(on time...) 10 on Tuesday

1) Still at my job. Today I spoke with my my coworker/supervisor (same man) and pretty much laid it on the line that I wasn't happy with the way things were going lately. He admitted that things are kind of crazy here (new overall department head and we're still making adjustments) and apologized. I'm giving them til my 1 year review (February) to make me happy again...

2) Been having the craziest dreams lately. Most involve the children from church being in my care and acting like hellions. Last night's dream had me battling a four year old throwing things off the roof and his mother who thought I was the problem for not controlling him better. I'd like to make it clear that these are just dreams, my kids at church are good kids and none have gotten on the roof to my knowledge...

3) My weekend with Alana and Roc was wonderful and full of sweet chico-stick (thx Roc!!!) goodness! Pics to come once Alana decides to share... ;-P

4) I'm going to my original hairdresser today. I'm a little nervous b.c my last appt I had a "hair affair" and tried out a new beautician (she was quite expensive and didn't do as good of a job), so I'm hoping that the curly do throws off my original and she just thinks that no one's touched this head since her...

5) I was going to make dry Russian Tea mix for the people at work as a gift, but KJ convinced me that a gift with instant gratification and no work (b/c going to the water machine and getting hot water is work!!!!) would be better. So I'm making bags of mints and chocolates to give with cards. See I'm nice. Even when I want the building to explode in a ball of flames, I still think of the good feeling it is to give during the holiday season. :-)

6) We had a work give-away (them trying to get rid of past products and samples) and I was able to score back pillows for all the elderly members at church! And to think I was just going to pass out Cmas cards with candy canes. I knew there had to be a reason I came back in to work yesterday...

7) My family will be here this weekend and I'm extremely excited about squishing them all into our little home for some Cmas, J style (which has yet to be established since this is my first official Cmas as a J). I like knowing that they'll be surprised by some of their gifts since Kj's made it his personal mission to try and guess everything that I've tried to get him in secrecy... unfortunately he's pretty good, but I'm trying not to let on.

8) I have the worst pain in the top of my femur. Either I'm being beat in my sleep, or I have a bone eating bacteria... I'll keep you posted on either, it's going to take a little investigating.

9)I'm almost finished Cmas shopping and tonite my plan is to stitch names on some stockings...

10) I'm really grateful for my online support. When I come back to a more content state of mind I can clearly assess how "on my side" you all are and it really makes my heart feel good. Thanks again a million and two for your comments, emails, calls, and thoughts in regards to the last post. I'm all better now. For now. I felt like it was fair to have a "good talking to" to someone else in my work relationship. From here on out, let's just say I've given them fair warning...

lots of lovin everyone!!!!

Sooo,

I've come to realize that the reasoning for one situation doesn't always apply to a similar situation... or does it?
Work is like a relationship.
• I would NEVER stay with a man who didn't respect me or value my opinion.
• I would NEVER stay with a man who I felt presented constant opportunities for me to feel less of a person.
• I would NEVER stay with a man who made me want to run out the door screaming/crying 85% of the time.
• I would NEVER stay with a man just because I liked his friends.
• I would NEVER stay with a man who caused me to have my friends "talk me off the ledge of insanity" with the "it's not you, it's him line" constantly
• I would NEVER stay with a man who gave his best to my friends but saved only the crap for me.
• I would NEVER stay with a man just because he gave me money. (In fact, I'd be appalled at the implication)
• I would NEVER stay with a man in an unhappy situation just because I didn't know what the future had in store.
• I would NEVER stay with a man because my past relationships only lasted a year and I didn't want the "track record"
• I would NEVER stay with a man just to have the facade of happiness and security, but be truly drained and miserable.
• I WOULD NEVER. (insert here that I'm sooo thankful for KJ b/c making this list was also a little reminder of how happy I am to be with him. Because he gives me the Good Times, I can clearly see the Bad Times...)

Now, to even a crazy person, it seems as though the above reasonings can be applied to a job. Don't you think?
Soooo, why do I get up every morning and come to this place for 8 hours??? Why do I spend most of my time in a miserable situation that leaves me questioning my ability.
Why have I let this "relationship" drag wayyyy past the good times. When the tides turn and people change, doesn't that allow one to have the optional OUT. The "this is not what I signed up for....I'M OUT!" card.

I promised you all I wouldn't complain anymore. I'm not. Just asking for your prayers that I'll look out for me and do what's best for me in this situation. That I'll heed to God's answers and either find peace or a new paycheck supplier. Sometimes there's that moment of hesitation before a break-up even when YOU KNOW the relationship is DEAD or PARASITIC. I think fear keeps us from letting go instantaneously. Good thing I'm more annoyed than scared huh?

On the up side. Cmas cards are going in the mail (yep, this is roz and it is the 15th) and my Lana-Lana and her Roc will be here this afternoon. The horizon of a wonderful weekend is in view. It's going to take a lot for me not to stuff KJ and myself in their trunk to be smuggled back across the state line come Sunday. ;-D Weekends are NEVER long enough.

Happy (trying my hardest over here) Friday!!!!

Okay... here's my confession...

I'm an iTune junkie... there.
I am! I am!!! Shamefully, I've probably explore, test out, and purchased more music at work than I spend time working. sigh. ;-)
I love that with the simple click of a button I can own 1, 2, 3 or more cds. I had to put myself on a ban during the holiday b/c this is the time for giving right??? Oh, but it's soo hard. I'm tempted every Tuesday (free music tuesday) when iTunes gives you 1 to 3 freebie songs. Yep, they bait me and reel me in. Not to mention that they give me their stinkin suggestions for what they think I would like, and dog-gone it , to have never met me, they know me sooooo well.

Please iTunes, tempt another poor music hungry soul so that I might be able to have $ to actually buy gifts for others... unless that is, they would like a burned copy of music with no cover, but a handy cd sleeve... hehehe

Here's some that I scooped last night that I'm itching to add to my collection with one click:

1) Justin Timberlake
2) Nelly Furtado
3) Fergie
4) John Mayer
5) Dixie Chicks
6) Sarah McLachlan Cmas
7) India Aire
8) Gwen Steffanie
and soooo many more...

Those are just some of the ones I found on my own.
These are the ones that the kind people at iTunes have picked just for me...


Do you see what I'm up against?!?!?!

Happy Wednesday!

Laid back weekend.

Well, this past weekend was great. We jump started it off with Kj's company party on Friday night. We ended up with a coffee grinder (of which neither of us drink...) ahhh... the joys of Dirty Santa. We were then able to catch Ross before they closed (open til 11 might I add. One more reason to love that store) and I got a few more Cmas gifts. Good Friday evening if I do say so myself. ;-)

Saturday was even better. I didn't step foot out of the house once! i stayed in my pj's until around 1:00 when I decided to shower and put on comfy clothes. Seriously the best. We watched 4 movies and I watched 1 on tv.
1) Miami Vice: ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE!!! Jamie Foxx should be shame!!!! Kj almost lost all of his movie picking privileges with that one. Bad plot. Bad acting. Bad cinematography. No action. just plain stinky!
2) Pirates of the Caribbean I: This was a prerequisite for me to watch the second one. It's good. I like Johnny Depp and the movie has a lot of sarcastic humor, which I get.
3) Pirates of the Caribbean II: Good except for I didn't care for the ending. There will be a third one and I hate how movies set you up to know and expect that. Surprise me, please.
4) North Country: This is the movie with Charlize Theron battling sexual harassment in the coal mine industry. Soooo good! Kj called it a girl power movie, and it was! It really makes you appreciate people who refuse to be treated unfairly and do something about it, helping others who weren't strong enough to help themselves in the process. Again, so good.
5) Mean Girls (on tv, had to watch by myself b/c it was teenage girl drama) it's cute. A good mindless movie to end on. Still confused as to how Lindsey Lohan, queen of Disney movies has such self made drama in her real life...

Sunday was church and in between services I tried to get caught up on a few little things so not to be swamped thru the week.

Yep, a pretty great weekend.

This week is ticking by slowly. I believe that I need a vacation. Early retirement is probably more like it.... hummm...

Happy Tuesday all!

It's Friday, It's Friday, Yea, Yea, Yea

5) I'm pretty sure that God's giving me the okay to leave this job and go back to freelancing... I'll keep you posted. (Tasha, I haven't forgot about you, I promise. Look for an email this weekend)

4) KJ's work Cmas party is tonight and we have to bring a $10 gift for dirty Santa (We opted for a TGI Fridays gif card). I'm NOT good at dirty Santa. Plus I believe in the past everyone gives a decent gift except for the 1 person who brings in old socks or something. I'm thinking of sticking our gift card inside of a crappy gift like something from our giveaway closet at work, but I hate creating a situation that could lead to awkwardness (another phobia of mine), so we'll probably just give the gift card as is. ;-)

3) If you can believe it, I'm almost finished with Cmas Shopping. Yep! My goal was to be wrapping presents by the time we got to the double digit dates (the 10th) and I just may make it!
(Mom, you think you want to get your list in before Santa closes up shop??? hehehe)

2) I discovered the store Ross last night and I LOVEEEEEE IT. It's way better then the TJMaxx that's an hour away. Loved it sooo much that I'm going back tonight after dinner for some more Cmas shopping goodness.

1) Look who's coming to visit next weekend! Lana-lana and Roc!!!!!!!!!!!! Uber excited. (uber is my new word, not sure where I got it from, but I'm testing it out...)



