Thursday, April 01, 2010

OMG I'M PREGNANT!!!

Oh, how I love April Fools' Day. At least when others are the recipient. The old "I'm pregnant" was always my favorite fool. Considering I have no baby-making parts left in my body this joke has probably run it's course. Still, it makes for an eye-grabbing title, don't you think?

We finally have some beautiful spring weather. After the winter we had, this warm, sunny weather is most welcome. I can't wait to get out in it today, even if it's just walking Sookie around the block. The big block, of course.

We're enjoying the visit with my folks. The kids are typical teenagers so they're not always around. In fact I think we've only had one dinner with both kids in the last week. That was the night Todd and I were going to take my parents to Fellini's - the Italian restaurant where the waiters and waitresses sing opera. The kids had band practice so they weren't able to go with us. But the weather turned out kind of bad and we decided just to stay home and have Italian here. That way the kids could eat with us. The only problem with this plan, though, was that I wouldn't get the cannoli I'd been thinking about for days. Band practice got cancelled so Katie and I drove down to the Collegeville Diner and picked up all manner of gooey confections, including my cannoli. So far it's been my favorite night of the whole week. Is that because I got cannoli or because both kids were here? You decide.

And that's all I've got. I'm off to enjoy our weather!

Labels: family, food, holidays

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Wednesday, February 10, 2010

A Day in the Life of a Snowed In Family

We may not have been in a real blizzard Saturday, but we are today. It's absolutely beautiful outside - operative word being "outside". As in I'm inside and warm and comfy and I don't have to go outside at all today so I'll enjoy the view.

While at wine club Friday night we were talking about "The French Toast People". You know, the people who run to the store and buy up the eggs, milk and bread before a big storm hits. Which sounded really good to all of us. Sadly, I only had wheat bread and you just can't make good french toast with wheat bread. Ewww. It doesn't even bear thinking on. Monday I had to go to the store and I decided to grab a package of big, fluffy Texas toast bread for this morning. Oh. My. Goodness. It was the best French toast I've ever had. Ever. In my whole entire life. Sorry Mom. Your French toast was always yummy, but this was a new recipe I found with the teensiest bit of flour and it was simply exquisite. The sliced bananas, powdered sugar and whipped cream on top didn't hurt anything either.

Sookie was happily romping on the snow covered deck while Katie and I enjoyed our delicious breakfast. If I hadn't been so enamoured with my nummies I would have tried to get some cute pictures. She was trying to catch the snow as it fell, diving into the drifts and having a grand time when all of a sudden she started her vicious there's-a-very-threatening-monster-in-my-yard bark. Her hackles were raised - and the girl has huge hackles - and a very large chocolate lab ran up on our deck. Sookie yelped and growled and barked and jumped off the deck with the lab right on her heals and me yelling at her to get in the house. If you're standing at the door you can't see down to the bottom of the deck steps so I had no idea what was going on down there. I was in my slippers and as I was debating whether or not I should tromp through a couple feet of piled snow Sookie came hauling up the stairs (she's uber fast) and ran in the house. I just managed to get the sliding glass door closed before the lab practically slammed into it. Sookie was quite agitated, barking, whining, whining, barking and the owner of the lab finally managed to get her off our deck and back home. It was much too much excitement for what was supposed to be a totally lazy day!

Todd and Taylor watched a Bruce Lee, Jet Li or some such martial arts movie in the basement while Katie and I watched Meet Me In St. Louis and I got caught up on some work work. It was delightful. Of course, we couldn't start the movie until Sookie finally calmed down which seemed to take a good 30 minutes or so.

And dinner tonight? Cheesy Corn Chowder and sourdough bread. That stuff is plum larapin! OH! That reminds me, I need to get the stew meat out of the freezer for tomorrow's dinner. Because nothing says "Yea! It's another snow day!" like a rich, meaty stew. And guess what I'm making for breakfast in the morning. Yup! French toast. I can hardly wait!

That's right. It snowed for nearly 30 hours straight and we got a good 20 inches on top of what we already had from Saturday. The school called this evening and said one more snow day which makes for a very long weekend because the kids were already off for Friday and Monday.

Finally, I told my mom I'd be posting pictures of this new snow today. As you can see there are no pictures. Hopefully I'll be able to post some tomorrow, though I think it's going to take all four of us to make even a dent with the necessary shoveling. Maybe they can shovel and I'll be the photodocumentarian. Brilliant!

Labels: food, weather

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Thursday, October 08, 2009

It's Been A Jenster Week

THE EVOLUTION OF CAKE

Tuesday night was the first get together of the school year for my student small group. Katie and I decided we'd bake a celebratory cake for the occasion, but not just any cake. No. We decided to get a little wild and crazy so we baked one vanilla cake in two rounds and one chocolate cake in two rounds on Monday evening. Katie crumb sealed them with butter cream and we put them in the refrigerator to set.

Tuesday she put a regular layer of the butter cream on three of the layers and made a raspberry filling. We then stacked them vanilla, chocolate, vanilla and chocolate.



Four layers may have been a bit much because the cake started slipping and sliding and looked more like the Leaning Tower of Pisa so we had to brace it with chopsticks.



And then we frosted it. Or attempted to frost it.



It kept getting uglier and uglier.



Until it finally looked like something out of a Dr. Seuss book. Or a horror movie.



THE EXTINCTION OF CAKE

Just like it's true you can't judge a book by its cover, neither can you judge a cake by its frosting.






The fact that the ugly behemoth is nearly gone is testament to a delicious confection!

