Jenster's Musings

Monday, July 19, 2010

Beautiful Leilani

I was thinking I should maybe try to write a post since it's been a while, but I'm drawing a blank. Which is ridiculous because I haven't hardly posted at all this summer and a lot of stuff has happened. So I'll just think of random things to tell you about.

Hm... Let's see... Oh! I know! We got a new refrigerator last week. Not only did the old one make sad, scary noises, but it dispensed green, spinachy looking flecks in the ice. So on July 5th, while all the appliance stores were having Independence Day sales, we bought Leilani. Leilani is exotic and beautiful. Just look at her.

She was delivered a week and a half ago and we have yet to fill it up. I really should go grocery shopping, but, well, I won't bore you with my excuses. Right now, anyway.

The biggest problem with Leilani is that I now want new counter tops. Really bad. And if I get new counter tops I'll need a new sink and faucet and I definitely need new cabinet hardware. And if I'm doing all that I may as well get new light fixtures because I'm not thrilled (or anything resembling thrilledness) with what we have. But just this morning I mailed a check for a portion of Taylor's freshman tuition. I kissed the envelope before I placed it in the mailbox and said, "bye-bye new counter tops." Which - bear with me while I do the math -

Taylor's five year program puts him finished in 2015, Katie will start college in 2013 and let's be generous and say she finishes in four years, that makes it 2017 which is in seven years -

Right. So that means I probably won't be seeing new counter tops in this house for another seven years. Unless I was maybe frying bacon in the cast iron skillet. And I was standing on a ladder so the grease splatter wouldn't reach my face. And I picked up the skillet, but it was hot and greasy and, Oooops! It slipped right out of my hands and fell with a horrible crash onto the formica and, OH NO! It cracked the counter top! Hm... Well it's something to think about anyway.

And there you have it. An actual post. That's two for the month of July. Maybe I'll even do a third.

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Saturday, March 27, 2010

Just A Quick Chat

Hola, Amigos! I don't have time to hang out for very long, but I just had to post a quick update.

My folks flew in from Little Rock on Wednesday (don't even ask if their arms are tired because that joke is so old and corny it does not bear acknowledging) and we've been enjoying our visit. They actually just sold their house - it sold in four days - and will be about the business of packing up and moving when they get back home so I hope they can relax and enjoy their trip! Except my mom doesn't know how to relax so very much, which works out very well for me because she cleans instead. I'm okay with that.

Yesterday was our Easter Eggstravaganza at church. What a trip! We had 40,000 eggs and several egg hunts for different ages, a petting zoo with the cutest baby cow (I know, I know - that's a calf) and the biggest bunny I've ever seen, two bounce houses, free popcorn and cotton candy, carnival type games, balloon stylists (I have no idea what they're really called), face painters --- it was great! I helped out at the MOPS table making pinwheels. It was fun because I saw a lot of preschool families and some of the kids would look at me like they weren't quite sure why I would be somewhere other than the preschool. There were a ton of people and they all looked like they had a good time. I know I did!

OH! The most exciting thing around here is that we finally replaced our microwave that went out in November. Todd and Taylor installed it yesterday and we've been using the heck out of it. It doesn't make funny noises and it actually heats up the food! I keep looking at it lovingly - almost like I look at my camera - and sometimes I even caress it a little when I walk by. I now remember what life was like before a microwave and I'm telling you, it was lame!

In other news, I started Weight Watchers for the umpteenth time a few weeks ago. So far so good. I think I've lost around 7 pounds which is a drop in the bucket, but I've gotta start somewhere. This times feels different because I actually want to stick with it and it's almost easy. (Hope I didn't just jinx it!) This week will be a bit challenging with the rentals here and Easter and all, but if I can just maintain I'll be happy. Of course, I'll be happier if I still manage to lose.

And that, my friends, is what's going on around here. Until next time...

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Sunday, January 17, 2010

Randomosity

Katie's still skiing and enjoying every minute of it. Last night she called but could hardly talk because she was laughing so hard. I have no idea what was so funny, but I couldn't help giggling. I am definitely ready for her to come home, though. I miss her and I'm not ashamed to say so! Depending on the phase of her teenage girl angsty hormonal emotions when she gets home I may be ready for her to go skiing again next week, but we'll just play that one by ear.

