourself?
I think the best think I've done in 2011 is to be a good homemaker. Not in that 50s, Donna Reed, way. Although I remain convinced that I was born in the wrong era. I've made the Chateau a good home, in that people feel warmly welcomed when they come here. Since moving in in September, we've entertained more in the past 3 months than we EVER did in the old Northern house. Partly because it's a better space, but mostly because we've made a commitment to welcome and entertain people. Our Sunday night dinners are the best idea we've ever had. And it bears repeating: If we know you IRL and you're bored or hungry on a Sunday, give us a call. You can come over and we'll feed you.

And NOW - it's time to go play with my friends, the Friendly FrankALL Girls! It's been too long since we've been together. Ciao.

2011-12-02T04:52:00.001-06:00

I finally made it to the car wash yesterday. Poor Hammeh.. he was crusty and salty. Much like a baguette. HA! (I'll be here all week.) Then I was reminded once again that he is, indeed, a black car. Sometimes in my head I think he's dark brown. I don't know why.

I spent most of the day designing marketing pieces at work. Because, obviously, I am a graphic designer. HA again! They look pretty nice, though. It all goes back to that day in First Grade, when the mean nun told me that my drawing was bad and she gave me an F in art class. Sure, I can't draw. So I've over-compensated in every single other creative area in my life.
One day I'll get over that F. Perhaps when I'm 70.

And now it's the weekend, and my racer boy is off racing in CheeseheadVille. I'm going to make a hosted Costco run to get party supplies (hooray for friends who will take me there, thus sparing my having to buy a membership for just one trip a year) and tuck away that last moving-stuff that still hasn't found a home yet. Luckily there's a lot of stashing room here.

Happy Friday! Ciao.

2011-12-01T05:43:00.001-06:00

>
My bear needs arms, stuffing and a face.. and then he'll be on his way to Africa to make a little kid happy. This makes me smile.

Woke up this morning to no cable signal. No TV, no innernetz. Obviously the falling snow makes the cable break. Wait, what? Ugh. Note to self: set up that easy tether software thingee.

My ragazz' and his friends are off to Milwaukee for a big racing weekend. There's been much car activity at the Chateau.. but it's all contained in the downstairs area now. All of a sudden these beautifully painted cars just appear! He's pretty excited. Go go speed racer! (I love him, you know.)

I was pretty crabby yesterday. Turn of the season = achey, tired chele. Pizza and hugs (and a nice hot bath) set me back to rights.

I can't believe Thanksgiving was a week ago already. Wow. Where'd THAT time go?

Stop dawdling and get to work, girl. Ciao.

2011-11-30T05:25:00.001-06:00

The jewel-tones of Christmas. Gotta love those colors.

Now that Thanksgiving and my day of birth are behind us, it's time to set sights on Christmas. Yay! Getting together with friends, decorating, shopping, cooking.. all the best things in life. We're hosting the family dinner at the Chateau this year, as well as the annual Hoedown. I'm really not even too stressed about the entertaining, because the biggest part - cleaning up and decorating - is already done. Ever since the move, I've been maniacal about trying to keep the "public" parts of the house clutter-free. And now, it's just habit! So getting the living room/dining room/kitchen ready for people isn't a big deal at all. The not-public parts of the house? Well, those can be worked on a little bit at a time, I guess. Heh. Truth be told, they're not bad either.

The oddest birthday moment in history: being presented with a plate of goodies and told "These probably taste really bad, but happy birthday anyway!"
What do you do with that, really?

If you want to do something wonderful - and knitty - please go do this right now. I'm almost finished with my first bear, and I have ideas for about a zillion others (because I've got LOTS of scraps to use up)!

The last day of November? What? Ciao.

2011-11-29T17:55:00.001-06:00

Wow. What an awesome birthday! Even though I had to work.. and even though my birthday dinner was bubble pizza & ice cream (it's bowling night! we can be fancy another time.).. I got loads of calls and emails and eleventy jillion posts on my Facebook wall. I'm well loved, and I'm eternally grateful. BEST peeps in the world. I haz them. Hands down.

Birthdays are nature's way of telling us to eat more cake.

INDEED! Ciao

2011-11-28T04:52:00.001-06:00

This one pretty much captures most of our Sunday. The tree, the kitchen, the Malachi™ and me. All that's missing are the OTHER niece (I can't remember - does she have an *official* internet name?) and Ragazz'. And also lots of painted RC bodies.

