Two Normal Moms

Five Question Friday

2012-02-03T00:01:00.000-08:00

Join the fun and link up for Five Question Friday over at My Little Life.

1. What have you done recently that you are proud of?

I've joined a workout group with on Facebook through a friend. We kick serious butt. I've increased the intensity of my workouts, as well as added some new stuff. I've cleaned up my diet, eating mostly whole, healthy foods and keeping the treats to a minimum. The group "goal" was a 600 rep workout from BodyRock.tv. I hit the 600 reps a couple of weeks ago. It was an AWESOME feeling. (And no, I didn't do any of it to lose weight, but rather to build muscle and increase health and fitness. My weight has not changed, but my muscle definition is showing some changes.)

2. What is your favorite way to work out? Or if you don't workout, what are you wanting to try?

See #1. I also run, and yes, I enjoy it. Running is primary for me. The strength workouts keep me healthy while running.

3. If you knew you best friend was cheating on spouse would you tell?

Totally irrelevant because my best friend wouldn't. And if she did, I'd totally call her out to her.

4. If you could afford a live-in maid or nanny, would you have one?

I don't need a nanny (my 17 year old would be totally offended) but the maid? Mmmm, no. I wouldn't want one living in. But they could certainly come on a regular basis! I'd even gladly leave the dishes if they'd come daily!!!

5. Do you stress out about birthdays (specifically the age) or do you enjoy them?

Neither? I don't stress out about birthdays. Maybe because I'm younger than Hubs and am younger that most of my closest friends. I gloat. Enjoy them? Meh, just another day. Well, wait. Depends on the gift.... LOL

And, a bonus question from Scott, that I wasn't brave enough to put in as a regular question...answer at your own risk, or not at all! (Or something...)

Bonus: Lights off or on?

Um, my mom reads this blog. Just sayin'.

***Ally

Free To A Good Home...

2012-02-02T07:06:00.000-08:00

Up for grabs:

Two over-sharing household inhabitants. Generally a decent bunch. Will do housework if given a written list ~~and possibly a verbal threat or three~~. No too demanding, though they do expect dinner every night.

They are quite willing to share most anything ~~except chocolate.~~ This includes every germ they come into contact with throughout their day.

If interested, please email to make arrangements for home drop off. I will deliver free of charge. First come, first served. Don't wait too long, I'm sure they'll go fast. Really.

My throat is currently swollen. Not sore, swollen. It's awesome feeling. Add in lungs that feel as if they are being squeezed. Top with sinus pressure and nothing that will "blow". Pure awesomesauce. The Boy had a cold first, still does, then Hubs complained of "flu-like" symptoms and had one terrible night. During which he tossed and turned and sighed, exhaling his germy air directly into my face. He feels 90% better, after 24 hours. ~~Jerk~~. Two years WITHOUT being sick, or even having the sniffles that weren't allergy related. And now twice since fall. I'm being kind of a baby about it. So that's my post for today. Sorry about that.

***Ally

Healthy It Up

2012-02-01T00:01:00.000-08:00

I love brownies. I love chewy, slightly undercooked brownies. But that's just me.

I had to take dessert to a meeting I was attending Monday night, and had recently seen this recipe posted... somewhere that I don't remember. I tried to look it up, but found it many places with great variations in water amounts. Anywho, since I'm never afraid to embarrass myself with a never-before-tried recipe, I went for it.

This recipe is highly technical. Make sure you get these amounts right. LOL.

Take one of these:

Meh, whatever brand you have. Just make sure they're black. (If you are good at frugality, you might cook your beans from dry.)

Drain, rinse and place in blender. Guesstimate about a 1/4 cup of water in the can and dump it in with the beans. Turn that baby on high and blend until those beans are like a smooth paste.

Take one of these:

Again, use whatever brand you like. This is my favorite for those chewy brownies. Dump mix in a mixing bowl. Dump bean paste into mix. Stir. Yes, it will be thick, keep stirring, and it will all blend in. (I dare you not to take a taste right now.)

Spray the bottom of a 9X13 baking dish with cooking spray and spread in the batter. Try to smooth it the best you can, as it does less "spreading" without oil in the mix. No, it doesn't have to be perfect.

Bake as directed.

Voila. Sugar, yes. But no fat, and a bonus of added protein and fiber. And that brand up there? 99 cents a box. It's a bargain, baby.

I left some for Hubs and The Boy, and then served them at the meeting. No one there even asked if there was something up with them. ~~Maybe they were being polite.~~ But Hubs and The Boy didn't seem to mind, as they kept coming back for more and making sure one didn't get more than the other. Yes, it's like I have two kids instead of one.

Here's what was left last night:

Sorry about the blurry picture. It was late, and I missed my natural light window.

I swear they didn't taste like beans. At all. They were a little more cakey than I prefer, but even so, they were good. I was glad they were for the meeting, or I might have had ~~fifteen~~ too many.

***Ally

A Way To Freak Out Your Neighbors

2012-01-31T13:03:00.000-08:00

You know it would be just a little bit fun...

Source: themetapicture.com via Jane on Pinterest

***Ally

Monday Listicles - Mini Girls Getaway

2012-01-30T00:01:00.000-08:00

Link up with Stasha at The good life for Monday Listicles. It's a different topic every week - follow along.

The awesome Bruna at Bees With Honey chose this week's topic:

“If they were to make a movie of your life what would the soundtrack be like? Share 10 songs that best tell the story of your life. Be sure to include the period or event that each song represents”.

Throughout the week I thought little thoughts about this - American Pie (Don McClean) for the little girl who understood nothing about what the song said, but loved the catchy chorus and sung it over and over again. Or Let's Go Crazy (Prince), which again had less to do with the actual lyric meaning, and more to do with a catchy chorus and happy beat that helped my high school senior class adopt it as their theme song.

But what my mind was really thinking about was an upcoming mini-girls weekend. Twenty-five days from today, I'll board a plane with another high school girlfriend, bound for Huntington Beach, CA to visit my childhood best friend, Lela.

We were originally going to attend an Adam Ant concert, but after all tickets, concert AND airfare, had been purchased, they postponed the concert until October. Hubs said it was because they'd only sold 6 tickets and 3 of them were to us. Ha-Ha-Ha. Or not. But we don't need Adam Ant to have a good time, I guarantee it.

So I'm off topic (again) today. Here are 10 reasons I'm looking forward to this trip:

1. I get to see my best friend.
2. I get to drink wine with good friends on Lela's front porch. In February. Because it's Southern California.
3. We're going to Disneyland! I think some of Lela's local friends are coming, too. It's Grown Up Girls' Day with Mickey!
4. I get two full days and two half days of escape time.
5. We will laugh until we cry. Or pee our pants. We always do. (I meant laugh. We always laugh. You thought I meant we always pee our pants?!)
6. We'll get yummy fish tacos at Wahoo's. Because I will beg until Lela takes us there.
7. I'll get to walk on the beach. One of my favorite things to do, regardless of where the beach is. But SoCal has some appeal :) And if I'm lucky, I'll squeeze in a run.
8. I'll get to recharge my mental batteries with good friends.
9. Without Adam Ant, we have a whole day to fill with endless possibilities. Laguna beach? Stand Up Paddle boarding? Wine tasting in Temecula? Reggae brunch at the House of Blues? Gospel brunch at the House of Blues? Hiking at Aliso & Wood Canyons Wilderness Park? Catalina Island? Balboa Island? Okay, now I need another week...
10. Despite knowing I should be spending the money, I will undoubtedly have a fantastic time, and I could really use that! Did I mention I get to see my best friend?

***Ally

While I'm "De-Stressing"

2012-01-27T00:01:00.000-08:00

I love to exercise. I do. I never used to be able to say that. Exercise was a chore, a drag, I didn't like the pain, blah, blah, blah. That's all just excuses. (And that's the personal trainer in me talking.)

I truly enjoy pushing myself out of my body's 'comfort zone', and knowing that doing so is making me stronger, more efficient and healthy. My friend was talking to someone else about it (she's a lot like me), and she told the gal, "You have to get out of the comfort zone. You have to be hellishly uncomfortable." It's not easy, but once you learn how to do it, it's addicting. The endorphin rush you get when you're done, whether you ran 10 miles (or 2) or did a Shred, or whatever your hell of choice is, well it's pretty awesome. Besides, it keeps me sane. Relatively speaking, that is.

Oh, don't click off, I have a point. sort of

The point is, I lean towards trying to be a higher intensity, mind-engaging exerciser. But I've been drawn to try yoga for several reasons. I want to maintain my flexibility, and even get some back. It can be great for core strength.

I also tend to stress more than I should, and usually about things that are far out of my control. I thought it would be good for me. Others said it would be good for me. I want to try hot yoga (there's that comfort zone thing again), but in the name of not spending money I don't have, I used my cable On Demand and chose a 22 minute yoga workout. (which came on the heels of a 20 minute high intensity workout between run days) Complete with male instructor who looked like he was heading out to play basketball in the neighborhood park. Whatever.

Keep in mind, my "exercise room" is also my bedroom. Save the lectures, it's just what works in this house. Here's the things that went through my mind as I down dogged, or saluted the sun, or tried to wrap my knee around my shoulder and then do a convoluted hand stand:

Wow, I really need to vacuum.

Damn, this dog sheds a lot.

Is that bedspread crooked?

I should finish that magazine laying over there so it can go out with the recycle pick up tomorrow.

Did The Boy remember his workout clothes?

I wonder if The Boy is nervous about the SAT on Saturday.

Hell, I'M nervous about the SAT on Saturday and I'm not taking it!

This carpet really needs to be vacuumed.

Will business ever pick up again? Or is the market too saturated with providers like me now?

Should I start doing more training and less treatment?

Will Hubs new business succeed?

Can I launch a social media campaign to help him?

What the heck are we having for dinner?

Can I go get the vacuum before this next pose is over?

I should finish that scrapbook over there from 2008.

I should get rid of the knitting needles. I am NEVER going to learn to knit.

I hope no important mail got shuffled into that stack of papers over there.

I really want to get our taxes done early this year.

How did Hubs end up with that free subscription to Maxim Magazine again?

I have GOT to vacuum this floor!

Very 'De-Stressing', indeed. I'm sure you can guess that I vacuumed when it was over.

I'm trying not to be too hard on myself, since it was the first time. After all the basketball-clothed, hyper flexible dude on the tv said it takes practice. Not unlike doing 100 high knees with the jump rope or running a 10K. It takes practice.

***Ally

Convos With Ally & Lela

2012-01-26T00:01:00.000-08:00

Typical text conversations between Lela and I can be short and sweet, quite hilarious, or both.

L: Shopping for recliner chair. Husband wants cupholders and slide out tray. So trailer park.

A: Tell him that's what side tables are for.

L: I did. Lazy.

A: For upstairs or downstairs?

L: Living room.

A: I'm sorry.

L: And my FIL bought a new car so his old 1940 coupe is coming to r backyard. Sanford and son.

**snort**

For the record, Lela has an adorable house and mad decorating skills that make it really awesome looking, yet functional. Inserting a chair like the one described into her living room is going to be... challenging for her. It also shows that she's a great wife.

(If you don't know Sanford and Son, it was a 70's sitcom about a "cantankerous junk dealer and his frustrated son". Classic.)

***Ally

Wordless Wednesday - Iced Over

2012-01-25T00:01:00.000-08:00

Kinda cool.

***Ally

I Used To Know All About Celebrities

2012-01-24T00:01:00.000-08:00

Really, I did.

I worked in an office where People was delivered weekly without fail, and I dedicated one lunch break a week to reading that rag from front to back in 20 minutes or less and being up to date on all things celebrities.

But not any more. I have no time for people who aren't really real. I mean, most pictures you see of them are airbrushed for goodness sake. Sure, they might be pictured going to Starbucks and yoga class, but I guarantee you, their lives are not "normal". And they all have bizarre names for their children.

This will all be relevant in a minute.

Saturday night, when my power came back on after 54 hours in the cold and dark in the middle of a snow and ice storm, we were watching MoneyBall, with the heat cranked. In case you aren't familiar with it ~~wake up!~~, it's the baseball movie out starring Brad Pitt.

I wasn't too enthusiastic to watch. Hubs is ALL about the baseball movies, and yes, there have been some good ones, but meh, I wasn't feeling it.

Maybe because I've never been a Brad Pitt fan ~~gasp!~~. Hold on now, don't go getting your panties in a twist. I think he's a good actor, and I like many of the films he's been in. But I've never been a -*Oooh, Brad Pitt! He's so HOT!*- kind of girl. He just doesn't do it for me. I guess he's not my type. And I won't get started on his crazy-ass personal life.

Finally - the point of my story:

So we're watching Moneyball, which turned out to be a great movie, in which Brad (we're on a first name basis like that) did a great job. But I'm watching and this thought is just nagging my brain. Nag, nag, nag. Finally, after one particularly doppelganger scene, I make Hubs pause the movie.

"You know who he looks like?" I ask.

"Who?" Hubs says irritably, wanting to get back to the movie.

"I don't even want to say it out loud. It's like blasphemy. But as he ages, he is looking more and more like Robert Redford. I can't believe I said it out loud. I don't want them to be compared." Please note - I said it as if I was the first person in the world to notice this.

Now before you all go, "Duh!", let's go back to what I wrote in the beginning. I am not up on my celebrity gossip. I had no idea that there are full websites dedicated to the fact that these two are thought to resemble each other. I REALLY don't give Brad that much thought. ~~Gasp! again.~~

But Robert Redford? Him, I love. I don't care how old he is, I don't want to sleep with him. The man is pure class. Pure, rugged handsome. Pure natural aging, and he wears his wrinkles well. I have nothing but respect for him. So if there's some awful story about him that will burst my bubble, DON'T tell me!

It's their coloring, the shape of their faces, the natural aging without shooting up every wrinkle with collagen and botox. I see the resemblance.

Brad is good. Really, he's a damn good actor.

But Robert Redford is... well, he's one of a kind.

***Ally

*This is the year that Redford's new movie, The Company You Keep comes out. We sold my son's Boston Red Sox hat to the set decoration department. Robert Redford might have touched my son's hat! ~~Or it could be sitting on a shelf in the background of a two second shot. Or not used at all.~~

Monday Listicles - Things I'd LIke To See Happen

2012-01-23T00:01:00.000-08:00

Link up with Stasha at The good life for Monday Listicles. It's a different topic every week - follow along.

This week's topic, picked by moi, is 10 things I’d like to see happen before I die.

Some of these things I chose are not light hearted and fluffy. Some are not probable. But they come from my heart.

1. I want to meet my great grandchildren. I want to play with them and know them.
2. I’d like to see clean energy be commonplace.
3. I’d like to see massive food companies stop poisoning Americans with their health-endangering “food” products and false claims - all stamped and approved by the FDA, our government agency responsible for protecting and promoting public health. I'd like to see the agency gutted and rebuilt, without outside influence, aka: $$$.
4. I’d like to see equality for all people. We’ve come a long way, but we’ve still got a long way to go, baby.
5. I’d like to see drug companies go broke, because a cure for cancer gets found and they are no longer needed.
6. I’d like to see elephants stop being poached for their tusks, and sharks for their fins.
7. I’d like to see a woman president. I’m not debating it would be good or bad. I’d just like to see it happen.
8. I’d like to see the athletes cross the finish line of the Kona Ironman from my volunteer position. (This is doable, as I have the opportunity through work. I just need to wait for The Boy to graduate from high school to pull off the October travel dates)
9. I’d like to see the book in my head, on a shelf in a bookstore. Though that would require bookstores to still be in existence! LOL
10. I’d like to see world peace. What? A girl can dream, can’t she? Or at least watch Miss Congeniality too many times.

***Ally

Five Question Friday - LATE on Saturday

2012-01-21T22:54:00.000-08:00

Join the fun and link up for Five Question Friday over at My Little Life.

I'm super late, because we had no power for over two days. One of those we were iced in our house. Not so much fun. But I figured I post these anyway.

1. Where do you hide the reeeally good snacks?
In cupboard next to the cups and misc crystal we only use for guests (or never - it was all inherited). No one looks there.

2. Do u keep your vehicle clean or am I the only one who has things falling out of their van?
Clean, as in no stuff or garbage laying all over, but the dash needs a serious wipe down and the windows need cleaning.

3. Have you ever been to Vegas?
Yes. Four times I think. Once for Hubs 40th, once for a trade show he had to go to and twice for girls getaway weekends.

4. Warm room light blankets or cold room warm snuggly blanket?
Oh, please warm room AND warm snuggly blankets. I HATE to be cold.

5. What is the worst airplane/flying experience you've ever had?
It really is a post in and of itself, but I'll summarize. In a nutshell, leaving Seattle for England in the middle of a snow storm. Flight 1 - cancelled, rescheduled on another flight, through completely different cities, as more than a foot of snow piled up. Flight 2 the next day - loaded, closed, opened back up, drunk man escorted off, closed again, then they broke the tow bar in the freezing weather trying to push us back from the gate. And then the co-pilot was going to run out of flying hours before they could get another one to us. Cancelled, unloaded and rescheduled on Flight 3, the next night (2-1/2 days after original scheduled departure) on a different airline. But we were smart - checked the gate times and THAT day’s flight hadn’t left yet due to connection delays - ran to counter, begged and pleaded and they put us on. Original airline then lost a bag. Sent it to London, sent it BACK to Seattle before IDing it. They offered to send it back to London, but I told them not to move it. Tag it, lock it up, and we’d get it when we got back. Gah!

***Ally

Oh Seattle - Such A Media Darling

2012-01-19T00:01:00.000-08:00

Ha!

Yes, as I said, we don't get it much here in Seattle, so when it falls, it's kind of a big deal. Sorry if you had to watch it on your news. My dad and brother even checked in with us to make sure we were alright because the media was hyping it a bit down in Reno.

So I figured I'd share a little of what we had:

After two inches the first day, before the six
we got yesterday. Quite pretty.

A boy an his dog

That sheen is after we had freezing rain, on top

of 6 inches of snow, and the the temps plummeted.

Pure sheet ice. Awesomesauce.