***

Five of Taylor's buddies came over last night and ate burgers, played Wii and watched Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along-Blog. He wanted the guys to watch the DVD, but said he couldn't bring himself to invite his friends over for burgers and a musical. It's pretty funny stuff, though, and definitely not your average musical. Besides, half of them watch Glee so I guess they decided watching Dr. Horrible would not compromise their manliness any further.

***

Speaking of Wii, I got Todd the Wii Resort for Christmas. He's been practicing the ping pong so he can take on our neighbor, John. They talk smack to each other and everything, but it's really hard to take them seriously when you see their cute little Miis with their Aloha shirts and goofy smiles. Men Boys.

***

After months of no thrush-like symptoms, I woke up Friday morning with the insides of my cheeks swollen and my tongue more swollen than normal. I could hardly talk or eat without biting my tongue or cheeks. But there's nothing to be done about it because it's not actually thrush, just a side effect of having horrible thrush during chemo NEARLY FOUR YEARS AGO! Plech. It happens when I get worn down, but I didn't have a bad week or anything so I'm not sure why it happened this time. I didn't sleep so well for several nights so maybe that's it. I don't know. It's still swollen, but not as bad as it had been. Stupid tongue.

Just last week I was thinking about how much better I'm doing in my head than I was even a year ago. And I definitely am, but every now and again these little reminders that I'm not the same as I was before cancer pop up. I don't often think about my new normal anymore and it's kind of funny that something as benign as a swollen tongue can bring it back. But I'm very happy to say that, while it used to feel like a scab being pulled off a gaping wound, it's now just a bruise. And not even a yucky black and blue or purplish-green bruise. A barely bruise. The kind you have to look at closely to see if it's just a smudge of dirt or an actual bruise. And I have to say it feels good. But I still don't like my stupid tongue.

***

I think that's enough randomosity for the morning. I'm off to write my thoughts about the Tower of Babel, now.

Ciao!!

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Friday, January 15, 2010

Just Another Friday Night

Yikes! It's been a week since my last real post so I HAVE to post something tonight. I guess I'll just tell you what's going on at the moment. Kind of like Live Stream Blogging. (Is that a term?)

There's a Counting Crows concert on TV so Todd and I are watching that whilst playing working on our computers. Alright. I just glanced over at his computer and he really is working. Whatever. I'm sitting in the chair with one leg propped up on the ottoman. Sookie had been sleeping up there with her head on my ankle, but she had a bad dream or something, twitched and then nearly fell off. The way she looked at me made me think she might be blaming me. She's no longer on the ottoman.

Taylor is hanging out with Kristen and another couple tonight and Katie is skiing in Vermont. Lucky little thing! Her good friend invited her to go with her family up to Northern Vermont for a long weekend. Her friend is an excellent snowboarder and this is Katie's first time skiing. Apparently she loves it. Boy am I glad because we rented her skis for the season and I bought her a really nice pair of ski pants. We live about 10 minutes from the local ski mountain so now I know we'll get our money's worth.

She and I went to the ski shop last week to rent her equipment and outfit her for skiing. It was the first time I'd been in a ski shop in probably 23 years and I forgot how much I love them. It also made me remember just how much I loved to ski many moons ago. Next year, baby. I'm skiing next year.

Because Katie is allergic to peanuts and peanut butter I try not to buy foods with possible peanut products simply because I don't think it's fair for us to eat something in front of her that she can't. But since she's gone for five nights I went hog wild at the store Wednesday afternoon. Peanut butter Chex Mix, toffee peanuts, Nutter Butter Cream Wafers, Sweet & Salty peanut bars, and peanut butter whoopee pies. I tried to stop myself but I couldn't. I do think I'll be so over peanuts and peanut butter by the time Monday rolls around, though. Just in time to start eating healthy. Right??

Todd is now playing on Wii Frisbee and I think I'll go put the clothes on my bed away. In fact I think I'll let him wait up for Taylor and I'll go to bed and read for a bit. Yeah. That's what I'm gonna do!

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Friday, January 08, 2010

Living Simple

A month or so ago I mentioned that our microwave was no longer waving, micro or otherwise. It was just making loud, scary noises. We started looking into replacing the over-the-stove appliance right before Christmas. Not exactly the time of year to be spending extra money.

We also have to put about $1,000 into the car before it will pass inspection in March (new tires and another new driver's side mirror); the heater is acting up and as everybody across the country knows - it's been really cold everywhere; the roof needs patching; and we're now looking at college tuition for Taylor in the fall.