Todd was out of town so Taylor ran to the store for vanilla ice cream to accompany the cake while the girls and I did our thing. I thought to myself how great it was that I could give him a little cash and send him on his way to run this errand for me.

Until the next morning when I went to get in the car and it was wet inside. He left the sunroof open all night and it had rained.

Labels: food

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Saturday, August 29, 2009

Girls' Day Out

Katie starts school on Monday so today we had a Girls' Day Out. What a great day it was!

First were Sunflower Spa Pedicures which were divine. We sat in massage chairs with heated pillows around our necks. Our feet received a sunflower scrub followed by a green tea mask and then wrapped in hot towels. While all that was going on we were each given a bowl of vanilla bean ice cream sprinkled with chocolate candy covered sunflower seeds. Is there any better way to start a day (after coffee, of course) than with dessert? I think not.

When the polish was dry (or mostly dry, anyway) we drove across the parking lot (because the polish wasn't completely dry) to a delicious restaurant and sat outside on the patio. We shared the most amazing tomato basil bruschetta - something we had decided on a couple of days ago. I had the French Onion Soup with about a half an inch of Gruyere on top and Katie had some sort of wrap -- not exactly sure because I was too busy enjoying my soup.

Once the check was paid we headed for the movies, but we just missed the 2:10 showing so we walked around Target for a while. Big mistake. Huge. We only needed two things. Two. We walked out with twenty or so. Hair products, toothpaste, and necessities like books, clothes, candy. Funny how you remember all the things you need when they're right in front of you. We finally realized we had to go or we were going to miss the 3:50 showing because these things we couldn't live without kept popping up.

Todd and Taylor had a Boys' Day Out very similar to ours, except no pedicure. At least that's what they said. Hold on a second...

...I was going to look at Todd's toes to make sure they hadn't been "handled" and I'm still not sure because Todd has tennis shoes on. Kind of odd if you ask me. He usually always wears flip flops in the summer. I'll have to get back to you on this one.

But I digress. The boys went to lunch (not nearly as delicious as ours, I'm sure) and then they went to the same theater to see Inglorious Basterds (which I can say without being accused of cussing because "basterds" is spelled wrong). So Katie and I parked in the same row and left a note on Todd's truck (which reminds me of another post I'm going to have to write). Then we went in and got our scrumptuals, but we had to sit on a bench outside the theater because they were still cleaning it. The benches were right next to the theater that Todd and Taylor were in. Can you guess what I did?

Nope. I wanted to. Really bad I wanted to go in, stand at the bottom and look for the boys and then wave at them. But seeing as how I AM an adult, and a responsible one at that, I refrained. Finally we were allowed in our theater and we found the perfect seats. Not too far up; not too far down; right in the middle. Perfect.

We saw Julie and Julia. Have you seen it? It was delightful. I can't think of a better word to describe it. Just delightful. If you love to eat you should see it. If you love to cook you should see it. If you love to write or if you blog, you should see it. If you're a woman or a female of some type, you should see it. If you're a guy you should see it (it's not a chick flick, just so you know). If you've ever been to Paris you should see it. If you want to go to Paris you should see it. Heck, if you have a pulse you should see it! It's just a good movie. It's just... just... delightful.

Of course part of my fanaticism could be that Todd, Taylor and I watched Defiance last night and today's movie was a complete change. Defiance is a very good movie, too, but very difficult in some spots to watch. Today's movie? Well you already know. Delightful. It was the perfect ending to a perfect day.

Labels: food, fun, movies

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Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Whidbey Island: A Photographic Tour - Island Living - Friday

Following our adventurous morning on the beach we all kicked back at the house for a while - napping, reading, whatever - and then prepared to go into town.

I think we clean up purty good.



Gretchen drove us to the quaint town of Langley. We made dinner reservations and then explored up one side of the street and down the other.


Aren't these Monopoly streets?




















This bell is to be wrung when a whale has been sighted.























Finally it was time to hasten to The Edgecliff for dinner.

Fresh cut flowers on the table.









Mussels and clams in garlic butter sauce. I actually ate a mussel. Or maybe a clam. Not sure. They pretty much look the same to me when they're nekkid.


I thought the salad was colorful and pretty. After that they brought the real food and I lost all thought for anything other than the culinary delights awaiting me so no more dinner pictures. Sorry.




Then it was back to the house for endless talking and laughing with a little bit of sniffling thrown in for good measure and a big bowl of Kellie Krack - my newest obsession. Hot, buttery popcorn with peanut M&Ms tossed in. I don't even want to know how many Weight Watcher's points we're talking about!

Next up -- a farmer's market, another charming village and a lavender farm.

Labels: food, friends, photography, vacation

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Friday, January 02, 2009

Continuing...

I'm going to see if I can knock out the rest of the holiday saga. Here we go...

* Taylor has continued on with his yearly Christmas tradition of being sick on Christmas. Poor baby.

I am not kidding. Every stinkin' year he has a head cold or a sinus infection or bronchitis or something. One year we were doing family pictures with a professional photographer and he was miserable. We pumped him up with Tylenol and managed the session in the fever-free, half-way okay window. Another year he sat alone at a little table in the entryway of the in-law's house which was close to, but not actually at the big table because he was sick and nobody wanted that Christmas gift. This year he laid on the couch in view of the rest of us at the dinner table. It's so sad. But he takes it in such stride and never complains.

* The food has been phenomenal.

Chicken piccata, homemade tacos, breakfast casserole, hashbrown casserole, donuts, cakes, coffee, bagels, authentic shepherd's pie - and that's all I can remember at the moment.

