Mission Accomplished

This morning I decided to tell my supervisor about yesterday.  I told my supervisor very briefly about the conversation I had yesterday.  I said that I made the original request a year and a half ago and again a month or two ago.  That it had not been taken care of because a single person was in opposition.  I told him it boiled down to human decency and that I was going to purchase the garbage can for the stall and charge it to his budget. He said not to worry about it. 

When the individual who talked to me about the topic yesterday came to work, she proceeded to check in and discuss the topic with me all over again. This time I was a lot more firm, a lot more direct, and really used my stern tone of voice.  I explained most of what I wrote on here yesterday.  She argued that in previous positions she has worked in bathrooms that had small trash cans in the bathroom stalls that were filthy.  I suggested that this was a different employer and the staff here needed an opportunity to be responsible for their work environment, including the trash can in the bathroom.  I also explained I came from a different perspective since I have worked in several offices and traveled, and have never seen a filthy garbage can in a women's bathroom stall.  She said I was making accusations and using strong, emotional language.  I told her I was not making accusations, that I was simply stating my perspective on the manner.  I also said that if any other person were in her position that this task would have already been taken care of.  In fact I found out there were suppose to be mini trash receptacles in there, but when they built the building they just forgot to order them.  I think she got really upset when I told her I discussed the matter with my supervisor and he said he would take care of it.  I also told her I was done, could not waste any more time on the matter.  She said she was just trying to tell me she had not forgotten about the task, it was just taking longer because she had met opposition from one staff.  I reminded her I made the original request a year and a half ago. Strange, she had no rebuttal to that.  Another staff reminded me later that we actually have already discussed this at a staff meeting over a year ago!

We finished our conversation and I left for lunch.  Right before I left I heard her talking to my supervisor. She left to run an errand after their conversation.  When I came back from lunch I spied this in the bathroom:

When I walked back to put some food in the kitchen, she saw me and asked if I would take a walk with her. I told her I saw the garbage cans and said thanks for purchasing them.  I wasn't about to give her a gold star for just doing her job...18 months after I asked her to do it.  An hour later I went to leave for a doctor's appointment and she asked if I was leaving a happy girl.  I said, "Of course I am, I'm leaving work for the day."  She chuckled. What I really wanted to say was, "Of course, we don't have to discuss tampons and pads for another day."  The garbage can isn't that big of a deal, being manipulated and lied to (as I found out today) is offensive. Oh well, such is life.  I'm proud of myself for being direct and not just letting someone bully me.  I generally try to win more bees with honey, but I expect honey back.

In other news I saw the fertility doctor today.  He was great.  We left with a plan, a cost estimate, and a lot of information to digest. I really appreciate that he starts with low tech options and moves on from there.  After the appointment we went to dinner for our anniversary.  We had Brazilian food...amazing.  Tomorrow is our 3 year wedding anniversary.  I am so fortunate to have married the love of my life. 

Jason...after three years I am still nearly speechless when it comes to putting into words how crazy about you I am.  To this day, our vows ring true and I'm still crazy in love with you!!! Just like I said three years ago, I will say again...In the presence of God, our family and friends I Nacole, take you Jason to be my husband, my partner in life and my one true love. I will cherish our union and love you more each day than I did the day before. I will trust you and respect you, laugh with you and cry with you, loving you faithfully through good times and bad, regardless of the obstacles we may face together. I give you my hand, my heart, and my love, from this day forward for as long as we both shall live.

Not for the faint...

We are at year end at work.  This means by tomorrow I need to have all my loose ends tied up. All of my reports must be pulled off of websites, my data must be entered, and I need to have everything accounted for in my little world. As one might imagine this is actually a fairly busy time in my office.  For times such as these we have little signs we can flip. If it's on the butterfly side in my office, feel free to sit down, chat, bring in a cup of coffee and we'll solve the world problems.  If it's on the I'm a little stressed right now side, simply turn and walk out of my office or be quick with whatever it is you need to say. This is not intended to be rude, but it is intended to help with productivity. For the past two weeks mine has been flipped to the come back later side. Mostly to avoid one co-worker who frequents my office with matters that I find generally unproductive to discuss. 