With all those expenses coming up the thought of paying for a new microwave is less than appealing so we've been kicking it old school. That's right, folks. We are making popcorn on the stove, heating our leftovers in the oven and actually cooking. It's been a great experience for the children to see what life was like back in the day when roughing it was just part of life and to maybe have a little more appreciation for how much easier life is now.

Next I might take away the Wii and let them play my old Mattel Football game. Just another lesson in living simple...

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Sunday, January 03, 2010

I'm Rolling Now

Look. Two days and I'm back. I've even written the next Trippin' post and have scheduled it to be published on the 5th. I'm really rocking my New Year's plans.

I think I figured out part of my non-blogging problem. My blog has been referred to as the Seinfeld of blogs by certain people (you know who you are). You know. A blog about nothing. Which is really easy to write about. But for some reason I started thinking I needed to actually write about something. I have no idea why. I do much better writing about nothing. So here I am. Writing a post about nothing.

It's good to be back.

***

For those of you who thought I was jesting, we really did have black eyed peas and hog jowls on New Year's Day. Except I didn't eat any of the hog jowls. That would be gross. The black eyed peas, however, were absolutely delicious. Even Todd, non-bean eater that he is, keeps asking his dad to show me how he made them because he had two bowls. Yes, they were THAT good.

***

New Year's Eve was kind of lame this year. I stayed in my room and slept most of the day because I was sick with what seemed to be a horrible head cold. Todd and his visiting parents stayed downstairs and watched movies or something. And Taylor and Katie went to Countdown, the youth group's annual New Year's Eve party. The band plays at 12:00 and this year Katie sang lead for Bon Jovi's "Living On A Prayer" while Taylor played electric bass for all the songs. We were going to go watch, but thankfully they're doing it again tonight at the regular youth group so we don't have to stay up all night. And thankfully my cold was very short lived so I actually feel like going.

***

I'm not looking forward to getting up for work tomorrow. The work itself is fine, the people are fine - I love my job. I just hate getting up early when it's so bitterly cold. Oh, who am I kidding? I hate getting up early any time, but especially when it's cold outside. Does anybody know how to trick myself into not minding getting up early? I'd really like to be able to get up around 5:30 every morning and go swimming or walking and get some things done around here before I go to work. But if I do that I'll just want to come home and go back to bed which would be bad for job longevity. If anybody has any ideas, please do tell.

***

Please do not mistake this for a New Year's Resolution, but tomorrow I'm going to start eating healthier. Really, I am. I'll let you know how that goes.

***

Sookie has been very naughty lately. She has a thing for Reid, the adorable Irish Setter puppy who lives across and down the street just a little bit. I know. She's stepping out on Brady and I don't agree with this lifestyle choice, but what am I to do? She's escaped the yard several times lately and Todd had to take her collar to the invisible fence people yesterday and turn it up. I think possibly her thicker winter coat was insulating her neck against the zap. Not so anymore. Hopefully she'll stay in the yard now. Trollop.

***

My Mother-In-Law and I went into Philadelphia Wednesday to see the Princess Diana Exhibit at the National Constitutional Center. We got there about 10:30 and the first available tour was at 4:30. So we found a movie theater and saw It's Complicated, then we found a quaint little Italian trattoria for a late lunch and finally it was time for the tour.

I'm glad I saw it, but I wouldn't go see it again. It was waaaay too crowded. What I did enjoy were all her dresses and outfits I remember seeing her in and especially her wedding gown. I remember watching the wedding while I was at church camp so it was kind of surreal to see that dress in real life. Wanna know a secret? It wasn't all that pretty.

***

Oh, look at the time! I must be on my way to do more nothing so I'll have nothing to write about later!

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Sunday, November 22, 2009

Incessant Babbling

Time for another random "what's been going on" post!

***

Wednesday morning I drove Todd to 30th Street Station in Philadelphia so he could catch the train to DC. Traffic was normal week-morning traffic. That is to say it was horrendous. But I had a 20 ounce cup of coffee, good music on the iPod and fabulous, uninterrupted conversation with Todd. I guess enjoying being stuck in traffic with my husband for an hour and a half just means we really need to get out more.