Here's the full glory tree picture:

I say this every year, but this tree might be my most favorite one ever.

I can't believe that the big long weekend is over already. Then again, when I think about it, Wednesday seems like a looooong time ago. Even with both of us being all sickly at some point, we packed a lot into 5 short days. And as much as I don't want to start this.. it's just 24 days til the BIG holiday vacation. COUNTDOWN!

Back to our regularly scheduled stuff of life, and more regular posting. Routine is important. Ciao.

2011-11-26T08:52:00.001-06:00

DUDES. I was sick. So so so sick. And if you need proof, just LOOK AT MY KITCHEN. Ack. Look at that mess.
But I'm better now. So I will tell you the story of Thanksgiving.

We headed over to Mom & Dad's house, corn casserole in hand. The whole group was there, and all the traditional foods (how luck am I, to have landed in a family where there is homemade lefse??), and many many laughs and the traditional x3 birthday celebration - Gramma, MB and me.

As everyone was getting ready to leave, we noticed that Brutus TaHOE's new front tire was troublingly low. So Ragazz', the niece and I went in search of free air (which is harder to find than you'd think..), got that fixed temporarily, and then the three of us hung out at the Chateau and watched hours and hours of "Chopped". As you can see, I'm converting the family to the foodie way. One at a time. Heh.

Dropped the niece off back at her parents' house and I tried to work on my fear of their doggie... but still, man, the only doggie I will every really love (and not be afraid of) is Jonny, because I can pick him up and put him in my purse.

Through all of this Ragazz' was doing really well.. his tummy was a little on the touchy side and he was tired, but I thought "Great. It really was just a bad drug reaction and not the flu," and so we went to sleep around 11pm. We were to get up the next morning, stop and get the tire patched, then go up to Duluth for the day.

Except then it was 4:30am, and I woke up with the cold, shivering sweats and felt like I was gonna die. Nope, not a drug reaction. Ragazz' had the flu, and he had kindly shared it with me. ISH.

I called the hotel and cancelled (and because I sounded sick and pathetic they didn't charge us a cancellation fee - win!), and I went back to bed while Ragazz' went to fix the tire and pick up some ginger ale for me.

I was having weird, feverish dreams and hallucinations. At one point I was certain that three of my friends were at the house taking care of me.. never mind that one lives in Palm Springs, one in Jersey and the third was in Wisconsin for the day. Heh. I remember getting a little more lucid and saying (out loud) "You should really get back to your families!".. then I laughed because I realized they weren't actually THERE. Ragazz' texted me to let me know that he was having a long long wait at the tire place... and I texted back something like "Saute safely!"

He got home four HOURS later, poor thing. He was exhausted too.. but because he is the most wonderful guy in the world, he decided that he should give me my birthday present right away. I am now the proud owner of one of these:

YAY. It matches my mixer! and it's the bad-ass, 12 cup, 35 horsepower one. RAWR! There will be much chopping at our house now! Of course, I cried. Then we were both so tired that we went to sleep,
and the next thing I knew I looked at the clock at it was 6:30, and it was dark outside. Of course, I was convinced that it was 6:30am.. and it wasn't until I got into the living room and turned on the TV - and didn't see my morning news show - that I realized it was only 6:30pm. I felt a little better, so I settled into the big chair and started watching Apollo 13.. because the remote was all the way over on the couch and I didn't feel like getting up to get it. Heh.

Ragazz' got up at around 8pm and he was feeling much much better. He took my food processor out of the box and got it set up for me while I read the manual. So excited! Then I took a bath and that helped me feel a little better too.. and then I just had to go back to bed.

I woke up at 8:30 this morning and I feel 99.999999% better. I'm even drinking coffee, and next I'm going to tackle those dishes and then maybe throw in one load of laundry so we have pants to wear out in public. As soon as he wakes up, we're going to go buy the Christmas tree, and I will slowly start decorating.

So it wasn't *exactly* the Thanksgiving weekend we thought we'd have.. but it was still good anyway (except for the throwing-up part. that sucked.), and I'm ever so thankful for the life I have right now.

Ciao.

2011-11-24T08:26:00.001-06:00

The sicklet spent almost the entire day sleeping yesterday.. which gave me lots of time in the kitchen. I made chocolate/peanut butter chip cookies and cheesy poof rolls. Then when I got bored of my kitchen time, I started knitting and finished up one mitten.. The other one will get done today.
I am nothing if not a fabulous domestic goddess.