And this morning:

Our 6 inches of snow has a crust of solid
ice on top of it. Everything is solid ice.
It's going to be a rough day for anyone trying
to get out this morning. I'm staying home.
And hoping my drooping, iced over birch tree makes it.

***Ally

Put The Shovel Down

2012-01-18T00:01:00.000-08:00

We have the sweetest neighbors. I adore them. They moved in about ten years ago, their children, who were older than my son walked over introduced themselves and took my son under their wing. They adore him, he adores them. We adore all of them. To this day. You see the picture I painted. Adore.

They moved here from Connecticut. Here is Seattle. There is a big difference in those two places in winter. They actually get winter in Connecticut (usually). We get winter for a day or three every year here in Seattle. If we're lucky.

By "winter", I mean snow.

There - plows clear streets, people shovel driveways, life goes on.

Here - plows get stuck, people don't own snow shovels and life stops until it melts.

If you live in another part of the country, turn on your news and you will likely hear how Seattle has gotten hit by a "Major Winter Storm" undoubtedly accompanied by a video shot of a city bus sliding down a hill. They love those shots. What I see is the bus going down the freeway at 35mph with hazards flashing on bare pavement... because he is forced to drive with chains on to avoid that sliding shot.

I could do a whole post on why Seattle shuts down in the snow, but I won't bore you. We don't get it often and everything is a damn hill. A steep hill. And the white stuff freezes into sheets of ice overnight. It'll never last long, so just stay home. That's all you need to know.

Yesterday morning, when I peered out the window to see how much of the expected white stuff fell overnight (2-3 inches) I noticed that Mr. Neighbor had 1) shoveled his driveway and 2) gone to work.

Here's the thing about the shoveling - why? I can guarantee you that even though the street cleaner drives down our street every three weeks (while the city is laying off people in essential jobs - don't get me started), we will NEVER have a snow plow down our street. So all that shoveling will never meet up with a plowed street. It was 32 degrees outside, and it was slushy anyway. There were only two inches, maybe three where the wind had piled it up. Their driveway is 20 feet long - it's barely long enough to stack two cars in. (I might add that their two cars are IN the driveway, not in the garage. They never park in the garage.)

The real deal is that unlike Mrs. Neighbor, Mr. Neighbor does not do physical activity. He is a workaholic that travels, works long hours and knows how to throw a great party. But he does NOT exercise. So when he comes out with the shovel, I get worried. My CPR card is expired. I mean I still remember how to do it from when I learned in Girl Scouts, but things have changed. (Don't worry, I just took it a couple of years ago - I just haven't renewed it.) I believe we should all know how to do CPR, but I don't ever want to do CPR. Hell, I worry about him when he mows the lawn occasionally in summer.

So Mr. Neighbor. Put down the shovel. I promise the snow will be gone in 48 hours. I like you. I want you to stick around. You are our good neighbors in a sea of weirdness. Stay home and we'll throw a little party and appreciate the beauty of it all. But please say healthy and put - down - the - shovel.

Love,
Your Caring Neighbor,
***Ally

* I wrote this post on Tuesday, BEFORE the "Big Snow" predicted for today had hit.

Dream Girls Getaway

2012-01-17T00:01:00.000-08:00

We used to go on yearly girls getaway weekends. Each year the women that would go would differ slightly, depending on who was available and where we went.

We've done Palm Springs, Las Vegas - twice, Laguna Beach, San Juan Island, Santa Barbara... I'm sure I missed one or two.

They have all been a blast. Well, except for the night Lela and I ate at the Cheesecake Factory in Vegas and ended up with food poisoning. Mine was mild - I was just afraid to stray too far from the room or a bathroom. Hers? She spent the night with her face on the cool tile floor of a hotel room bathroom (that right there is pure desperation) between bouts of her body trying to rid the bad food from both ends.

But this... THIS would be my dream girls getaway:

SwellWomen

...don't be afraid to go look, I'll wait...

"SwellWomen is a women's surf retreat located in Hawaii, the birthplace of surfing. With warm water temperatures, the world’s best waves and plenty of Aloha, Hawaii is THE best place on earth to attend a women’s surf camp."

They do surf lessons, surfing, yoga, wellness, SUP, massage... the whole thing is ALL-INCLUSIVE. Healthy food prepared for you, all the activities...

Sign me up! Like NOW, please.

And no, this is NOT a paid post. (Though, hello SwellWomen - I will blog and tweet about this every day for forever if you want to sponsor a stay for me... ahem. Wishful thinking, I know.) This is my dream for my 45th birthday. Which unfortunately falls the day after my 20th wedding anniversary. I sincerely doubt Hubs is going to send me away to Hawaii (our place) for my birthday without him.

Sooo, it might have to wait for my 46th birthday... just sayin'.

Ooooh, wait. I did just notice a Swellco-ed package... gotta run. I've got some seeds to plant in Hubs' brain.

***Ally

Monday Listicles - I Would Never...!

2012-01-15T20:58:00.000-08:00

Link up with Stasha at The good life for Monday Listicles. It's a different topic every week - follow along.

This week on Monday Listicles: "I'll Never...": The Top Ten Things You Said You Would NEVER Do And Have Caught Yourself Doing by Greta at Not Enough Patience, And Never Enough Jewelry . Here it goes:

1. Work in healthcare
2. Lick my finger to press down my son’s hair
3. Say “because I said so”
4. Become a runner
5. Get addicted to Facebook
6. Sign up for Twitter, start thinking in 140 characters or less, and use Twitter
7. Sign up for Pinterest
8. Watch a show about zombies (The Walking Dead), and like it
9. Cry at commercials
10. Singing along to songs playing in the grocery store (OMG, I died when I caught myself doing it! You KNOW it wasn't a hip song, people, it was the grocery store!)

And a little bonus, I get to pick next weeks topic! I really wanted to go with 10 things that give you anxiety, but I figured you all would say you didn't have any little ocd habits like me, and I'd be left all by myself with a list of 20. Sooooo, let's go with 10 things you'd like to see happen before you die - they can be anything from seeing the Cubs win the World Series (this is Hubs' #1) to meeting your great grandchildren. They can be things you participate in or things you just witness.

Happy Monday!
***Ally

Five Question Friday on Saturday

2012-01-14T00:01:00.000-08:00

Five Question Friday was over at Kate's Life while Mama M at My Little Life is out of town.

And leave it to me to do FQF on Saturday. Sometimes I'm late like that.

1. What's the the last thing you bought for yourself?
New running shoes. And while we're trying not to spend unnecessary money, I'll not apologize for this one, I needed them.

2. What is your favourite meal on a cold winter day?

My husband's chili and beans. That's not the chili you normally thing of. It's chunks of tender beef in homemade chili sauce made from good quality chili powder, and refried beans (preferably black) on the side, served with tortillas to eat it with. Yum.

3. Have you started looking at swimsuits for this year, and do you buy a new one every year?

Yes and no. Yes, I've started looking - and found one I really want from Title 9. And I haven't had a new one in three years.

4. If you could be any candy what would you be and why?

Smooth silky chocolate. No one ever gets tired of that, right?

5. What are you most passionate about?

This is one of those questions up for interpretation. I'll go with how I originally took it. Depends on the day. My family, truth, logic. Then there are things like the underprivileged and animal welfare.

Bonus: ** What is your favorite thing to "pin" on Pinterest?
Inspirational fitness quotes. I'm a geek that way.

***Ally

Parents And The End Of High School

2012-01-13T00:01:00.000-08:00

There are many types of parents you will encounter when you are the parent of a high school junior or senior. The same parents you've known since the kids were in kindergarten will transform before your eyes when the words "graduation" and "college" join the picture. They suddenly become Know What's Best For Your Kid Parent, Cheerleader Parent, Do-It-For-Them Parent, Down On Their Kid Parent, Run The Senior Party Parent, Tell You How To Do It Parent, and oh-so-many more.

The Know What's Best For Your Kid Parent usually has a child a year or two older than yours. They've been through it all, and have suddenly become experts in higher education... for your child. You and your child run into her at the local Target, and suddenly your child is under scrutiny and subject to a lengthy lecture on how it would really be best for him or her to enroll in Running Start, press hard, graduate from High School with an Associates Degree from the local Community College, allowing them the grand privilege of enrolling at the University as a Junior at the ripe old age of 18, and saving mom and dad tons of money.* Give your child a squeeze, smile broadly, look at your watch and announce that you had no idea it was so late and you really must be going.

The Cheerleader Parent is over happy, and over enthusiastic about any ideas your child may express toward life after high school. Technical school - Yay! Community College - Yay! University - Yay! Ivy League - Yay! Get a job - Yay! Join the military - Yay! Rah! Rah! Rah! But under the surface you sense that all too common comparison going on. Is your child doing more than theirs? Less than theirs? Better than theirs? Worse than theirs? Smile, say thank you and know your child is doing exactly what they should be doing. For them.

The Do-It-For-Them Parent is fully prepared to fill out college applications for their child, write college entrance essays for their child, and will undoubtedly send college care packages big enough to feed the whole dorm floor. And they are shocked senseless at the thought that you are allowing your child to do it themselves. Smile, and keep doing what you're doing. Take pity on their child the first time they have to cook their own meal.

The Down On Their Kid Parent is generally the parent of a kid who either struggles with grades and motivation, or greatly fears their child being considered mediocre by others, so beats them to the punch by announcing that Johnny has to figure out how to pass math class before considering anything beyond high school and he'll "probably end up" at the local junior college with disgust in their voice. ** Keep that smile going and tell them you are sure Johnny will be great at whatever he does. It's not your battle.

The Run The Senior Party Parent has one purpose and one purpose only. That is to be in charge of the senior party and make it the party that she always wanted. She will recruit every parent she comes in contact with throughout the entire school year, and then she will make sure they know they are in an inferior position to her. As the date approaches she will not sleep, staying up until the wee hours running spread sheets of activities, fees, chaperones and the like. But stay away from her the week after the party is done, because she will fall into a deep depression with nothing to do, no lives to control and no FUN! to plan. You have two choices - either know you can contribute in this environment, or run. Run far and fast. And hide out until senior year is over.

And then there's The Tell You How To Do It Parent. Although they seem similar to The Know What's Best For Your Kid Parent, they are distinctly different. They don't just know the best path for your child, they know exactly what both you and your child should be doing every.single.step of the way. When they ask you how the process is going, excuse yourself to the bathroom.

Those parents are really just a distraction from the fact that your child is 17 or 18 years old. Your child will be making decisions for themselves. They'll have to do things for themselves that you really can't do for them. You'll have to step into a roll of guidance counselor, and for some helicopter parents, it may be a first time. The child will have to put themselves out there, and they might get disappointed - lower than expected SAT scores or not getting accepted where they want to go, and they'll have to pick themselves up and keep going. And chances are, they'll be okay. They'll probably be better than okay. And so will their parents.

***Ally

* I have no problem with Running Start. It's a fabulous program and can save a family tens of thousands of dollars worth of college education. But I firmly believe that a student has to have the right personality, the right temperament and the right drive to succeed in this program. And I don't believe in taking away teenage experiences unless it's what the child wants. My son was very close to enrolling to get away from some of the "high school drama" (his words), however he really likes his calculus teacher and would rather take his 4th year of math with him. There are also two electives he wants to take at the high school, so he chose to stay with classes at the high school.

** Yes, I had a parent do this. She works as a college recruiter, and I can only assume she is somehow disappointed in her own child, though I shouldn't speak for her. Regardless, I was horrified at her attitude.

Morning Promises

2012-01-12T00:01:00.000-08:00

I slowly open my eyes, seeing only darkness.

Creeping out of bed, I try not to wake anyone else.

Quietly, I open the door and curl into a chair on the lanai.

The sound of the waves rolling the grains of sand over and over themselves fills my ears. The morning sea air fills my nose.

A ribbon of light forms on the horizon, slowly growing, spreading. Outlines of palm trees show themselves against the expanding pink and fading midnight blue.

D opens the door and hands me a steaming mug of coffee, joining me silently.

The light continues to spread until the brilliance breaks the horizon.

Suddenly I'm forced to squint as I look at the water.

Heat warms my face as the rays bring promise of another golden day to warm my soul.

The magic of the silent sunrise gives way to plans of how we will spend the hours ahead soaking up that promise.

Oh Maui, I miss you.

***Ally

Wordless Wednesday - Doggie Style

2012-01-11T00:01:00.000-08:00

She wads her bed into the smallest ball possible before laying down on it. Sometimes it takes much circling and multiple tries. Crazy dog. But I admit she looks pretty comfy. Until her feet started hanging off.

There are days I'd like to curl up just like this.

***Ally

Easy Fool-Proof Chili

2012-01-10T00:01:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but I go through stages in my cooking. At times I love to make elaborate meals, or even semi-elaborate meals. Other times I want it quick and easy. If it were just me, those times I'd just eat a salad or a fruit & veggie smoothie. But a still growing teenager and hard working husband want a little more than that.

Sunday night I went back to my fool proof chili. They gobble it up and it's easy-peasy. The recipe changes slightly every time I make it, depending on what I have and how much I'm making. Sometimes I make more and freeze some in 1-2 serving sizes for those days when I know no one will have time to sit for dinner (usually baseball season).

There's also no hard or fast rule for beans and tomatoes. I like to throw some white beans in for color, but you can use any kind you like. I like green chiles in my tomatoes, but you can use plain. I also sometimes use crushed instead of diced - again, depends on what I have. It's hard to mess this stuff up! If you have time, you can also make your beans from dried to save money. Soak and cook them first, then add to the chili - you have to start a day early for that.

This was what I used for Sunday's recipe:

1+ lb lean ground beef (alternatives: ground turkey or chicken, or cubed beef)
3 cans kidney beans (or one larger can + 1 small can)
1 can great northern white beans
2 cans diced tomatoes with fire roasted green chiles
1 can tomato sauce
1 onion chopped
2-3 cloves minced garlic
oregano
cumin
salt
chili powder

Put a couple TBS of olive oil in the bottom of your stock pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, stir for one minute, add beef and brown. To be honest, I use lean beef so I don't have to drain the grease. I'm lazy like that.

Add beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce and stir. Add 2 TBS dried oregano, maybe 1 TBS of cumin, maybe a couple tsp of salt, and 1-1/2 TBS chili powder. (I measure nothing - sorry) I use the good chili powder from the Mexican food store (we have several close by) or the Hispanic food aisle of the grocery store. Again, these seasonings are to taste!

That's it. Bring it to boiling, then turn it down, cover and simmer for a while to blend the flavors. Don't add too much liquid in the beginning, as the liquid will increase as it simmers. In our case, it simmered 1-1/2 hours. Just because. I don't even have a reason for that time other than that's what worked in our day. Could be longer, could be shorter.

Serve with shredded cheese and sour cream. And if you're really good, whip up a batch of corn bread! Yum!

please excuse the beat up bowl :)

***Ally

Monday Listicles - Job Oddities

2012-01-09T00:01:00.000-08:00

Link up with Stasha at The good life for Monday Listicles. It's a different topic every week - follow along.

Today's topic, chose by Squashed Mom, was to be Top Ten Strange (odd/unusual/funny/interesting) Jobs you have held in your life.

I have been fortunate (or unfortunate? nah, we'll go with fortunate) enough to not hold too many different jobs, or jobs that were odd or interesting. In fact, I’ve only had something like 7 jobs in my 44 years. And only one was “unique” - I worked on a parasail boat in Maui. But that hardly qualifies for a list of 10.

However, three of those jobs were in photo labs - a one-hour photo lab, and a couple of 30 minute photo labs. You remember - back when we used film.

So here’s 10 things I developed pictures of while working at the photo labs:

1. Rob Lowe and his then girlfriend, now wife, getting matching tattoos. Yes, I did.

2. An underwater scuba diving picture of Milli Vanilli with all their braids splayed out in the water. (If you are wondering, Milli Who?, then this picture is for you. They were a duo that won a Grammy in 1990, only to have it revoked when they it was found out that they didn’t really do the singing on the album. Oops.)

3. Childbirth. Very detailed childbirth. Which can be special and wonderful when it’s your own, I suppose, though I never had any desire to document my lady parts being stretched to elephant proportions. But complete strangers? Awkward. Especially when they come in to pick them up.

4. AFS. AFS = Another F**king Sunset. I actually truly love sunset pictures. But when you develop pictures on Maui, do you know how many sunset pictures you see? We had long dubbed them AFS.

5. Bachelor parties. Crude. Did you know that some women can pick things up (like rolled dollar bills) with their lady parts?

6. Humpback whales. Breaching, tail flapping, fin slapping. Up close and personal. Two of those three photo processing jobs were in Maui.

7. Brides in underwear. For every wedding, there is a picture of the bride in her sexy-under-the-dress-lingerie getting ready.

8. Blurry fish. Disposable underwater cameras were all the rage when I was working in Hawaii. But fish swim fast, and people not so much.

9. Babies. Cute babies. Hundreds of babies. I knowwe all thought our own was the cutest (and of course, mine is) but there are some really cute baby pics out there.

10. Jimi Hendrix as a child, a teen, and a young adult. Before his dad died, he brought us a pile of old pictures to make copies of. Back then, before digital scanners, we had to make something called “copy negatives” - essentially, we took a high quality picture of a picture to make a new negative. It was quite an honor.

***Ally

Friday Funnies

2012-01-06T00:01:00.000-08:00

I am generally an easy going, nice person. So don't go thinking I've gone over the edge. But I do love me some snarky humor. And these were brilliantly hilarious. You can thank my husband's aunt. SHE is hilarious. Enjoy.

Happy Friday, everyone! Have a fabulous weekend!

***Ally

At Risk For Identity Theft?

2012-01-05T11:27:00.000-08:00

The following is a sponsored post, but all opinions and FEARS expressed are mine! :)

I don't know about you, but Hubs and I have worked hard over the years to keep our credit score high, our debts low and our assets safe.

We have twice had a credit card number stolen, and used for purchases. Both times it was caught, the credit card company was great about immediately reversing the charges and pursuing it themselves. Of course we had to change credit card numbers, which can be a huge pain if you have any automatic payments set up, as we do. But that was a while ago, before things became so sophisticated.