The drive is pretty as it winds through hilly Conshohocken and Manayunk with the Schuylkill River on one side and low cliffs of black rock and forest on the other. Across the river are beautiful 200 year old churches with tall steeples and stone bridges with big arches. Eventually the rocks give way to Fairmount Park, a 9,300 acre park system made up of 63 different parks including the oldest zoo in the country, Philadelphia Zoo. And then (and this is my favorite part) there’s a bend in the road and the city comes into view in the distance. But first you pass the historical architecture of Boathouse Row, the Philadelphia Water Works and the Philadelphia Museum of Art with the modern skyline of Philly just beyond. It’s one of my favorite views and it never seems to get old.








***

My thirty-fourteenth birthday was Thursday. In my mind it’s just another day because thirty-fourteen isn’t a milestone year. Not only that, but it wasn’t the best day for a celebration. Todd was out of town and we had day one of our Thanksgiving Feast at preschool (I now know that food service isn’t my gift either). The Feast was fun but both Leanne and I had tired feet by the time we left.

That morning before I left for work the kids brought me my present from Todd. It was An Echo In The Bone by Diana Gabaldon and is book 7 of one of the best series ever. If you don’t know anything about the Outlander series, let me just tell you this. It’s all consuming and the books are long. It is an investment in time, but so worth it. The shortest book is the first one (Outlander) and it’s around 600 pages long. I usually read the entire series before each new book is released, but didn’t make it this time because my reading mojo is gone. So I’ve started AEITB and I feel like I’m getting to visit with long lost friends. I hope to read the entire series all over once I finish AEITB.

When I got home from work I received another present from the kids. A gift bag full of coffee samples, Mrs. Fields’ truffles and a purse-size 2010 planner. One of the coffee flavors was Jack Daniels’ and my smarty-pants son told me the next morning, “Now you don’t have to put whiskey in your coffee before you go to work, Mom.” They also ran to Wendy’s and got dinner for us so I didn’t have to cook. Then we watched our DVR’d Glee and Castle and it was lovely.

***

The other night I was trying to microwave potatoes and after they had cooked for 6 minutes I took them out to stir, returned the bowl and hit 6 minutes again. This time the appliance made a horrible sound so we decided cooking them on the stove top would be better. Fast forward a couple of days. We hadn’t used the microwave and I decided to give it a go. I thought maybe it had been the turntable doing something wonky. So I put in a cup of cold coffee to reheat and hit 1 minute. It still made the horrible sound so Sookie and I stood on the other side of the refrigerator just in case it blew up. Thankfully there were no sparks and no smoke, just a beeping when the minute was up. Unfortunately the coffee was still cold. So it looks like we need a new microwave. Just what I want to spend our money on this time of year. How long do you think we can live without one? I sort of remember life before their existence. Back when we had a rotary dial on the phone and four channels on the TV. I guess that means real popcorn over the stove, too. Oy!

***

Last, but definitely not least, Todd and I just saw a preview of the season opener for Chuck!! Now I can't wait for January!

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Sunday, November 08, 2009

Playing Catch Up

I can’t believe I haven’t posted anything in over three weeks. I haven’t read any blogs in that time, either. (I’m not a very good bloggy friend.) So here’s a synopsis of what’s been going on around here.

Katie turned 15 on October 24. Fifteen. As in oh-my-goodness-my-baby-is-so-not-a-baby-anymore. I know I sound like a broken record, but how does that happen?? Crimanetly! That same day she was in a voice recital and sang beautifully. Okay. So I’m her mom and I’m a little biased. A lot biased. But she did a lovely job singing Castle on a Cloud from Les Miserables and she and her friend, Lexie, were cute when they sang Sisters from White Christmas. In fact everybody did a great job. Little Devlin was adorable in her glittery dress as she sang Let’s Get Together from Parent Trap and some of the other singers really were phenomenal. I can hardly wait for the next recital. The teacher, Katie, may not be in such a rush because I know it was a lot of work for her. But she organized and put on a great show.

***

The other morning I was putting our dinner together in the crock pot and it called for a cup (or a cup+) of white wine. Todd came walking in the kitchen as I was uncorking the bottle and gave me a look. You know that look. The one that says, Have you lost your ever lovin’ mind? I just kept at my task and told him I forgot to make coffee and I needed something to get me through the day. Then I had this thought. What if the cork was difficult to pull out and when I finally managed to dislodge it I spilled wine all over me? I wouldn’t have time to change so I would have to go to work smelling like alcohol. For a preschool. At a church. Thankfully that didn’t happen so I went to work smelling like my usual self – whatever that is. Hopefully not bad, but you know how it’s hard to smell yourself and people are too nice to tell you if you’re odiferous. Especially at a preschool in a church. Except for kids that age are very honest and I think if I smelled bad one of the kids would have mentioned it by now. Then again, I’m not really that close to the kids on a regular basis. But I do shower every morning so I can’t imagine I smell too awfully bad. But I digress.