And now it is THANKSGIVING and I am thankful for my whole entire life, my whole world, and everything in it. Ten years ago, when I was in the absolute throes of depression, I never ever dreamed that life would be full and wonderful again.

So to my family, my friends, my family of friends, my love, my nieces (and their friends, who are now my friends as well), my friends from the internet, and all my peeps:
I love you all. You're completely awesome, and every day I am thankful for YOU.

Ciao.

2011-11-23T13:58:00.001-06:00

The boy is illin' today. I think it's just a bad reaction to the medicine he's taking. So we got him some new drugs, and he's been dozing most of the day. I did get some chicken broth into him a little while ago, so he's on the road to wellville.

Good thing, because we have a full docket of activities starting tomorrow. It'll be run here, run there, run to Duluth, buy a tree, and then decorate it.

Every year, my tree must have a theme. One year it was pink and pearls. I've done red and green, blue and white, and toys and games. This year, the theme is Balls. Heh. Because there is a 10 year old boy who lives inside me, I laugh every time I say that. Balls. Heh. But it's a good theme! I have zillions of balls in every color and size. Heh. Heh. And there will be one Hello Kitty ornament among the balls because my niece - who has declared that her cheleblog name shall be Malachi - is going to hang it on the tree on Sunday.

Speaking of Malachi (I kinda dig that name), I think the thing I am most thankful for this year is the fact that she and I have reconnected. I seriously could not have asked for a better thing. I'm grateful every single day.

I have to go check on my patient now, and see if a Popsicle will help cure him. I think it might. Ciao.

2011-11-22T05:20:00.001-06:00

Soooo close to the long weekend. Mine starts tomorrow. I decided extending the weekend was worth burning up one personal day. So now it's just 8 work hours between me and mini vacation. Yay!

I may have found a recipe that duplicates the cheesy poofs that Fogo de Chao makes. If this is the case, I will be full of WIN, and we'll have a huge cheesy poof festival at our house. Here's hoping.

In what was a fairly painless process yesterday, I renewed my driver's license. This is one of the benefits of working downtown (and in the same building as the DMV). I was the first one in the door. Odd to think that when I renewed this license four years ago, I worked in the *other* downtown, and renewed my license there. That seems like more than a lifetime ago.

Ragazz' brought the mail in yesterday, and I noticed the big envelope that he was carrying right away. I can spot that Tiffany Blue anywhere. He gets their catalog now (because I am a very lucky and very spoiled girl!). It was like getting the big Christmas toy catalog when I was a kid. Heh. I had to study every single page VERY carefully.
Because this year has been a little spendy, what with two new cars AND a new house, I think we'll skip the Tiffany this year. But looking is always free!

OKAY. Time to start those 8 work hours. I'm going to count them down obnoxiously, and out loud. My co-workers will love that, I'm sure. Ciao.

2011-11-21T05:03:00.001-06:00

And another successful weekend complete!

I left off on Saturday morning. The snow fell and the world got white and we were very glad that we had the big big TaHOE to get around. It was slow going only because other cars were slow. We just chugged right along.

Then I made my own homemade ricotta cheese, and the evidence of that is right here, pictures and recipe. It was really good and really easy. I made lasagna for two and we gobbled it up.

Sunday Ragazz' was off to the track while I stayed home and played with cereal. The evidence of that is pictured above. Yes, those are strands Fruit Loops (or the Malt-o-Meal equivalent thereof), and I have to make about three times that many. They're going to be the garland on this year's tree. I'm hoping that it warms up today or tomorrow, because I have to take them outside and spray them with hairspray so they don't crumble to bits and they'll last til tree season is done. I'm nothing if not Mrs. Crafty. Heh.

Then it was time for Sunday night dinner - breaded chicken breasts and potatoes and veggies and popovers. And lots of laughs, and I watched The Real Housewives of.. Somewhere. Atlanta, I think. We filled them up and sent them on their way and I cleaned up the mess that was my kitchen, and then - done!

Short week! 24 hours of work and then the holidays start. Bring it on. Ciao.

2011-11-19T09:11:00.001-06:00

The real snowy stuff is supposed to start later today. And so the new slippers come out. They're all shearling and fuzzy inside, and if I want to cheat and wear them to the store I can probably get away with it.