*this is where you stop reading if you are faint...fair warning*

Today, she came in to update me on a request.  In the women's bathroom there is one garbage can. You walk in to find two stalls and in those stalls there are no mini garbage cans.  Now you can certainly guess why in the world I think we should have smaller garbage cans in each stall.  In case you can't, I will state the obvious.

1.  We have had a clogged toilet on several occasions. I believe it is when new volunteers or staff come and are uncomfortable to step outside of the stall and carry any garbage items to the large trash can by the door.
2. On various occasions I have noted red smears on top of the toilet paper dispenser. Enough said.
3. It's etiquette in America, isn't it?  To have a garbage can near the toilet for feminine hygiene products??

Now, despite the fact I am staring intently at my computer screen and am working very diligently on pulling reports, this individuals proceeds to tell me that my suggestion of garbage cans in the women's bathroom has come under heavy debate.  For real.  Apparently, another staff thinks that having small garbage cans would be uncleanly or filthy.  Originally, the debate was the fact our cleaning crew only comes twice a week to take out the garbage.  My rebuttal...why does it matter which garbage can is only cleaned twice a week?  We are simply saving women the embarrassment of walking out into the open with a used feminine hygiene product.  To be even more clear this staff supposedly thinks the small garbage cans would become "filthy".  I would like to interject that I'm not sure how the expect them to become more filthy than a regular garbage can...or for that mater, please read item number 2 above one more time. In addition, I asked how in the world they would become filthy, after all, we would have a liner in them, wouldn't we?  I was informed that sometimes liners don't work.  I realize I work at a non-profit and budgets are tight, but seriously...where in the world are we purchasing faulty garbage liners from?  I buy generic garbage liners at home and in my bathroom frequently use, gasp, grocery store bags.  Guess what, I have NEVER EVER had a problem with a faulty liner.  I think the person having this discussion with me is secretly the person who doesn't want it. I dared to say that they take a vote at the next freaking staff meeting and that I was confident all women of reproductive age would vote with me. Further more, don't even make me call HR about a sanitation issue.

Okay, that's my rant about work and feminine hygiene products...the whole thing makes me crazy. Probably because...

1. I actually have a lot of work to be doing and spending 20 minutes discussing mini garbage cans in the women's bathroom is not my job.
2. My sign is flipped, pay attention and respect the dang sign.
3. I am sure I could go to the dollar store and buy two mini garbage cans and non-faulty liners for a grand total of $3.06 (including local sales tax)...heck, I'll even comp the mileage.
4. This suggestion was submitted a year and a half ago.  For real..
5. I don't particularly care to discuss feminine hygiene in the workplace. It borders on offensive conversation.
6. A few individuals are bothered by the fact I lock the main bathroom door, when there are two stalls available.  Hmm, could it be I would like some privacy...especially if I know I need to blow my nose, dispose of garbage, or the fact we only have an average of five women here at a time.  Rarely, is there a line for the restroom.  Maybe if we had garbage cans, I would share the bathroom for the five total (if that) minutes I am in there. So there.

Okay, back to work. See how much work they lost out of me today?  If someone had just looked at the sign I would have been productive for the last 40 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pampered Chef bliss

I had my Pampered Chef party on Wednesday.  We did a salad bar and demonstrated the stoneware deep covered baker.   We baked a chicken in 30 minutes in the microwave in this amazing dish.  The chicken was perfectly moist and wonderfully delicious. I was so impressed by the fact the chicken cost me 97 cents and that something so inexpensive could taste so delicious! I usually buy the chicken breasts in the freezer section, but really believe I would be more open to buying a whole chicken if it were always so easy to cook.  My only hesitation was that the deep covered baker was like $69.  Pampered Chef has had such an overwhelming response that they have now made the baker available to only those who host a party.  However, I did a search on Ebay and found several listings.  Since I hosted a party, I was eligible to order one item at 50% off.  Can you guess what I chose? The deep covered baker. I am so excited for it to come!