As I turned the corner from the stairway to the offices I saw Leanne, the Preschool Director, sitting at a table with a bunch of paperwork and a strange man. Let me rephrase. A man who was a stranger. I don’t know if he was strange or not. But anyway, it turns out he was the State Inspector who dropped by for a surprise visit. And do you know what my first thought was? Thank you, Jesus, that I didn’t spill wine on my clothes this morning! ‘Cause, you know, if I had walked by him smelling like a Wharf Licker wino he might have been disinclined to pass us with flying colors. But pass us he did – and with those flying colors I mentioned – because we have the best preschool in the area, if not the state, if not the entire country – maybe even the world. Just sayin’.

***

Several years ago Todd had hair. Then one summer he agreed to play Pharaoh in our church’s VBS dramatization of the story of Moses. So he channeled his inner Yul Brenner and shaved his head, much to the surprise of just about everyone. It was priceless. He had this big headpiece on so no one had any idea. Then he got mad at Moses and threw his headpiece on the ground, revealing his bald head to everyone in the audience. The corporate gasp was priceless. So was the small scream 3-year-old Katie let out when she saw her daddy without his hair. He made a great Pharaoh and even threw in an Etcetera, etcetera, and so forth every now and again which was really funny considering it was the wrong Yul Brenner movie altogether.

From then on he never let his hair grow more than a quarter of an inch. He decided it was so much easier for me just to trim his hair every now and again. Then finally, about a year ago, he went back to the Mr. Clean look. He uses Head Blade products to shave his scalp and then buff his head to a nice sheen. The other day, however, he not only shaved his scalp, he scalped his scalp. Took two honkin’ chunks out of the top of his head. I had to cut a flap of skin off one of the chunks! Of course, since these were on the top of his head they bled like a stuck pig, though I don't really know exactly what that means other than to say they bled a lot. So I had to put bandaids on his head, too. Lucky for him it was cold enough to wear a hat! But he’s going to have to let his hair grow some now because he can’t shave until his head is completely healed. Oh, the irony…

***

Today was absolutely beautiful. Sunny, blue skies and low 60’s made it perfect for a walk in the woods. So Sookie and I walked for a little over two miles on the Perkiomen trail. One of the things I love about living where we do is all the trails around here. The Perkiomen trail is the closest to us and it follows the Perkiomen Creek, meandering through beautiful woods and alongside the ski slopes of Spring Mountain. There were a lot of bikers and almost as many walkers or runners today, but also we came across two different groups of horseback riders. Sookie had never seen horses up close and personal and I was a little concerned she might start her vicious I’m really afraid of you but I’m going to stand my hackles on end and snarl at you so you might think I’m a coyote thing, but she didn’t. Instead she slunk down to the ground and weaseled her way behind me. But as soon as the horses passed she decided they looked like they might be fun to chase. I finally had to stop and let the horses get out of sight because she wasn’t heeling very well.

When we got back from walking, Todd took her over to Brady’s house and I joined up with him soon thereafter. The dogs ran and jumped and nipped and played and did their peeing rituals (where one of them pees and the other one sniffs the area and then pees on top of it) while Todd and I visited with Bill and Laura. I left early to go home and make dinner and when Todd and Sookie got home she was one pooped puppy. Just the way I like her!

***

So there you have it. A few things that have happened since my last post. I can't promise when my next post will be because I want to make some blog rounds, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to wipe out my Google Reader and start over. I hate doing that because I'm so afraid I will have missed something really great or important, but I'm too far behind to catch up.

Until next time...

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Wednesday, May 20, 2009

What's The Haps?

Hello Friends. How's it with you? Things are going well around here. I'm just chillin', watching American Idol (I don't care who wins - I like both Kris and Adam and think they're both going to go far regardless of tonight's outcome) and I can't believe it's been two weeks since I posted. I have become so delinquent in my blogging. And it's not like I don't have anything to blog about. I've just changed up my priorities a little and for some reason blogging has fallen a few notches. And Trippin' Through The Bible is on hold for a short period of time while we do a little switcheroo on the CLEAR site. I'm having a ball with that, though!