Got through all the working yesterday and then sent my boss off for an entire week. It's like a week-long vacation for me, too. Heh.

Then I had a Trader Joe's adventure. I decided to stop there for the staple groceries, because I (foolishly) thought that they might be less crazy than the big-box grocery store. Oh no. But by the time I got parked and got the cart I was committed, so I soldiered on. I was almost done - I'd only had to dodge about 20 people and get help finding flour - and the only thing I still needed was cream cheese.

There was a, um, not-small woman standing directly in front of all the cream cheese. Every bit of it. I was tired out and not in a mood to budge, so I stood back about 4 feet and just waited. Truly, I wasn't being all sighing and huffy or pushy. I was just *standing*. I wasn't even looking at her. I was singing songs in my head or something.

She turned around and GLARED at me. "WHY ARE YOU STANDING RIGHT THERE?"
I said, "I need some cream cheese, so I'm waiting for you to finish up."
Then, she got louder. "BUT WHY DO YOU HAVE TO STAND RIGHT THERE?"

Like I said, I was about 4' away, and not even directly behind her!

So I said, "Listen, lady. You need to turn your crazy-meter down about 15 clicks."
(Yeah. Sometimes words just fly out of my mouth before the editor kicks in. Someday I'm gonna get in trouble for that.)

She flounced off, I got my cream cheese, and I got the hell out of there. Oy.

After dinner, Ragazz' ran off to get snow tires and jacks and such, and I made the final jaunt to Target and now we can be DONE with the running around. I'm not appearing in public again until Monday. If you want to see me, y'all are going to have to come to me.

Ciao.

2011-11-18T05:27:00.001-06:00

I saw 3 different flocks of geese flying south yesterday. All the leaves are off the trees in the marsh, and the sky just looks cold. In the middle of Summer this Joni Mitchell song depresses me. I know it's Fall when I can listen to it again.

I awoke today and found the frost perched on the town
It hovered in a frozen sky, then it gobbled summer down
When the sun turns traitor cold
And shivering trees are standing in a naked row
I get the urge for going but I never seem to go

I get the urge for going
When the meadow grass is turning brown
Summertime is falling down and winter is closing in

But this isn't meant to be an all depressing post.. because IT'S FRIDAY! FRIDAY! OMG IT'S FRIDAY!
(yeah, I will never tire of that stupid song...) we have not-too-many plans, except for Sunday dinner. The Christmas decorating preparations start now, and we're swinging into my favorite time of the year. Ciao.

2011-11-17T05:16:00.001-06:00

I got this rosary from my grandma when I was in second grade (which means that this is older than a lot of my friends.. and ragazz'!). It used to be a full, big rosary. But over the years it got tangled and twisted and some of the beads got crushed, and it got taken apart and pinched back together again.. til finally, this is all that's left of it. It's still technically a single decade rosary, although it doesn't have the medal on it.

It reminds me of her. When I pick it up I automatically wrap my fingers around it the way she taught me to, and somehow she's right there with me. It makes me smile.

I got through the chaos that is a board meeting day yesterday.. and when it was over there was a huge sigh of relief. I still have to go in and sift through all the leftover stuff and type up all the minutes, but that's the easy part.

Then we had cheap date night at Maverick's Roast Beef. I got a regular sandwich last night.. I lost my mind and ordered that instead of the bbq sandwich. Still tasty and delicious.. but I like the bbq's better. Next time. Got home and talked to MomS about the Thanksgiving plan. I'm making the corn casserole, because that's tradition. I have some ideas to switch it up a bit..mmmm.

Ciao.

2011-11-16T05:07:00.001-06:00

Ahh, Winter. The season of knitting mittens and gloves. They knit up so fast, and it's so satisfying.

It was like I worked at the circus yesterday. I swear.. if I'd stopped long enough, I would have heard the crazy clown music playing in the background. Some days are just like that.

It will be one more day of crazy today, then comes the slow slide to Thanksgiving weekend. Can't. Wait.

I am completely and apologetically hooked on the dancing stars show. Why does watching people dance make me cry sometimes? I ask you!

I have to get to the office early. Yesterday I killed off about half a forest's worth of trees making copies. Today I have to make books out of said copies. It's a living. Ciao.

2011-11-15T05:26:00.001-06:00

I'm very glad that I didn't watch the football game last night. Judging by my Twitter and Facebook feeds, it was the worst. game. ever. Instead, I knitted (the fur is cute.. the picture was too flashy-bright and I don't have time to re-take it), drank tea, and watched the dancing stars show.