In addition to this piece of stoneware, I already owned an oval baker that I got as a wedding shower gift. I have only used it once...that is until breakfast today. Since the stoneware seemed so solid, it was sort of intimidating. I didn't know how to clean it or what I was even suppose to cook in it.  Come to find out, all you need to do is use a scraper and hot water! The surface is virtually non-porous and needs to become seasoned.  When stoneware is well seasoned, it has a nice, even browning.  Most people keep their stoneware baking sheets or pizza stones in the oven at all times! One of the things I learned at my Pampered Chef party was that a quick way to start the seasoning process was by cooking bacon.  All you do is put the bacon in a single layer in the stoneware and bake it for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees in the oven! The bacon comes out wonderfully crunchy and you don't have to deal with any splattering! Even though we own an oval baker, I ordered a bar pan to keep in the oven. I can't wait to bake a pizza on it.  Supposedly, it is nearly impossible to burn food when using stoneware. Anyway, I am very excited!

I also purchased some smaller gadgets.  There was an egg slicer which I will be the first to admit, who really needs a gadget that slices eggs?  I call that a knife.  What I did not realize was that this egg slicer cut a variety of other soft foods like strawberries, olives, kiwi, mushrooms, etc. I realize a knife does the same thing, but this is very quick and efficient, not to mention safe! I love mushrooms and olives but don't like trying to cut such little items even smaller.  I also like that a can of whole olives is much less expensive than sliced ones.  The gadget cost $10 and I think it will be well worth it's weight in gold.  They also have a warranty on all of their tools, which leaves my confident.  I have owned the micro-cooker for quite 6 years and it has been incredibly durable and useful. 

Those are the three things I am MOST excited to start using. I also bought a large cutting board (it even has a trench all the way around it to collect juices when you are carving meat or juicy produce), a digital thermometer (my regular meat thermometer kicked the bucket the other day), and a can strainer.  The can strainer is under $5 and will be convenient because our electric can opener lifts the lid off the can with a heavy magnet. I always hate putting the lid back on and then fishing it back out of the can, trying not to cut myself in the process, and hoping my quick rinse under the sink got all of the contaminates off the lid.

Anyway, if you are looking for some fun, new tools to add to your kitchen there are a few ideas.  I especially appreciate how most of the tools have more than one use.  The deep covered baker had several recipes  that can be made in the microwave (like brownies!), in addition to the obvious use as a casserole dish! Oh, I also picked up some a new meausring spoon set and measuring cup that will greatly reduce both the amount of space I need in a cupboard and the number of dishes I have to do!  I really am a pampered chef! Come visit me and I will cook for you and use all my new toys!

One of my favorite holidays...

I love celebrating birthdays! Especially mine. Saturday started with me waking up earlier than usual.  I still get excited for my birthday, just like a little girl.  J asked if I wanted to open my gifts and I said I wanted to wait.  Little did I know, one of my gifts was in the living room.  I walked out to find a gorgeous blue bicycle! I also had several phone messages by this time and called my mom and sister in Minnesota.  While on the phone with my sister, I opened a necklace from her with a wonderful charm that says dream, a pearl, and a key! Next was a trip to the Scrapbook and Rubber Stamp Expo with a friend! I found a wide array of fabulous items.  Most stayed fabulous on their respective racks, but I did purchase a few things.  I found some stamps that were old ladies. They were so endearing! I can't wait to get busy and make some new cards! After the expo, I had lunch with my husband. 

We spent the afternoon opening more gifts.  I got a butterfly wall hanging I had pinning for over a year! I also got the Rapala fishing game for the Wii.  One of my aunts sent me a t-shirt and some fuzzy socks.  My mom gave me a party platter from Avon, a cute apron, a blue beaded bracelet, and some brown eyeshadow.  My sister also got me a star guide and the Melting Pot cookbook! I am so excited to make some new fondue recipes, especially since the fondue at the Melting Pot is incredible!!! I also opened a bunch of fun cards! We played the fishing game and went to dinner at a hibachi grill! We finished it all off with a trip to Cold Stone for ice cream!

I had such a nice day and just keep thinking I am so incredibly blessed to have such amazing people in my life!!! I love you all!