Happy Friday! Have a great weekend!

Our Home for the Holidays

So somehow some of my stock of Cmas decorations from years past didn't make it across the state line. I'm not calling any names...
Or maybe it's just that it takes way more to do a house than a 1 bedroom apt, b/c last year I felt like my home was bursting at the seams with Cmas.
Whatever the reason, this year we're keeping it simple. ;-) Christmas is not about competition. There's no competing with the parents who are determined to show their children that Santa WILL stop at their house because he can see it glowing from the North Pole. We live sandwhiched between these two houses mind you...hehehe I'm not making fun, in time we may very well be those parents who pay an $800 electric bill in Dec to see the reflected sparkle of multi colored lights in Mini Kj and Mini Roz's eyes... Just not this year. This year is a rebuilding year where we wait til after the holidays to grab the 75% off decoration specials so that next year we can blow them out the water. Again, I repeat, Christmas in not about competition. But we also weren't going to be labeled the no-kid having lame-o-s with coal for hearts that don't possess and ounce of holiday spirit. So without further adieu.... let me present...... THE Roz & Kj HOLIDAY SPIRIT DECOR!!!!!

Happy Wednesday everyone!

ps- 6ft is not near as tall as I thought it was. This is our makeshift tree until my real one makes it from mom's garage to our house (a few days before Cmas) and I thought it would be towering over me. I was wrong. hehehe (Don't fret, I'm in search of a tree skirt to cover our tree's naked legs...)

Sacrafice...

For the sake of "matching" I am wearing my grey slacks with the broken zipper. Not even just a front zipper where a button could do the duty of keeping the pants on. nope. These zip on the side and that's it. This poor little zipper is the only thing standing between me and "very unappropriate office attire". And it's barely hanging on.
sigh.
You may wonder why I would post about this, but as I sit here with a bladder about to disconnect and float up to my neck b/c I foolishly have drank 2 cup fulls of grapejuice and a delish mug full of eggnog, it occurred to me. This morning as I was pulling these pants from the bottom of my "when I get a sewing machine i will fix these" pile I KNEW that it was a bad, bad, bad idea. They were at the bottom of that pile for a reason... but alas... they're the only pants that are the perfect shade of grey to match the shirt that I was determined to wear today. s-a-c-r-a-f-i-c-e...

And no, I'm not even going to risk it, b/c last time I wore these to work (thinking that the broken zipper was no big deal) when I took a potty break, my zipper decided that it absolutely was not coming back up and I had to wear my work sweater around my office which just so happened to be 90 degrees that day. Yep, I learned my lesson.
...or did I? maybe this should be titled Stupidity... ;-)

Happy Tuesday all!

Got this from Tricey:

A (age of your first kiss?)

15. And I had braces, so I was pretty positive that my next one wouldn't come til I was 20. Thankfully I was wrong.

B (band you're listening to?)

Si*Se ~ love them. heard one of their songs on One Tree Hill and I've been hooked.

C (crush?)

KJ. The stalking doesn't stop after marriage. hehehe I sometimes catch my self just watching him at the computer or on that playstation and sigh... you know that ole' giddy feeling. The one that makes liking someone worth while even when there's uncertainty if they like you back in the beginning. Yep, that's the one.

D (favorite dessert?)

Ummm, right now Eggnog. Love that stuff! And look out b/c Publix has a lactose free version that I'm sure they'd feel the dent in sales if I quit drinking it...

E (easiest person to talk to?)

Liz. She always just gets it you know...

F (favorite ice cream?)

Ohhh, German chocolate (Baskin Robbins used to make) or the Dacquri Ice Sorbet (also a Baskin Robbins treat)

G (gummy worms or bears?)

bears. Harbo please. We used to eat them in Germany growing up and they're a little harder (less squishy) then any other brand.

H (happiest moment?)

I'm blessed b.c wayyyy too many moments came to mind to just single out one.

I(instruments?)

the clarinet! Yep, these jaws were made for tooting.

J (junior high?)

Oak Park for 6th grade and Cedar Ridge for 7th and 8th

K (kids?)

None yet

L (longest car ride ever?)

From AL to NC. Over and over again... 12 glorious hours of family memories

M (messy place in your house?)

The office/KJ's room. Seriously, 2 home gyms??? Yep it was bound to happen. I've just given up the room. I'm painting it Crimson if you don't believe me!

N (nicknames?)

Roz, RaRa, Roz-matoz, Rosie

O (one wish?)

for my loved ones to live full and happy lives

P (phobias?)

Knocking my teeth out

Q (quote?)

Bless his/her heart. I say that a lot. Generally when I have no idea what other kind of comment I could make about some of the absurd things I hear.

R (reason to smile?)

Don't need a reason. Waking up is good enough. ;-D

S (song you last sang?)

Samford and Son - I'm a musical parrot (you hum a note and I'll give you the entire song, or atleast try) and someone in my office was humming it and now it's stuck in my mind.

T (time you got up today?)

5:25 I even managed to hit the gym this morn... if you saw this ole' bod, you'd know that I'm not braggin. More like a confession hehehe ;-)

U (where are you?)

At work.

V (victorious moment?)

Letting go of a "friend" that was everything but. No regrets b/c I handled it with respect even though I was shown none.

W (worst habit?)

Picking at my nails. I'm also horrible at finishing a person's sentence if I feel as though he or she is talking too slow. Rude I know...I'm working on it!

X (x-rays you've had?)

Other than my teeth, not a one.

Y (yoga or yoda?)

Yoga, I'm not exactly sure what yoda is...

Z (zodiac sign?)

Taurus the bull. And yes, I've been told that I can be quite stubborn...

Just a quick word...

to let you know that I'm ALIVE. Sheesh, it's been ages since I posted and I'm sorry to have pulled the loop right from under you again. I'll try to get us all up to speed soon. Just not today! I'm at work and the work I avoided this morn (just wasn't feeling creative) is comming to bite me in the rear end as I prepare for a meeting at 3. Shows you my priorities... it's 1:31 and I thought, let me blog before someone sends out the search hounds. hehehe Yep, work is my #5, never the #1. Too many important things and people to let work be the #1, 2, 3... anywho.

Thanksgiving was great (a few pics are coming) and now I'm in the process of trying to decorate for C-mas on a budget. Yep, it was looking a little bootleg for a moment, but last nite I had some revelations and I think I'm on to something (again, pics will come soon, I promise).

Sooooo, happy Friday!
Hope you have a fabulous weekend!

oh yeah- I did manage to get those Thanksgiving cards in the mail and I belive that everyone had theirs by the 27th. ;-) Gotta love a Roz Deadline.

Maybe next year...

Okay, so I was all geared up to get these cards out, but well, as Liz stated in her comment, the holiday cards ALWAYS get me. I'm soooo not good at meeting a self appointed deadline. Even the threat of a passing holiday doesn't always light the fire under my bootie. Shameful, I know, but there are some things I've just come to accept about myself as I've gotten older. Roz + Deadlines just doesn't mix! ;-)
You're probably wondering how in the world I made it thru school and how I'm able to function in the working world... to answer that simply, let me just say... barely! I'm a woman with her own deadlines, and you better believe they're flexible!
So, these:

will either go out and get to people after turkey day, but possibly before Christmas, or be filed in a drawer for next Thanksgiving. Prime reason that I do not date my cards. hehehe
Thanks everyone for your positive comments on my anticipated spread of holiday cheer! Sorry to disappoint, please don't hold it against me!!! This is fair warning: Do not run to your mailbox with a hopeful heart... and I'm in good standing with most of you reading this anyway. ;-) These cards were for those on the verge of writing me off for my horrible penpal-ness. Yep, still in danger of that...

Happy Tuesday

I've decided

holiday cards are the best way to keep in the good graces of family and friends that you don't speak to that often. :-)
I debated on sending out Thanksgiving cards b/c C-mas is right around the corner, but 1) I'm a huge believer in not skipping Turkey Day {also why I have not even opened my John Legend holiday cd from Target...} , 2) I'm a horrible penpal/keep in toucher and there's a lot of graces that I want renewed and 3)it's completely unexpected of me and I'm trying to keep folks on their toes. ;-)
So I ran over to Big Lots and got 12 cards for about $6. Not bad in spirit of keeping love and relationships alive! I might even be able to rustle up a recent pic of Kj and I for folks to stick on their fridge. hehehe That's one of those things that just seem vain when you don't have kids, but I think everyone understands that until you produce a little mini, you do the best you can with family unit of 2 photos.

Happy Monday all!

and oh yes - Cindy, and other Crimson Fans that I dare not mention for fear that he will delete this post completely... I offer my heartfelt condolences for the upsetting pigskin events of Saturday. ;-) Love you lots!

Didn't think Friday would ever get here!