* We're up to 14 people (counting the twins) in two condos and there's always something going on. Katie has shown her competitive side which makes me think of a story. Sorry. You'll have to wait for the story.

There are times when Katie does something that is so me I have to laugh. Playing games is no different. She learned how to play Mexican Train (dominoes) and Triominoes with Aunt Joanne, cousin Stacy and Stacy's boyfriend, Niall. Since she's 14 they took it a little easy on her. Until they realized that she learned quickly, plays dirty and takes no prisoners. Kind of like when I was about her age and my parents went out of town, leaving me with my cousins Ron & Barb for the weekend. They taught me how to play Hate Your Neighbor - UNO before there was UNO. I caught on fairly fast and played with a vengeance. Their friend, a priest, came over to play and he kept saying he was going to grab his exorcism kit from the car because I was clearly evil. MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA (I say while fiendishly rubbing my hands together)

Am I proud that my genteel daughter has a vicious game playing streak? You betcha!!

* The temps have been in the 50's and everybody thinks it's freezing, meanwhile the boys in my family are walking around in shorts and t-shirts.

I love the desert. I really do. I forget just how much until I find myself in the Southwest or Palm Springs. One of the things I love is the winter weather. Mild and sunny during the day and crisp and cool at night. Perfect!

* I shall be forever grateful that Taylor brought his computer, otherwise I might be rolled up in the fetal position in the corner shaking uncontrollably. But don't tell him I said that. I gotta keep it cool around him.

This one needs no explanation.

* Grandpa made a total funny about books. I'll tell you about it later.

Grandpa noticed Katie's big book and she told him she reads a lot. He said he's been reading a lot of books lately, too. On tape.

* People who live in golf resorts don't look kindly upon golf cart races. Just sayin'.

This was a little misleading as no actual races took place. Taylor wanted to pull a Mario Andretti around the resort, but the cart will only go so fast. He would try to catch up to people, but it never happened.

He did nearly throw me out the windshield by stomping on the break and gave me whiplash by stomping on the accelerator. I didn't find the humor in either. At all.

* Todd's back. Just a little teaser. More on that after the holidays.

Some of you may recall Todd used to have a blog called Jenni and Me. He started it on August 24, 2007 and ended it on September 11, 2007. He saw it as his chance to show people a different perspective than mine. Totally unnecessary as evidenced by the very short run. But for some reason he's felt the need to start it back up. Probably because I don't talk enough about Sookie. Whatever. As long as he keeps his stories to puppy antics we'll get along just fine.

Labels: attitude, blog, family, food, fun, holidays, reading, vacation

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Thursday, December 11, 2008

Here's What's Going On

The first week of my new job has gone pretty well. I have so much to learn, but once I can work for more than 15 minutes without having to ask a question it's going to be great. For all concerned.

Yesterday I spoke for a MOPS group in Bechtelsville (how fun is that to say?). I tried to get a good night's sleep because the bags under my eyes scream TIRED at the slightest bit of fatigue. Sookie had other ideas, though. Todd was out of town and she decided to start barking about 4:00 in the morning. If you will recall - I am NOT a morning person. Thankfully she went outside to do her thing, came right back in, went in her crate and that was it. But then I had a hard time getting back to sleep because I kept waiting for her to start barking again. Anyway, I did get a tad bit more sleep and the adrenaline coursing through my veins before I spoke went a long way in keeping me focused. They were a great bunch of ladies and they gifted me with a poinsettia and a Wawa gift card with a note saying I can use it for either gas or coffee (which is kind of the same thing). They also provided a delicious breakfast! Now I'm really looking forward to my next speaking gig!

Speaking of food (which I kind of was, but not really) Katie has some mad baking skillz. She seriously makes the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever had - a talent she learned from her Oma (my mom). She needs to stop. My derriere is getting larger and larger and I don't think the church would like it if I showed up to work in either jammies or old sweats. And the way I'm going that's all I'm going to have left.

Oy. I feel another post coming on. A whiney post. Sorry. It's going to happen. Just consider yourselves forewarned.

Our weather has been mad crizazy!! Sunday and Monday were bitterly cold. Bitter! The kind of cold that just whips right through clothes and skin and settles into the bones. Yesterday we nearly got up to 60! Now today we won't make it to 40 and tomorrow morning we may even get snow. What the heck is up with that???

Last, but most definitely not anywhere near least, I have a message for my mom.

Labels: birthdays, food, job, speaking, weather, weight management

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Friday, November 28, 2008

Sometimes There Are No Words...



Pecan Pie, Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Meringue Pie

Labels: food, photography

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Saturday, October 11, 2008

Where Do I Begin??

There's just so much to tell that I'm not sure how to go about it. So I think I'll just do a bit of a timeline.

Wednesday PM

I pick up Sing 4 Joy and God's Guitar Girl from the Philadelphia airport, arriving at my house some time between 10:00 and 10:30. GGG has a migraine so she hits the sack while S4J stays up to restring her 12 string guitar. I hang out with her for a while, but by 1:30 I have to go to bed. I totally forget to give her a blanket and she freezes. Lucky for me, she doesn't hold it against me.

Thursday AM

We get up, eat a little breakfast and get ready to go into the city. I turn on the TV to check the traffic report. The weather grid has a Star of David next to a P on Thursday and no Star of David, but a P on Friday. Here's the conversation:

GGG: What's up with the Ps and the Star of David?

Me: That's the Phillies P. Thursday night the Jewish Phillies are playing and Friday is the Gentile Phillies.