Made in the 80's Baby

I decided earlier this year that since I was celebrating my 25th birthday on August 28, I would go back to my roots.  I thought a theme party centered around the 80's would be a blast! Surprisingly, it was not as easy as I thought it would be.  I thought I could just run to the thrift store and buy numerous decorations, clothes, etc. in abundance.  While I did find a few things, nothing was really in abundance.  We found an 80's themed Trivial Pursuit and a hair crimper at the thrift store here.  Yes, this was the same one where we found the girl's photo.  While traveling for work I found another thrift store that was newly opened and came across a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Yahtzee game for 75 cents and a New Kids on the Block puzzle for 55 cents.  Everything else we had to make or find, which was a fun challenge.

Since the 80's are in style at Claires, I was able to find a headband and big flower for my hair.  I found some tights at WalMart, although I had originally hoped to find neon pink, I settled for white.  I also had some rubber bracelets from a work event two years ago that had an 80's theme.  While traveling I also found a t-shirt that was neon yellow, which Hanes called Safety Yellow or something.  In my closet I had an oversized t-shirt dress from Lane Bryant.  I cut the collar off of my neon t-shirt to give it more of a scoop neck and less of a t-shirt look. I layered it all together, painted my nails neon orange, put in some large, white, hoop earrings, and brought the 80's back!

We served pizza in honor of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and found some other decorations around town.  There were Care Bears to set out, neon balloons, Rubiks cubes and we put our 80's finds around the house.  I also bought a bunch of 80's candy and set it out in a couple of bowls.  We had Pop Rocks, Pixie Sticks, Ring Pops and more! We played Trivial Pursuit, Pictionary, Scattergories, and listened to some of the best 80's music.  We sure had a blast!  It will certainly go down in history as a memorable occasion. P.S. My date was dressed as McFly...isn't he handsome?

Love is...baking a bazillion cupcakes

One of my best friends is an amazing baker.  That doesn't even do her justice, beyond baking she is an artist who designs beautiful cakes!  Unfortunately for me she lives like five hours away.  So when I needed a cake for my birthday, it was going to be pretty tricky for her to get here...especially for a Friday party.  With all of her support and her encouraging words, we decided we might be able to make a cake. 

Now, I was not about to make my own cake, but Jason being so inspired by the show Ace of Cakes thought he could. We set out for Michael's.  Have you priced cake baking supplies lately? Like for a tiered cake with fondant? If you have ever wondered why cakes are sometimes expensive like I have, you suddenly become very appreciative when you see the cost of the supplies. When I say supplies I mean everything from the cake pans to fondant.  It is certainly an investment.  If you are just planning on making one fancy cake, you are probably much better off to hire a qualified baker or investing time in figuring out how to make your own fondant.  I imagine making your own fondant is quite difficult though.  Anyway, as we looked over the supplies and pondered how much to spend or what to do, I saw some cute cupcakes. 

In a neighboring town there is a cupcake bakery that is pretty good. They have fabulous flavors like peach cobbler and vanilla bean.  I also realized that at work we had tons of cupcake stands I could borrow.  We decided to do a few different flavors of cupcakes with different toppings.  I didn't want a plain cake with icing...if I did, I would've just had King Soopers make me one.  Besides, picking a few flavors of cupcakes and toppers would be fun! Immediately, I found some guitars and stars that reminded me of 80's rock. Remember, I said that my birthday party was going to be an 80's theme.  We also found some Transformer icing toppers that looked like they were the original logos. I knew I wanted a third topping so each flavor could have a different top.  We went all over town, but found nothing.  It struck me to make my own topper! We decided to purchase sugar cookie dough (really, there are only so many hours in a day) and cut it to look like Pac Man.   We also bought neon food coloring for our frosting and some black icing.  We planned to make cupcakes on Thursday night for my Friday birthday.  I had my Pampered Chef party on Wednesday night.  I looked at my planner and realized I had to travel out of town on Thursday night! This meant I either needed to order a cake or my dear, sweet, loving husband had to do a majority of the work on his own.