A couple of days ago a coworker's daughter came into work a stayed a couple of hours (bad weather caused her daycare to close early). Anyway she was the cutest four year old and after I introduced myself and gave her a magnadoodle to play with (I work for a juvenile product company, we seriously have toys bursting from every corner...) she informed me that she was going to draw me. This was my portrait:


Notice the blue mass above my head, that's my hair which I had in a high ponytail that day. Also notice the number of fingers I have... I think she knows that I need a few more appendages to get all my jobs done. That's my coworker, Wayne in the background. When he asked if she was going to draw him a picture, she just added him to mine. Lastly, this is the part that cracked me up: see the little person holding my left hand, well, when I asked her about the picture she said, "This is you (large blue ponytail girl) and this is your little kid." I laughed and said, "but I don't have any kids." She said, "that's okay, this IS YOUR little kid..." LOL. Anywho, my other coworker was in the office and laughingly said, "she might be predicting something." No laugh from me there. hehehe

Last night I had consumated the Jackson family unit of 2 bond by..... yes..... wandering around Walmart waiting for them to announce where they would be selling the PS3s so that I could knock over any elderly or small children as I leapt over aisles in a single bound in order to shell out some hard earned money for my husband's gaming pleasure. I went for the sheer fun of it! I've never waited in line for tickets to a concert or to see a movie, but I'm assuming this might be close. There were about 300 pep milling around walmart with no cart, no basket, just crowding up the aisles waiting for a chance at 10 PS3s. One girl I was waiting in one line with had brought 15 pep with her and had them stationed all over the store (If they announce that they're in the cereal aisle, I've got someone there, she said.). Hilarious! In the end the manager ended up doing a raffle to avoid the liability of people being trampled. Smart man! Well, here's our "unlucky" ticket stub.


I had 359364 and KJ had 363... they called 367! I had a feeling that was going to happen...
So no Playstation for us (I'm not devastated and I'm pretty sure Kj's going to make it). hehehe

Happy Friday all! The weekend's kind of up in the air (no idea what we'll do), but I'd like to leave you all with a rousing
(sigh, being married to a computer engineer with a talent for hacking and a love for the rival team has me just leaving a rousing) _________, __________! (For those of you who read and are not from AL, this weekend Auburn (my alma mater) plays Alabama (biggest rival) for their final regular season football game.)

;-)

If only this were true...

Unfortunately, I attribute my weight increase to a dead metabolism instead of an increased knowledge. hehehe
This morn I woke up at 4 to finish some freelance stuff and when I finished it by 5:45 I decided to go to the gym. There were about 15 cars in the parking lot (AT 5 in the MORN) and I just knew that my little elliptical machine would be taken. No such luck. hehehe The men were in there using all the weight lifting stuff and there were 2 other ladies sweating it out. Anywho, I did my 1.75 miles and headed home. I figure there's no changing the size of my head, but my waistline... well, a little effort put into that might be beneficial...

Happy Wednesday!

Didn't quite work out...

I planned on having fried apples as a special treat as part of last night's dinner (Bourbon Salmon, white rice, and red beans), but ummm... the heat was too high, the doorbell rang, and to make a sad story short, the garbage disposal had the special treat. ;-)
Of course no pic!
hehehe
You give um a whirl and tell me how they work out for you. I used up all the apples my mom sent me, so I'll have to venture to the grocery store for batch #2. sigh.

CRACKER BARRELL FRIED APPLES
1/4 lb. butter
1/2 c. sugar
8 Golden Delicious apples, cut up, unpeeled

Add all ingredients into a covered frying pan. Cook for about 15 minutes or until soft. Add cinnamon and nutmeg to taste. Serve warm. Good over ice cream.

Happy Tuesday!

The Gump

My best friend has a birthday coming up (Nov 26th). It's always around Thanksgiving and this year we're doing Turkey Day with Kj's fam, so Liz and I decided to get together early for a little pre-bday celebration. We had a great time doing nothing in particular! That's probably the beauty of best friends, give us some uninterrupted face to face talk time and we're content. Our little trip started with a bang (or a pop), Liz called me as I was on my way to meet her to tell me that her car had broken down on the side of the highway. Really, the front end was on the side of the highway and her rear was still kinda in the fast lane! Sooooo, here's the small dilemma on my part. I wasn't in my car. We drove KJ's car (GOTTA learn how to drive a stick!!!!) so that Liz and I wouldn't have 2 cars just sitting around Mont. I was just going to ride around with her and KJ was going to pick me up on Sunday. Well, thankfully I was able to borrow a non-manual car from his parents and the trip proceeded with very few hiccups after that. We shopped til our feet hurt (really... we're getting so old hehehe), ate til we were about to burst, and talked til we should have been horse. LOL. It was a great weekend. KJ and I have started turning the radio off more on long trips so we can talk. I used to wonder if married pep ran out of stuff to talk about, now I realize how absurd that is. In the 3 hours it took to get to Mont on Friday night, we had only discussed my job and there were so many other things that I wanted to tell him and get his opinion on. I'm not worried about an overwhelming silence anymore, more-so that my luv's ears are going to fall off any moment. hehehe (Don't get me wrong, I'm not the only talker in this family unit of two. Sometimes all I can get in is "um, uh-huh, and really?")



Beautiful drive home...


This isn't the best pic, but this house had about 50 of those inflatable yard decorations. Waaaayyyyy too much C-mas going on, way too much!


Hope you all had a wonderful weekend too!

Here's a little goodie that a friend emailed me.
This is a link to a website that tells you what items will be deeply discounted at what stores if you're into the after Thanksgiving shopping.
Let me know if you find something awesome!!!

All Better Now...

This morn I tried to post twice, but my heart was heavy and the posts sounded so sad and angry to me. I'm dealing with work/my job again and as promised, no whining, but this morn was tough. Plus I might be a little hormonal...

Anywho, let's just say that this morn was definitely a morning when I would have gladly driven the 45min back home to huddle under the sheets. I guess KJ sensed it when we talked and at 11:50 he called and asked what I was doing. (Absolutely nothing... shame I know, but work is at an extreme slow down at the moment) Then he said "Come outside"
Instant Happiness. And I do mean instant! I grabbed my purse and all but yelled "Peace Out Suckers!!!" (I kept it calm and just said, Going to Lunch!) Best lunch date ever! So on time and sooooo needed. I was able to talk and release some pent-up frustrations and it was so soothing to hear his comments and see the "You're not crazy, it's them" look on his face. Lord have mercy, I love that man!

So I'm all better now. Gushy post, but well deserved...

Oh yes and this came in the mail yesterday (The mattress topper not the woman hehehe):



KJ hasn't been sleeping well and I felt horrible b/c we used to have a pillowtop mattress, but when we moved to the house I couldn't remember what kind of mattress we had when I stopped by an outlet and I got the firm (no pillowtop). I sleep fine, but I don't think he's had a good night since. Tahdah the answer to our problems (hopefully) arrived yesterday and I'm slapping it on tonight. I believe we're going to need some deep pocket sheets, but for the time being I'm just hoping for sweet dreams all around.

Happy Thursday all! (And if you're off tomorrow, today's your Friday so whooo-hooo!)

Wednesday Smiles

Good morning all!
Thought I'd go ahead and post so that I could atleast try to be productive at this job of mine. hehehe

1) Voted last nite and it felt wonderful to do so. Really, I kicked up my heels walking back to the car. I left work unsure if I was going to even go out to the polls, but I was able to go to Wal-mart, put up groceries, find my hidden voting precinct (the back side of a church undergoing major construction), chat with all 10 of the elderly volunteers (decked out in red white and blue) as they corrected my address, and then mark my votes (giggling when I got to the amendments b/c they word those things to make you feel like you're taking the ACT) - All in 45 min. Not bad for making a difference, not bad...

2) accidentally got prune yogurt and decided to keep it b/c a.) I loved prune juice as a child b) I didn't want to just leave it in the mag rack in the check out aisle and I didn't want to walk back across the store c) there were only 4 to eat if I didn't like it. Well this morn I discovered that I LOVE IT! As odd as it sounds, prune yogurt is actually quite tasty...

3) A friend of mine's aunt goes to church with us and has kind of adopted us as family. Last nite KJ and I went to visit and besides having good conversation, she sent us home with some of the best chicken and dumplings EVER!

4) I'm going to try and fry apples when I get home. Like the ones you get at Cracker Barrell (with your fried catfish, pinto beans, and hashbrown casserole) as your other veg option, but it really acts as a dessert. Or is that just me? ;-D

5) Last nite we watch Shrek 2 and I must say that I think that cartoon is more suited for adults then children. Kj and I laughed and laughed with not a child in sight...

6) Today I'm wearing my "blue cheetah" shoes as they've been nick-named. Befitting because they are blue and they do have a cheetah print. They're ultra cute and I don't wear them near enough.

7) This morn while stuck (for 14 min) behind school traffic, I found the missing jar of gourmet jelly beans mom gave me under the passenger seat. Whoo-hooo! I figure kiwi, tangerine and strawberry jam jelly beans count as a semi-nutritious breakfast! (And just FYI Jelly Belly has added wonderful new flavors like Caramel Corn but gotten rid of some of my personal favs like Peanut Butter... a bittersweet situation)

8) After my lactose attack on Sat (did I not tell you about that??? I tried to finish off a half gallon of milk that expired on the 30th but was still good and we'd only used about a cup full, then I ate blackbean and cheese dip, then kj made us snicker-blizzards... well around 3am I was curled up in a fetal position and I was pretty sure I wasn't going to make it. Well I did and after MUCH reprimanding from the lactose tolerant man of the house I've gone dairy free for the last 2 days.) I'm feeling frisky and fine this morn. No stomach gurgles at all!!!!!

9) I made experimental chicken salad and that's what I'm having for lunch today. Couldn't remember for the life of me what mom put in it to make it wonderful and just decided to venture out on my own...

10) I told myself I'd keep this post short and sweet, but no luck on the short thing...

hehehe
Happy Wednesday!!!