Today I hear more and more about identity theft. Social security numbers being used to set up whole new identities with debts and other evils, all tied back to that original social security number. And people don't find out about it until they go to get a loan, or start getting bills for things or from places they've never seen. In fact, I just read an article about them getting so sophisticated as to be able to predict the next social security numbers being assigned for newborns and stealing those while the person is an infant. They are working to change the way they assign the numbers now. Scary.

The worst part is the stories of victims that spend years and so much money trying to undo the damage. I can't imagine. We've stayed afloat these last few years despite a nasty lay off for Hubs and a really crappy economy making it harder than ever to get back to a well paying job. The economy has hurt my business, as well, with people having less cash and lower health insurance benefits to receive my services. We're a year and a half away from figuring out how to pay for The Boy to go to college.

What would happen if we suffered identity theft? What would happen if we couldn't qualify for a loan? It would be devastating to lose the financial ground we've worked so hard to maintain. It would be devastating to not be able to access the resources we need to help our son reach his dreams.

Hackers are smart with the internet making so much available to their super-smart, but unlawful, fingertips. Identity theft protection is one way to safeguard against the risks out there. IdentityHawk is a company offering such protection. I love the idea that they offer something that makes you feel proactive in protecting your name and what you have. They monitor your credit rating, as well as public data bases and user forums, security breaches at companies and organizations, and they scan for things like someone else opening a credit card in your name. They have email and text alerts if your information has been compromised and can place fraud alerts at the credit bureaus if you believe your information has been stolen. They even have identity recovery experts and identity theft insurance.

IdentityHawk offers a feeling of security in world that isn't always as secure as we'd like it to be.

I urge you to keep yourself safe. Keep your passwords complicated and secure. Keep your social security number secure. Do your annual free credit checks to make sure you know what your credit score and history look like. And consider a little more comprehensive security if it's right for you.

***Ally

Unanswered Prayers

2012-01-05T00:01:00.000-08:00

Do you remember those times when you were young and "in love". You'd have done anything for him or her to be "the one".

Let me count the times. Alright, I'll only highlight the memorable ones.

The kid I liked in kindergarten. He flipped me off in second grade. He married his high school sweetheart, cheated on her, got a divorce, remarried and is just now having kids again at 45. As the mother of a 17 year old, I shudder at the thought.

There was that guy in high school that I was in love with. Okay, not really, but I WAS in love with his eyes. He had really beautiful eyes. We were with a small group that was going to attend a Friday night dance together. And he made it appear he and I were attending "together". Until we got there and he found my friend a whole lot more interesting. Now? Who knows, but he turned out to be a serious head case even back then. In a creepy sort of way that today would make you fear school shootings.

There was the other guy in high school. He was adorable and sweet and rumor went around he was going to ask me to the Homecoming Dance. But then he asked one of my friends. One of my underclassmen friends. And now? Now he is still adorable, married, beautiful kids, successful... well, I'm sure he farts a lot and has halitosis.

Then there's that guy when I was 21. We dated until I found out the hard way that he was only dating me to get to know my roommate.Who he married and had four beautiful children. Come to find out he was emotionally abusive and she divorced him much later than she should have. I'm still friends with my old roommate.

There's an old Garth Brooks song that goes like this:

Sometimes I thank God

For Unanswered Prayers

Remember when you're talking

To the Man upstairs

Just because he doesn't answer

Doesn't mean he don't care

Some of God's greatest gifts

Are unanswered prayers.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

***Ally

*For the record - I quoted those lyrics from memory. Years ago I had an enormous thing for Garth Brooks. Daffy at Batcrap Crazy - she once got to interpret a Garth concert. (sign language) I'm so jealous. Even now that I don't really listen to his stuff anymore.

**Wow. There appears to be a pattern there of guys I liked, liking my friends. Glad I could help.

Wordless Wednesday - Sunrise

2012-01-04T00:01:00.000-08:00

I really love watching the sunrise turn the sky pink over my mountain. Okay, it's not my mountain. It's Mt. Rainier. But I used to have a lovely view of it.

Now I need a secret tree removal expert.

***Ally

Monday Listicles - Unkept Resolutions

2012-01-02T00:01:00.000-08:00

Link up with Stasha at The good life for Monday Listicles. It's a different topic every week - follow along.

This week we are making a list of 10 resolutions we WON'T keep.

1. I’ll finish the multiple scrap book projects I have started. Um, no. I’ve got projects dating back years. It’s not likely to change anytime soon.

2. I will keep my house picked up and looking clean so I’m not horrified if someone stops by unannounced. Oh be serious. We LIVE in this house. And most days it LOOKS like we live in this house.

3. I will keep my business tax paperwork organized and updated at all times. Nah, I like to live on the edge. What fun is it if I don’t have to sit down at the last minute flipping through receipts and trying to remember how many work related miles I drove?

4. I will give up processed cane sugar. Look, I do really well at this most of the time. I have a lot of tricks and substitutions that make my brain believe it’s getting a treat. (Like my frozen banana/chocolate soft serve with protein - no sugar except what’s natural in the banana) And I actually enjoy eating healthy and feeling healthy. But I LIKE sweets. So I will occasionally let myself have them. I will, however, be much better than I was this holiday season! GAH!

5. If I don’t have anything nice to say, I won’t say anything at all. It’s a good goal, really it is. But I’m a realist. And I have a sister-in-law that provides me with WAY too much fodder to keep my mouth shut.

6. I will get up an hour early every day to write. You know, this is something I might like to try sometime, but I really love my sleep, so even if I do it, it won’t be every day.

7. I will lose my obsession with Dave Matthews. --Yeah, no. Not likely.

8. Unplug from my blog, Facebook and twitter. Bwahahaha.

9. Write the online course I was supposed to have done months ago. My heart is just not in this. I hope I prove myself wrong and actually get this done.

10. Make 2012 Resolutions. I simply don’t do resolutions. If there is something I need to do bad enough, then I work on making the lifestyle change to do it - any time of year. Resolutions just end up being something to fail at, and nobody feels good about failing.

So whether you do resolutions or not, let's just have an amazing year!

***Ally

New Year's Eve

2011-12-31T07:23:00.000-08:00

Whether you watch it happen in Times Square on tv,

Go out and party with your friends,

Hang with your family,

Play games until midnight,

Or fall asleep watching a rented movie,

We wish you a safe, fun, happy

New Year's Eve.

May 2012 bring you health, peace, prosperity and much, much joy and happiness.

Happy New Year!

Happy 2012!

Let's make it a year to remember!

Ally & Lela

Dog Butts, Thank Yous and Beaches

2011-12-30T00:01:00.000-08:00

Emily Post says, "The rule of thumb is that you should send a written note any time you receive a gift (even a ‘thank you’ gift) and the giver wasn’t there to thank in person."

**DON'T GO AWAY! I know, you are rolling your eyes right now, but you'll miss the DOG BUTT, if you go now!**

I even sent a thank you to my best friend, Lela, who sent me this:

You may be laughing, but I LOVE my dog butt.

Notice the live version in the background.

Yes, my jammies have penguins on them.

Let's look at it from an everyday point of view:

Who doesn't love receiving snail mail? Thank you notes are the one way we can keep this tradition alive. Don't let the snail mail die!

It's also common courtesy. It shows you have manners. It's polite. It says you have some appreciation that someone else went out of their way to think about you and get you something or do something for you even when you don't really care. Yes, I've been on the receiving end of the gift from hell from someone I didn't even like (*cough*cough*SIL*cough*), but I still sent a polite thank you note.

And if the gift was mailed, it lets them know the thing actually arrived!

So, if your kids (or you) received a gift this holiday that arrived in the mail or otherwise, and the person wasn't there to get to see them open it, help them send a thank you note. In the grand scheme of life, it's a simple thing. Even if they are young, they can draw a picture and you can add some words. It starts the habit from an early age.

That said, I do agree with Emily on that first point - if the recipient was able to look the giver in they eye and say thank you, they are good! No note needed!

*********

We are dog-sitting while our good friends are in Maui. Yeah, totally sucks, because all I see in the 10 day forecast is clouds and rain. That and the fact that Maui is totally my happy place. Anysunshine, one of them posted this picture they snapped on Facebook. I am sharing with you all. If I'm going to occupy anything, this is what I want to do. Read the sign:

*********

A little update: a few of you have inquired about Lela. Back in October, after a whirlwind few weeks of fighting declining health issues, Lela lost her dad. Like any of us that have been through loss, just getting our feet back on solid ground and trying to get through that first set of holidays, has been enough to deal with. Add to that, that she convinced her mom to spend Christmas with them and she arrived on the 19th and will stay until January 4th. Let's just say that Lela and her mom are two of the strongest minded women I know. Lela hates it when I say it, but sometimes she shows streaks of her mom herself. And Lela's son shows streaks of Lela. All of which makes me laugh like crazy. What? She's my best friend, I can get away with it! To say they know how to drive each other crazy is an understatement. But I know it meant a lot to both of them to be together this holiday. Hopefully after the first of the year, the other Normal Mom will have tales to share and find a little writing groove again. In the meantime, she's doing well.

***Ally

Tweaked Dessert - Chocolate Trifle

2011-12-29T00:01:00.000-08:00

My mother-in-law was British. She and my FIL moved here to the States back in the 50's, got married and raised two kids. Lucky for me, or I wouldn't have Hubs.

There were a few traditions from England that she continued through the years, and one she introduced me to was her English Trifle.

Her's was pretty traditional with a cakey base drizzled with brandy or sherry, a fruit gelatin layer with two layers of colored custard and then whipped cream. Of course, like any of us, she used her own British shortcuts including using Bird's Custard Powder* for the custard.

She taught me how to make it the last Thanksgiving she was with us, then I made one (after one failed attempt) for Christmas the year after she passed away. I put it in the smaller of the two trifle bowls she left to us.

Though it turned out great, I'm really not much of a fruity dessert girl. Give me chocolate and make it rich. I've been dreaming up this chocolate version for some time now, and finally went for it this Christmas. I figured the worst thing that could happen, it would flop and we'd toss it out. It definitely did NOT flop. Hubs, who was extremely skeptical of my bastardization of his mom's cherished dessert, was more than pleased. Each night when he has leftovers, he says, "Good trifle, honey!" And though I know my MIL would have tsk-tsked at my idea, I know her well, and she would have been pleased with the outcome. Because one thing we had in common was our love of chocolate and Bailey's.

So here is my "tweaked" version: Chocolate & Bailey's Trifle.

And the recipe:

1 box Betty Crocker (or other brand) pound cake mix - prepare as directed, adding 1/3 cup of cocoa powder to the dry mix first.

Cut the cake into small cubes and press lightly into bottom of bowl. Drizzle with Bailey's (or other brand Irish Cream) making sure all cake gets a little. (I used 2/3 of the cake based on my bowl size)

Spread one small jar of raspberry (or other fruit type) preserves over cake layer. (more if using a larger bowl)

Mix one small box of chocolate Cook & Serve Jello pudding per package directions. (use large box if using a larger bowl) Let cool slighly, 3-5 minutes stirring often. Pour over cake layer, place in fridge and let set up.

Mix one recipe of Bird's custard:
2-1/2 to 3 TBS custard powder
2 TBS cocoa powder
2 TBS sugar
Mix these ingredients well in medium sized mixing bowl.
2 cups milk** - place in sauce pan
Spoon several TBS of the milk from the pan into the dry mix and stir to make a paste.
Heat remaining milk to almost boiling - pour into dry mix paste, mix well, return to pan and bring to full boil until it thickens (it will thicken as soon as it starts to boil)
Remove from heat and cool slightly 3-5 minutes stirring often. Pour over jello layer, return to fridge until set.

Repeat with another layer of plain custard WITHOUT adding cocoa powder - this is your cream colored layer. Return to fridge until ready to serve.

Before serving, whip cream and spread over top of trifle.

Ta-Da! DONE and YUM!

* Bird's is available at some specialty grocers, some bigger grocery stores (Kroger) and my favorite place to get British specialty items - CostPlus World Market.

** Rice milk can be substituted for milk if you don't do dairy. A can of soy whipped cream could be used for the whip topping.

And just so you can see the layers inside:

Okay, maybe you can't see it that well - you'll have to trust me.

***Ally

Most Awesome Gift

2011-12-27T00:01:00.000-08:00

I got several great things for Christmas, but this one gift grabbed my heart and has quickly become a favorite.

(Well, besides the Keen boots that are just as awesome and comfortable as I thought they would be - I could be on my feet in them all day!)

It can be worn as a bracelet or necklace, but I love it on my wrist. It's awesome by itself, but the words on the card it came with are what got me. The giver said the words reminded her of me. So sweet.

This is for the one who has

found her way, and the one

who is still searching.

For the one who counts her

blessings, and who is a

blessing to others.

This is for the dreamer, and

the dancer, and the music

maker.

For the one brave enough to

jump, and the one still

standing on the edge.

This is for the one who takes

the path, and for the one who

creates her own.

For the one who fights,

believes, creates, and

inspires.

This is for you.

Awesome, right? I LOVE it. ♥

***Ally

Monday Listicles - 2011 In Review

2011-12-26T00:01:00.000-08:00

Link up with Stasha at The good life for Monday Listicles. It's a different topic every week - follow along.

2011 in Review - My abbreviated version:

1. Went from double injury, through PT rehab, and FINALLY back to running.

2. Helped move Grandma to a retirement community where she is safe and surrounded by people.

3. The Boy started buying gifts for Hubs and I all by himself, proving he is growing up.

4. Fabulous visit by Lela in June, and got to play tourist in my own city.

5. The Boy became a 17 year old before my very eyes, again proving he is growing up.

6. Visited Crater Lake for the first time on a road trip to see family in Reno.

7. College visits with The Boy, cementing that he is, indeed, growing up.

8. Got to have a birthday dinner with Lela for the first time in years.

9. Celebrated our 19th Anniversary with Hubs.

10. Hubs landed a permanent job (sort of - still self employment, but with full corporate company backing) three long years after being laid off during "trimming" at his old company.

Can't complain about a year like that, but I have to admit, I'm looking forward to whatever 2012 has to bring. Bring it on, I say.

***Ally

A Greeting For You

2011-12-24T00:01:00.000-08:00

Wishing you and your families

a blessed and peaceful holiday.

Merry Christmas!

Ally & Lela

Now Christmas Is Complete - Bring It On

2011-12-23T00:01:00.000-08:00

I'm not quite sure how it came to be December 23rd, and still we had still not yet posted the best 80's Christmas song. Ever.

It's a good thing we caught this unfortunate near miss and corrected the problem.

If, by chance, you are too young to actually remember listening to this song, while bopping around with big 80's hair, a bad Christmas sweater, and "stretch" pants that stretched out at the knees (lucky you), we've used the version with lyrics. You're welcome.

Happy Friday everyone. We share with you the Christmas rule: if it's not done by 3:00 today, it's not getting done, so just kick back, relax and enjoy the show. They'll just play with the boxes and wrapping paper, anyway.

Merry Christmas!

***Ally & Lela

Holiday Menu?

2011-12-22T08:05:00.000-08:00

In my family, we alternate hosting holidays. My cousin and I have been alternating Thanksgiving and Christmas the last couple of years and we love it.

I have Christmas this year. I'm a rebel when it comes to the meal. It feels like just ate Thanksgiving, so I don't really want to do the turkey thing again. I don't really eat ham much, so I pretty much discount whether others like it or not and cross it off the list. (You have the power to do that when you host, you know?)

I like to do something different. Back when Hubs was fully employed in the Seafood industry (before he became a number on a spreadsheet that got slashed), we did a seafood Christmas one year. Live mussels shipped direct from one of his customers. Live Maine lobster shipped from the husband of someone at his company. Salmon. It was a feast, for sure. We've also done standing rib roast another year.

My other caveat is that with all the food around this time of year, I really try to keep it somewhat healthy and not overdo the menu, BUT still make it good.

I searched and looked and browsed until this year's menu sort of fell in my lap. I just happened to spot it in a magazine. It wasn't even listed for the holiday meal ideas, but it got my attention anyway, because I LOVE gorgonzola cheese.

Christmas Dinner Menu

Starters
Raw Veggie Plate
Roasted Shrimp
Mediterranean Salmon Endive Cups

Main Course
Gorgonzola and Hazelnut Stuffed Pork Chops with Pears
Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
Blue Lake Green Beans

Dessert
Undecided

(Note: I wanted to center this menu and make it look pretty, but Blogger is being and ASSHOLE. Again.)

Seriously, I don't know if I'm going to make a proper dessert because I know there will be all the other stuff around - fudge, cookies, etc. I also know I need to decide for sure, because I'm shopping today and I'm running out of time!

So what are you all having for the holiday meal? I love hearing what others are having because I'm a total idea "borrower". Lay them on me!

***Ally

Easy Shopping Experience? Count Me In!

2011-12-21T12:00:00.000-08:00

The following is a sponsored post, though all opinions expressed are mine.

The big day comes and goes, the wrapping paper gets cleaned up, the leftovers slowly nibbled away, the decorations stored for next year.

A glance at the new year's calendar reminds you that your brother-in-law's birthday is just two and a half weeks away. (This happens in my house every year. My brain is gifted out and then I realize I've got to come up with not one, but two gifts for January birthdays.)

All you're dreaming about is when the in-laws have left, Cousin Harry has relinquished his spot on the blow up mattress and the kids have gone to your parents for a few days during school break. All you want to do is curl up on the sofa in your bathrobe and read a good book.

And that's when you notice it. The grease stain on the arm of the chair. The same chair Uncle Walter was sitting in with his ham and cookies. Which he eats together. *shudder*

At Become.com, you can find arm covers for chairs, slip covers, heck, you can find a whole new chair! You'll forget Uncle Walter was ever there.

What about that robe? Become.com can find you cheap bathrobes, too. You can find cheap bathrobes for men, sure, even the kids, but cheap bathrobes for women is what I'm after. When I searched for them, they brought up so many to choose from. Bamboo, Egyptian cotton, Supima cotton... warm and comfy is what I want and they found that for me, all the prices listed right there up front.