Since he was so inspired by Ace of Cakes to take on a cake, he thought he'd be able to bake the cupcakes.  I picked out the flavors, printed the recipes, and made a long list of ingredients.  He checked the pantry to see what we had in stock and what he needed to purchase.  While I was out of town on Thursday he baked chocolate mint cupcakes with a mint butter cream frosting, a banana cupcake with peanut butter butter cream frosting, and peach cobbler cupcakes with a brown sugar cream cheese frosting.  I came home to a lovely smelling house and an exhausted husband!   I helped him ice some of the cupcakes and made a fourth flavor on Friday afternoon.  I used the extra brown sugar cream cheese frosting to frost my red velvet cup cakes.  These were from a box mix, all the other cup cakes were made from scratch.

I think they turned out pretty good. Especially, since this was really the husbands first baking adventure. He did excellent!! See for yourself below...

Thrifty Treasure

This evening the hubby and I tried a new eatery in town.  It's not new to the area, it's actually been around for 36 years.  We had never been there. It looks like it will be a so-so place to eat on the outside and honestly inside, it was okay.  They had the place decorated in sort of Grecian decor. The menu has Greek food, burgers, salads, steaks, fish, etc.  Quite the spread! We started with dolmades. I had these for the very first time in Minnesota at my dear cousin Kyla's bachelorette party happenings. I really liked them and it has taken me almost 5 years to find some here! I have had some in other towns, but none within a few miles of our home. They were the best dolmades I have ever had! For dinner I had a spaghetti dish that was pretty good and J had a feta burger.  We finished with some amazing banana cream pie. The amazing part was the crust. I am usually not a crust person, but this was not too flaky, not too dense, just perfection.  After our dinner we went by the thrift store to find some goods for my 80's party.  We found an 80's Trivial Pursuit game and a crimper...well something that will work as a crimper anyway.  While these were some fun finds, the best find was a wall hanging.

Now imagine your all grown up. You move out of your parents house and you are in your shopping one day at a thrift store. You look up and see this wall hanging.  You take a second look and realize the image is an actual portrait! What if that was your portrait?  I am thankful the portrait was not of me, but I feel terrible for whomever decided it was okay to send a picture of their child to the thrift store! Sure, there are a dozen explanations, but still...I am ever amazed that someone has their picture hanging for sale in a thrift store.

It's HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERE!!!

Today I stalked my UPS tracking number online. That is until it said, "delivered".  I knew that sitting at home on my front porch was my new tool...the Bodybugg! I am now patiently...okay, maybe not so patiently, waiting for the battery to charge! The Bodybugg monitors your temperature, sweat, steps, etc. to calculate your calorie burn.  I am incredibly excited to use it!

I also got a package in the mail on Tuesday from my sister! My birthday gift came and I am so curious what it is, but have safely tucked it away for another week! I love getting mail and packages. My mom sent me a card this week too!

On Tuesday I got another sort of special delivery. My youngest sister's airplane was delayed at the nearby airport for a full day! I was able to meet up with her and go shopping for a couple hours. It was so very nice to see her.  I also talked to every single one of my immediate family members on Tuesday, I thought that was quite a blessing.

This week at work we finalized event assignments for the upcoming year. My load got a little lighter which is really nice. My drive time also got shorter. My longest drive now is just an hour and a half. My closest drive is 45 minutes. I am hopeful that a lighter event load will really help me go through this year.  We also got a gift card at the staff meeting from one of the executives, I was really impressed! It was a personal gift (we can't buy and give gift cards for IRS reasons) to all the staff!!! In addition, my supervisor gave his team gift bags with drink mix and a margarita glass inside! Between those gifts and my packages this week, I feel like quite a princess!

We're going loco...loco moco

When we visit Hawaii, I MUST have one of my all time favorite dishes, loco moco.  We usually go to this place that use to be called Tex's, but now is Pahala Town Cafe.  They serve white steamed rice under a patty of ground beef or spam steak, a sunny side up egg, and ladels of brown gravy.  I think it is the ultimate comfort food.  It reminds me of the beach, the sun, my dad, and even Montana.  Growing up our school would occasionaly serve rice with ground beef and gravy.  For the past several years I have meant to make this dish at home, but it never seems to work out for breakfast. I finally, put it on our menu for dinner.  We steamed the rice, cooked our eggs, mixed up some gravy from a packet, and used the George Foreman to grill some hamburger patties.  It was delicious! I am not sure why I don't put yummy comfort food on my menu all the time! I should start thinking of some old favorites to bring back out, like tater tot casserole. Any ideas? What are your favorite comfort foods?