6:50 am

In theory, this is the time that I need to leave the house in order to get to work on time (I sit in front of the local elementary school for apprx 12 min...) Some mornings I do better than others. I TRY every morning. Shouldn't a job give you credit for trying?! I tell you, when I worked for myself, time was never an issue. hehehe I was always on time b/c I knew what I needed to do and how long it would take me and that when I finished, I'd be free to go. sigh. Such a wonderful concept...

So, I've decided that "in theory" may be my motto. A lot of things work out wonderfully in theory, but when you throw real life in the mix, well, you're almost guaranteed to get a different situation/product/answer/time etc. I've decided that I may need to be more considerate of the "in theory recalls" and realize that some pep just won't be as considerate of my "in theory" moments. Plain and simple.

Oh and I wasn't late for work this morn. Yesterday I was...

Now that I've cleared my mind of that thought: Weekend update.

The sushi was wonderful. Small compared to our regular restaurant, but Camille's had a nice atmosphere. We decided to mark it as a place to entertain those who visit.
The movie was powerful. I have a newly discovered love for movies that kind of act as a public awareness/call to action. Catch a fire is about apartheid in South Africa and although some of the characters are underdeveloped, I still left the theater with the feeling of 1) what a blessing it is to live in the US 2) that I've got to do something more to impact/better the lives of others (I'm thinking that I might become a marathon walker...) and 3) that I've got to become more aware of wordly issues. Being naive is not cute. City of God is another movie that I found to be moving. I highly recommend both!

I didn't get to plant anything (didn't even get close to happening), and I was only able to mat and frame 1.5 of my photography projects. One I had hanging on the wall and after Kj's critique, it came off for "revisions". LOL. I believe I've created a artistically opinionated monster... I didn't even look at a paint brush, so that goes back on my MUST DO before 07 list. ;-)

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend. I'm off to see if I can vote in FL. Yes, I'm fully aware that this is something I should have checked on earlier, but just count it as an "in theory" recall. (In theory, you should be able to use your social to use your one vote anywhere in the country...)

Happy Tuesday!

Yipeee, I've got a date tonite!

It's payday Friday and my luv has asked me to the classic dinner and a movie. ;-)

We'll be eating this
and then we'll cuddle up (as much as you can in theater seats) and watch this.
I'm excited. I love that married dates allow me to go in sneakers and a ponytail and still feel like I'm the cutest girl in the room. ;-)

Other weekend plans:
I'm going to do a little painting (on canvases not walls), hang up some photography projects (which I will NOT be posting so that sheer curiousity will lead some of you to come visit...) and a little gardening... I want to plant some azalea bushes (I think) and some ground coverers that mom gave me when I went to visit.

I have to calm myself down b/c payday Friday (in theory) means that I've got money to burn on home stuff. hehehe which is not near the case, but it's nice in theory...

Have a wonderful weekend!

Let's Play Catch-up...

So much has gone on and I don't know when I got out of the habit of posting little tid-bits daily, but sheesh.... I'm really behind in keeping you up to speed with my life. ;-)
Don't fret, it'll only take a moment (or two) for me to get us back on track...

Last Friday we drove thru Bham in route to Decatur for a wedding on Sat.
Of course we made a pit-stop in bham to catch the football game where my B-B twirls a flag with the Fairfield band. This is her second year and I must say that as an ex-flag corps captain, she making me (and her Aunt Cindy who also tossed against the wind in her day) soooo very proud. That girl has some moves! Such fun, I always love the games and I was soooo glad that I was able to spend some time with Lisa and Cindy while watching my B-B do her thing. Just made my heart swell up...
Unfortunately I have a crappy camera that doesn't like night-time or motion shots (all of my photographer bloggin buds I need some serious suggestions as I think I'm about to delve into the camera market for a new "toy") so bear with some of the pics in this post... I did my best....
Anywho here are me and my girls, watching Lisa's daughter B-B, twirl to grooves from back in the day (Just got paid.... Friday night.... party jumpin.... and Never Too Much- Luther Vandross) and a few that you can hear on the radio now (Morris Brown-Outkast and Get up -Ciara). And to think my band thought we were crunk performing the Wizard of Oz. hehehe
Man I love the people the city, but I'd gladly take them both in one big bunch. ;-)



On Sat we went to some dear friends of mine's wedding.
Anthony and Alesha are just a classically beautiful couple. I always tell them that they look like a picture straight off of getty images. The wedding was of course wonderful and I got to use it as a mini AU reunion seeing quite a few faces I hadn't seen since our days of running the campus. Good thing Alana was there to help me out with names, although she tried to slide me a few (I've never called anybody Plum Puddin, so I was pretty sure that he would look at me like a nut if I called that out across the room...). And this was about the funniest thing I've seen at a wedding in a while: When Alesha threw her bouquet, all of the ladies kept their hands down. I mean not a single soul even acted like they wanted those flowers. It wasn't planned, just happened. I think we're used to seeing the men do that, but for a group of about 12 ladies all of which were probably forced up by their married friends (or called out by the announcer.... Alana....)... it was hilarious! Alesha just took the individual flowers and started tossing them at people. That'll definitely make for a good picture. ;-)



We got a chance to hang out with Roc and Alana after the wedding. It's funny b/c their story is similar to mine and KJs. Roc and Alana dated in school and broke up, KJ and I dated in school and broke up. Alana and I got really close during the break-up time "Girl, it was his loss - was our motto" Then both of our guys came back. The funny part was, I was re-dating KJ and hadn't told Alana and she was re-dating Roc and hadn't told me. I guess we were testing them out, b/c we all know when you go thru a break up, your friends go thru it with you! LOL! All has worked out well and I really think Roc and Alana complement one another in the way that God purposed man and woman to do. Sooooo, it was wonderful to get to spend some 2 on 2 time with them.



After they headed home, KJ and I set out to meet my half god-daughter. hehehe I share her with Tricey, her other god-momma. Little miss S. is 10 months old and has her daddy's face and her momma's personality. She's a trip. Here's me with my half (the top, Tricey, you can have the bottom half. hehehe) of my sweet baby! Now this pic took a minute to get "just right" b/c she LOVED Kj, took to him immediately, but she was a little unsure of me (I think it was the huge grin and puffy hair...). So Kj had to make a face at her and then snap the picture before she realized that she was in my arms and not his. Ahhhh, little miss S, I won't give up, cause you gotta love me. Plus Kj and I are a pair, you can't have him without me too. ;-)



What a full Saturday!

Sunday we did church with the fam (which is always nice) and then went out to eat. On our way home, I was able to stop by and see John, Colleen and her baby bump. I figure talking to her navel should get me in good now, even though she's pretty sure he/she is sitting lower than that. ;-D

On Monday (I told you we were playing catch-up)
I went to the doctor. She's not as good as my bham Dr. Brown, but she's nice. I'm a healthy gal who needs to start thinking about preventing osteoporosis and have her cholesterol checked. When did I get old enough for these to be concerns??!?!?!?! So I'm drinking more milk and loving the Calcium fortified cranberry juice. Kj's tall enough without me having to worry about being bent over in the back by the time I'm 30 looking at his shoes. He's got quite a handsome face and I imagine that gazing into my eyes is a lot better than gazing at my crooked spine... So on with the osteo prevention!

Kj had a football game that night, and the supportive wife I am, I gladly went with him to be his personal cheerleader. Except, we got there early and I had a small headache so while waiting for them to get started, I FELL ASLEEP in the car. Yep, his supportive wife only caught the last 20 min of his game AND i accidently sat on the wrong side and when I realized I was too shame to be the only one cheering for the team that my bench buddies were going against. sigh. I'm getting my game plan together for the next game. ;-)

Tuesday was Halloween (this is the end of catch-up, I'll let you get back to work after this I promise...)
That morn I had my blood taken by Minnie Mouse to have my cholesterol checked. I told Kj, I don't even know where my cholesterol is, but I've since decided that all lab work should be done on Halloween b/c the only thing better then Minnie taking my blood, would have been Dracula. ;-) I think I just like the irony.
Someone brought carrot cake in for our Halloween treat at work: Why is carrot cake so good? Why is Publix carrot cake soooo divine? Why did someone bring a Publix carrot cake to work ??? Why did I eat two huge chunks for breakfast??? LOL. Must've been because it was Halloween. My subconscious wanted me to be the "inflatable office girl" I tried to fight it, but with no answers to the why's above, it was hard...

I was really excited about having trick-or-treaters, but I was only going to be home for and hour (I had Ladies Bible Study) and Kj had a basketball game so it was left to me to represent our home well. I pulled into the driveway and my neighbor's kid met me at the mailbox (this is when I knew I was in trouble). "Hey, do ya have some candy?!" "Why, yes, yes I do. How about you let me get in the house and turn the light on and then you come back, okay?" Really! After I got inside and turned on the light, it was on!
These FL kids mean business and they come in herds (6, 8, 10)! I gave away 3.5 bags of gum and candy in 45 minutes. I had to turn the porch light off and bake my Ladies Bible Study cookies by the light from the microwave. LOL! Next year I'll be better prepared!

And lastly (I know I know, but this really is it)
Yesterday Nov. 1 was my sister's 21st b-day! Where in the world has time gone? Look out world, she's "of age" now!



So that's all on my end. Enough huh? I'm going to get back on the bloggin ball, b/c admittedly, this post is ridiculously long!

