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)