Not funny? Well it was when it happened.

While waiting for everyone else, S4J decides to tune her guitar and play a few songs. Did you know she sounds like what you would imagine an angel to sound like? Seriously. She has this beautiful soprano, crystal clear voice. And then GGG comes down stairs and starts harmonizing with S4J and it's amazing.

Oh. I forgot to mention the kids are out of school. We stop to pick up Kristen, Taylor's girlfriend, and then make a quick pass through Valley Forge before heading into Philadelphia. The kids and I already have plans to go to the Franklin Institute to see the Pirates Exhibit (totally the bomb) and S4J and GGG want to touch the Liberty Bell and eat a cheesesteak. So I drive them to the Independence Hall Visitor Center, pull over and kick let them out.

Thursday PM-ish

The kids and I go on to the museum and have a great time there. Meanwhile, my friends from Hawaii drive to the city from New Brunswick and I periodically talk to Stephanie on the phone trying to figure out when we can meet up. Meeting up doesn't work out and the kids and I eat at a delicious hole in the wall across from the museum. We then drive back to our house.

At this same time S4J and GGG have touched the Liberty Bell, run through the Independence Hall tour and eaten the required Philly Cheesesteak, and are now on a SEPTA train headed to the airport. They meet up with His Girl and the two other Chicas, Liswilla and Junus. All five of them deal with Attila the Car Rental Clerk and finally head for The Cheesecake Factory at King of Prussia in their white minivan.

Thursday PMer

Taylor and Kristen and I leave for KOP with GGG and S4J's stuff. I drop them off at one entrance and then park in the deck across from the Cheesecake Factory. Soon a white minivan full of crazy Chicas shows up, we transfer the luggage and guitars and head in for a delicious dinner. While we're waiting for our food Stephanie and her family come to KOP and I leave the party for a few minutes to talk with them outside the restaurant. They're going to browse the mall and we decide to meet up after dinner. While I'm away the Chicas play with my camera and take all manner of photos which will be shown on this very blog in the near future.

We eat, we laugh, we chat, we just generally have a great time. Afterwards the Chicas are anxious to get to their house in Amish country and rest up after a hard day of traveling. I locate Stephanie's family and get to visit with them for another 30 minutes or so. I find Taylor and Kristen and we leave for home, dropping Kristen off on the way.

Friday AM

I'm not feeling so hot. Maybe too much food the night before? Most likey. I've also probably lost whatever weight I gained eating said food.

Friday PM

My morning ailment has passed. I drive to the Chica's Amish basecamp for dinner, a devo and a little praise and worship. OH, and a whole lotta laughing! It is so much fun AND reviving at the same time. These girls are wicked funny.

Friday Way-PM

I leave the house at 11:15 and drive through an abandoned Lancaster which was totally creepy in a Children of the Corn kind of way. So I sang my Jesus music with the iPod at the top of my lungs. I make it home to see Todd for the first time since the previous Sunday when he left on a business trip.

Saturday

Nothing exciting whatsoever to write home about. It was just nice to hang out with Todd.

Sunday AM

Todd and Taylor go to first service and Todd writes mean things about me, calling me a heathen and all, on the attendance card. I attend the second service and work the third, dispelling any hint of heathenism with the gracious giving of my time.

Sunday PM

I drive to Lititz to catch up with the Chicas and find them at an ice cream parlor. I lamely park my car, as usual, and jump in their van. We drive over to the General Sutter Inn on Main Street for dinner. S4J will be posting food pictures at some point on her blog.

After dinner we head to Calvary Chapel Lancaster for their evening service. Turns out it's a very small congregation and they don't have services on Sunday evenings. Instead a group meets for a chapter by chapter study of the Bible. Not at all what we are looking for. But the people are so gracious and they move from the small table to the meeting room next door. The pastor encourages S4J and GGG to grab their guitars from the van and we have an impromptu worship service before delving into a few of the Psalms. What an incredible blessing it turns out to be.

Sadly, I have to say goodbye to the Chicas until the next time I might get to hang out with them.

Monday AM

My take on the Chicas. S4J, His Girl and GGG are EXACTLY the way they seem in their blogs. Funny, gracious, kind-hearted, serious about their faith - all you have to do is read their blogs and you know them. Liswilla and Junus don't have blogs, but it's obvious why they're friends with these women. Sweet, fun, great sense of humor... just a few ways to describe both of them and I'm so glad I got to meet them.

I'm finally finishing this post. I know I'm leaving out so very much, but I'll post more as it all comes to me. I just had to get this up with my spin before the rest of the Chicas get home to their computers and tell their side of the story!!

Labels: food, friends, fun, God, joy, laughter, touristy, weekend plans, worship

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Thursday, October 02, 2008

Thursday Thoughts

I finally gave in yesterday and bought myself a new pair of walking shoes. My old tennies had broken down and not good for the walking I've been trying to do. I tried on several pairs and ended up with a pair of Avia walkers. I usually love New Balance, but my heels slipped in every single pair. I've had Avias before, too, and liked them. So I put my new shoes on this morning and guess what. My heels are still slipping!!! Doesn't it just figure that the one skinny part on my body is going to make getting the rest of my body skinny more difficult.

While at the shoe store - Famous Footwear, to be exact - I spied about a bajillion pairs of shoes I love. Good thing for my budget only my tennis shoes go with my various sweats and athletic pants. Of course, there are my jeans...

***

Speaking of jeans and sweats and shoes and such, Katie and I are going to NYC in a couple weeks to see Wicked. Guess where we're staying. Go ahead. Guess.