And you can certainly find something for the BIL's birthday. Anything from books, music or movies, to sports and fitness equipment to video games. They'll search it all. I even searched dog food! (NOt for the BIL, just in case you were wondering.) And they'll give you the completed price - including tax and shipping! No surprises waiting when you click to a product. I love that.

Become.com does the comparison shopping for you, presenting you with a large selection and the lowest prices from the brand name retailers, so you don't have to go site to site trying to do that comparing yourself. They've also got shopping insights, buying guides, product reviews and editorial tips.

I wish I'd used them for my Christmas shopping. But that's okay, I do plenty of shopping online throughout the year, when I need to, and now I've got Become.com bookmarked and ready to go for my future online shopping needs! They'll save me from the stores, save me from multiple searches and help me find what I'm looking for. If it makes my shopping life easier, count me in!

***Ally

Wordless Wednesday - Cold Weather

2011-12-21T00:01:00.000-08:00

***Ally

IRL Meet Up & Rambles

2011-12-20T00:01:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, I got to meet a blog friend IN PERSON!

Rachel, from Totally Ovar It, and I met for lunch. I'd love to show you pictures of us in the cute, little, colorful Mexican restaurant we met in... but I forgot I had my camera with me. *slaps forehead*

We did have a great visit, though, and then we walked to a nearby store to do some shopping.

Ahem.

It was a Liquor Store. What? Don't judge. She was looking for some Whipped Cream Vodka and I needed some Bailey's for fudge. Do you know how many flavors of vodka there are?? And now they are starting to do the same thing with rum! We were amazed. Okay, so maybe I just don't get out much.

I have to say, that I kind of like going in and browsing at all the pretty bottles and flavors and such. I'm not a big hard alcohol drinker, but it's fun to look.

One fun discovery - have you ever tried Cupcake Vineyards wine?

www.cupcakevineyards.com

Cupcake has VODKA! Original, Frosting (vanilla), Chiffon (lemon citrus) and Devil's Food (chocolate). And no, they aren't paying me to talk about this, I promise! I don't even drink vodka except maybe once a year in a flavored martini, but I kinda just like the idea of it. I mean, there are plenty of other brands doing those flavors, but it's Cupcake! It's cute! Yes, I walk into liquor stores and think what I see is cute. Don't laugh.

www.cupcakevodka.com

Okay, so I bought a $1.99 airplane sized bottle of the Frosting flavor to try. It's still sitting on my counter. I don't even know what to do with it, but it's cute.

But back to Rachel. I'd like to tell you all kinds of fun things about her, but I think you should read her blog and get to know her yourself. So I made a word cloud about Rachel instead.

We hope to meet up again in January. And Stasha, if you are reading, we want to meet you, too!

***Ally

Monday Listicles - Inside The Actor's Studio Edition

2011-12-19T00:01:00.000-08:00

Link up with Stasha at The good life for Monday Listicles. It's a different topic every week - follow along.

This week Bridget at Twinisms chose the topic. She's taking us Inside The Actor's Studio with James Lipton and the 10 questions every celebrity interview ends with. Fun, right?

1. What is your favorite word?
Really?

No, really, that's the word. Apparently I say it much more than I realize.

2. What is your least favorite word?

No. Well, at least when it's said to me.

3. What turns you on?
Affection that is real and genuine.

4. What turns you off?
Dishonesty, phoniness, actions that intend to hurt.

5. What sound do you love?
The sound of softly falling snow. That's right, it's the lack of sound that I love.
I also love the sound of the ocean gently lapping the shore.

6. What sound do you hate?
The sound of brakes locking and skipping across the pavement. We were once at an awful accident site when that happened and it still sends shivers up my spine.

7. What is your favorite curse word?
**Asswipe** It is a special enough word to require little asterisks on either side and is best used when directed at the driver who just cut you off or nearly made you pee your pants by slamming on their brakes ahead of you without warning.

8. What profession other than yours would you like to attempt?
I'd love to be an editor. It's how my brain works. I can't help but edit things in my head when I read. There are many times I think I should have done it for a living.

9. What profession would you not like to do?
Having just had my yearly mammogram, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't want to be one of those techs. Manhandling women's boobs all day and then smashing them between plexiglass plates? Not for me. I also wouldn't want to sit in a cubicle all day doing something mind numbing. Or be a phone solicitor - I wouldn't be able to handle the rejection!

10. If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates?
Welcome home.

***Ally

Five Question Friday

2011-12-16T00:01:00.000-08:00

Join the fun and link up for Five Question Friday over at My Little Life.

1. What's the best Christmas present you've ever received?

Getting pregnant with my son. Hubs and I still "disagree" on whether it happened the 22nd or 24th. He thinks it sounds more romantic to say I got pregnant Christmas Eve.

2. Worst/Funniest White Elephant gift ever received?

Hands down - the handmade kleenex box cover, sewn to look like a couch and made with Seattle Mariners fabric. Complete with throw pillows and pleated skirt around the bottom. Awful.

3. Is your Christmas tree plain and simple (white lights and matching ornaments) or is it wild and crazy (colored lights with lots of ornaments collected over the years)?

In the middle - white lights, lots of collected ornaments, then green and red balls all over to "tie it all together".

4. "How" do you iron your clothes? The old fashioned iron/ironing board way, the shower, back in the dryer, etc.

I will only pull out the iron and ironing board in dire situations. We do wrinkle removing fluffs in the dryer. Even better - my flat iron. It works on a shirt placket, collars, wrinkled pocket, creased edges. Women have the best tools.

5. How much baking do you do for Christmas and what are your "must make" items? (I'm looking for recipes here, peeps...)

Fudge. That's my only "must make". Though I usually do some snickerdoodles or gingersnaps or try something new to give away as gifts.

Happy Friday everyone!
***Ally

Santa Needs A New Suit!

2011-12-15T14:55:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in my five finger olive post, when I was a kid, our Christmas Eve's were a Brady Bunch family mash up of fun.

For quite a while, one of the male adults would sneak out and don an old Santa suit that had been around waaaay too long (we REALLY needed a new family Santa costume!) and start jingling bells from some distant room or door. Santa would come in and Ho Ho Ho his greetings, reaching into his bag and bringing out a wrapped gift for every child in the room. (Stealthily provided by their parents, of course).

Costume available at Halloween Mart!

As fast as he'd come, he'd leave again, letting the kids know he had lots to do that night.

Of course, I was in the know, but it was still a fun tradition for all the kids to get a gift from Santa himself.

It's a great tradition, especially for large gatherings. And Halloween Mart is the place to go for that great Santa suit. Although they have great adult Halloween costumes and kids Halloween costumes, they can hook you up for other times of the year, as well. They even have expedited shipping so you can get that Santa Suit before the big day. And don't forget the Elves! They've got costumes for them, too.

They also have some sassy, hot little Santa's helper and Elf costumes if you are planning a more "romantic" Christmas Eve. Ahem.

There are lots more to choose from, too: toy soldiers, snowmen and even gingerbread men!

There's still time if you need a costume. Not for Christmas? How about the Easter Bunny? :) Halloween Mart has those, too! They are not just for Halloween!

***Ally

The above is a sponsored post, but all opinions expressed are my own.

Five Finger Memories

2011-12-15T00:01:00.000-08:00

When I was a kid right up through adulthood, Christmas Eve was spent with my grandfather's side of the family. Without a lengthy family tree explanation, let's just say that it was a Brady Bunch mash up of family fun.

There were lots of kids, of which I tended to be the oldest present most years. We were usually relegated to the kids' table, kids' corner, or even a kids' room.

Food was a plenty. Ham, turkey, scalloped potatoes, jello salads, ambrosia salad, salmon, just dishes and dishes of food. And all the condiments to go with it, including Grandma & Grandpa's sweet pickles and plenty of black olives.

To this day, I don't know if anyone actually ate the black olives. Except of course, for me. But as the oldest kid, I not only ate the olives, I took special privilege in passing on the tradition of how a kid should eat black olives. It is something to be mastered by small hands, something most adults (with adult sized hands) are not able to participate in without breaking them.

source

It's a tough responsibility to make sure the children of a family learn the holiday traditions properly. But somebody has to do it.

***Ally

Marrying A Celebrity

2011-12-14T00:01:00.000-08:00

When the email with the Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop topics arrived, I jumped all over this one. I cut and pasted it into a blank post and saved it to come back to later.

Later arrived and I looked at it again and grew hesitant.

2.) If you HAD to marry a celebrity...who would make your top five list and why? (Let's just pretend you're not actually already married mkay?)

Marry? HAD to marry? That's a whole different kind of Top Five Celebrity List than I was thinking. Ahem.

Marriage, though, that's long term. If I have to marry them, I want to know they aren't just going to sit around and look pretty. I could come up with a long list of those.

After some pondering, and reminding my self of the note there to pretend I wasn't already married, I came up with a few names.

1. Dave Matthews. He is sexy in his own odd way and he can pick up a guitar and sing virtually anything which could be seriously romantic. Just imagine, sitting around the living room, fire in the fireplace and Dave strumming and singing a little tune. Some of his songs have some eyebrow raising lyrics, if you know what I mean, so at least we know he's got some spice in that imagination. He has three kids and songs that talk about his two daughters and his sister. He's a family kinda man.

2. Harry Connick Jr. Once again, he's cute, sings, acts, and loves his wife and kids. He can be sexy and funny when wants to be. Oooh, and he's tall, which means for a tall girl like me, I could wear heels without worrying about towering over him.

3. Matt Damon. He's cute in his own way, married, has three kids and by all appearances, loves being a family man. It makes him seem like pretty good husband material, yes?

4. Chris O'Donnell. It's the Matt Damon thing all over again. He's a total family man. Just look at this picture.

5. Michael Weatherly. He can be a bit goofy, and I've seen some pictures of him from way back when that are maybe less than flattering. I don't have any idea if this one is a family man. But currently he does this smoky eye stare that makes my knees weak. Which makes me think that if he could be goofy, funny, entertaining and make me laugh and then give me the stare to make me melt and we'd be just fine.

Secretly though? I wouldn't want to marry all that ego. I'm happy I married my man.

***Ally

Mmmm, Bailey's Fudge

2011-12-13T00:01:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I was way too wordy. My brain was swirling after three days of Christmas celebrations and a 5K. That's three days. In.A.Row. I'm too old for that stuff.

Anyyummy, today I present you with one of Hubs' favorite Christmas treats. (Okay, yes, I might just like it a little, too.)

Bailey's Irish Cream Fudge

1. In a very large bowl, combine:

2 pkgs milk chocolate chips, 12 oz each
1 pkg semisweet chocolate chips, 12 oz
2 jars marshmallow cream, 7 oz each
2 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup Bailey's Irish Cream (*Kahlua also works!)
2 cups chopped nuts, clearly OPTIONAL, and only for those that want to mess with a great piece of chocolate. Ahem.

2. Set aside

3. Line a 10x15 inch pan with foil ans spread lightly with butter

(if you don't have this size, use 9x13 plus a smaller loaf pan)

4. In a saucepan, combine:

4-1/2 cups sugar
1 can evaporated mile, 12 oz
1/2 lb butter

5. Bring to a boil over medium heat

6. Cook slowly, stirring constantly for 11 minutes

7. Pour milk mixture over the chocolate chip mixture

8. Stir slowly by hand to blend (Do not use a mixer)

9. Pour into prepared pan(s)

10. Chill until set

11. Lift fudge by foil from pans, place on cutting board and cut into squares.
(Hint: freezing for an hour before cutting can make your job easier, as it's a very soft fudge!)

**Two notes: It makes a lot! It needs to be stored in the refrigerator, as it is a very soft fudge.

Not my picture. But mine looks JUST like that :)

If you like it a little simpler, you can't beat Fantasy Fudge. It's the standard, age old recipe that was always on the back of the marshmallow creme jar. Don't be afraid of the marshmallow - you don't taste it, it just gives the fudge the best texture ever. (Martha Stewart thinks her recipe is original because she uses marshmallows instead of marshmallow creme. Whatever.)

3 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter
2/3 cup evaporated milk
12 oz semisweet chocolate chips
7 oz jar of marshmallow creme
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts, OPTIONAL (I already told you how I feel about that)

Bring sugar, butter and milk to a rolling boil for 5 minutes (or 240 degrees) stirring constantly.
Remove from heat
Stir in chocolate chips
Stir in marshmallow creme
Stir in vanilla. And nuts, if you must.
Pour into greased 13 X 9 pan
Cool to room temperature
Dare yourself to cut it without tasting. Haha.

Enjoy!!

***Ally

New Company Notes To Self - Monday Listicles

2011-12-12T00:01:00.000-08:00

Link up with Stasha at The good life for Monday Listicles. It's a different topic every week - follow along or create your own!

I'm rebellious again. This week's topic is 10 Things About Your Hometown. But we just got done with a whirlwind week of Christmas celebrations, so that's on my mind. Our week ended with an overnight stay at a resort for Hubs' company party. I know this post is wordy, and I'm sorry. But dancing video to Neil Diamond makes it all worth it, right?

10 Notes to myself on learning the ropes with Hubs' new company.

1. When the dude Hubs shares an office with invites you both to his office party, be sure to ask Hubs BEFORE you are walking out the door about what to wear. Then you will find out ahead of time that they all previously discussed, and agreed to wear jeans, even though you looked fine in your skirt, tights and boots.

2. When the regional party invite goes out, followed by an email saying the attire is "dressy-casual (jeans ok)" - do NOT believe one word of it. It's bullsh*t. All the women in the know will show up in cocktail dresses, including the two responsible for the email saying "dressy-casual (jeans ok)". The poor woman at your table who took them at their word and wore jeans and a nice shirt will want to eat under the table. And you will want to stab Hubs with your fork for telling you to wear the long top, leggings and boots only because he likes your cleavage in it. Wear the freaking cocktail dress you drug all that way with you. DON'T listen to him!

3. Remember that you and Hubs are just a tiny bit older than the majority of the others. (I'm only 44!!) These people work hard and they play hard. They party like they are young, probably because most of them are. Don't even try to keep up. Don't over drink, go to bed earlier than them and congratulate yourself in the morning. (Which is exactly what I did, btw.)

4. These are sales people. They are competitive. Seriously competitive. When they play Christmas games, dividing the tables into teams, they go for the jugular. There will be verbal jabs, disguised as jokes. And when the winning table is finally determined, they will get a barely audible, mumbled congrats from the rest of the room.

5. When you play the White Elephant Gift exchange game, do not be nice because you are a newcomers. Get in there and steal a good gift. Like I said, these people know how to compete. And if you don't want to go home with cheap golf balls, you better go send Hubs in for the steal. Just don't try to steal the Shake Weight. That girl wanted it bad, and she was prepared to cat fight in her too short cocktail dress to keep it. (Side note: make sure to save the golf balls for next year's party. Surely it's okay to recycle a White Elephant gift, right?)

6. Remember, again, some of these people are very young. They have not yet made that mental connection that tells them that too much alcohol = embarrassing moments = feeling like crap the next morning. They still see those as separate, unrelated events. It can be quite entertaining to watch, however.

7. Find a way to make sure that the guy who went from kinda drunk, to sh*t faced idiot, in 0.0023 seconds, doesn't sit down next to you at the bar after the party. And when he asks what you do for a living, find a way to brush him off. Keep your answer simple and change the subject. Telling him you do muscular therapy for sports injuries will result in him pulling up his sleeve, demanding a demonstration, not being able to form a coherent sentence in return and mumbling angrily while unable to keep his eyes open. It won't be pretty. And dear God, don't tell him you are a massage therapist. Who knows what he might ask for.

8. Remember, they play hard. And they love to dance (just like you!) and will dance to anything (just like you!). Case in point:

I know you can't see anything. That's probably for the best.
It's a listening experience, I suppose.

Just listen to the poor quality sound, and shadowed images.

You'll get all the idea you'll need.

Macarena

Sweet Caroline. Neil Diamond. Seriously.

You have to wait until about 14 seconds in... wait for it.

See? Anything.

9. Know that this company treats its people well. Really well. The resort will be beautiful. The food will be delicious. The room will have an unbelievable view. And a fireplace. And a mini kitchen. And they are paying for everything but the booze. Because like I said, these people can drink, and booze is expensive. They can't spend all their profits.

Great room, or lobby of the resort.

Fireplace in our room. (Sorry, cell phone pic)

Fireplace in another, smaller room off the great room.

Amazing, incredible view.

And I love the panoramic pics this new camera takes!

10. The annual award ceremonies are in April. And they are taking everyone back to the same resort. You will have a chance to redeem yourself with the dress. AND get to stay at that awesome resort again!

Hubs has only been with this company for a month, so we are still figuring things out. This last weekend was a great group of people and we had a blast. I look forward to many more fun adventures, being appropriately dressed, with continued sobriety, and very appreciative.

Note: I forgot the battery charger for my camera at home, and I was on the last flashing bar the whole time, otherwise I would have taken a whole lot more pictures!

***Ally

Five Question Friday - Late Again

2011-12-10T08:42:00.000-08:00

I'm a day late again, but it's never too late to join the party, right?

Join the fun and link up sometime over at My Little Life.

1. What is your favorite Christmas cookie?

Does it have to be a cookie? Because I'm really all about Christmas fudge. And no nuts, btw. There is no good reason to mess with a perfect piece of chocolate by adding nuts.

Oh okay - two favorite cookies: homemade: Snickerdoodles or Gingersnaps, store bought: Trader Joe's iced gingerbread men - those are seriously hard to beat!

2. What's your favorite holiday movie & why?

Rudolph and Frosty - they are just great classics. But I also love The Holiday - just love that feel good movie (and, uh, I might just love Jude Law in that movie.) In fact, I'm going to dig that dvd out this weekend! Thanks for the reminder!