2011-11-14T04:41:00.001-06:00

That is the reddest batter I've ever seen..and it made deeeeelicious cookies.

In other kitchen-type news, I used my new potato ricer last night.

Smoothest mashed potatoes ever. Why didn't I ALWAYS have one of these? I'm going to try squash next (well, next time the racer is out of town. He isn't a big squash fan.)

And now it's Monday and back to work for the first time in four days. My voice is back and I feel all the way better. It's a busy week, and holy cow.. Thanksgiving is next Thursday. Ciao.

2011-11-13T08:47:00.001-06:00

I still can't quite believe that I get to cook in here every day. That's pretty cool.

I ran out of grey yarn, so I had to finish my alpaca shawl. It's a little smaller than I'd like it to be.. but it will be good to throw over my shawls while I'm watching the teevees or knitting, so it's all good. Now I'm starting a couple Christmas presents.

I went visiting and shopping with Luuuuuuuuuuuuuucy yesterday. She lives practically in Iowa. I'm only exaggerating a little bit. She took me to a dangerous yarn store. I got out $45 later....
But a girl's gotta have some hobbies, right?

Today I brunch with notprada, and then the racer returns not long after that. I missed him this weekend. I still get a little freaked out being in the new house by myself, at night. I don't know why it's just at night.. it just IS. I tried leaving lights on, leaving noise on.. I finally gave up and slept on the couch in the living room.
I'll be glad when he's home with me tonight.

My voice is all-the-way back. You've been warned. Ciao.

2011-11-12T08:13:00.001-06:00

The best soup in the world (almost). That's what you're seeing right there. Gotta love those matzo balls.

I was supposed to be resting my voice yesterday and *not* working. Instead, I was on the phone and the computer with work stuff almost all day long. So I guess I won't be counting those hours as sick time. But the good news is that my voice IS better today. A little scratchy around the edges, but I have volume again.

The niece and I hung out together, got a little dinner, did a little shopping, and I got to see her teeny tiny (pink and sparkly) dorm room. Such a simple thing.. but I will never, ever take spending time with her for granted.

Today I have visits with peeps in the AM and the PM.. and in between I'm going to start digging through my Christmas ornament stash. It's almost that time again.

Happy Saturday. Ciao.

2011-11-11T08:18:00.001-06:00

I couldn't talk at all yesterday. Like, not even a squeak. That was pretty lame.

It's better today.. I've had conversations with work people and they could actually hear me (unlike yesterday, when I tried to make phone calls and one person hung up on me because all they could hear was breathing. HA!).

I've discovered that Raspberry Zinger tea is really really good when there's hazelnut creamer in it. Today I'm going to try it with white chocolate mocha creamer. Also - it makes a sore throat all better. It's like the miracle drug.

Today my racer is off to The City That Is Named For Him for the weekend. I have many social obligations this weekend (popularity - FTW!), so I'm going to spend today relaxing and making matzo ball soup. I'm even going to be lazy and put off laundry until Sunday.

Yesterday I saw the first official snowflakes of Winter. It was cool.. All of my Facebook friends to the south and east of the cities were posting about it, so I stood on the deck and waited for it. One.. two.. three.. one million snowflakes.

And then it was over. But there's more where those came from. Ciao.

2011-11-09T05:37:00.000-06:00

The sunsets have been spectacular lately.

Nature heeded my plea and it didn't snow yesterday. You're all welcome for that. I will do my best to keep the snow away for as long as possible.

I dreamed that one of our board members and I were scheduling conference room time by using huge chocolate bars on a calendar. Then suddenly I was in someone's closet, and I was sad because I didn't have time to hang up all the clothes before they got home. Let's go to the dream dictionary:

Calendar
To see a calendar in your dream represents the passing of time and past events. The dream may also be a reminder of a special event, appointment or important date in your waking life.

Chocolate
To see chocolate in your dream signifies love celebration and self-reward. It also suggests that you may be indulging in too many excesses and need to practice some restraint

Closet (changed from mine to others, because the closet belonged to someone else)
To see a closet in your dream symbolizes something in life that has been kept hidden. It may also signify an unveiling of previously hidden aspects of someone, as in "coming out of the closet"

Clothes (changed from mine to others, because the clothes belonged to someone else)
To dream of others' clothes is symbolic of their public self and how they are perceived. It is indicative of the act they put on in front of others. Clothes are also an indication of their condition and status in life. Thus, if they wear clothes that do not suit them or that they normally would not wear, then it suggests that you are putting up a front and trying to deceive others.