Happy Thursday! (And Happy B-day Kena!!!!! That's it, I'm DONE)

I'd like to welcome

the cold front that has settled over our city for the past couple of days! I extend a heartfelt "Bout time you got here!" This morn I wore a sweater and boots to work!!!! I even pulled out a few of the coats from my waining collection, and hung them-up for later wear! I don't know if this typing is conveying my excitement, so I took a screen pic of the temp when I got to work this morn... Seeeeee:

Yep, you can smile and be happy for me. The rest of the Floridians around here are sad-faced, but I happy packed up my business flip-flops and open toe heels! Thank goodness for decorative socks and boots!!!

Now backing it up, on Sat my love took me to the fair (Tasha you were right, we skipped the local Festival and we did not regret it)! I love the fair. Ironically, I don't ride any of the rides (neither does Kj), but it's fun to walk around and play games and take in the smell of fried everything. ;-) Kj fooled the guesser with his weight (hello Mr. Guesser Man, all that muscle and great home cooking is sure to add up to more than 205!!!), so I got a prize! Then he made a prize winning free throw shot and I got another prize (we're not V. Tech fans, but a co-worker of his is, so we're going to donate the ball to him)! We went to the rock exhibit (b/c we're dorks) and someone had the neatest display of rocks that looked like food! The only thing that I regret is not going into the "Freak Show". I wish it had another name b/c that just sounds so harsh, but oh well. Anywho, I think it would have been neat to see the spider body woman or the headless man. Maybe next year! Also next year I'll have to partake of one of the unique spins they put on the traditional funnel cake. Bavarian Cream??? Hey, why not!









I know this post is forever long, but it's been 4 days so bear with me!

Lastly I'd like to do a little braggin! Below is the account from the flag football game that took place last night. I had to work late, so I missed it, but tah-dah, I'm married to a BALLER (is that what good football players are called??? hummm)
Article:

Our flag football team won the first game of season last night in a thrilling 6 OT's victory over 728 ACS to make our record 1-0. Some of the highlights to the game are KJ played quarterback and had 3 touchdowns including a game wining interception return of 78 yards. Offensive played well to include J Smith and Glove using the ground game to help the victory. In dramatic fashion with less than 2 min to play in the game KJ and Playmaker caught a 5 yard TD to tie the score at 20-20 and force OT. In OT the two teams went back and fourth scoring drives but on the last 728 ACS drive in OT KJ with the help of Lewis and Smith forced the quarterback to throw errant pass in which KJ intercepted and ran back for the game wining TD.

Yep, I'm proud! Hate I missed it!
But the price to being married to a "baller" is walking into your CLOSET (?!?!?!) where he is trying to "air out" the clothes he played in last week but accidently left in his trunk for 4 or 5 days! I can't even begin to tell you of the rank nastiness! Let's just say that I had to immediately soak the clothes in the wash, and lysoled the mess out of his gym bag and the trunk of his car....
sigh.

LOL!
Hope you've had a wonderful Tuesday!

lots of lovin!

10 on Thursday:

1) I'm really not matching at all today! LOL! I'm "blending" with my cream top, gold lace camisole, sand colored slacks and dark brown shoes... I'd take a pic, but I just might be shame... to my defense, it's all in the same color family... sort-of.

2) KJ organized my shoes in the closet last night. He thought it would aide him as he pointed out that I've got 15 pairs of black shoes and 12 pairs of brown... but instead of seeing his point I thought, "my goodness do I need some more shoes... most of these are so old..." Sorry luv, the next shoe sale at Dillard's, I'm there!

3) I've decided to look into having my tonsils out as they are yet again swollen with huge white puss pockets on them. Yes, that's gross I know! Precisely why I want them out of my body.

4) This weekend there are 2 festivals; the mullet festival...fish not the haircut, (although I've heard that i'll probably see a few) and the state fair. I'm having a tough time decided which to go to, so I think I'm going to do both...

5) I've got a logo to work on for a cousin and for some reason I've got the worst creative block. I think it's got something to do with not wanting to disappoint family...

6) I believe my neighbors got a dog. I only know this because I spied a discarded box with a dog-crate on it next to their trash. I want to ask them about it, but I don't want to be that nosey, I snooped in your trash neighbor, so I'm waiting until I see the dog outside...

7) I got a FL tag for my car. Kind of hurt my AL soul...

8) Publix had a sale on gatorade (3 for $5)... needless to say, I had a cart full, literally! KJ drinks a gallon a day!

9) I've got my C-mas want-list all compiled, but I haven't the slightest idea what I'm going to get anyone else. Everytime I start to brainstorm, I end up adding a few more items to my want-list. ;-)

10) The airforce tests their bombs near my work place and it sounds like heavy thunder only it shakes the building. Sometimes I'm hugely disappointed when I look out the window and there's no rain, but mostly I'm grateful that those bombs are hitting their targets and not having an off day, ya know!?!?!

Happy Thursday All!

Oh New Orleans....

this city never ceases to amaze me!
We went down this past weekend and met my parents for a little mini vaca (just the weekend) and to see the Eagles play the Saints.
Saturday was perfect. Wonderful weather, laid back day, lots of walking, a ton of laughing. The French Quarter (which wasn't really hurt by Katrina) was its usual colorful self. There's the ever present smell of cajun spices, sweet pralines and beignets, and then the occasional whiff of vomit to remind you that the national liquor laws do not apply within the city limits. ;-) It wasn't crowded, but nothing's out of the ordinary there. Nothing. It was mid day and we saw one girl in the hootchiest devil's costume I've ever seen and then an older couple, her with her pearls and him with his top hat, on the same street, within minutes of each other. Talk about variety! ;-)

For dinner we met my dear Caroline (a new resident to the city herself) and listened to a little street corner band (I'm pretty sure they were a local highschool horn section looking to make some extra moola on the weekend) and ate at the Red Fish Grill. Oh the food was scrumptious, but the company made the meal. ;-)

Sunday we went to church at a congregation just now getting its feet back on the ground (very inspiring) and then headed to the Superdome decked out in our Eagles gear. I thought we might be the only ones in green, but those Eagles' fans are no joke and even in the dome you could scan the crowd and find big splotches of green amongst the black and gold. Everytime the Saints cheered "Who dat, said they gonna bet those Saints, who dat, who dat?" (I told KJ that the most boot-leg sayings are accepted in cheer format) there was a thunderous answer of "The Eagles, The Eagles!"... too bad we didn't. ;-) It was all in fun for the most part and after we graciously tucked our feathered tails between our legs, most of the Saint fans thanked us for such a good game and for supporting the city. You hate to lose, but it's worse when you lose to sore winners and I must say that if we had to lose to someone, I didn't mind serving them a victory in their home city. KJ didn't necessarily feel the same... he's a die-hard bird man... ;-)

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend! Happy Tuesday!

Bubblicious...

Yesterday while hunting for stuff for my neice and nephews Halloween package, I found some bubble gum flavor (just scented maybe because it doesn't really taste like bubblegum) chapstick. Secretly, I've been on the hunt for this for about 3 days. I figure since my current chapstick is at its end, why not revert to a childhood favorite. I almost did a little dance in Dollar Tree when I found it in the basket beneath the tootsie roll and key lime flavors.
So today I'm sporting my new chapstick (under my fall lip stick color) and I think it's put a little pep in my step. Doesn't take much... ;-) Oh yes and it's Friday!

Lastly, this morn I asked Kj to take a quick picture of me for my passport. He tried his best to give me the same service I would have received at the local CVS or dmv. No "1,2,3", no "Smmiilllee", no "say cheese" just CLICK... then "Girl ain't nothing wrong with that picture..." After some whining on my part and some protesting on his, he took 2 more...hehehe I luv him to pieces, but for the life of me if we go on this cruise and end up ship wrecked on an island and my passport is the only thing that washes back onto the Florida shore as proof that we were even on the boat, do I (does he) really want any of these to be who they come searching for???



I set the self-timer when I got to work and just took another one. Plus my hair had dried, so it had more volume and you know I love big hair. ;-)
Happy Friday! Have a great weekend!

I think I'm offended...

Earlier this week we came home from work, and this was kindly left on our door:


What?! No one told me that this week was lawn critique week!!! LOL! Seriously, we know that our little crunchy patches of grass aren't doing so hot at the moment, but I'd also like to point out that hellllooooo, it's Autumn, and in almost every state but this one, there's some evidence of that. Rustling orange tree leaves, cool air, dead grass... you get my point. I don't know if palm tree leaves even change color and just how are we even suppose to make grass grow in sand???? Can I get some real dirt please?!?!?

This made me feel like someone had found a picture of us and circled with a red marker all the areas that "need improvement". Creative criticism my bootie! And we don't need someone to point out to us that yes, our neighbors on both sides have traded their souls to the sod devil for luscious kelly green grass in the MIDDLE OF OCTOBER. sheesh.

So Mr. Lawn Critique Man, yes, we are very well aware that our grass is going thru some issues, but leave us alone! We're just fine with the grass being greener on the other side.

Happy Thursday ALL!
:-D

Wednesday Smiles

1) One of my closest friends posted this Butter bean this morn. I'm still in awe that one of my girl's is growing a human...

2) I've decided not to complain about work anymore. I'm a firm believer in: If you can change it do, and if you can change it and don't then don't drive everyone insane with your incessant whining. I love that we have the "power" to pull ourselves out of miserable situations and I'll have to keep you posted on mine, but only the positive actions that I'm taking to alleviate the misery... ;-)

3) This FL weather will allow the neighborhood kids to wear their halloween costumes without big bulky coats to cover up the cuteness... I guess that's a + in the FL's not sooooo bad category.