3. Is there a gift that you bought for your kids that you wish you hadn't after they opened it?

Hmmm, I can't really recall anything like that. I'm so practical that we've always "guided" my son to make really good requests to Santa :)

4. What is the messiest room in your house right at this moment?

*snort* Just one? My kitchen counter is a stinking mess right now - we've been so busy the last three days that everyone keeps coming home, dropping stuff there, then taking off again. It's seriously piling up. I also turn the guest room into my Christmas prep room, so there are gifts all over the bed and wrapping paper all over the floor, along with empty bags, receipts and lists. Yes, it's a mess. Oh wait, how about the empty decoration tubs stacked in the living room that the family has STILL not put away? Sigh. I hope those elves are coming to clean up tonight!

5. What is the furthest you have driven for the holidays?
Driven? Not far. Luckily we have family all quite close. Really one end of the city to another is about it. Though, I've FLOWN to England for the holidays before, and then we drove 2 hours from one relative to another for Christmas Day - does that count?

Happy Holiday Preparation Time everyone. Hope yours are coming together nicely so you can enjoy the season!

***Ally

Is It A Bargain?

2011-12-09T15:47:00.000-08:00

A little lesson in "bargain" math from Ally. This is not a sponsored post, just a little observation from me.

I received some info from someone (who is not known for figuring out the best financial deals) because she thought I might be interested.

The 'deal' is for AMC theaters Stubs movie reward card. For the month of December, Stubs cards are half off. The normally $12 card, is $6.

So what do you get with a Stubs card?

If you buy your tickets online through fandango.com or movietickets.com, you don't have to pay the purchase fees!
Free upgrades to the next size of popcorn and fountain drinks!
Access to your online ticket stub collection!
$10 in rewards when you spend $100!

I looked at the deal, and immediately did the math. This offer is not for me. We go to the movie theater no more than once a year. Hubs doesn't like to go to theaters, and prefers home movie rentals. That's just how we roll. And when we do go, we rarely, if ever buy consessions. The prices drive me to drink - and not soda. So obviously, we're not going to spend $100 to get $10 in rewards and our $6 would be a waste.

Now, say you go to the movies a lot. If you go to even 7-8 shows a year, buy a medium or large popcorn and soda at at least two of those, you'll easily hit $100 and get your $10 rewards. Remember though, you will have paid $6 for those $10 rewards, so you're getting $4 back. Now if you buy soda and popcorn all the time and use the upgrades, you can conceivably be saving $3-4 a pop, and increase your return value considerably.

Say you like to go to tons of movies opening weekend, and you buy your tickets online to make sure you have a seat, you could, again, conceivably be saving enough, easily, to get your $6 investment back.

OR, maybe you only go once or twice a year, but you are going to buy all the teenagers on your list AMC gift cards for Christmas. Now, you are spending the $100, getting $10 in rewards, minus the $6 you paid for the card, but maybe get a soda and popcorn upgraded at one of the two shows you go to, saving another $3.

Worth it? Clearly, every deal depends on your individual circumstances. It does sort of make me crazy to see people spending money on what they perceive as a "deal", when their circumstances say they won't actually see a return. So watch those deals, take a minute to do the math, and make sure it's going to pay off for YOU.

And if you go to a lot of movies, this just may be the deal for you!

But really, online ticket stub album? Please don't insult my intelligence. :)

***Ally

A Gift Dilemna

2011-12-09T00:01:00.000-08:00

I'm going to the personal side today. I need your advice.

I don't like asking for things.

Well, except from my husband, because, well, he's my husband! And Santa, because, well, HELLO, it's SANTA!

This morning, I received an email from my SIL, cut and pasted:

Good morning,
What does everyone need for Christmas? I need some ideas please.
thanks

A little background if you haven't been here before - SIL is... unique. Our relationship with her has been on shaky ground. Okay, it dove over the cliff. But it has been back on some neutral territory, in large part due to my efforts to put it there. Freaking ridiculous hurculean efforts. Don't ask me why I would spend one second of my life exerting energy to do that after the way she has poorly treated the people I know and love. Oh, and me. ("Poorly" is a polite word. She was downright evil.) But somehow the fact that she is my husband's only living relative left in his immediate family and his only relative (besides her two daughters) in this country, dug into my soul and I somehow felt the need to help them onto that neutral territory. Sigh. Lela would slap me upside the head, because we all know that at any moment she will shove us off the cliff again. But for now, it's neutral. We'll deal with the cliff when it comes.

Okay, back on track.

She's never before asked what anyone wanted for Christmas. She is, in fact, known for sending gifts that make everyone shake their heads and go, "huh?". Like the salt and pepper shakers from their childhood that she sent Hubs last year. The ones he doesn't remember. Anycrazy...

Sure, it's easy to give her ideas for The Boy. And even for Hubs. But, in all my efforts to be cordial, I simply cannot give her suggestions of things I "need" or "want" for Christmas. We simply don't have that kind of relationship.

Am I being weird? Or is she weird? It's AWKWARD, people!

I've typed my reply, but haven't sent it yet. In it, I gave her ideas for The Boy and for Hubs and suggested she contact Hubs for ideas for me. I told her I'd given him my wish list and she'd be better off asking him. As an alternative, I suggested she make a donation to a charity in our names as a couple and send us a nice card.

I'm not trying to be difficult. I just cringe at the thought of saying, "Oh, I'd like a fun necklace, or maybe a belt for jeans," to her. Or hey, while you're at it, how about a trip to Hawaii? No? Maybe a gift of permanent civility? *sigh*

So, is my reply realistic? What would you do?

***Ally

Wordless Wednesday - Finding My Spirit

2011-12-07T00:01:00.000-08:00

Once again, not wordless..

Homemade ginger snaps.

I made them for a meeting Monday night.

They made the house smell delicious.

That did help my Christmas spirit a lot!

This hand carved Santa was made by a

friend's mother when she was alive. She had

severe rheumatoid arthritis, yet continued her

carving and painting. He stands about

9 or 10 inches tall. He always makes me smile.

I'm finally finding myself with a bit of Christmas spirit. Maybe it is the marathon of celebrations we have this week. Hubs' office party was last Saturday, we have another party Thursday night, our annual Holiday dinner with a couple that are great friends Friday night, the Christmas Rush 5K run on Saturday morning, and Hubs' regional agent party Saturday night - which includes dinner, dancing, and an overnight at a resort.

(I don't know what I was thinking when I registered us for that 5K. Either it's going to be a painful run, or the drinks and sweets need to be kept to a minimum Thursday and Friday.)

***Ally

And The Winners Are...

2011-12-06T00:01:00.000-08:00

The Stocking Stuffer Giveaway winners are:

For the Pamper Pack (#1): Daffy!

For the Coffee and Warmth Pack (#2): Elisabeth!

I'll contact you both by email to get your mailing address. Enjoy! Thanks for entering everyone!

All entries were numbered for each gift pack and both winners were chose by Random Generator. Although I considered numbering scraps of paper, scattering them on the floor and seeing which one the dog went to first. It just seemed like a lot of work. :)

***Ally

Dear Santa, Here's My List

2011-12-05T00:01:00.000-08:00

Link up with Stasha at The good life for Monday Listicles. It's a different topic every week - follow along or create your own!

This week's Monday Listicle topic is my Christmas Wish List. I wish I could say it was awesome and exciting, but I'm such a practical girl. Really, to a fault sometimes. Practicality rules my world.

1. First up, these boots.

And you might say, well that's not so practical. Oh but it is. Because I have cute black boots. But they don't have a lot of support, and therefore are NOT good for walking or standing a lot. (Due to my history of plantar fasciitis, I am WAY careful about not flaring it back up) These, however, are Keens and full of reviews of walking comfort. And a patient of mine was wearing them, and they were darn cute.

2. RoadID

Because, you know, JUST IN CASE something bad happens to me while I'm out running by myself. I like to be uber-prepared like that.

3. A clip-on book light. Because my husband can't sleep when my bedside lamp is on. And I'm a nighttime reader.

4. Dryer balls. What? I can't help it. I want them.

5. Long sleeved running shirts. It's freaking cold in the mornings these days. Heck, it's cold in the afternoon. And I've realized that for 30 degree mornings, I only have one set that is the perfect weight. (Yes, I can layer up the others, but too many layers makes me uncomfortable and cranky) And that means I either wash it a lot, or put on a sweat dried shirt. Gross.

6. New running shoes. I need them anyway, as I've almost put my max miles on my current ones. So, why not just get them for Christmas?

7. Um, so, another pair of running pants would be good, too. I'm a cold wimp and capris aren't cutting it on 30 degree mornings. Again, get more pants or wear the same pair sweat dried.

8. Reflector bands for running.

Are you seeing a theme here? All running stuff I need anyway. Told you I was practical.

9. A new wardrobe that involves shirts that aren't cotton, black, gray or brown. You know, maybe a little color and spice in my life?

10.
...

...

...World Peace.

Okay, Stasha totally said that could be on the list, and it immediately made me think of Miss Congeniality, which I find quite hilarious. Sorry if you haven't seen it, or don't think it's funny. Just one of my many quirks.

So, I'll probably only get a couple things on that list, which is fine. ~~It better be the boots.~~ Hubs and I don't go nuts buying gifts for each other for Christmas. By then we are too traumatized by the gift and shipping costs for all we buy and send across the country to relatives. See? Practical.

***Ally

I'll post the Stocking Stuffer Giveaway winner tomorrow!

I Meant To Do It Friday

2011-12-03T07:59:00.000-08:00

Five Question Friday, that is. I forgot. So I'm doing it Saturday. I'm a rebel like that.

Join the fun and link up sometime over at My Little Life.

1. What is your favorite Christmas decoration in your house?

Okay, see, here's the thing. I don't have anything right now that is my all time favorite. I'm still searching for that perfect decoration. I do love drinking coffee out of my Christmas mugs, and they stay out all month, so they are decorative, too. Sentiment-wise, it would be the log reindeer my grandfather made some years before he died. (complete with red puffy nose and Santa hat). OH WAIT *smacks self on forehead* my favorite decoration is ALWAYS the tree. I love a glowing tree with white lights and all the ornaments collected over the years. I love to sit in the glow of the tree with all the other lights off, sipping something delicious.

2. Do you finish your Christmas shopping early or are you a last minute type?

I have to finish early because over half my list gets mailed away. This is what happens when the family you buy for are all over the country. Packages go out to Reno, Dallas, Chicago, Huntington Beach, and two that vary depending on what names Hubs and I get in the name draw. Though, Hubs and The Boy are usually bought for very last.

3. When do you turn on your heat?

Wait, you turn off your heat? Seriously? People do that?

Okay, our heat is usually off in July and August. Maybe the first week or two of September. That's it. Of course, it goes down to 64 during the day while we're gone and at night. Even when I'm home during the day I try to keep it at 66 or 67 and wear a warm sweater. Let's put some emphasis on the word "TRY". If you've read this blog for any length of time, you'll know that I hate to be cold.

4. Do you ever wish your blog was private?

Um, yes.

5. Do youput your deodorant on before of after you put on your shirt?

Usually after. But there are occasional exceptions. I don't care how "Invisible" they say it is, it still streaks your shirt. However, putting it on after leads to the occasional forgetting. Which is why I have deodorant in my computer bag and at my office. Stop laughing.

There it is. 5 more things about me you never thought you wanted to know.

***Ally

Have We Told You About Stuart Leslie Goddard?

2011-12-02T00:01:00.000-08:00

Who?!

Let me start by saying that if you are younger than... oh, say, ME, you will have NO idea who I'm talking about. So here's a little taste:

STOP YOUR LAUGHING!!

That was from 1982. 1982!! MTV still played MUSIC videos! ~~Which in general were cheesy and sucked.~~ And they still play this song on JackFM, by the way.

Let me back up. Stuart Leslie Goddard is the real name of Adam Ant of Adam and the Ants, a very early 80's "New Wave" band. (You youngsters can go google New Wave - it was that softer intro into punk). He is British, and therefore was popular there before he gained any popularity here. But Lela and I were early fans. Like '81-ish right through '83 when that song up there was popular here in the US.

We weren't just fans, we were in loooove with Adam Ant. We had posters. And records (remember the black discs?). And unadulterated affection. We posed for pictures with the poster on my bedroom wall. No, I will not post them here. Here's the poster, though:

Sooooo, this story is getting too long. Dude is touring again. Which in itself is a miracle because since the early 80's he toured the US - MY FIRST CONCERT EVER. WITH LELA -, he did some British acting, got married a second time - in Tennessee, had a kid, got divorced, got arrested, lost it in a pub and got committed to a psychiatric hospital, and did some other stuff.

EEK! I'm pretending I didn't see this one!

Lela always said if he toured again, we were going.

Guess what? He's coming to both LA and Anaheim.

More recent. I'm having a hard time with the lack of

hair above and the recents that show dark hair sticking

out of the bandana. Fake?

We're going. In Anaheim. Seriously. She bought tickets and I got a Cyber Monday deal on an airline ticket. It'll be just like old times.

Except she has warned me not to YouTube recent videos of him. I'm abiding by her wishes and staying in my 80's memories.

Hey, it's all about the attitude you go in with, right? And we are going to have the time of our lives. Two other friends are joining us and it's going to be a blast, even if he doesn't live up to my 13-15 year old girl memory.

***Ally

PS - Did I mention standing room only and general admission? Lela wondered if that was like an over 40's mosh pit...

Did you enter our

Stocking Stuffer Giveaway?

Click HERE to do so!

It ends Sunday...

(If you've already entered, you can tweet it again - just go back and leave a comment for another entry)

Wordless Wednesday - It's Big

2011-11-30T00:01:00.000-08:00

That's my standard coffee cup in which I have my morning coffee.

We will be able to pull these from the garden for the

next three months.

It's actually the my favorite thing that we grow.

(Well, besides the raspberries.)

I love that these overwinter in the ground here!

**************************

Did you enter our

Stocking Stuffer Giveaway?

Click HERE to do so!

It ends Sunday...

(If you've already entered, you can tweet it again - just go back and leave a comment for another entry)

***Ally

10 Things I Want To Accomplish Before Christmas - Monday Listicles

2011-11-28T00:01:00.000-08:00

Link up with Stasha at The good life for Monday Listicles. It's a different topic every week - follow along or create your own!

I'm a rebel again - went my own way on the topic. But there are some awesome pictures out there linked up with Monday Listicles today - go check them out!

1. I want to let go of control of my decorations. The Boy and The Girlfriend took it upon themselves to decorate both her house and ours this weekend. (Yes, my teenager is a little nerdy. Shush.) At first I was thrilled - way less work for me! But then things kept going on the wrong places and different ways.... if you have even a little control freak in you, you'll know what I was feeling. **Gotta let go and let them do it. There is no wrong way.** is my new mantra.

2. I want to attend a dinner, a guild meeting and three Christmas parties (all organization or work related) and not let anyone see me in the same outfit twice. I don't have that many clothes for this stuff, ya'll.

3. I want to walk out of the office holiday dinner party thinking the agent that shares my husband's office is a lot less of an a** than I think he is currently.

4. I want to go buy our tree in anything other than pouring rain. Just once. Because my luck is notoriously bad in this department. But you know, I have a great northwest rain jacket, just in case.

5. I want to step away from the temptation of all things chocolate, iced, frosted or creamy ~~and containing hundreds of extra calories and zit producing sugar~~. (Chocolate, cookies, fudge and soy peppermint mochas, especially.)

6. I want to bake fun treats and give them all away. See #5.

7. I want my shopping done by the 5th so I can just enjoy the rest of the month. Window shopping and decoration and light viewing is so much fun when you aren't on the look out for that "perfect" gift ~~or desperate enough for ANY gift~~.

8. I want to get through the holidays without any melt-downs from the SIL. We're coasting in neutral territory right now, and it would be oh-so-pleasant if that could continue!

9. I want my son and husband to not lose interest before it's time to put 1000 lights and 697 ornaments on the tree. (I might be exaggerating the number of ornaments by 3 or 4 ~~hundred~~.)

10. I want to do what I aim for every year ~~with varying success~~ - to enjoy the season, the sights, the cheer, family and friends, and my little family of 3.

***Ally

She Is So Sweet

2011-11-27T16:02:00.000-08:00

Have you ever read someone else's description of your blog and wondered who they were talking about? As in, Is she really talking about me?

That's how I felt when Rachel at Totally Ovar It gave this blog an award, along with 4 other wonderful bloggers.

Liebster is a German word meaning beloved or favorite. Sweet, right? Thank you, Rachel. You ROCK! If you don't read Rachel, go now. Well, okay, go when you finish here. She can rock a haiku, writes from the heart, is honest and genuine, and a sweetheart, too.

So I'm supposed to pick 5 blogs, pass on the award, and you're supposed to do the same. The thing is? My son just pulled out all my Christmas decorations; I'm wondering why I posted all those family pics on facebook because now I don't have one to use for our Christmas cards that everyone hasn't seen; I have a dinner, a meeting and three Christmas parties in the next two weeks and I'm trying to figure out what to wear so no one sees me in the same thing twice and I don't have that many clothes; and I'm still trying to figure out what to blog about. You get the idea. I know that I am not alone as we stare December in the face.

So I'll say this: If you are reading this blog, I guarantee you I'm reading your blog. And I love the blogs I read. So if you are so inclined to pass on some blog love, please help yourself to the above button and pass away! There are a lot of deserving folks out there. Make someone's day, as this award made mine.

Thank you again, Rachel!

***Ally

Stocking Stuffer GIVEAWAY

2011-11-25T16:14:00.000-08:00

First, this is not a sponsored giveaway. I have nothing to gain, but to move some extra "stuff" out of my house and make some room in my armoire. And I'm not giving away a washer and dryer or an iPad or anything else of that caliber. Just a little cheer for the holidays.

I've always thought it would be awesome to do an 'unwanted gift exchange party'. Everyone could bring one or two of those gifts that they received with great intentions, but couldn't use for whatever reason, and then do a big swap with others in the same situation. But how do you pull that off with potentially offending the giver?

Instead, I decided to do a little giveaway! Times are tight. I've been reading so many blogs talking about this, and I've lived some of my own penny pinching the last couple of years. So maybe someone is wishing they had a little extra to stuff a stocking, give a coworker or a friend a gift, or a little something for themselves. Well this is for you. It's kind of a little way to Pay It Forward.