Give up??

Only the Waldorf Stinkin' Astoria!!



Which means I need to buy some clothes before we go because they do have a dress code. Oh, the price we have to pay for living like the other half. Gotta love those Hilton points, though!

***


Sookie has been reminding me of some of the reasons I didn't want a dog. Lucky for her she's so incredibly cute. Todd's coming home from a business trip this afternoon and I can't wait. I'm not sure if it's because I miss him or if it's because HE can deal with the dog then. Probably a little bit of both.


***

My friend, Kris, is turning 40 tomorrow. I think that's very sporting of her because it means a girls' night out at The Cheesecake Factory tonight where we'll all complain about our weight over a big bowl of pasta and a giant piece of cheesecake. It just doesn't get much better. Except for maybe going to see Wicked in New York City and staying at the Waldorf. But the jury's still out.

***

Remember a few weeks ago I told you we had the kids from the youth group tech team over for burgers? I forgot to tell you that as Todd was putting the burgers on the grill we ran out of propane. So we improvised:



Gotta love the Foreman Grill!!

***



It's brisk and very windy out today, but the sky is a beautiful blue with white fluffy clouds.


I think it's really, really fall, now!










I'm all thunk out now.

Labels: food, friends, fun, random, shopping, Sookie, touristy, weather

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Sunday, August 31, 2008

Plum Larapin, Y'all!!

The menu for last night's "Southern" Wine Club at our house:

Various cheese and crackers

Hot Creole Crab Dip and sourdough baguette slices

Fried Green Tomatoes on Creole Sauce and melted mozzarella on top

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo on Rice

Peach Cobbler and Homemade Whipped Cream

Pinot Grigio

Labels: food, friends, fun

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Monday, July 07, 2008

Stubborn Is as Stubborn Does

I never used to think of myself as stubborn. I was an easy going, laid back kid who most of the time never had to have her way. I was usually happy to do whatever my friends wanted to do. It wasn't until I had Taylor that I realized "stubborn" comes in all shapes and sizes.

When we took him for swimming lessons around the age of four or so he wouldn't do what he was told to do. There was no amount of cajoling or sweet talking or even harsh words to get him to put his head in the water, even if he did think the instructor was pretty. He was, and is, laid back and easy going. He doesn't have to have his way all the time. But I can guarantee he's not going to do something he doesn't want to do.

Yesterday morning I asked Todd if I was stubborn. Without a moment's hesitation he answered in the affirmative. I was shocked. I think I probably sputtered. At the very least I imagined he would have waged a war in his head before speaking.

Do I tell her the truth and risk her wrath? Or do I lie to appease her and make her happy?

With no thought to the safety of his person he just blurted out, "Yes." A pretty brave, if not stupid move, if you ask me. He did go on to explain the difference between being stubborn and being spoiled. I'll give him props for saying I'm not spoiled. (Though, truth be told, I AM spoiled, only because he's made me that way.) But he said I'm stubborn because if I don't get my way everybody knows about it.

EXCUSE ME??? I told him he has no idea how many times I don't push the issue of what I want or how I think things should be. And frankly, when I do make an issue of something it's usually because I think people are being selfish.

So then I asked if he thought he was stubborn. Instead of answering he said, "Wait a minute. This is supposed to be about you and not me." O contraire, Mon frère. I was the interrogator and already had my list of questions prepared.

This time he responded in the negative. Again, I sputtered. He justified his answer by saying he can be stubborn at work, but not usually where the family is concerned. More sputtering and waiting for him to smile and say, "Just kidding."

What I came up with is we're both stubborn in our own way. I'd love to say he's way more stubborn than I am, but I'll concede that we're each just as stubborn as the other.

There. In light of the fact this is my blog and I can say anything I want to, I believe that was very magnanimous of me.

Moving along…

Taylor may look like a blond version of his dad, but he acts like me in a lot of ways. His penchant for rationalization, for instance.

It's called home work. Work you do at home. The teacher never said we had to hand it in.

If I wait another three days there will be more grass to mow, making it more worth my time.

Why do I have to watch the dog? I told you before we got her I would like a dog, but I was too lazy to be responsible.

Totally exasperating, and yet I get it. I rationalize everything. You've probably figured that out if you've read my blog for any length of time. I am the Queen of Rationalization. Not something I'm proud of, though it is a skill.

Yesterday morning I curled up in the big green chair with a cup of coffee and told Todd I was going to whine for a bit. I was just going to get it out and then be done with it. He was very gracious about the whole thing, wonderful (but stubborn) man that he is. My "bullet list" went something like this:

* I'm tired of my back hurting every morning when I wake up, making me sometimes get out of bed before I'm really ready to.

* I'm tired of the stiffness and walking like my grandmother when I get up after sitting for just a short while. Actually I never saw my grandmother walk like me.

* I'm tired of my feet hurting before I've even stood on them for the day.

* I hate that I need to be more diligent about taking calcium and getting exercise for my bones. My oncologist told me I WILL get osteoporosis before my time because of the medications I've been on and the lack of estrogen.

* I hate that I love good food as much as I do.

* I hate that I don't like exercise like I did when I was younger.

What I hate the most is how stubborn I am about all this. I'm sure you all are getting tired of reading this recurring theme, but as I stated above - it's my blog. I have carte blanche with what I write. And trust me. If you only knew the posts I've written in my head and chose to keep there you'd welcome my consistent complaining.