From the farmers market to our table...

I would love to watch a cooking show that shopped only at farmer's markets! I guess it'd be pretty seasonal in some areas on what they could make, but they could include tips for shopping at markets.  For example, our market had tons of produce this week.  I saw blueberries for a dollar, which was an outstanding deal.  I walked over and noticed they looked like someone had purchased them from the store and was reselling them.  I believe Alton Brown had pointed out on one of his shows that people would do this and to watch for it. Sure enough, I asked the lady about them and she didn't even know where they were from! The guy helping her started to read the container to me to figure it out! I tried to politely bow out from their booth. As I was moving away the lady said, "they are organic!" I'm not sure how she knew that, because organic was not anywhere on the container.  The best part was that she didn't say the word like most people I know, instead she said, "organ-ick". She was a cute old lady. Do you have any tips for farmer's markets? Do you go to any?

As soon as we got there the aroma of green chili being roasted filled our car.  We walked past, did our normal loop through the small market, and started our final loop to make purchases.  We found these cool fishing lures made out of bottle caps.  We bought one, then I saw a cute gift for a friend at the same booth.  I love buying off the beaten path treasures! Finally, we purchased our mild green chili peppers. They roasted them for us right there.  We plopped them in the fridge over night and went fishing the rest of the day. (I caught my biggest fish of the year, a great, big sucker!)

Today I decided to make my own Colorado green chili! Here is the recipe and the results...

2.5 pounds roasted green chili peppers
20 oz. chicken stock
1 Walla Walla sweet onion, diced
2 tsp. garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 C. flour
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1 1/3 pound chopped pork
2 limes
1 10 oz. jar tomatillo salsa
2 large tomatoes, diced
1 C. V8 or vegetable blend tomato juice

Pour the olive oil in to the bottom of a large pot. Add diced onion and salt, stir.  Let the onion sweat a little, then add garlic, stir.  When onion is starting to soften, add pork.  Add pepper.  Pork will turn white on all sides, add flour and stir.  Let pork brown a little more.  Add chicken stock and stir.  Add jar of salsa, green chili, tomatoes, and vegetable juice. Stir and add in juice from the two limes.  Bring entire mixture to a simmer.  Turn heat off and use a ladle to take out about half of the mixture, omitting any pork.  Carefully, put chunky mixture into the food processor to puree.  Pour pureed mixture back into pot and stir all together.  Makes 8 generous portions.

Now, when we tasted our green chili it was very spicy! Even though we bought mild peppers, it turned out very hot.  We steamed some white rice and made a base in our bowl to pour the green chili over. We scooped our chili on and added some finely shredded colby jack cheese and a dollop of sour cream.  It was delicious!!

The butterflies and the bees...

Friday afternoon I walked out back to our garden to admire all the new growth. I was delighted to see butterflies and bees fluttering from flower to flower.  I was even so lucky as to get a few decent photos.  I decided to share, because they bring such a warm feeling to my heart! Anyway, enjoy!

Have you seen the tooth fairy?

So, I had my wisdom teeth removed yesterday. I only had two, which was interesting...until I talked to my Grandma Lu. She had zero. I am guessing somewhere in my genes I inherited a lack of wisdom teeth on the bottom from her. Anyway, they were only partially impacted and surgery took like 20-30 minutes.  It was fast and I haven't really been swollen.  I used ice packs yesterday and took some two pain pills, but today I haven't needed any of that.  My jaw is sore, I can't yawn, and my cheeks hurt to smile, but those are minimal in pain compared to my gall bladder removal and cyst removal! This really has been a piece of cake in comparison. However, the tooth fairy still has not come to visit! I am hoping they read my blog and remember.

My friend Tricia was in town this week too!!! She was only going to be here like a day and a half, but her car broke down.  Usually, I'd be sad her car broke down, but it was the company car and they knew it didn't run well when they sent her on a 5 hour road trip! Anyway, it meant we got to spend lots more time together! Yay!!!! We made cards, went out to eat, watched TV, and did some wedding planning! We even went to David's Bridal and I tried on dresses. We found one that I loved and she loved it too. I hope the other bridesmaids are just as in love!  I felt all dressed up and cute like a cupcake. We had so much fun and we both agreed it was God's way of letting us spend more time together!!!