4) I haven't been late to church or work this week. The church one is the one I'm most proud of (20 min early for Sunday school, 10 min early for Teacher's meeting and Evening service, and 5 min early for Sisters' Bible study last nite...). Whooo-hooo for me!

5)I've discovered these Nature's Own crunchy granola bars and I must say that they've been a fabulous new breakfast option.

6) I love Publix. Have you ever heard of smoked paprika??? Well, I hadn't, but Rachel Ray required it and Publix delivered!

7) Tonight we're steaming crab legs for dinner. Thanks a million Cindy and Lisa for my fryer/steamer (that my husband unpacked and thus threw the directions away telling me that I could just look them up on line, but ha-ha, I found the directions in a drawer last week so now I can actually figure out how to steam things...)!

8) Recorded this special about Beyoncé last night and as much as I loooovvveeee her and am somewhat envious of her "I can't believe you can have a body like that" body, I was so thankful to be me, in my house, on my couch, with my eye-rolling husband (he doesn't quite understand my B. fixation). God's given me the life he wants me to have and I'm enjoying it. I'm working on the body thing... kind of.....

9) Deep breaths are an amazing calming agent.

10) Thank you Lord that it's Wednesday!

Yep, I'm Quirky....

So as I was blog hopping this morn, checking in on a few of my favorites and I ran across the latest confessions going around.
5 Weird Things About Me. Although not tagged, I thought it would be fun to play along. A good Friday post I think...
Here goes:

1) When I was around 11 we were on a church trip in which we stopped at a Waffle House. I could have promised up and down that I smelled marshmellows (which I despise) and from then until I was in highschool, I was convinced that Waffle House put marshmellows in their batter and I would not eat there. The thought of that memory makes my stomach churn...

2) When I was little, I hated my knees (thought they were ugly and would cry if mom came near me with shorts), didn't like the way jeans felt (so mom bought me every color of sweatpants known to man), and the stitching in socks bothered my feet (so I wore them inside-out). Admittedly, I was a funny looking kid.

3) I have always hated the thought of losing teeth. Didn't like when the baby ones "fell" out and I'm petrified of the adult ones being knocked out in some random freak accident (like me tripping and hitting my mouth on the curb...)

4) I have no problem eating or drinking "old" stuff. I'll leave a cup out for a day or more (Liz no comment) and probably drink the rest of the contents before I put it in the dishwasher. This is probably more gross than weird...

5) When I'm concentrating on something I have a tendency to squish my lips up to my nose. It's not cute. It probably looks like I'm smelling my upper lip, but I"M NOT! Kj's taken to calling me Jason Terry (he plays basketball for the Mavericks), so I'm trying to be more conscious of when I do it... (apparently to no avail as I'm doing it now...)

Gotta love me! No really, ya gotta...
hehehe

Happy Friday! Tricey, Colleen, Tasha... you know the deal. Hit us up with some weirdness!

I fibbed...

this is really the last thing I'm going to post today:

This link:
Grey's Anatomy Blog

is WONDERFUL! I'm completely out of my funk now. Just read it!
If you're a Grey's watcher you're going to llllllooooovvvveeee it. It's written by the writers of the show so it has the same tone. AB-FAB!
Colleen, even though you're not a watcher (b/c of all the surprise hospital moments of grossness - have I ever told you that I love this tender quality in you? You're sooo my Colein!!!), I think you'd like to read the blog b/c it really is a commentary to the social aspects of it all minus the surprise hospital grossness. Let me know what you think.

And to the rest of you who watch.... Whatever, I already know that you're going to love it, book-mark it, and check it incessantly like I do....
hehehehe

Ahhh Haaaa! Here's the silver lining to my day...

Not-To-Do List
LOL! I found this on a blog I frequent yesterday and I thought I'd post the link. I'm suchhh a procrastinator! I like to tell people that I'm late b/c my internal clock is off, but I haven't really come up with a witty response as to why I procrastinate... I'm open for suggestions...
Anywho, I'm probably guilty of a million things on this list.
I admit it... I'm not perfect. ;-)

Andddddd I found my John Legend cd!!! Whoo-hooo!!!! That man can sing! I do believe I'm pulling myself out of a funk right before your very eyes! hehehe

Oh and last thing, then I'll stop editing this post and let it be: Grey's Anatomy tonite! Really Addison, you couldn't have just drowned your sorrow in the hotel room by yourself??? You had to call McSteamy???? Sigh.

:-) THAT'S IT! I'm done posting for the day. I can't lose my little miserable job until I figure out my alternatives. hehehehe

lots of lovin!

10 on Thursday???

A few of my fellow bloggers do 10 on Tuesday (which I admit flows better off the tongue), but I'm always late, so here's my 10 on Thursday.

1. I've been having a tough time at work. Last Friday they fired my friend/super.supervisor (she was my supervisior's supervisor) and I'm begining to remember (like i ever forgot) why I hate "corporate" america and miss being my own "boss".
My new dept. head is not a good man. I think because I spend 8hrs here my physique is being affected in a negative way.
2. I've decided that I don't take being-told-what-to-do, well.
3. I really need to finish up some of the projects around the house. Seriously most of them are 98% finished. That last little 2% is starting to drive me crazy. ;-)
4. I should have tried to de-lintify (like that?) the black shirt that I have on today. Seriously, unkempt isn't something I do well. My theory is that no matter what I feel like on the inside, I should present a half-way put together front. hehehe
5. In theory I told myself that I wouldn't get on the internet while at work, but who was I kidding. This IS my sanity.
6. I think God's in the midst of doing some serious work on me. I haven't felt like my "normal" self lately and I can only determine that I'm undergoing some "construction" I'm anxious to see how I evolve...
7. Big yea - FL offers driving school ON-LINE! Really! So earlier this week I completed one section and fell asleep and my loving husband finished my course for me. This is probably not how they wanted it done, so shhhhh, don't tell. ;-)
8. There's a Seafood Festival going on in a neighboring city that I'm really excited about. Food and art vendors! YEA! Most of the art will probably be "beachy" (think peach and seafoam, starfish and boats), but hey a girl's gotta get her kicks wherever she can find them!
9. Kj and I have seperate weekend plans (he's headed to visit some friends in town from philly and I had precommitted myself to go to a ladies day outing with another sister from church...). I'm planning on doing some serious cleaning and finishing the projects mentioned in #3. Plus I've recorded most of the shows I watch and I'm going to use Saturday to get caught up on them. I may try my hand at some gardening, or making some curtains, plus I've got a few paintings I want to do, and a shower curtain to spruce up... Yep, I've got plans!
10. Trying to end on a postive note: Rachel Ray and I have been kicking some dinner butt! We've had Margerita Pizza-dillas, Leeky Chicken, Spagetti al Ceci (with chickpeas), and Canadian Benny's. All have been extremely successful and I'll be passing those recipes on to those interested (I heard you Tericka, I heard you! hehehe).

Happy Thursday All.
I promise that the next 10 on Thursday won't be as whiny! I guess it's kind of unfair to use my blog as therapy, but you all are an awesome group and I think you'll let me wallow this time without too much reprimanding. ;-)
Miss you my girls!

Gourmet? hehehe

Alright, so we've had 2 successful nights with Rachel Ray! Seriously, I love that cookbook! The pizza-dilla on Wednesday nite got raving reviews (in fact kj ate up what was suppose to be his lunch for the next day) so we gave it an A+. Last nite I made Leeky Chicken with Couscous. I've never used leeks (had to look up on-line what part we were actually suppose to be eating... the stem... if you ever get in the same situation) and I've heard of couscous but don't think that I've ever had it. I gave the recipe a strong B, but KJ gave it an A and finished off my plate. I love couscous (kind of reminds me of grits...), but I don't think that I'd seasoned the chicken well enough. Don't blame Rachel, I take full responsibility for that. ;-)
Here's our A+ dinner (and so help me if all of you who came out of the woodworks for Kj's bbq chicken don't so much as type a yum for my little creation, I WILL find you... hehehe)



In other news: It's getting cool enough for me to wear this:


Yea! Only thing is that I didn't actually wear that shirt in particular b.c it was wayyyy too tight on my arms. I like to think that it's my muscles that caused that shirt to be tossed in the give away pile, but I digress. Anyway, out come the long sleeved shirts! I believe there's hope for FL yet.

Lastly, this is a little lesson I would like to pass on: This morn as I was rushing out the door, I realized that I hadn't put on any perfume (I love perfume... I think I got the smell good trait from my mom and dad... seriously, we're all junkies), so instead of running back to the bathroom I grabbed the clean linen room spray off the counter (A wonderful house smell if you're looking for something. Smells like clean laundry... one of my favorite "life" scents) and gave myself a couple of sprays. Yep, didn't think that all the way thru. I love the smell, but heeeelllloooo, one spritz leaves a whole room smelling good for atleast an hour, so you can only imagine how potent it is! So I'm pretty sure that I'll have given myself a headache before lunch, but the upside is that anyone within 5ft of me is sure to think I got trapped in the dryer for a couple of hours and I can think of worst smells...
:-)

Happy Friday!

lots of lovin!

So much to tell!

Okay, so I've been on a little bloggin hiatus and now I've got several random things to tell to bring everyone up to speed.