It's like I have scales in front of me. In one tray I put "backaches", "stiffness", "joint pain", "sore feet", "osteoporosis", "discomfort" and "overall health" and in the other tray I put "yummy food" and "inactivity". The first tray far outweighs (pardon the pun) the other and I didn't even put in the vanity phrases such as "fat clothes" and "depressing photos".

I just don't get it. Why am I so stubborn? Or maybe I'm just spiteful. I know I would be so much better off if I would eat better and exercise. And it's even more important with my history. A better diet and activity could prevent or head off so many problems and it can also alleviate so many other issues. I've been through enough, thank you very much.

So why don't I just get over myself and do what I know I have to do? It's about so much more than what size I'm wearing or a number on the scale. It's all about being the healthiest me I can possibly be and being around long enough to watch my grandchildren become parents.

Of course I'm spewing all this out only five days before our vacation. If you think I'm going to take all this to heart while I'm in Hawaii you are daft, man! Am I rationalizing? Probably. I'm okay with that, though.

It's all about changing the way I think. And getting rid of my spiteful, stubborn self. I'll think a lot about that while I'm lying on the beach. Maybe I'll be inspired there and when I get home BAM! I'll start training for the Iron Man. It could happen.

Plain and simple, I don't understand how I could go through surgery and chemotherapy to be healthy and yet I can't make myself stay away from fattening, sugary foods for any length of time. I allowed people to pump poison through my veins and yet I can't make myself walk for 30 minutes every day. Eating right and being active is so much easier than going through treatment. So what's my deal??

To round out this post, my deal is that I'm stubborn and I rationalize everything! Guess I know what character flaws I need to start working on.

I don't think I like this self-realization stuff.

Labels: breast cancer, change, exercise, food, Health, medical, vacation, weight management, whiney

Mused by Jenster :: 4:08 PM :: 11 People musing:

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Sunday, July 06, 2008

That's My Girl

Katie: I'm hungry. What do we have to eat?

Me: There's some yummy cheese tortellini salad in the fridge.

Katie: Mmm. No. I need something with meat.

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Katie: Or a cupcake.

Labels: food, kids

Mused by Jenster :: 1:08 PM :: 8 People musing:

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Monday, May 26, 2008

ROAD TRIP!

I'm not back to stay, but seeing as today was a holiday I decided to tell you about my weekend. I have checked a few things off the list, though I still have quite a bit left. Still, I probably will be hanging around a little bit more. (Thanks to those of you who sent me such nice emails and made me want to say, "You like me. You really like me.")

Katie and I left the house at 5:30 Thursday morning to drive to Hilton Head, South Carolina for Ben's wedding. As you see, there was an obvious lack of male influence. Let's just say Taylor couldn't afford to miss two days of school and leave it at that. So it was a girls' road trip. The car was stocked with all kinds of consumables in the event we found ourselves faint for lack of sustenance. We had cheese and crackers and frosted animal cookies and candy and water and Starbuck's bottled frappuccinos… We also wanted to see if we could go through my entire iPod song list of 499 songs.

I don't think we were even through Philadelphia when I thought about my new camera nestled with care in my new camera case and the beautiful pictures I was going to be able to take on our trip. Unfortunately, it was still sitting on the dining room table where I had packed it all away the day before. Katie forgot her camera, too. You must know how sad this made me. There was a split second when I considered turning around, but good sense won out.

The trip down was pretty uneventful. Good weather, bad traffic through Baltimore and DC, but after that it was smooth sailing. We did get to see the Washington Monument and the Capitol dome from the freeway so that was kind of exciting. [Insert imaginary photo.]

While there are Cracker Barrels here in PA, there isn't one very close to us. That's as Arkansan as Sonic so I treated Katie to lunch at a CB in Virginia. When we hit North Carolina we started seeing these big billboards – tons of them - for Pedro's South of the Border. They touted restaurants, mini-golf, convenience store, gift shop, leather goods, hotel, petting zoo, and every other type of roadside tourist trap imaginable. [*Mom & Dad – kind of like "The Thing" on I-10*] As soon as we passed into South Carolina there it was. Pedro's South of the Border. Funny stuff! [Insert imaginary photo.]

I-95 through South Carolina looks a lot like Arkansas. A couple of times I forgot where I was. Finally we turned off and headed for the island. We made it to the hotel between 7:30 and 8:00. After unloading the car we went looking for dinner. The hotel had a pool and also a pond. Katie said something about being afraid of alligators and I just sort of blew her off. Especially when she started looking up at the trees looking for tree-climbing-ninja-gators.

We finally landed at a restaurant called "Skillets" with an Elvis impersonator crooning to the outdoor diners. The waiter talked us into ordering an appetizer of fried green tomatoes – Katie's first – and they were delicious! Served over Creole marinara with bubbly melted mozzarella on top. The best fried green tomatoes I've ever had! She ordered shepherd's pie and I had a chicken stir fry. [Insert imaginary photo.]

Friday morning we woke up when we woke up, showered, dressed, and ate breakfast at the complimentary breakfast bar. That's where we found out there were a bunch of college kids from Ohio staying at the same place. It wasn't until later that night when we found out they were a bunch of obnoxious college kids from Ohio, but I'm not to that part yet.

We spent the late morning and early afternoon exploring the island and finding great places to shop. Neither Katie nor I could get the thought of those extraordinary fried green tomatoes out of our heads. So we went back to Skillets for lunch. Unfortunately our cravings weren't quenched because the appetizers weren't on the lunch menu. No complaining about the food, though. I had the vegetable crepes – crepes with a wonderful egg, cheese and spinach filling – and rosemary skillet potatoes. Katie had the shepherd's pie again.