So what's been going on. Well, Taylor and Kristen went to Prom last Saturday. The dance was in the ballroom of a Valley Forge hotel and afterwards the high school had a post prom party from 11:00 PM to 5:00 AM. Taylor got home about 5:15 Sunday morning. What a great thing for the kids, though! It's a well supervised all night party with movies and games and inflatables and raffles - Taylor won four movie tickets and Kristen won a $50.00 Wawa giftcard. And mom and dad don't have to worry about where their kid is. The chaperones even call the parents if the kids don't show up when they're supposed to or if they leave early. Good times.

I've been walking. And walking. And walking some more. Sookie's loving it! Sunday afternoon she and I walked for about an hour at Valley Forge. Oh my goodness. It was so beautiful and the walk was extremely pleasant. I could have kept walking, but I had to get the car back home for the kids to go to youth group. I should probably be walking right this very minute, but I'm not. Oh well.

Do you have any plans for the long weekend?? I do and I'm excited! Friday and Saturday Todd and I will be going on more long walks - either on one of our awesome trails around here or back at Valley Forge. Our friends, Stan and Betsy, are coming for some grilled burgers Friday night so that will be fun. The kids have plans on Saturday so I've talked Toddy into taking me to see a movie. We haven't been to a movie in ages - it's going to be like a date or something! Sunday Katie and I are going to NYC to see Guys and Dolls on Broadway, including lunch at Hard Rock Cafe (her favorite) and then down to SoHo for a light dinner before coming home. Monday will be another long walk somewhere pretty. Right now I'm thinking it's good to be me!!

I started Weight Watchers AGAIN a few weeks ago. It seems to be doing a little something. Even my Wee Fit Mii shrunk a little. Not enough, mind you. But a little. I had a "come to Jesus" with the clothes in my closet the other day. If you've been around for a while you may remember this example for illustration purposes. Let's say I'm currently a size 4. I have several size 2 clothes and even some size 0 clothes in my closet. So I started telling the size 2s that I'll be wearing them this summer and that by fall I'll be wearing the size 0s. That's my plan, anyway.

Can I talk about TV for a minute? (That was a rhetorical question because yes, I CAN talk about TV for a minute. In fact, this is my blog and I can talk about anything I want to and I want to talk about TV.) There are a couple of shows that I have come to adore. First there's Chuck. We love Chuck. We were a little worried it was going to get cancelled, but the powers that be have decreed it shall continue next season. Next there's Castle. Have you seen this show? It's so much fun!! Seriously - it's kind of like a charming version of CSI. Thankfully it has been renewed for next season, too!! And finally, Glee. Last night was the Preview Episode and it sucked Katie and I right in. Sadly we have to wait until the fall to watch the series.

Okay. A person can only handle so much random in one night. I'm signing off, now. By the way - I'm thoroughly enjoying American Idol tonight. Lot's of great performers and performances. I'm glad it's going to be over, though. Because not only can a person only handle so much random, a person can only handle so much Paula.

So until the next time - stay cool!!

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Saturday, April 04, 2009

Hello, My Friends...

I have been very absent lately. For you, my fan, I am very sorry. Life just keeps getting in the way. But I'm here for a minute or two to give you a quick update of the last week or so.

1

About this whole depression thing - I have been on a very mild antidepressant for a little over a week now. I don't know if it's a placebo effect or if it started working quickly, but I can definitely tell a difference. Thank you again for your kind words and prayers. I don't think I can ever express to you just how much they all have meant to me.

2

Last Sunday we celebrated a whole year with Sookie. Can you believe it's been that long?? I can't. Do you remember how cute and fluffy she was? If not, just check out THIS post. What a little cutie!! She's not quite so little or fluffy anymore, but we still think she's pretty cute.



3

Todd's parents came in from SoCal Wednesday night to hang out with us for a couple of weeks. The kids are out of school part of next week and the day after Easter and now that the grandparents are here we have some good excuses to do fun, touristy things we maybe wouldn't do otherwise.

4

Katie was in the Spring play last night. It was set in the 50's and the kids looked so cute in their poodle skirts and such. I threw a pink felt poodle skirt sans the poodle together Sunday night. It took me about 10 minutes. And while I could have done much better if I'd taken the time, it still looked pretty cute. I mean, nobody could see that it didn't have a waistband and was held up by safety pins.

At the end of the play some of the kids came out and did the cutest dance. Katie's partner was a little - and I mean "little" - 7th grade boy and at the very end he jumped up and she held him. She's not so big herself, but she was definitely the heftier of the two.