Whoa. I just realized that my entire dream was sponsored by the letter "C". And also when I see all the pieces laid out like that, I know *exactly* what my dream is all about. (and nope - it's not me or my family.)

Now that I've sufficiently freaked myself out, I'm going to work. Ciao.

2011-11-08T05:34:00.000-06:00

They say it's supposed to snow today. Just a little bit, and probably east of right here. Still, the snow's coming.
Ready set go.

I watched the dancing stars show last night and realized that I have turned into my papa. I cry at the drop of a hat when I'm watching TV now. He'd cry at ANY sad or touching moment on television. And Papa never did anything in a small way. Heh. HUGE sobs. "OH MY GOD! IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL/SAD/WONDERFUL!!!"
He was quite dramatic.

Last night one of the couples was waltzing and I was right there. "*sob* OH MY GOD THAT'S SO BEAUTIFUL!"
Being Italian means that your emotions are always thisclosetothesurface. No one ever has to guess how I'm feeling.

Just so you know, I will probably be sobbing when the snow really starts falling. And not in that good way. Ciao.

2011-11-07T05:19:00.001-06:00

DUDES. The Bird Apocalypse... it's finally happening. And I find myself woefully unprepared.

It was an excellent Sunday, as most Sundays are. I finished all my errand running, dinner was cooking, and I got to hang out with my niece.

I'm so glad that she and I are together again. Being able to just hang out and talk (and do manicures) is such a simple thing.. but when you've missed 12 years of doing so.... well, a simple thing is really a pretty sweet, important thing.
I love that kid to the moon and back.

The time change thing has been pretty easy so far. Sometimes that throws me into insomnia.. but not this time. However, the one casualty was the automatic coffee maker. The timer was set correctly. However, Mr. Coffee thought the time was 4:30 PM, not 4:30 am.
Sadness and disappointment ensued.
I've made sure that the time is correct, so ragazz' will have coffee ready when he gets up in a couple of hours. Because I'm an awesome ladyfriend like that.

And now it's Monday. Beware the birds and all that. Ciao.

2011-11-06T09:55:00.000-06:00

Backyard: June through November. I wonder if there'll be snow next time I take this picture.

Yesterday - Western house maintenance! Some fixes, some clean up, and now that place is ready for winter. Then we had T&S over for dinner (impromptu spaghetti), and then we got sucked into watching the prison show on MSNBC.

Here's the ragazz' sleep talkin' story of the day. Early this morning (around 5:30 or so - I woke up about 5 minutes before that), he rolled over in bed and gave me a little hug. Then he propped himself up on his elbow, looked at me and said "NOPE!"

Um... What? Was he not expecting it to be me? Was he answering some imaginary question he thought I asked? Who knows what's in that sleep talking brain of his. It's always pretty funny, though. Ciao.

2011-11-05T09:14:00.000-05:00

I pulled a roast out of the freezer this morning and put it in the fridge to thaw. That's going to be an integral part of dinner tomorrow night. That simple act made me stop and think:

Whoa. When did I get to be so grown up and responsible?

Okay. Stop laughing. I *know* that I'm an adult, and have worked steadily (with the exception of that one 7 month long vacation a couple of years ago) since I was 16 years old. I've owned a business, I own a house, I pay my bills on time, I've never been in jail, etc.

But pulling a roast out of the freezer for dinner, and all the thoughts that went with that ("I've gotta stop at the store and buy an onion and some dinner rolls...") is so, I don't know.. so adult. It seems like something my mother would do. Well, maybe not MY mother..heh.. but *A* mother.

I'm the same age right now that my mother was when I was a senior in high school. She seemed so old to me. Not to mention so UNfun. I don't feel old OR unfun. I think I'm pretty damn fun. And I make kick-ass Sunday dinners.

I guess I'm trying to tell myself that being grown up and responsible isn't going to make me turn into my mother. It just means that I'm chele. Thank goodness for that.

Well. That's a lot of psychotherapy for a Saturday morning before 10AM.

We have a plan-free Saturday! Well, except for doing some western house maintenance.. bringing in deck furniture, hanging a door, taking books to the goodwill..
Again - more responsible things.