#1 - Pamper Pack

1 - beaded pink and tan necklace

1 - silver frame holiday ornament

1 - Burt's Bees Deep Pore Scrub

1 - sweet little candle holder with a wire & bead lady bug on top

(sorry the picture doesn't show it well! It's quite cute!)

#2 - Coffee and Warmth

1 - Terra ceramic reusable travel cup

1 - $5 Starbucks gift card

1 - magnetic list pad

1 - black ear warmers from Land's End

I'd love to tell you to follow me here on GFC, or email subscribe, or follow me on Twitter, but I won't. Of course, I'd be mighty appreciative if you did. But I want to keep this easy. Two ways to enter:

First: Leave a comment telling me if you want to enter for #1 or #2.

Second: Tweet this giveaway. Leave a comment with the tweet URL, and don't forget to say if you are entering for #1 or #2. You can do this up to TWICE a day!

Use this tweet or write your own:
#Win a Stocking Stuffer #Giveaway at Two Normal Moms. Ends 12/4 http://twonormalmoms.blogspot.com/2011/11/stocking-stuffer-giveaway.html

(yes, enter both ways, enter multiple times for multiple tweets!)

***Make sure your comment links to your contact info, or include your email!***

Giveaway ends 12/4 so I can get them to you in plenty of time for the holidays!

That's it. Easy-peasy.

***Ally

Time For Some Cheer

2011-11-23T00:01:00.000-08:00

I was leaning down pulling something from a freezer case in the grocery store, while holding the freezer door open, when an arm invaded my personal space, reaching past my hand, banging my arm and grabbing some unknown food item that apparently was so vitally important to have that very second that ALL common decency and politeness simply flew out the window. (Let it be known, I had been there for 3.5 seconds. I was not loitering, taking up valuable space, or keeping people from reaching their desired food items. Please picture this event - I've opened the door, I'm reaching in, and someone reaches over the top of me through a door I'm holding.)

It was the icing on the cake in a fairly unpleasant day of crappy drivers, rude shoppers, patients who forgot their appointments with me, and pouring, drenching, freaking rain that in itself made me want to hide under a blanket.

But it got me thinking. The holidays should bring out the best in us. Caring, compassionate, courteous, happy. Isn't that what we should be? Instead, I find people out in public being more rude, cranky and crabby. It makes me sad.

It also makes me realize that I can be irritated by it, or go out of my way to make others' experiences more pleasant. Simple things - holding the door, offering a smile or a cheerful greeting, maybe a compliment. Just maybe those little things could be enough to turn someone else's mood around - making our experiences in the world that day a little better for all of us.

Just a thought.

***Ally

PS - that first sentence might quite possibly be the longest one you read today. Just sayin'.

Party Success & Monday Listicles

2011-11-21T00:01:00.000-08:00

Hubs 50th Birthday party was a great success. The Pub theme went down well and it was a great time. We don't usually do birthdays up, but I couldn't let 50 pass by for him. So glad we did this!

I wish I had taken more pictures of the set up, as this doesn't really show it very well. I rented four high cafe tables, pushed back the living room furniture and moved the dining room table against one wall to make room, then we scattered the tables throughout those two areas. I covered them in black table cloths, placed a large empty craft beer bottle, a bowl of pretzels, a scattering of peanuts in the shell and a small candle on each table.

Chalkboard Menu

On Tap was Hub's Homebrew Beer - three varieties.

I ordered cheap plain coasters off ebay, then ordered

a custom stamp and stamped them. I also did some with just a

small beer stamp and had them in a basket with some sharpies

for guests to write birthday wishes on.

Though I didn't expect to like these cupcakes, they were

amazing! And because we had a couple of gluten free guests,

I did some frosting shots just for them! (I'm supposed to

be wheat free [not celiac], but cheated. It was worth it.)

More table decorations. I created a pub sign, and printed

some vintage beer ads. We also scattered beer bottle

caps around between all the food trays.

The other cupcakes - also delicious!

The cupcake display.

Our little family. The Birthday Boy doesn't look 50,

does he? Lucky guy :)

Not all these ideas were my originals. Where did I get these great ideas and recipes?

So Wonderful, So Marvelous - here and here.

Miss Make - here.

Hostess with the Mostess - here.

And because I don't want to miss a Monday Listicles, here's a list of 10 things that can make life interesting while setting up for, and having, a party:

1. After Hubs painstakingly cleaned the kitchen floor, a gladware container of greasy chicken broth got knocked out of the fridge, broke when it hit the floor and sent broth everywhere. Did I mention greasy broth?

2. While using the beaters on the sticky egg whites for the frosting, the plug fell out of the wall ~~stupid outlet~~. In my mental distraction, I lifted the beaters as I reached over to plug it back in, sending white sticky frosting spraying everywhere. Including all over me.

3. The beer drinkers all decided to drink the homebrew, leaving us with two cases of bottled beer left over.

4. Based on past experiences, I bought more white than red wine. I still have five bottles of white that I bought, two bottles of white that people brought, and not a drop of red left. Not.A.Drop.

5. At least eight people that said they were coming, didn't show, including one couple who were on their way when their 19 year old son's girlfriend broke up with him and he "needed" them to be home with him.

6. Hubs made a last day decision to upload his entire, extensive music library to Google Music, which took from morning until well into the afternoon on the party day. He then discovered that a "playlist" will only hold 1,000 songs, and decided to go through his 5,000+ songs choosing music. He was still doing that at 6:20. The party started at 7. I was not yet dressed. Ahem.
7. As with many parties, it is sometimes odd to have your 'worlds' collide. What I mean by that is there were four very distinct groups of people he knows. It is funny to watch them interact.
8. The dog escaped her entrapment upstairs and went flying throughout the rooms of the party at about 60 miles per hour, never even stopping to greet anyone before being recaptured by The Boy and put back in isolation. Do not get the wrong idea, we just had a baby gate across the top of the stairs. No animal cruelty here. She just gets very, very excited to see people.
9. We have what seems like 55 cupcakes leftover. Which can't be true, because there were only 48 to begin with.
10. No matter how you spread the inviting tables around the house, people will congregate in the kitchen where the sound magnifies off the hard floors and surfaces and the decibel level will climb astronomically.

All in all, I'm thrilled with how things turned out. And so happy that some people came that I wasn't sure if they would - it was so great to see them!

Link up with Stasha at The good life for Monday Listicles. It's a different topic every week - follow along (or create your own like I did today!)

Happy Monday!
***Ally

Five Question Friday

2011-11-18T00:01:00.000-08:00

I'm linking up with My Little Life for Five Question Friday.

1. Do you have a go to song that always puts you in a good mood?

You know, that varies with my mood! There's a handful of DMB songs that make me happy. Are You Gonna Be My Girl by Jet is another great one. Just try sitting still through that song. Songs that make you want to move - those make me happy. Marvin Gaye - Let's Get It On. Lenny Kravitz - American Woman. Aerosmith - Walk This Way. AC/DC - You Shook Me All Night Long (a great memory from my wedding reception). B-52's - just about anything. I'm sure I could think of many more. Again - it varies with my mood!

2. Are you a real Christmas tree kinda person or do you go with a real fake one?

This is a family debate right now. Well, not really a debate, more of a question we can't answer. A couple of years ago, we made the decision to go fake. Hubs went out the day after Christmas (and if you knew HOW much my husband hates to shop, you would know what a huge deal that is) and bought a great fake tree with lights, for a great discounted price. Unfortunately, they were colored lights. I'm a white lights on the tree kinda gal. So after two years of 'trying it', we sold it on Craigslist and went back to real (with my white lights). And now we are trying to decide - stay with real, or go after another fake one with white lights.

As for the real - after years of spending WAY too much on a tree, we wen to our local hardware store, bought a $20 tree and it was beautiful. Learned a little lesson there.

3. What are you thankful for?

I'm thankful that Hubs has finally found full time work, even thought it is horrendous hours and commitment. I'm thankful we lasted through that very long unemployment period without going into debt. Things might be tight, but we are making it. I have hope that we'll eventually get back to 'normal'. I'm thankful for my awesome husband, the greatest kid ever, good health, family and the many, many blessings in my life.

4. Which fashion fad from the past do you wish you could wear today?

I can honestly say that there isn't much I'd like to see come back. I grew up in the late 70's and early 80's. None of that needs to come back!

5. Do you wait until the "low fuel" light comes on before you fill up the gas tank?

Honestly? I panic when the low fuel light comes on. I think it's part of my ocd need to 'be prepared' that makes me want to fill up before it gets that low.

More about me than you ever wanted to know. I'm busy cleaning, preparing, cooking and baking today. Hubs' 50th Birthday Pub Party is tomorrow! I should have lots of pics next week.

***Ally

No Changes

2011-11-16T00:01:00.000-08:00

I like new things. I like learning new things. I like learning new ways to do things. I like change for the better.

I don't really like change just for the sake of change.

Like when gmail decides to update it's "look" with no real apparent reason for the change.

Facebook seems to do it all the time.

Or the new way to "scroll" on the new operating system for macs (Lion). They changed it to be like the iPad. So if you want to scroll down, you "push" the screen up. Opposite of what I've been doing for years. Except I don't use an iPad, I use a laptop with a trackpad. So it seems dumb. (I realize it's still new and I have to get used to it. Which I will. For now, it's still dumb.)

Of course, this no change for the sake of change rule doesn't apply when I'm rearranging furniture, buying new curtains or bedding or towels or paint or... you get the idea. The rule doesn't apply when I'm initiating it.

Now that I've gotten that off my chest.... switching gears...

A frosty morning with the last glimpses of the full moon.

The sky really was that color. Gorgeous.

***Ally

Monday Listicles - The Perfect Vacation

2011-11-14T00:01:00.000-08:00

Link up with Stasha at The good life for Monday Listicles. It's a different topic every week - follow along or create your own!

It's been raining. The wind is blowing. The leaves are at the tail end of their colorful show. This is when my mind starts craving a tropical vacation. So this week's topic for Monday Listicles couldn't be more timely - 10 Things That Make A Perfect Vacation

1. Hubs, The Boy and me. (Or all girls, but that's another vacation!)

Yes, on vacation you can go to breakfast unshowered, without makeup.

2. Knowing the dog is in good hands.

3. Sunshine. Lots of it. And the heat that comes with it.

4. A beach is good. Or maybe two.

5. An ocean view required.

6. Good local food.

Our favorite hole-in-the-wall.

Seriously - the fish was caught that morning. A few minutes on the grill... perfection!

7. A fruity drink. Or two.

8. Some good local entertainment.

9. Beautiful sunsets.

10. And no less than 10 days to soak it all in.

It's going to be a long winter... good thing the holidays are coming up to keep me distracted!

***Ally

I Did It For Hubs

2011-11-11T00:01:00.000-08:00

First - Thank you to the Veteran's out there. You, your spouse, your dad, brother, friend. To them all. A big, heart felt Thank You.

When Lela was up last summer, she had a new little point and shoot camera. I fell in love with it.

Hubs needed a camera for documenting things for the new job. I sacrificed our camera for him. And bought myself a new one - just like Lela's.

I did it for him. Really.

I still have my big camera, but I like the portability of one that fits in my purse. So now I'll entertain you with some pics from the new camera. Okay, I'm still on the learning curve, don't be critical :)

My snap dragons are confused. They are re-blooming.

Call me happy. Really happy. I got my hands on one each of
Dave Matthew's new wine from his winery
with Steve Reeder in California.

I took The Boy and The Girlfriend to visit a college on the other

side of the mountains. Going through the pass, we saw the first

snow dusting of the season. Pretty against the still changing trees.

Once through the mountain pass, it was sunshine and blue skies.

The next day I took him for a tour and open house at the Art Institute.

This is the view.

And this.

And this is the Art Institute. Right across the street from the

Seattle waterfront. If he doesn't go, I might just enroll myself.

Just for the views, of course.

***Ally

Randoms

2011-11-10T00:01:00.000-08:00

I believe that Gladware should be sold separately. How on earth do I end up with a stack of the small containers, and only a couple of lids that size, and a stack of the big lids, with only a couple of matching containers?

***********

The man walking from behind the funeral home carrying a shovel was a bit disturbing. Seeing as how the funeral home is not near the cemetery.

***********

I suffered through plantar fasciitis (that's heel pain, ya'll) and runner's knee (simply intense knee pain from inflammation), rehabbed and finally got running again. I was up to 5 miles on weekends, looking forward to pushing toward six, shorter runs during the week. (Yes, I realize if you are not a runner, you are rolling your eyes right now and thinking I'm all kinds of crazy.) Then I got "The Crud". Could have been the nastiest cold on earth, or Influenza, likely bronchitis, and even possibly a light case of pneumonia. Really doesn't matter because it was clearly viral and the only thing I could do was ~~complain a lot~~ take care of myself and let it run it's course. However, after two weeks, the severe coughing fits led to this sharp, annoying pain in the middle of my spine. Mostly when I coughed, sometimes when I moved wrong. But it kept getting worse. And now it's gotten bad enough I can't run! The pounding is just too much pain. I'm seeing my chiropractor, who wants me to get on some anti-inflammatories and if not "10-20% better" in two days, go see a doc for stronger anti-inflammatories. (For the record, my appointment with him Wednesday went much better than Monday) Because he thinks I've irritated a slightly bulging disc. Excuse me? I'm in the best shape of my life. All those core exercises that are supposed to support my spine? Seriously. How can this be? And how can it be that I'm not running AGAIN??? Sigh. Okay, done complaining.

**********

Okay, now you all need to go check out Jaclyn's newest necklaces over at Snap, Crackle, Pop - because YOU ARE FULL OF AWESOME! (Just go, you'll see what I mean) Or on her Etsy shop at Jac And Elsie. She is just the cutest thing ever. And her stuff is super cool - lots of upcyclying into creative, pretty stuff. She also has a shop called The Bride Wore Pearls - I'm not a bride, but I'd wear most of this stuff anyway. Besides, I'm pretty sure she and I were separated a birth a couple of decades apart. Go now. I'll stop yapping.

***Ally

Call Me Flattered

2011-11-08T00:01:00.000-08:00

The Boy, who is very much interested in all things audio and video production, has been looking for equipment on Craig's List.

He found a microphone, which cost more than the boots I want, and emailed the guy. Long story, short, he was going to buy it. They guy lives all the way north of the city, while we are south. However, he works downtown and I work not far, so I, the really awesome mom that I am, agreed to meet the guy Monday afternoon outside his building. To exchange cash for product. You know, kind of like a drug deal. Okay, not really, but that's totally what it felt like handing a stranger that much cash on a street corner downtown Seattle.

Anywho. The first words out of the guy's mouth were these:

"You do not look old enough to have a son old enough to have a microphone like this."

I don't even know what that means, but he had me at "You do not look old enough..." Call me flattered.

Now, THAT'S the way to start the week.

***Ally

PS - The deal went fine, and I was totally not abducted by a strange man selling stolen goods on the street corner. Really.

Monday Listicles - Babes In The Bleachers

2011-11-07T00:01:00.000-08:00

Link up with Stasha at The good life for Monday Listicles. It's a different topic every week - follow along or create your own!

This week, its Babes in The Bleachers. Dedicated to the High School Years.

I was a teenager in the 80's. As in, I graduated in 1985. Right smack in the middle. Early 80's in high school, late 80's in college. I had it all. All of the 80's, that is. hehe

So here's my list. The things that stand out in my mind when I think of the high school years.

1. Big hair. Really big hair. And for me it was mostly natural, with no products that are available today to tame it.

2. Braces. For five years. That’s longer than high school!

3. Best pair of jeans I ever owned - Levi’s shrink-to-fits, perfectly fitted, color stripped, re-dyed gray, legs pegged, with little slits at the outside ankle. All done by moi.

4. 80’s music. You name it, we listened to it. Madonna, Prince, Michael Jackson, Duran Duran, Lionel Ritchie, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Idol, the Eurythmics, Air Supply, Foreigner, John Cougar, Joan Jett, Go-Go's, Men At Work, Pink Floyd, Kool & The Gang, Queen. Oh man, I could go on and on. I will, however, spare you.

5. Draaama. Is there anything more dramatic that a high school girl?

6. Puffed sleeves, jumpsuits and overalls. (And yes, I’ve seen the overalls hanging at Target this year. Not going to happen. Not with this girl.)

7. Shoulder pads. What were we thinking?

8. Walkmans, cassette tapes, and boom boxes.

9. Under age dance clubs - oh, we were so cool!

10. Acid wash jeans. Yes, there was something worse than shoulder pads.

***Ally

Time To Get Busy

2011-11-03T06:56:00.000-07:00

Lela and I talk, text or email a lot.

The last few conversations and emails have ended with Lela saying, "How's the party planning coming for Hubs?" or "Keep me up to date on the party planning."

I have been skimming past those. There's time. It's going to be an easy party for Hubs 50th birthday.

Yesterday, after reading another email where Lela asked, I casually wondered, hmmm, she seems to be asking that a lot. Should I be worried? Should I be panicking? Should I be DOING SOMETHING FOR THIS PARTY?

I wandered over to the calendar. OH Holy Mother of Martha Stewart's skills. I have TWO WEEKS. Okay, well, I have two weeks and two days. BUT STILL.

So I got busy. The party is going to be a "Pub" theme, in honor of Hubs passion for craft beer. I've mentioned before, he's a homebrewer and on the board of the second cooperative brewery in the country. So a Pub theme seemed fitting.

I ordered the high, round tables that will transform my living/dining room into a pub with stand up tables from the party rental place. I also threw in some beer and wine glasses on the rental. They were cheap and I figure it's just easier to use theirs, as I'm not sure we have enough of either. (I could use plastic, but that doesn't go with my theme.)

I ordered plain bar coasters (ebay!). I'm close to ordering a custom stamp that will transform those coasters into custom coasters ($30). WAY cheaper than ordering custom coasters, which required a $50 set up fee on top of the price of the coasters. I will also be leaving some blank coasters in a basket with some sharpies for people to write birthday wishes to the old man on. Fun, right?

I also printed up some vintage beer ads and put them in clear acrylic 4X6 frames to place among the dishes on the food table.