Afterwards we went to a diner with THE most fabulous desserts with our friends whose daughter was also in the play. It was a fun Friday night and sure beat sitting at home watching nothing on the TV!

5

Today was Easter Eggstravaganza 2009 at the church. Oh.My.Gosh. At this writing I have no idea how many kids were there, but I do know they had to park people on the street. The wind was gusting and it was cold, but it didn't seem to keep anyone away.

The theme was Candy Land and all the classrooms were decorated as such. There were crafts and games in the different lands and really, it was phenomenal. We had a petting zoo outside and three different fields for egg hunts according to the kids' ages. From what I understand, we used all of the 30,000 filled eggs in the hunts. We also had food vendors and cotton candy and popcorn -- it was extraordinary. Oh! And guess what my job was. Coffee. Doesn't that seem appropriate?

We have outgrown the building we're currently in and it was originally built to eventually be the Valley Kids (our children's ministry) building. So we are in the process - and oh, so close to finishing - our new building which is much larger and will eventually be the student building when our campus is completed in however many years. All that is to say it would have been awesome if we could have used the new building today - our food vendors were outside and the wind caused a few problems. But still, I was amazed at how smoothly everything ran today and how many people showed up. Awesome stuff, that.

6

I guess that's about it for right now. My Mother-In-Law is cooking dinner tonight and I smell something really yummy downstairs. I think I must go investigate!!

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Saturday, February 28, 2009

I'm Still Around

My poor mother had to call me today because I haven't been keeping up with my blog so she didn't know what was going on with me. Sadder words have never been typed! So I'm going to give you a bit of random...

* * *

We had Chinese food the other day and check out my fortune:



Todd was pretty smug when I read it to him because every time I complain about my weight or any other cruddy side effect of having cancer he says pretty much the same thing. This is the part where I usually say something flippant and roll my eyes, but Mothers with Cancer lost one of our own last night so I'm going to embrace these simple words and be grateful for what I have.

* * *


This upcoming Friday I am going to the spa with my friends; Kris, Laura and Sheri. Last year for each birthday we chipped in and bought a gift card for a one hour massage and we're finally getting around to cashing in on them. It's going to be exactly like Sex in the City, except there will be no sex going on and the spa is actually in a pretty rural, yet quaint, little town. But there will be four exceptionally beautiful and fashion savvy women. Really.

Laura made the reservations for us, but we each had to call in and give them our GC number. So I called and gave my number to the receptionist and then I took a deep breath and said, "I have a rather embarrassing question to ask you." She was very nice as I told her I had breast reconstruction a couple of years ago and am unable to lay on my stomach. My obvious concern was that I wouldn't be able to get the massage. After relaying the information to the massage therapist she came back and told me it wouldn't be a problem.

Here again I would like to complain about the inconvenience of cancer, but I remember Lisa and my fortune so I won't.

* * *

Sookie is much better. Poor, neglected dog.




* * *

Todd, on the other hand, is still sick. His fever broke a week ago and his doctor put him on a steroid dose pack to clear the chest congestion so he could breathe, but he's still under the weather. He's going back to the doctor on Monday and I just hope he doesn't have pneumonia because: A) He has another business trip next week and he gets to visit his brother's family; B) He's tired of feeling miserable; and C) I don't do well with sick people in my house.

* * *

We had a little taste of spring yesterday. It was delightful. First of all, I have instituted a new "below freezing" rule which says if it's not below freezing I'm not driving the kids to the bus stop. Now the bus stop is only a half a block away and it's not the walking in the cold weather I'm opposed to. It's them standing there for 20 minutes in the below freezing temps that I don't like. Let's face it - I'll always be a Southern California beach girl at heart. But yesterday morning it was around 38 - well above freezing.

And when I opened the back door to let Sookie out it smelled wondermus. I don't remember this smell in California, but you Southerners know exactly what I'm talking about. The smell of early spring. It's in my top ten favorite smells ever, maybe top five.

It was just nice to leave the house for some Homie Hang time and not have to bundle up like Randy in A Christmas Story. But guess what. We are now expected snow. Not just a little, either. Depending on who you listen to we could get up to 10 inches of snow between tomorrow night and Monday morning. Of course, I'll believe it when I see it.

I have mixed emotions here. On one hand, we've had a lot of snow events this year, but no measurable snow to speak of. It would be nice to have one good sledding snow. On the other hand I'm ready for spring. I'm ready to have the windows open and take the dog for walks without freezing.