I think we can balance that out with some cake vodka tonight. HA! Ciao.

2011-11-04T05:21:00.000-05:00

I snapped this picture about 20 minutes ago - around 4:45AM. It's my best, quietest time of the day. Well, best once I've had the first few sips of coffee.

Our favorite WILDfriends came to the chateau for dinner and the grand tour. The four of us laugh and laugh and carry on. It's the best. And of course I introduced them to the wonder that is cake vodka. Everyone who tries it loves it.

We watched a little TV after they left, and around 10:00 I headed to bed. Ragazz' tucked me in (because he's just sweet like that) and told me he'd be in in a little while. I woke up around 2:30.. and no Ragazz'. I saw the lights on in the living room so I wandered out there, thinking he'd fallen asleep on the couch. Nope. No boy there. I was all "what the heck? was he abducted by aliens?" so I called his cell phone. Heh. He was outside, 'checking the weather'. He came in and said he'd gotten caught up in his book and lost track of the time.
We're the night owl and the early bird. Between the two of us, we have all 24 hours covered.

And now it's FRIDAY! FRIDAY! Gotta get down on FRIDAY, etc. etc. Ciao.

2011-11-03T05:22:00.001-05:00

I glanced out the window as I was finishing up the dishes and saw this. Whoa. Prettiest sunset ever.

I visited Luuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucy at the hospital last night. She had a surgery on Tuesday and was looking exceptionally well, which was great to see.
I can't help but compare all hospitals to the Grey's Anatomy fictional hospital. This one was not nearly as shiny, or as filled with beautiful people. Ever notice that NONE of the background people on that show are even the tiniest bit fat, or ugly? It's like they only hire supermodels, which has to be some kind of discrimination. Heh.
This one did have valet parking though, which rules.
But I still get the heebiest of jeebies walking through the hospital hallways. Please God, don't give me or my family any reason to have to hang out in one of those anytime soon. *knocks wood*

I spent all day yesterday trying to accomplish one single task.. and I never finished it. It was the day of fifty thousand distractions and side projects. This is what happens when the boss is in the office for the entire day. Note to self: always make sure he has at least one appointment. I know there are things on the calendar today.. so maybe I'll get to finish something.

Ciao.

2011-11-02T05:43:00.003-05:00

It's not for the faint of heart. Pre-coffee chele is a weird mixture of thug-life, Hello Kitty, and zombie.

I've seen not one, but two, Christmas commercials. I almost played the Christmas music list from my iPod, but successfully resisted temptation. I really need to wait 'til Thanksgiving. Or at least the first snowfall.

Yesterday afternoon the vents above my desk went wild. Suddenly, gales of cold air pouring down on me.. to the point that all the papers were rustling and *I* was freezing. That never happens any more. Those hot flashes broke my internal thermostat and now I'm hot almost all the time. So when I say it's cold, it's gotta be REALLY cold.
I called the maintenance guy who came up to the office. Before he got near my cube, he said "nah, those blowers aren't going." I patiently asked him why he thought all the paper on my desk was moving. I told him that I didn't believe there were any leftover Halloween ghosts wandering around in our office, so please turn down the damn vents. (I may have asked a little more, um, forcefully than that. I'd had kind of a stressful day.) He turned the one directly over my head off. Then I realized that whenever he turns one vent off, the others all around it blow even more. So the one at the entrance to my cube is like a typhoon. I figure that by mid-afternoon today, when the sun is streaming right into my windows, a tornado will form right above my desk. It will be awesome.

Ciao.

2011-11-01T05:40:00.002-05:00

Meanwhile, back at the Western House, the organizing continues. And while many kitchen items are making their way to the Chateau, I can't quite bring myself to move all the cookbooks yet. Or my set of big glass mixing bowls. After all, I still need to be able to make SOME food here. Heh. But since most of the entertaining (and eating) is done up there, it only makes sense to have the correct tools there.

Still, it's nice to have less stuff in the smaller space.

We don't do Halloween, so we hung out in the Western house last night. We don't get trick or treaters here. Is there such a thing as a Halloween Scrouge? Because I think we are that. So we had Chinese food and napped and watched Dancing with the Stars (well, I did. Ragazz' napped.), and that was a very good way to end the day.

Hey. Now it's NOVEMBER 1. What the....?

Let's see what adventures are in store today, shall we? Ciao.