This past weekend Trice, Colleen, Liz and myself decided to meet up for some seriously needed Girl Time. Talk about a wonderful weekend! I talked myself into a sore throat and laughed off 5 pounds (hopefully ;-) )! Husbands and boyfriends are great, don't get me wrong, but there's no replacing the dynamic you have with your girls, ya know? I think we needed to reassure each other that life is really good and that in the rough spots, we're not alone and that we're not crazy in action or deed (like the boys try to make us seem). Hehehe, and if we are crazy, then we've got company b/c we each would have said or done something similar in life's situations. We really just bummed around Memphis (the murder capital of the world my husband told me over, and over, and over again) and I'm proud to report that we had a fantastic time and none of us fell prevy to the city's murder statistics. ;-) It probably helped that we were snug in the hotel by 9. Funny how I can remember just getting started for a night out at 11pm with each of them, when we were in school... yep, we're old foggies now and loving it!

Here's a montage of pics from the weekend:


On Monday KJ and I went to our nephew and neice's first football game. D., playing football and T., cheering. Talk about hilarious. T., is soooo much like her momma and has all this girl-energy. She shook her hips with the best of them, and I'm not sure if she's the head cheerleader, but if she's not, someone may want to let her know. ;-) Regardless she asked for a V-I-C-T-O-R-Y better than any little girl out there, but hey, I admit I'm a little biased. ;-)

We were all a little surprised when D. said he wanted to play tackle football. Seriously, he's nine and I didn't even think you should be allowed to hurl your body at another person until you had more bone densisty... but what do I know. :-) Anywho, when he signed up he had a wall of family support behind him! I don't know if he knew that his mom and uncle would be connected to his hip on the side-line, but... hehehe that poor little man! Everytime I looked up to take a pic KJ was in his ear: "stay low", "run fast", "hit 'em back", etc. At one point the actual team coach was trying to tell D. something, but he was watching his mom and uncle over the coache's shoulder for his "real" instructions. Hehehe. Seriously, I think I must go to the games not only for support, but to take pictures and hold KJ and his sister down to the bleachers. ;-) Oh, I've got my moments too: At one point this little boy from the other team (#84) grabbed D around the neck and wouldn't let go, so I instinctively yelled "#84 get off of him! Get off of him! He doesn't even have the ball!" I'm sure D. was throughly embarrassed, and KJ had to remind me that #84 was someone's child and they might come looking for me after the game. Whatever (said with lips tooted up to the side)! So D's team lost (28 to 0), but they played hard. I just hope he'll stick with it. At first it looked a little skeptical, but after he sacked this little boy for the first time, he got up with a whole 'nother strut in his walk. ;-) I'll keep you posted.

Here's the pic. montage from the game. As you can see, G. was his usual comical self. He told us that next year he's going to play football and wear one of those costumes (to which KJ quickly said "Boy, that's a uniform, don't call it a costume!!!")Ahhh...my family...


Lastly, I must commend my husband on this:


When we got home from all of our weekend excursions, there was a present for me that said "to my wife... for being my wife"
Yep, he's sweet like that. So, I'm on a mission to cook every recipe in this book. We're broading our taste buds... wish me luck. ;-) Tonite: Inside-out Pizza-dilla Margeritas. Man I love Rachel Ray!

Happy Wednesday! I pray all is well on your end!
Lots of lovin!

Monopoly by candlelight...

sounds romantic doesn't it?
Taaaa-heee! Not when you're playing with Hannibal himself!

Let me back up to the beginning: KJ had to chauffeur me around b/c my car was in the shop, so after my dentist appt (no cavities for roz!!!) we got home earlier than I'm used to. Well, the power was out and Lord only knows how long our whole neighborhood had been in the dark. So we thought we'd drive into the neighboring city to go see a movie, but when we got to the end of the street, those lights were on so we figured it wouldn't be long before they got to our subdivision. Sooooo, we did the unthinkable...we went to Walmart to walk around until we felt like our power would be back on. (the most country thing in the world, i know, i know, shame!!!)

Anywho, after about an hour we headed home. Still no power. So out came the Monopoly board and the candles. Ooooo, I was soooo kicking his butt in the beginning. I owned several good places like Park Place (the dark blue) and New York (the orange corner by Free Parking), and out of nowhere... this man not only owned more property, but had put hotels on most of them (making me mortgage off my 2 or 3 houses in the process)! Yep, it was all downhill from there. And with $10 and a few properties, I landed on some crappy spot that required a $1000+ rent... I just let go. My light of hope had slowly been dying so I just let it go. Let me just add that my husband is NOT a gracious winner and that it took all I had not to set that board ablaze with our "romantic" candlelight. Seriously. ;-)

I took pictures, but after telling the story I'm glad I left my camera a home. Some accidents are blessings in disguise ya know... I think seeing those pictures now might make me vow off Monopoly for a while... it was just such a brutal massacre
:-D... (9.26.06 - I'm over the pain now, here's a pic I like to call the Monopoly Massacre. ;-) )



So, here is a pic of my favorite stamps (my favorite before these were the peppers collection) to add some color to this post. It's the Gee's Bend quilt collection (I had a professor in college OBSESSED with quilts. He used to give us our assignment and go in his office to bid on ebay for the rest of the period... I wonder whatever happened to Professor Furr???? He would love these stamps.)

Happy Tuesday all!

What I'm watching

Whooo-hoooo! It's premier week for tv which means I can let go of my mindless, uninspiring tv (seriously, I've seen the Design Star finale on HGTV a million times) and pick back up on my sit on the couch and laugh hysterically or cry quietly (so that kj won't bust in and say, "Girl it's JUST a tv show!") quality tv shows!!!! YEA!!!!!
Here's what I'll be watching: (In order of new shows to premier)
America's Next Top Model: I think it's hilarious how complex the modeling industry is. Plus those girls never cease to put on a good show in the name of glitter and sequins.
Grey's Anatomy: Seriously, need I say anything. I think the whole world is hooked by now! Liz, how ya doin with those season 2 DVDs???
One Tree Hill: Yes, it's a teenage/highschool drama, but it's soooo good. Those kids have some real grown up stuff going on...
Girl Friends: Okay, we all saw how Joan had gone plum over the edge in the season finalle, I'm anxious to see how it's all going to play out... And did you all notice Toni missing from the photo on that site... hummm.....

So if you're not busy on any of these nites, then watch with me and let's discuss via blog. hehehe

Happy Monday!

No longer...

displaced. In college I did a painting called Displaced (inspired by where I was in life and the Azure Ray song that I still love). The painting is still one of my favorites to this day, but as I was driving into work this morning I realized how at peace I am with where I am in life at this very moment.

I've got a wonderful husband with whom I can be candid with and him with me and still laugh. Our relationship is no-holds-bar. We love good and hard and each day I'm reminded how God plopped the only man who could make this "life thing" better, right down in my path.

My family are all in good places. My parents are able to do as they please and have the joys of an "empty nest". My sister is almost 21 and I think still a little overwhelmed by taking life by the horns, but she knows she's got us and I can tell that makes a difference. I've even done better with keeping in touch with extended family (aunts, uncles, cousins, grandmother (a future project here)), and it feels good to just talk and check in to say love you. We have grown up conversations and I'm glad that we've all been able to do great things and not great things to share as learning advice for one another.

My core circle of friends, the ones who have seen me cry, scream, laugh til I almost pee in my pants, are all wonderful women. And I do mean superbly wonderful! For the most part, we hit life's landmarks (slowed down metabolism, career highs and lows, husband/boyfriend wows and non-wows) all around the same time. It's nice to have that everpresent support system.

My church family back home still keeps in touch and claims to miss me ;-), which selfishly makes me feel like I've made a difference and left my mark (to return to it at some later point Lord willing).

My current church fam is growing. We're a small group, but for the most part very persistent in keeping God's love visible and tangible. I'll start teaching Sunday school in two weeks and I'm proud to say that the kids still come hug me after service even when I don't have candy to give. ;-)

I've come a long way in my career. I've gone from too little pay and too little respect to decent pay and being able to command the respect that I know I deserve. It's nice to be able to speak up for yourself professionally and let pep know, "this is what I do and I'm good at it dog-gone-it!"

I'm no longer displaced. In fact, I never was. I've always been right where God needed and wanted me to be. I guess I'm just really appreciating that now. It's comforting to know that on such a mysterious journey, my road map and tour guide are ever present, even when I slight using them as I should... (I'm working on this aspect daily)

Strangely, I started this long train of thought yesterday. Inspired by the local love-bug swarm. Really. They're bugs, and apparently very in season b/c when you walk outside they're EVERYWHERE. Funny thing is that they are always in pairs (granted that they're mating, doing the nasty, getting busy, but when you take that knowledge away it's less gross and kind of sweet). When I found out that they don't bite then I'm all the more intrigued to watch them for a moment. They're always with another love-bug (even on my car grill when I get home and noticed that I've killed the love) and I think I'm in a love-bug state of life. We're never alone, God's always there, but it's also nice to realize that I'm not displaced, and that I'm paired up with just the right people... always.

Happy Love-Bug Friday!

Borrowed Subject...

On Tuesdays, several of the blogs I check do their Ten on Tuesdays (just a random list of things on your mind) and on Wednesdays, Tasha does her inspirational list, sooooo....
I've come up with today's post as a combo from their subject matter and I'm calling it....