On the menu: Blue Moon cupcakes, Guinness cupcakes, wine, sliders, wings, meatballs, poppers, peanuts, popcorn, pretzels. And maybe I'll figure out something actually edible. LOL. Actually, Costco is going to be my friend, so much of that will depend on what they have next week!

I figured that was a good start for the night. Of course, now my mind is spinning with things to do, buy and plan. I guess it WAS time to get busy!

And a shout out to the blogs that have helped inspire this party:
Hostess with the mostess - HWTM Daily Blog
and a beer tasting party at So Wonderful So Marvelous (I'm getting the Guinness cupcake recipe from her!)
And the Blue Moon cupcakes from Miss Make

The blog world is your friend when party planning! Stay tuned, there will be pictures and details to come.

***Ally

Wordless Wednesday - Variations

2011-11-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

While I don't much love winter in the Northwest, I do love fall. I love the colors. I love those same colors contrasted against the blues skies we've had the last few days. I love the fog lying in the valley in the mornings. (I live on a hill) I love the cold, crisp mornings with a crunch in your step and a little frost on the windows. Again, not so much with winter, but for now I'm enjoying Fall!

A little variation on the bright oranges and reds. Instead a splash of golden yellow, right outside my front door:

I once again failed at "Wordless". Hehe. Maybe I'll start calling it Wordy Wednesday!

***Ally

2011-10-31T00:01:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!

I love pumpkins.

I love pumpkin anything. Pie, bread, muffins, smoothies, cheescake. Yum.

But pumpkins also remind me of a story. A story of two young people, in love, and looking for their first house. That would be me and Hubs. Stop rolling your eyes.

We were out one evening, looking at three houses with our agent. We arrived at one, where the owner was home, and walked up the steps to the front porch, waiting for the agent's knock to be answered.

I looked down. Puzzled, I tried to figure out what I was looking at.

Suddenly, it dawned on me. What I was looking at was the remnants of a Halloween pumpkin - from a very, very long time ago.

All that was left was a shriveled stem sitting on a pile of brown, shriveled seeds and maybe a few threads of dried up ick. THAT's how disintegrated it was. Not something I would leave on my porch if I was trying to sell my house. We should have listened to that little voice and turned and run.

But he answered the door with beaming smile and booming greeting. Wearing these on his feet:

Run! But we didn't listen to that little voice. Instead, we got a personal tour, including the hand built, (not well, I might add) plywood.... I don't even know what to call them. He'd basically built a second sent of 'cabinets' on top of the kitchen cabinets to "best use the available space for storage". I'm all about good storage, but these didn't match, hinged differently, and had mismatched hardware. We also saw the 'Elvis Room' in the basement, as we called it, complete with red shag carpet and mirrors on the walls and ceiling.

Needless to say, we didn't buy it. But to this day, when Halloween is over and a pumpkin starts to go soft, the whole thing replays in my head and makes me laugh.

And I'm quick to get my mushy pumpkins to the compost bin.

***Ally

Homecoming Run Down

2011-10-28T07:01:00.000-07:00

Homecoming came and went, and I didn't mention it after the fact.

It was good.

It was sweet.

They were responsible and reliable.

They looked great.

They went to dinner in a nearby town (but not close enough for Mom not to worry about them driving in the dark and rain), came back to the dance, then scratched their plans for the haunted house because it had gotten too late, and went to Applebee's for dessert. They texted us each time they arrived somewhere new. A couple of them came back to our house and hung out until 1:00am, then we sent them all home, with no complaints from them.

How did I get so lucky? Really, this is junior year, and knock on wood, this teenage thing is actually pretty fun. What? Not what you are used to reading about teenagers?

Well, if you've read for very long, he IS still a teenage boy. But in the grand scheme of things, I love being the mom of a teenager. And while I sometimes worry about the length of his relationship with his girlfriend at such a young age (over a year and a half!), I look at some of the other teenage "relationships" or kids out there, and I can only be thankful. That and the fact that they aren't at drinking parties and they aren't smoking pot and skipping school like the kid down the street (another story, another day).

AND his date wore an appropriate dress, unlike our niece who wore a dress that would show her underwear if she sat (yes, we are still hoping she had on full panties and no thong).

Here's some pics from a proud mom, taken at one of their friend's house before the evening began:

I know he'll be thrilled that I just posted their pics all over my blog. Oh well, I only said flattering things, right? He's still my baby.

***Ally

PS - I'm still sick. Which is why I'm way behind on reading blogs. I still love you all.

A Hairy Situation

2011-10-26T00:01:00.000-07:00

I am slightly ocd when it comes to shaving my legs and pits. I know, quite a way to start a blog post, right? It's been only the last couple of years that I've talked myself into shaving my legs only every other day in winter. Daily pits are non-negotiable.

In my defense, I have thick, dark hair. So those of you with blond, fine, or sparse hair might think I'm nuts, but when I get stubbly, I seriously get stubble.

Yesterday I stopped by TJMaxx. I'm keeping a look out for a great bargain dress for the guild fundraiser I'm involved with every year. It's not until Mardi Gras in February, but now through the holidays is the best time to find a good bargain. Yes, this is relevant.

I was in the dressing room ~~rejecting~~ trying on dresses when I saw it. I thought someone else's short hair had been transferred to me from one of the dresses.

Closer inspection revealed that I have apparently been missing an entire strip of hair in my left armpit. Just the left. The actual problem seems to be that these 8 or 9 hairs were a half an inch or so in front of where the hair should be. What is it doing there? Why is it growing there? And how in the heck have I been missing it? Repeatedly, judging by the length. And OMG, has anyone else seen it??

Well, the bright side: at least it was my armpit and not my chin.

***Ally

Tips For The Common Cold/Bronchitis

2011-10-25T00:01:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've been sick with any kind of true virus, so I'm milking this one (since it seems so willing to hang around for a while.)

The following are some tips for getting ~~everything you can~~ by while the virus wreaks havoc on your world.

1. Crowded where you are? Cough that rattly cough into your elbow or shoulder. People mysteriously start moving away.

2. Drink copious amounts of fluids, preferably making most of that water. Wine and whiskey do not count. Moderate coffee is actually okay - did you know it had mild decongestant properties? Yeah, I don't even know if that's true, but I'm going with it since I read it on the INTERNET.

3. Use it as a reason not to cook. No one in their right mind wants you touching their food anyway.

4. Go pee every half hour whether you want to or not. Look, you do NOT want to go into a lung-spasming-coughing fit with a full bladder. Trust me on this. (see #2)

5. Catch up on all your recorded shows or watch some movies. It doesn't happen often, so use the time wisely - do nothing. And don't even think of feeling guilty about it. The destruction and mess happening around you can all be cleaned up later.

6. Forget your water/tea/kleenex/cough drops in the next room? Moan helplessly from the couch and get one of those rugrats you gave birth to, or the spouse, to bring it to you. Next week they'll tell you to get it yourself. Right now they feel sorry for you. Do not waste that moment.

7. Should you be coughing all night and get sent to the couch or guest room, don't be irritated. Look at it positively. Wherever you land, you get it all to yourself. There will be no one snoring, kicking you or hogging the covers. Enjoy it.

8. Use it as an excuse to go to bed early. You need your rest. Now grab that book and get some quiet reading time in.

9. Steam is great for your respiratory tract. Fill up the tub with hot water and epsom salts, maybe a little eucalyptus oil, and soak. Forbid anyone to open the door - after all, it's vital you don't let the steam out.

10. Don't be fooled. The only ones of these things that are really going to happen is #2 and #4. But try to sneak in one or two of the others, mmm-kay?

***Ally

A to Z, Ally Style

2011-10-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

I stole it from Jaclyn at Snap, Crackle Pop - and she stole it from Yes, Teacher.

But since I'm lacking anything of substance to tell you, here's my version.

Age: Just turned 44. Though I'm sure I stopped aging at around 35.

Bed size: Queen. I was enjoying having the whole thing to myself when I got sick when Hubs was out of town. But he's home now. His first night back, Friday, I offered to sleep in the guest room. He didn't believe the seriousness of my virus during the nighttime hours. By Saturday night, he was glad to see me go, when I moved in there after an hour straight of coughing in the middle of the night. But I digress.

Chore I hate: Scrubbing the shower. Hands down. Hubs and I have an unwritten agreement. He'll scrub the shower and I'll dust. We're both happier that way.

Dogs: One six year old spoiled rotten princess of a lab mix.

Essential start to my day: Well, coffee would be obvious. So here's another - I put on a bra. I just don't think my teenage son wants to see my 44 year old boobs braless under whatever shirt I slept in.

Favorite color: Don't know if I have just one color I'm crazy for, but I do love greens.

Gold or silver: Silver, but heck with the price of gold these days, I should be taking all the gold I can get!

Height: 5'8-1/2" The 1/2 is only relevant because Hubs is 5'8". He may or may not be occasionally sensitive to that.

Instruments I play: Zip, zero, zilch. Though I took piano as a kid and can still play scales. But that's it.

Job title: Active Release Techniques Provider. yawn.

Kids: One 17 year old boy. Love him to pieces!

Live: Born, raised and still living in the Pacific Northwest - Seattle area. EXCEPT for that unforgettable year and a half I spent living on Maui. Something I vow to do again some day.

Mother's name: Mama Sue - at least that's what Lela used to call her.

Nicknames: Hmph. From elementary school - Big Bird. Another day, another story.

Overnight hospital stays: Some stupid virus I had in high school, giving birth, appendix removal. Fun times - those places are not somewhere you go to get REST.

Pet Peeve: Um, should I be embarrassed that I can't narrow them down to come up with just one to list here?

Quote from a movie: Oh, I don't know. "Nobody puts Baby in a corner," comes to mind, not as a favorite, but certainly most quoted.

Right or left handed: Right handed to write. Left hand and leg dominate.

Siblings: Half sister, step brother. Love 'em both.

Time I wake up: Too damn early most days. 6:20 most weekday mornings.

Underwear: Yep. What? What I am supposed to say to that? Bikinis, thongs - I'm very particular about comfort level and won't wear them if they don't meet my standards.

Vegetable I hate: easy - celery. Gross. Seriously, what is that stringy stuff??

What makes me run late: Procrastination. I am the Queen. I shall wear a crown.

X-rays I've had: Good grief, I was accident prone my whole life. More than enough, in fact I'm afraid of the radiation exposure I've put myself through.

Yummy food I make: Massaman beef, Mexican Chicken with Dumplings, Bailey's Fudge. Go on, drool.

Zoo animal: Gorillas. Our local zoo is set up so that if they are in their resting area, they are right on the other side of the glass - they absolutely amaze me. I can spend an hour just looking at their hands and feet! It's freaking scary how human like they are.

There you have it. 26 things you probably didn't need to know about me.
***Ally

Friday Rambles

2011-10-21T00:01:00.000-07:00

It's been a week, alright. If you stopped by earlier in the week, you know I got sick with the "Ick" just in time for my Hubs to go out of town and leave me to hold down the fort without him.

One thing good came out of that - I got the bed to myself. If he'd been home, I'm quite sure I'd have been kicked to the guest room in half a night. There's a lot of tossing and turning to drain sinuses, sitting up to blow noses, coughing and general complaining about the copious amounts of "fluid" being produced by my head.

What? TMI?

I still feel like shit, if it matters.

The high school Homecoming football game is tonight, and I've never missed one, but this might be a first. Short of some sort of miraculous recovery, I'm not sure I'm up for it. That bums me out, as a friend of mine's daughter, who is a senior is in the running for Homecoming Queen. A position I could spend hours criticizing, but yet can't help feeling a little happy for her.

And the big dance is tomorrow. The Boy and I picked up his tux the other day, and I have to say, when he tried it on, I was struck by the fact that he no longer looks so much like a little boy playing dress up (like he did his freshman year - or even last year), but like a young man who fills his tux out with a much more muscular frame that he was sporting a couple of years ago. My baby is growing up.

I'm thrilled that his date's dress, which I've seen a picture of, is classy. Unlike my niece's dress, which I saw a picture of - their dance was last weekend. I really shouldn't use the words that enter my head when looking for adjectives to describe it, so let's just say that no child of mine would have left my home in a dress so short that sitting down most certainly exposed the color of her underwear. God, I hope she was wearing full underwear.

I kid you not. The back story is that her friend made the dress, and it came out too short. Somehow all of her, and her parents', logic and common sense was lost and she wore it anyway. We won't even talk about the tape she used to hold her boobs in that was showing in the picture I saw on Facebook. There is short that makes you raise your eyebrows, and then there is short that makes you want to grab something to wrap around her and hide her privates from the world. It was the latter.

What the hell?

Back to my kid. This is the first year they'll be driving on their own and I can't help but have the worries about them being out on the streets. But I have to let go and trust they'll be smart and safe. There's a reason parents are willing to chip in and pay for limos... note to self for senior year.

Okay, now could someone run out and buy me some more Vitamin C, some soup, and maybe another box of Kleenex? Oh, and if you could get that kind with lotion, my nose would appreciate it.

Mmmmm-kay? Mwah.

xoxo
Ally

Sleep Talking

2011-10-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

I had a phone conversation Tuesday night, between me (at home) and Hubs (in a hotel in Madison, Wisconsin) where he will be until Friday.

We started with normal conversation. He was coherent, chatting away.

Then there seemed to be pauses between his answers and comments.

Me: "How's the room?"

Him: "King size bed... *mumble unintelligibly* Wait, let me find it." Then he begins to read me the description of the pillows on the bed which is apparently printed on a card on the nightstand.

Me: "Are you reading that to me?"

Him: "So you get a good night sleep *mumble, mumble*"

Me: wondering what the heck? "Okay, I'm going to go. I'm going to go to bed now."

Him: "*mumble something about going to bed with me* Okay, I'll see you when I get home."

Me: "Wait, what?"

Him: silence

Me: "I'll talk to you tomorrow, right? It's only Tuesday night - you're not home until Friday. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Him: silence

Me: "Are you falling asleep on me??"

Him: "Um, I think so. I already took my Ambien."

I burst out laughing. Ay carumba. Dude was sleep talking! I cannot believe how fast that drug took a hold of his head.

Yesterday I texted him and told him he had to call be BEFORE he took his Ambien.

I have to admit, I was a little worried that he was that drugged, alone in a hotel room. Fortunately, he only takes it when he travels for business in different time zones. He's such a night owl, that he has a hard time getting a decent night's sleep with the time changes.

Maybe he should try a half a tablet...

***Ally

Addendum: I talked to him last night. As predicted, he has almost no memory of our conversation!

The Perfect Storm

2011-10-18T00:01:00.000-07:00

Life sometimes presents that perfect storm of circumstances that launches you into the day from hell.

We'll start with the sudden onset of a cold, that I thought I was fighting off successfully. I was wrong. By Sunday night, I suddenly couldn't breathe through my mouth, was coughing and had a headache. Not being able to breathe makes it hard to sleep.

Mix in the first night of my period, which includes hot flashes and insomnia. There's that sleep thing again.

Toss in a canker sore and TWO cysts on my face (the latter, another party favor from my period).

Now add a 5am wake up to drive Hubs to the airport, since he'll be gone UNTIL FRIDAY. Did I mention not sleeping??

Then send me off to work where I have a couple of patients in the morning and a couple of patients in the late afternoon - with a four hour GAP in between. Not enough time to make it worth the 40 minute drive home each way.

Now have the last patient call and cancel - well that wasn't all bad, that would mean I'd get to go home an hour and a half earlier than planned. But THEN the ONE REMAINING afternoon patient DIDN'T SHOW UP.

Having a hard time following? It means I sat there for FOUR HOURS for no reason. Not only did I not get paid for those hours, I could have been home in bed nursing my increasingly worsening cold!!

I am a huge baby when I'm sick. I haven't been sick with so much as a cold virus in over 18 months. THIS is pissing me off. My throat feels like sand paper, I can't breathe and I'm tired. Hubs is gone, I still have to be a mom, and there's no one to take care of me.

Boo Hoo. I think I can hear your violins playing from here. Yeah, I'll get over it. Things could be much, much worse, and all that. I just needed to feel a little sorry for myself. Sigh.

google images

***Ally

Monday Listicles - Guilty Viewing Pleasures

2011-10-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

Link up with Stasha at The good life for Monday Listicles. It's a different topic every week - follow along or create your own!

This week's topic is Guilty Pleasures. I decided to go with my Guilty Viewing Pleasures - movies and shows I love to watch on those oh-so-rare days that I get to snuggle up and watch whatever I want. The ones that I've seen a hundred times, and can watch again anyway. (Okay, usually this only happens when I'm sick, but still.) These are in no particular order:

1. The Holiday - Jude Law, Jack Black, Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet
2. Hope Floats - Sandra Bullock, Harry Connick Jr.
3. Thomas Crown Affair - Pierce Brosnan, Rene Russo
4. Dirty Dancing - Patrick Swayze, Jennifer Grey
5. M*A*S*H rerun marathons
6. NCIS rerun marathons
7. The Shawshank Redemption - Morgan Freeman, Tim Robbins
8. Apollo 13 - Tom Hanks, Gary Sinise, Ed Harris, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton
9. The Horse Whisperer - Robert Redford, Kristin Scott Thomas, Scarlett Johansson
10. PS I Love You - Hilary Swank, Gerard Butler, Harry Connick Jr (best line: "Sorry, I have a syndrome." Seriously, Harry Connick, Jr has the BEST lines in this movie.)

Okay, it's supposed to be a list of 10, so I'll stop. But I could go a little further - I love guilty pleasure watching.

What are the things you can put on to watch, that feel like a warm blanket?

***Ally

Fabulous Birthday Present

2011-10-13T00:01:00.000-07:00

Lela is my oldest, bestest friend. We've known each other for something like 39-1/2 years. But as adults, we live in different states, which means we NEVER get to celebrate birthdays together.

But this year was different. Lela actually got into town on my birthday - Tuesday - and we celebrated together last night - Wednesday.

YAY for BFF's, yummy food and fancy drinks!

That is a coconut martini and a mango margarita - best ever!
And absolutely the real deal - no drink mixes here.

Hugest, yummiest fresh spring rolls I've ever had.