Last night I felt well enough to go out for a movie. We watched Dinner for Schmucks. Hilarious.  I suppose it's hilarious if you have a similar sense of humor to me, but I laughed through the whole movie.  I think Steve Carell is such a good actor and his characters are always so doofy. I suppose there were some strange parts to the movie, but I laughed through those too.  Now I am just waiting until October 26 or 28 or something when Sex and the City 2 comes out on DVD. I missed seeing it in the theater. That will be right after our cruise too.

Speaking of our cruise and wanting to be an even cuter Bahama mama...I am considering a major purchase.  Have any of you heard of the BodyBugg?  It's a tool to track your calorie expenditure.  It's about $200.  I sold the hubby's car and took a little bit of commission.  I was thinking of using my "commission" to purchase this item.  I also bought some new work out videos I am excited to try.  I need to wait a couple days though, because I can't bend over right now, it hurts my jaw. I think it must be the pressure of blood flowing to my head or something? Anyway, I was just curious if anyone has used this product, read the reviews, etc?  I don't think I have ever purchased an item for $200 for me...just me. That's sort of intimidating! Thoughts?

Also, since it is coming up to my birthday, I have thought about a new year's resolution.  I currently have one resolution that I am doing pretty well on.  That resolution was to not buy any more scrapbooking or card making paper. I have so much that I need to use!! I have done really good with this, even though it has been challenging.  I even bought an organizer for my scraps today! Yay! I am thinking my next resolution will be to spend a certain amount of time on me per week or even daily. Perhaps I could do some yoga, deep breathing, etc.  I think if I schedule it in, literally, that would really help me.  I may need a star chart to mark my progress! I am still tossing this around, like how much time it will be and how I will make sure I take the time.

To back up even further, we had a luau last weekend. It was a lot of fun. We made Kahlua pork, mac salad, steamed cabbage, pineapple upside down cake, teriyaki beef kabobs, had fresh papaya and pineapple, sweet bread from Naalehu Bakery (the southern most bakery in the United States), steamed rice, Hawaiian punch, and other treats! It was wonderful! I also got to use my fire pit for s'mores.  I love having people over for fun dinners!!!

Speaking of having people over...if you are in the area on August 27, I am having a Made in the 80's party! I haven't figured out what I am wearing yet, but I think I may need to take a trip to the second hand store. Surely, I will find some good outfits there!  I have also been rounding up food and menus that were popular in the 80's.  For example, did you know Olive Garden came to us in the 80's?  I may just have their catering or attempt some of the copy cat recipes for their food. 

A few days earlier is a Pampered Chef party. If you need anything Pampered Chef, let me know and I will make sure you can order off the website.  They have great products and the demonstrator is someone we know through the hubby's softball team. 

Oh, and I think I have decided to officially go back to school in May. Thanks for all of your support and encouragement. It REALLY helped me make my decision!!!! I looked at the requirements and was happy to see I wouldn't have to take the GRE, my GPA from my graduate degree I'm working on now and my last credits at UNC were high enough! Yay! Now, I have until December 1 to apply. They look at all the applicants at that point.  I am not sure when you hear a decision, but I am looking forward to it!  Thanks again everyone!!!

Catch of the day...

This weekend I staffed my last event of the season. It went really well!  I came home this morning, unpacked, and around 1:00 laid down for a nap.  I had gotten 2 hours of sleep, so that was nice.  I crashed for a few hours and then went fishing with the hubby!  He had been so patient and wanted to go fishing together really bad. We drove out north of town to a fishing hole he found on Saturday.  We had so much fun! There were a couple times that there would be a fish on the line as soon as we could cast out or one time I went to reel in and cast out, only to find a fish! The real catch of the day came when I saw my bobber dip and get drug under. I thought for a minute, "I have a big fish on my line!"  When I reeled in, I found this gem on my line!  Unfortunately, the master angler program didn't have an award for catching a crawdad. So, we did a catch and release.