My Smile Moments (a better title pending)

1. I woke up at 1am to finish some freelance stuff and KJ had plugged the internet cord back into my computer! (This is a smile moment b/c even though he's showed me how to unhook the playstation and rehook the router, unplug the cable, and discombobulate the thingy-majiggy, I can NEVER get my internet to work after all of the rewiring...sadly, I'm not that tech savvy)

2. I've got a good bit of freelance work coming in so even though I'm scrambling at random hours to knock it out, I really enjoy having that extra $ to knock out some debt. ;-)

3. It's been rainy and cool here for the past couple of days. I'm on a mission to find some high heel galoshes and a bell umbrella.

4. My sister called to ask my opinion on something the other day. Those moments make me think that I'm not soooo bad at this big sister thing. ;-)

5. I've got what I believe to be the beginning of a cavity (no smile for this), but this threat has enabled me to fight the sweet tooth more than any weight issue ever has. (Dentist appt. on Monday)

6. My Liz now drives to work around the same time that I do, so we're able to talk most mornings. This has done WONDERS for my psyche.

7. Always makes me smile that My Mom and I are FRIENDS and I talk to her too on most morning drives to work (no worries, I use my ear piece). I remember a time when I was around 14 when I promised myself that I was not going to be a mean mom like mine and that I would raise my children differently. I'm sooo thankful that's not the case and that God saw fit to allow me to grow out of my foolishness. I've already noted several Mom techniques that I'm going to use on future lil minis.

8. Work is going tons better. God's working on me and the new head of my department and I'm not feeling near as hostile.
:-D

9. Today has been declared Peanut Butter and Jelly day at work, so with Strawberry preserve in hand, I'm soooo excited about noon. Doesn't it make you smile?!?! The thought of PB smooshed with jelly and a cold glass of Dairy Ease milk (hello, I'm finally respecting my lactose intolerance) with a side of Jalepeno chips. sigh. must be my inner child rejoicing... ;-)

10. Yesterday a little mini schnauzer ran up to me. I thought it was lost, but then it ran off. Well, it came back and I decided to go to a house across the street to see if it was their dog. It was, he thanked me, and the lil puppy dog went home wet (it was raining), but safe. So, most of you know that I've given up on my ploy to adopt an inside dog, being that KJ has "put his foot down" and said that any pet we have will stay outside. I've decided that now's not the time because we would love a pet differently (me like it's a human and him like it's an animal). Here's the smile moment, I've decided that after we have a lil mini or two then I'll get back to my mission. I'm thinking that it will be harder for him to say no to 2 or 3 sets of big brown eyes then it is to just my one. So smile... there may just be a puppy on the horizon yet. (Or, mom and dad, a home for Spence, since he's taken to running away lately... hummm....) ;-)

11. I almost forgot; iTunes has been doing some great Free Downloads for the past couple of weeks (check on Tuesdays) and I've been able to get some wonderful songs from artists that I've never even heard of. Gotta love expanding your musical boundaries!

Happy Wednesday ALL!

Hey... it's Monday!

Okay so there's about a million things that this post will touch on. That's just what I get for waiting so long between posts. Plus I'm feeling a little chatty today so I'll brief you on everything that's been going on. I'll back it up from today.

Monday: I can't believe that it's been 5 years since our country was attacked. 5 years. I read an article in People that kept up with some of the widows who gave birth to their children shortly after 9/11 and their stories are both heart retching and inspiring. If interested, you can read their stories here
I remember how important God was to everyone on that day. I hate that some feelings and lessons go numb after time, that everyone kind of forgets how important it is to help/love/be kind to random strangers. To show compassion. I think this day is a reminder.

Sunday: Finished watching all of Season 2 of Grey's Anatomy and did some freelance work. Was suppose to go to bed early, but I think saying that is a jinx in itself (why do the "simple" things take way longer than expected??!?!). It was an exhausting weekend so I was drained anyway, but oh well. The bright spot is that I'm all ready and rearing for Season 3 of Grey to start. I love that show! Anytime you can watch the same episode more than once and bawl like the first time you saw it... sigh, Denny oh Denny...sniffle... need I say more? New season starts next Thursday 9.21 at 8:00 cst. (Colleen, I'd tell you to watch and get hooked, the story line is awesome, but it is a show taking place in a hospital and occasionally they'll throw a beating heart inside an open chest cavity on the screen, and I know how you hate that... we'll just fill you in on all the good stuff. ;-) )

Saturday: Our original church (old church just sounds so finished... like we no longer see them from time to time, so I prefer original) before we moved further away and found a church family closer to home, hosted their first Ladies' Day program. It was a HUGE success. A talented sister wrote a 3 person skit and I was Miss Pauline, a free-spirited woman who was taking advantage of God's grace and mercy. Juanita really did a fantastic job with the play, she wrote and acted a part. Sabrina made her role look like she had been a snooty, prejudging, condescending woman all her life (and she's far from that). I on the other hand... well, let's just say acting will never be my day job. My southern drawl kept fading in and out, but I didn't forget any of my lines! They asked us to do an encore and unfortunately, the southern accent didn't redeem itself. ;-) Sorry, you will not be able to catch our performance on local stations or satellite cable, just know that I enjoyed myself immensely!

Friday: After play rehearsal, I thought it would be fun if KJ and I went over to the mall and had a "cheap date". I really wanted to play Skee Ball and Air Hockey and I'd been talking smack all day. Upon arriving at the arcade and getting $5 worth of tokens, I realized that we have the MOST bootleg arcade in the world! Everything was taped up with signs reading "Out of Order" and the games that weren't taped up, were wet from the leaking ceiling. KJ must have prayed hard to eliminate the humiliation I was ready to lay down. So we've vowed off all "mall" arcades and decided to only do Dave and Busters (which I've never been to, but hear about it's glory from random pep, so I'm up for it).

I guess that's about it for the weekend. How is it that time speeds up as soon as Friday evening hits? Weekends just go by so fast...

Now to go wayyyyy back.
Here are a few pics from our trip to Miami. If you know my Aunt, you know she's a wonderful hostess and she kept us busy. We never made it to her hot spot Mangoes, but we had a great time and were able to see Miami in all its rainy goodness!

One of Aunt Bettie's after work spots "the River"


Our traveling buddies, Rance and Shea


Me, not doing any of the jetty no-nos


Aunt Bettie and I in the water


Uncle Jim watching us "play" on the jetty


Shaq's House


My KJ tuning up to serenade me with sweet, sweet music. ;-) {no he does not play the guitar, but look at how studdly he is, I'm definitely a groupie!}



Hope you all are doing well and having a wonderful Monday!

I wasn't quick enough...

to post a new post, so I've been tagged by Tricey.

1. If you could build a house anywhere, where would it be? I'd have 2 homes (how greedy is that?) 1 in Alabama and 1 in Seattle, WA ( i know I'd love the constant chilled rainy days...)

2. What's your favorite article of clothing? I've got some terrycloth capri pants that I just may have to be buried in.

3. Favorite physical feature of the opposite sex? Hummm. Kj's got strong hands and a soothing voice. Love them both.

4. What's the last CD that you bought? I went crazy on iTunes. Last phase was the Red Hot Chili Peppers (I'm so random)

5. Where's your favorite place to be? Snuggling on the couch in comfy clothes.

6. Where is your least favorite place to be? The first 5 min of aerobics when my mind's telling me I'm not going to make it. ;-)

7. What's your favorite place to be massaged? Shoulders

8. Strong in mind or strong in body? I'd like to think both.

9. What time do you wake up in the morning? Depends. If I've got work to finish up, 4 but on average 6:07, 6:17. 6:27...gotta get those last 2 minutes

10. What is your favorite kitchen appliance? My electric chopper! Liz, that thing did wonders for my veggie pizza.

11. What makes you really angry? Rudeness

12. If you could play any instrument, what would it be? I've vowed to be able to play the piano by the time I have my first child...

13. Favorite color? This changes constantly, but I think brown is a consistent fav.

14. Which do you prefer...sports car or SUV? SUV, most sports cars are sticks and I can't drive them. Plus pep tend to hit me and I need as much metal framing around me as I can get. ;-)

15. Do you believe in an afterlife? Most definitely.

16. Favorite children's book? Super Fudge, or anything by Judy Blume. I remember loving the feeling of laughing out loud during quiet reading in class. ( I just couldn't help myself)

17. What is your favorite season? WINTER... think we'll get snow in FL this year???

18. What is your least favorite household chore? Folding clothes. I think it dries my hands out.

19. If you could have one super power, what would it be? I'd beam up people I wanted to see or talk to or beam myself to them. My power would be beaming... what a nice thought.

20. If you have a tattoo, what is it? Yep. An 18th bday gift from my dear Colein. My name in Japanese

21. Can you juggle? No more than one ball at a time, but I guess that's just called tossing...

22. The one person from your past that you wish you could go back and talk to? Humm... Sabrina Glenn. 4th grade best friend from when we lived overseas. I don't think I even got a chance to tell her bye.

23. What's your favorite day? Thursday, can't explain it... just love me some Thursday

24. What's in the trunk of your car? A gazillion juvenille products to donate to the church daycare back home.

25. Which do you prefer, sushi or hamburger? Sushi please. I'm on a health kick.

Happy Thursday all! And don't fret, I'll post pics from our Miami weekend next post. ;-)
Oh yeah-
Because Trice tagged almost all of my bloggin friends, I tag a new blog friend...Tasha! Sorry girl, there goes your days of lurking! ;-) I'm checking your blog daily.