While walking around the shopping center after lunch we ran into some friends from church, Kevin and Terri. We chatted with them for a little bit and they mentioned the alligator in the hotel pond. THE ALLIGATOR IN THE HOTEL POND! You know, the "alligator" that Katie was freaked out about? The one I told her didn't exist? Yeah. That one. Apparently it did exist.

Katie and I decided to get some disposable cameras and what better place to make that kind of purchase than the local Piggly Wiggly? Besides, she'd never been in a Piggly Wiggly before and I feel like one should have that experience when the opportunity arises. Because how much fun is it to say, "I went to the Piggly Wiggly"?

After that we walked across the street to the beach to see the ocean and then back to the hotel to get ready for the wedding later that evening. The wedding was simply beautiful. Vans shuttled us to the beach house where the wedding and reception were to take place. The ceremony was under a flower laden arbor on the beach with a cellist and violinist accompanying. I was snapping pictures with our Piggly Wiggly disposable cameras and chatting with Terri and Kevin and Mandy and Alex and Amanda, not paying any attention to the noise the film advancing mechanism made. Until the wedding started and everyone stopped talking. Then I had Terri cough or Katie sneeze to mask the sound or I just advanced it one tiny click at a time. And it made us giggle.

Our former youth minister, Matt Silver (he and his family moved to Maryland a few weeks ago), officiated and it was great to see him. Another transplanted friend, Leland, was in the wedding so it was fun to see him, too. All the CCV people sat at the same table for the reception and had a blast! The DJ knew all the right songs to play and we had a great time cutting the rug and just having fun. Ben and Katie (his Katie, not mine) sure know how to entertain!

Remember those Ohio college kids I mentioned earlier? The hotel was infested with them. And while I hate generalizations and would never say they were all horrible - I'm sure there were some nice, unhorrible students there - there were a lot of rude, obnoxious and over-indulgent kids there. And apparently 2:30 to 4:00 in the morning is the best time for playing frisbee, drinking beer and catching up on the day's events in the hotel hallway.

Saturday morning Katie and I got up and drove to Savannah with the express intention of eating at The Lady and Sons, Paula Dean's restaurant. Sadly, they were full for both lunch and dinner so we only saw the outside. Not a huge deal, though. We just have to go back, that's all. We ended up eating cheesy hot spinach dip and cheese pizza at a place on the Riverfront called Spanky's.

We really wanted to get a picture of the statue in the movie, "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil", but it turns out it's in a museum. We'd even considered going to the museum but we ran out of time. We did go on a house tour, though. [Insert imaginary picture] The house of the people who own the statue, actually. Savannah is a beautiful city – very Pirates of the Caribbeanish. There are "squares" every few blocks which are wonderful when you've been walking a lot. Katie and I would figure out where we were going to go next and then walk from square to square, resting on a park bench before moving onto the next one. It was a pretty warm day so our last stop was at a Starbuck's for some sort of frozen concoction. Just as we were leaving to get back to the car only a few blocks away there was a sudden flash of lightening and a loud boom immediately following. The rain hadn't started yet so we high tailed it for the parking lot. Half way there it started to sprinkle with more flashes and more booms. And then the sky opened up about a block from the car. I yelled, "Run!", which Katie took literally. Unfortunately I'm not much of a runner so I told her, "Save yourself!" Except for that I didn't unlock the car until I got right there. We scrambled inside, laughing the whole time, and realized there was hail mixed in with the rain. Once it slowed down we left and drove back to Hilton Head.

Hungry for dinner when we returned, can you guess where we ate? Skillets!! Can you guess what we had for an appetizer? Fried green tomatoes!! Can you guess what Katie had for dinner? Shepherd's pie!! So sad that we only ate at one restaurant the entire time we were on the island. But oh so good!

Sunday morning we woke up at 5:00, got dressed, packed the car and were on the road by 5:30. The ride home was even more uneventful than the ride there. Except the GPS took us THROUGH Washington instead of around it. That took us forever! But we did get to see the Pentagon and the Jefferson monument this time.

We pulled into the garage about 6:30. I soaked in a hot bubble bath and read a little bit, then went to bed around 9:00. The trip was a lot of fun – Katie and I ate well and laughed a lot – but it sure was good to be home and sleep in my own bed.

Over the long weekend we were in 7 states and the District of Columbia. I've decided my next writing will be Jenster's Guide to Highway/Interstate Driving.

Labels: food, friends, fun, holidays, reading, touristy, traffic, travel, vacation

Mused by Jenster :: 9:36 PM :: 15 People musing:

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Monday, May 12, 2008

The Most Incredible Mother's Day

**WARNING**
LENGTHY POST

Yesterday was an odd, yet wonderful Mother's Day. It ranks right up there as one of, if not my favorite Mother's Days ever. Another high ranking Mother's Day was when the kids were small. It was a chilly, rainy day and when we came home from church Todd and the kids went to take naps. I laid on the couch and watched my gift of Breakfast at Tiffany's all by myself. Then I dozed off and when we all woke up we had a nice dinner. But yesterday Todd, Taylor, Katie and I walked the Philadelphia Race for the Cure with three other families. Thankfully my prayers were answered and my cold never turned into much of anything.

**WARNING**
PG-13

I'm going to give this post a PG-13 rating. There were a couple times I forgot where I was and thought I was in the Big Easy. I kept waiting for beads to be thrown! Well, maybe it wasn't quite like that. But you'll see what I'm talking about.