Massaman Beef Curry and Thai Seafood Salad. Heaven.

What? I know it's not Hawaii, but when you get a flower in your drink, you need to put it behind your ear.

The cute waitress had us move to another table so there wouldn't be flash glare off the window behind us.

It really was a fabulous birthday present to get to celebrate with my friend. Finally!

***Ally

Food Safety In Retirement & A Big Crazy Family

2011-10-11T00:01:00.000-07:00

What a weird title.

Let me explain. If you've read here before, you may recall that we moved Grandma into a "Retirement Community". She's in Independent Living currently, but Assisted Living is there should she ever need to upgrade. Grandma was not at all pleased with this new venture, but has settled in quite well. In fact, if you go visit Grandma, you may in fact, cramp her style and keep her from socializing over a roaring card game, or gambling pennies over a dice game.

Cousin J has been trying to plan a Family Dinner (Grandma, her adult two kids, spouses, adult grandkids, more spouses, and great grandkids. Thank God they don't have spouses or kids yet.), utilizing the lovely private dining room that you can reserve there. They have restaurant-style dining at the facility, and for $10 a person, anyone can eat with a resident. Yes, they'll even let us in.

So the dining room that seats 10 was reserved for 12, with assurances from Cousin J that we were more than happy to squish. We're used to that.

We all arrived early and maybe opened the wine a little early up in Grandma's apartment. Then we headed down to dinner, carrying our wine bottles with us. Yes, they let you do that.

We entered the dining room, set for 10. We're a self sufficient crowd, so we pulled up two more chairs and asked for a couple more place settings. They were beside themselves in making us squish and offered repeatedly to move us to the media room next door, but we persisted in remaining the private dining room. Ambiance and all that.

We poured wine.

Dinner choices were one of three "entrees of the day", which included:

Seafood fettuccine - I'm unsure of what kind of seafood, but a few got lucky and got a mussel in theirs.

Pot roast & veggie of the day - remember, they are feeding older folks here. Not exactly large portions. I think it came with 6 green beans (snap peas - we'll get to that).

Unknown mystery - that means I don't remember choice #3 and no one at the table was brave enough to order it, so it couldn't have been too appealing.

There was more wine while studying the menu.

Then there are always the "Healthy Options": Catch of the Day, which is always farmed tilapia, or grilled chicken Caesar salad or a third option not worthy of remembering. And always available is an omelet with fixings of your choice.

Let me tell you what the safe food is: the omelet. Trust me on this. Eggs, a few veggies and some cheese. Truly the safest choice.

And everybody gets as much salad bar as they want. Depending on how much cottage cheese and canned beets you can eat with your salad, which in Cousin J's case, is A LOT. She loves that stuff. Gah!

Cousin J and I got omelets with mushrooms, tomatoes, black olives and cheese. They came with ham, too. We didn't ask for ham. Let me tell you, Cousin J and I are definitely not ham eaters. But hey, this isn't a real restaurant, so we were quiet about it.

The green beans everyone else ordered came, too. Only they were snap peas. And I'm pretty sure they started cooking them last Wednesday. There was a grilled chicken Caesar salad brought out for one of the teenagers, only it was dry because they were out of Caesar dressing. (She went with Ranch from the salad bar) The littlest man had a grilled ham and cheddar cheese sandwich, only it was American cheese.

Another refill of wine, please.

But dessert is always good! A bunch of us ordered ice cream with chocolate and caramel sauce with whipped cream. Only the caramel sauce was really butterscotch sauce, and they were apparently running out of whipped cream because we each got exactly one teaspoon of whipped cream on top.

Okay, now you think I'm complaining. I'M NOT! I swear! The thing is? We all have a great sense of humor. ~~Most of the time anyway~~. And we just sort of went with the flow, laughing along the way. Besides, our server had an AWESOME personality.

Grandma was thrilled to have her family together, and I don't know what happened, but she actually SAT and ENJOYED the evening! She usually flutters around, unable to sit still or concentrate on anything. She shared with us a childhood story of why she doesn't like to eat chicken - you know, naming them, then seeing someone chop off their heads and serve them for dinner - troubling for any child. However, in almost 87 years, you'd think one of us would have noticed her not eating chicken? Um, no. Not even her own children. Maybe this memory has only recently resurfaced. She ordered the seafood pasta, by the way.

Then I found an old photograph of her grandfather with a horse. On the back, it said, "Daddy B and his talking horse."

Puzzled, we asked, "What's this about a talking horse?"

She replied, "Oh, well I always knew Daddy B had a talking horse, but I don't know what it said."

And there you have it. An evening with my family. ♥

***Ally

Monday Listicles - Family Trees & Anniversaries

2011-10-10T00:01:00.000-07:00

When I saw the topic for this week, "Family Tree", I wondered what I could do? Looking around, I realized that unfortunate events of recent years (losing both my husband's parents in 19 months) left us with many family mementos. So, while not a traditional family tree, here are some representations of a few branches on Hub's side of the family. :)

Link up with Stasha at The good life for Monday Listicles. It's a different topic every week - follow along or create your own!

1. Family Crest

2. Hub's grandpa's metronome (the classical cellist):

3. Hub's Grandma's first place golf award (sorry for the blur):

4. Hub's grandpa's top hat:

5. Hand knit baby blanket by Hub's grandma:

6. Hub's dad's walking stick - one of a collection:

7. Hub's mom's Italian Charm bracelet (grandkids, teapot, chocolate, mah jong, tennis, British flag, angel, cross, children's birth stones - represented all she loved)

8. Hub's grandma's travel hangers - name applied before she was married:

9. Hubs. He loves the Chicago Cubs & Wrigley Field. Loves.

10. The Boy.

***Ally

Oh, and Happy 19th Anniversary to me and Hubs!

I'm Over It And Need Your Help

2011-10-07T00:01:00.000-07:00

When Hubs took on this new career, and the endless hours of training that went with it, as well as the endless hours we know he will put into the job, I knew it would be... different, challenging at times, but worth it in the end.

I took over the role of making dinner. Okay, get out your eyerolling, violin playing and laughs now. Okay, you've had your fun. Yes, he cooks, and he cooked dinner a lot. Especially the couple of nights a week when I work until 6 and then have to drive 35-40 minutes home. And sometimes other nights, too. I loved it. And I was spoiled. I fully admit it.

Don't get me wrong, I actually love to cook. I love to create in the kitchen. But not every day.

I started with enthusiasm. Stir-fry with 6, 7 or 8 different veggies and chicken or tofu and rice. Fajitas. Gorgonzola-turkey burgers. Tacos with all the fixings. Chicken enchilada casserole. Lasagne.

And now? I'm over it. Turns out, I don't really like to cool every day. I do cook the casseroles and lasagne on Sundays so they'll last through at least one of my late days on Monday.

No, now this mama needs to learn to love her crock pot.

And I need your help - what is your favorite thing to cook in the crock pot/slow cooker? For that matter, what's your favorite EASY thing to cook in ANY way that doesn't involve a box of cereal?

If it were just me and Hubs, I'd eat a big salad and call it good. Or a fruit & veggie smoothie with a light appetizer. But I have this teenager that inhabits my home, and I swear he's putting on a pound or two of muscle every week. The kid needs to eat, and eat well, so I don't want to shove junk food at him, or not feed him enough. (That sounds weird, but when they did their daily caloric needs in health class, he was one of the only ones that came up calorie deficient. Wouldn't that be nice.)

Let me have it. Ideas or recipes either one. You can leave them in the comments or email me direct at twonormalmoms at gmail dot com. I really, really need your help. Just simple ideas. Please? See, now I'm starting to beg. It only gets uglier from here on out.

***Ally

I Wanted The Boots!

2011-10-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday on the Today show (it was just on in the background, I swear!) they had "Jill's Steals & Deals" where companies offer these great, exclusive deals on products.

Aerosoles was offering an awesome pair of riding boots, regular price $120, for $36 for 24 hours. I jumped on that like a frog on a lily pad. (I have know idea where that came from. I'm tired.) I got online before the segment was over and found the boots. Except it wouldn't work. It was bogged down and super slow, then eventually it wouldn't add anything to the cart. Finally a message came that they were having problems, but just enter your email address and they'd notify you when the ordering feature was working again.

I knew that was a bad sign. But entered my email address and kept trying (like 342 times) to order the boots.

Finally, 36 hours later, I got an email. "We're sorry... please enjoy 25% off of shoes or boots." But the catch was, in little tiny print up at the top it said, "Sorry you missed the deal."

I did not miss the deal.

I was unfortunate enough to live on the west coast, therefore seeing the deal 3 hours after the east coast. Sucks for me.

Somebody (or somebodies) at Aerosoles is an idiot. Did they really not realize that women would be all over that deal like flies on poop? We're talking women and shoes and a great deal. What part of that doesn't compute? Did they really think their cute little website could handle the traffic? Did they really think they would have enough boots to fill the demand? (They didn't and are sold out. Completely.)

I was better at English than Math in school, but I wasn't that bad. 25% does not equal the deal they had on the boots. And clearly doesn't pacify my irritation.

Lame.

I wanted the boots! (But, you know, I would have taken the same deal on a different pair... just sayin'.)

***Ally

Quoted and Noted

2011-10-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

"Quoted and noted" ...a borrowed theme from Jaclyn at S nap, Crackle, Pop...

There are so many people out there who will tell you that you can't.

What you've got to do is turn around and say, "watch me."

-unknown

Love this.

***Ally

High School Dreams

2011-10-03T06:42:00.000-07:00

No, not the dreams I had when I was back in high school.

These are the dreams I have now. About high school.

There's the one where I've just come back from break, and I can't remember my schedule. I don't know where I'm supposed to be or where the class is. Of course, I'm running late, totally embarrassed and there's a line at the office.

Or the one where I hopelessly turn the dial of the combination on my locker, unable to remember even a single number from the combination that will let me inside to get my books.

Or the one where I can't remember which locker is mine in a sea of lockers, all identical.

In last night's dream, I was supposed to get out of class to take someone to an emergency dentist appointment (I know, right? Whatever.). I leave class, walk down the hall where I think my locker is, and place my bag in the open locker - no need to carry it with me, I'm coming back after all. Oops - my purse, with my keys was in the bag. Only that wasn't my locker and now everyone who had been in the hall have gone to class and I have no idea how to get it open. And in this dream, I'm panicking about getting my friend to her appointment, and have no idea how to get my things.

And then I woke up. And my anxiety level was through the roof. I could tell if I went back to sleep, I was going back into the same dream. So I got up and peed for the third time, then laid back down and tossed and turned until the anxiety subsided.

When I mention them to Hubs, I get a look like I'm from another planet. Apparently, he does not share these lack of control dreams!

So, yeah. What's up with the high school locker/schedule dreams?

***Ally

Sometimes You Just Need A Little...

2011-09-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

Ever have one of those days?

The ones that just make you throw out all your own rules and head to the store?

And come home with this:

This one was all mine. I bought the guys their own so they'd leave mine alone.

Yeah. I had one of those days. It ended sweetly. (Bwahahaha.)

Today, while you read this, I'll be out for a run. It might cancel out the calories consumed out of the above little container. But it was good, dammit.

I love you Ben. I love you Jerry.

***Ally

Jane's Journey

2011-09-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

Last night, I attended the debut of the documentary Jane's Journey. It's a film about the life of Jane Goodall. I only read about it yesterday morning, and as neither Hubs or The Boy wanted to go, I bought a ticket online and went by myself. It was shown in 500 theaters around the country and included live broadcast before and after with Dr. Goodall, and several others.

It was great. If you don't know her well, I highly recommend reading, watching or looking her up. There has been lots written and produced about her, and this is just a taste of her amazing life, her amazing drive, and her views on our planet.

A funny story she told, though, had me chuckling out loud.

Random fan: "I loved that movie they made about you and the gorillas."

Jane: "You mean Gorillas in the Mist? About Dian Fossey?"

Clueless random fan: "Yes!"

Jane: "Did you see that movie?"

Clueless random fan: "Yes!"

Jane: "And you know she died in the end?"

Clueless random fan: "Oh yes!"

Jane: "And you see that I'm standing right here?"

Oops.

Yeah, Jane was the chimpanzee lady, not the gorilla lady. Must get your activists straight before making a fool of oneself.

I can't imagine, but she made it sound like it's happened multiple times.

On a side note, it didn't hurt to have a little clip with Mr. Dave Matthews playing guitar around the fire in a little cabin in Nebraska. Kinda made my night.

***Ally

Where Is The Social Media Etiquette Line?

2011-09-27T00:01:00.001-07:00

Do you think it is a sign of our social network society to post to Facebook from a memorial service?

A gal who went to high school with Lela and I (actually grade school through high school) lives her life on Facebook. ~~Drives us nuts~~. You know the type. Posts every time she does anything short of going to the bathroom - when she goes to Starbucks, gets her nails done, sits on her deck with a cup of coffee, goes to the gym, gets on a plane, coaches her kid's soccer game. You name it, she posts about it.

She's an ex-flight attendant who still has flight benefits, so often flies halfway across the country from where she lives now, in the Mid-West, to Seattle, where we grew up, to attend various functions, family events, etc.

She posted from the moment she decided to come out for the memorial service of a older teenage boy (who died tragically in a drowning accident) whose family she knows. She posted she was coming. She posted when she was getting her nails done in preparation for coming. She posted from her airport, the airplane, and SeaTac airport. She posted from the memorial service, complete with "check in", and tagging other people there. Did I mention she changed her profile picture to a picture of the deceased boy for a whole week? This boy, who was not her boy.

Let me be clear. I don't doubt her love for this family or for this boy. But I tried to imagine how I would feel if I was this boy's mother. And I don't think my reaction would be a positive one.

Is it just me? Am I that out of touch? Or is this way over the line of appropriate?

10 Highlights From This Summer

2011-09-26T00:01:00.000-07:00

Link up with Stasha at The good life for Monday Listicles. It's a different topic every week - follow along or create your own!

Fall is officially here. Surprisingly, we've been hanging onto summer a little longer than usual here in the Northwest, and it's been heavenly. The Monday Listicle topic this week was the highlights of summer. So here goes:

1) Rain, clouds, gray. Was that all we were going to get? Good grief, I thought it would never be sunny for more than one day. But August came, and with it, finally, summer weather = SUN.

Sorry - took it with my phone.

2) Baseball. Some day I will miss spending every second of my free time going to baseball games. Or in this year’s case, getting ready for baseball games, only to get the call as we are ready to walk out the door, that the game has been rained out.

3) Playing tourist in my own city with Lela & her sister.

4) Pt. Defiance Zoo & Aquarium for July 4th.

5) RUNNING! It wasn't really summer that got me running, but my amazing physical therapist, lots of patience and self control, and some time to heal. But yes, this summer, I started running again, which makes me oh-so-happy.

6) Crater Lake. Incredible. Beautiful. Blue.

7) Reno with family. A long overdue visit.

8) Home grown berries. My summer favorite. YUM.

9) My baby’s 17th Birthday!

10) Sunshine. Did I mention the sun finally came out in August? And stuck around for September? Bliss.

Sure there was more, but those are some pretty good highlights for me. As much as I like summer, and would love to keep it around a while longer ~~like 9 months a year~~, I will concede that I do enjoy fall. Beautiful leaf colors, pumpkins and cute boots. Okay, I'll give it a try.

***Ally

A Hat's Brush With Fame

2011-09-23T00:01:00.001-07:00

I occasionally post a bunch of things on eBay. Typically it's when my son has gone through stuff and has things to get rid of. I'll add a few things that I'm getting rid of, but he regularly makes more money than I do. Which is what happens when you collected Star Wars and Harry Potter Legos as a kid.

But I digress.

I listed some stuff, 90% of it my son's. One item was a Boston Red Sox hat, brand new, that was a gift to him that was too big. It hung around his room for a few years and never got worn.

I don't ship internationally because I ~~am lazy~~ don't have time to stand around in post office lines to fill out customs forms and ship. I use USPS Click N Ship from home and just swing through and dump them in the box. No lines for me.

So the buyer of the hat was from Canada, which isn't a big deal, but it means I have to deal with the post office. I cursed ~~out loud~~ under my breath and sent a curt response message telling the buyer that they should check with the seller first, blah, blah, blah and gave her the shipping amount. Yeah, I kind of chewed her out.

Then, after opening my mouth, I inserted my foot. There was a message I hadn't seen. One in which she asked me to ship the hat Fed Ex using their shipping account to a movie set in Vancouver, BC. Sure enough, her email is from the "Set Dec" department of a movie.

So then I was apologizing, and making the effort to send the thing. First I tried to print a mailing slip online - but if you've ever tried to use the Fed Ex website without an account, you'll know that is somewhat worse than beating yourself in the head with a baseball bat.

Then I walked down the street from my office and asked the owner of the little shipping store. Problem is, she had told me to ship International Ground. Apparently, I was the first person in 13 years to ask for International Ground at that store.

So I had to wait until the next morning and go to the Fed Ex store near home. Okay, by this time I was putting a whole lot more effort into this than I ever intended. And I was growing irritated. Once there, I was told it would cost something like $22 on their account. But she had told me it shouldn't cost more than $15. Well, turns out that's what shipping was, but she hadn't accounted for the $7 Customs Entry Fee.

I started to leave, thinking I'd have to email her again, when Hubs put and end to it, telling my to just send the damn package, they were paying, and I was simply doing what I was asked. Done deal. I shipped. I maybe cursed again and stated that it better be a big movie, and I better be able to go to the theater and see that damn hat on the big screen. And maybe they should throw up some credits somewhere after the set caterer's cousin, stating that the hat was originally ours.

Then I went home and looked up the name of the movie. Holy Mother of the Biggest Names In Hollywood. The movie? Is been directed by and starred in by none other than Robert Redford. There are other names, too, like Shia LaBeouf, Stanley Tucci, Nick Nolte, Susan Sarandon, Chris Cooper and Julie Christie, to name a few.

I just may have softened my attitude a little. Because after all, my son's hat may get a brush with fame.

I'm just going to pretend I did this amazing man a personal favor.

***Ally