We had to get up at five-bloody-o'clock in the morning. Not such a great start to Mother's Day when you're the least morning person you know. We met our friends at the movie theater and then caravanned into the city. Mario Andretti led the pack and had scoped out a cherry parking place. And let me tell you - good parking places in the city the morning of the Race are hot commodities. So yeah - we're definitely taking him with us next year.



The term "5K" is a bit misleading in my opinion. Maybe if you get dropped off right at the starting line and picked up right at the finish line. But when you factor in walking from the car to the race area, walking from wherever you are to the starting line, mulling around after the race and then finally, walking to your car you're talking more like a 8.64K. But I guess that doesn't sound good so we'll stay with the 5K.

We set out walking for the "staging area" and passed a car being towed.



I'm not sure why I thought it was blog-worthy, but I did. So there it is.

After walking about a mile (according to Mapquest) we got to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.



I left my party and crossed the street to venture up the Rocky steps for the Survivor's Parade. According to the announcer there were roughly 6,000 survivors. I don't believe there were that many on the steps, but that's how many had registered for the walk.

Todd's perspective:

Me hanging out before the parade:




My perspective:

Before the Parade:
















The Art Museum flag at half mast in respect for the fallen Philadelphia police officer, Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski:

The parade begins:

The crowd watching and cheering:

I had one of Todd's hankies in my pocket because I was a little concerned about the emotion of it all. While I did get a little misty, I didn't end up a blubbering mass. It was all kind of surreal. Maybe it was the early hour or maybe the lack of coffee. But it was almost like I was watching it -- not a part of it. And yet at the same time it was incredible to be a part of it.

Making my way through the crowd to the big statue where my party was waiting I came across this interesting statement:


For a confusing second I forgot where I was. Bourbon Street or Benjamin Franklin Parkway...


A Philadelphia bakery made this special cake. Wish I would have gotten a piece. Wonder what kind it was.



Here's a guy's t-shirt admired greatly by Todd




And these great bags for sale on the parkway

Finally it was time to make our way over to the starting line. Random pictures of the race:









At this point we needed to find a restroom. The only port-a-potty we saw was for a construction site behind an 8 foot gate. And then we saw this:


It was as though the clouds parted and heavenly rays guided our paths. Some in the group were thinking, Yea! A bathroom!! I was thinking, Bitchen! A venti White Chocolate Mocha with double whip to go!

The Starbuck's was in the lobby of luxury condominiums which meant restrooms. Unfortunately, several other people had beat us to them. I'm not sure who thought of it, but the girls in our group ended up going in an Irish bar - Tir Na Nog - not yet opened for business.



The best part was the bathrooms were clean!!

I skipped the refreshment and we continued on. Just sixteen people among the masses.


Somewhere along the line I met a man who was a breast cancer survivor. He was the only man in pink I saw, but there may have been others. Funny thing is his wife is an 8th grade science teacher at the school Katie will go to next year. Even funnier thing is his dad used to be a minister at a church in Redondo Beach - where I grew up. Small world.

After about 2 miles or so we saw a sign indicating we'd walked 1 mile. *sigh* So we kept going. And going. Then we passed the 2 mile sign. So we still kept going. And going. As we crossed the bridge to get back to the Art Museum I snapped a couple of my favorite Philly scenes.

Philadelphia Water Works:

Boathouse Row:

And can I just say this kid had it made!

Finally we finished the race! The local news estimated about 45,000 people doing the race with a total of 100,000 people in the area to support the race in one way or another. That's alotta people!

Two of the families had to leave for Mother's Day lunches with family. That left eight of us to find a place to eat. Originally we had thought to drive back toward home, but as we crossed the freeway we saw the cars were bumper to bumper. So we decided we should eat in the city.

We checked TGIFridays as we were walking by and oh happy day! They had just opened and were able to seat us right away. But that's not the best part. No. The best part was when Alex ordered a raspberry tea and I thought that sounded good so I ordered a raspberry tea. In fact, I think I ordered like this:

I'll have a raspberryteaand... um, parmesan-crusted chicken.

So when the waitress brought us our drinks I noticed my raspberry tea didn't look at all like Alex's raspberry tea. Turns out she thought I said raspberrytini. And because of the kind-hearted soul that I am, I didn't want to make more work for the staff by sending it back and having them bring me a tea. It was quite tasty, though I only drank about half of it.

The other mom, Tina (and the organizer of our team), and I were given a carnation and a yummy little mint chocolate shot glass dessert that tasted like a Girl Scout Thin Mint. After lunch it was a walk around the corner to get the cars. Following a couple failed attempts at finding a decent paced freeway we finally got on the road home. The kids immediately fell asleep. Todd tried to, but he was driving and he thought better of it.

We were so incredibly exhausted by the time we got home. Todd and I both got in a little cat nap here, a little cat nap there, but nothing worthy of being called a true nap. At about 8:00 I went upstairs and hopped into a hot bubble bath. Ahhhh... It was divine. When I woke up (I know, I know. You're never supposed to fall asleep in a bath tub, but I did.) I got out, dried off, threw on jammies and went to bed. And slept the sleep of the dead. Except Todd said I snored all night and I don't think the sleeping dead snore. I blame that on a mix of complete exhaustion and the sinus stuff I've been trying to get, though I don't think I'm getting it anymore.

So that, in a very large coconut shell, was my Mother's Day. Hope all you moms out there enjoyed yours even half as much!

Labels: breast cancer, food, friends, fun, homies, Race for the Cure

Mused by Jenster :: 10:11 AM :: 18 People musing:

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