* * *


There is much more random in my life, but this is all you get today. Who knows? Maybe I'll write more tomorrow!!

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Friday, January 16, 2009

The Croc Saga

I recently learned something very disheartening about a good friend of mine. I'll call her Sina so as to keep her anonymous. We don't always agree on everything and that's fine.

I was disbelieving when she told me she doesn't like Jane Austen and finds her boring, but I realize Miss Jane is not everyone's cuppa tea.

I was mystified when it came out she doesn't enjoy doing Beth Moore studies, but I accept we all learn differently.

But when I found out this latest thing about her... I can hardly bring myself to say it out loud... But here I go...

She joined a Facebook Group called, "I Don't care How Comfortable Crocs Are, You Look Like A Dumbass." Oh yes she did! As you can imagine, this has stirred up much controversy on her profile.

Now I realize crocs may not make a fashion statement, but they really are comfortable and I'm sorry Sina, but they don't make people look like a dumbass. To show my support of Crocs I created this Visual Ode to Fuzzy Crocs:



Say what you will, Sina. I know what's important in life and comfy shoes is near the top of the list. I think you need to step out of the darkness and over into the light.

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Tuesday, November 18, 2008

They Both Start With "P"

Travis and my cousin, Ethan, gently pointed out the large hooligan birds were pheasants and not partridges. Which really messes up my whole title and everything. I point that out to take focus off the fact that I don't know my birds. At all.

Except I did see a seagull flying in the snow today. Another first for me. He didn't look happy, either. Though I'm not exactly sure how a seagull expresses his emotions. But I do know it was a seagull.

And I know what an owl looks like, but I only ever see them at the zoo. OH! And an emu, 'cept I would probably get an emu confused with an ostrich even though I know there's a difference. I just don't know what the difference is.

Obviously ornithology is not my thing.

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Saturday, November 15, 2008

Speaking of Random...

For the last couple of days I've been thinking about various posts to write, however, when I actually try to type something I come up empty. Sometimes that happens when I think too much. Which is why I prefer to think as little as possible. So I'm going to try a "stream of consciousness" post - just typing up whatever comes to mind.

I had Home Team at my house Friday. Todd calls them my Big Homies since I call the teen girls my Little Homies. I don't particularly like to be called "Big" anything, thank you very much. Unfortunately my mistake was showing my indignation instead of just ignoring him because now he will forever call us Big Homies. Sorry Ladies.

Speaking of my Homies (NOT Big Homies), I'm not much of a cream in my coffee kinda gal, but some of the women like it so I bought some at the store. I picked up regular Coffee Mate and decided to give Italian Sweet Cream a try. What a discovery! Doesn't it look good? That's Beth Coffee right there! It's very much like putting sweetened condensed milk in your coffee only better. When you open up a can of the sweetened condensed milk you end up eating what's left with a spoon so I think the creamer is probably a healthier choice.

Speaking of coffee, my Mr. Coffee broke a couple of weeks ago. It was a bad morning at the Jenster household. Bad. Thankfully Mr. Jenster has a keen sense of survival because he ran to Wawa to get me a large cuppa joe and then he told me no more cheap coffee pots because I go through them like water through a seive. So we went to Kohl's and bought the coolest coffee maker. It's a Cuisinart with a reservoir instead of a carafe so you place your cup on the X and gently push the lever, causing a stream of liquid gold to dispense until you let go. Fun stuff. If you're using a dark cup, however, it's hard to see the coffee and it's easy to overfill. Still, it's worth it just for the fun of it.

Speaking of fun, my mom and dad are flying in from Little Rock on Wednesday and we're all quite excited around here. It will be great to spend Thanksgiving with them and have two more mouths to help eat the enormous amounts of food I'll end up making. Not only that, but mom will make the pumpkin pie so that's a bonus. Then there's the ironing which always seems to get caught up when she's been visiting. Amazing, that. I'm anxious to see how Sookie will feel about her Oma and Papa.

Speaking of Sookie, she's such a puppy. Which is really cute except when it's not. Like when she comes running in the house with muddy paws and won't stop to let us clean them off. Or when she steals socks and gloves and pieces of paper and then runs outside with them. Or when we're trying to watch a movie and she decides it's time to play.

Speaking of movies, when the new Indiana Jones movie was released on DVD the cost at Target was $14.99 for about three days so I snatched it up. I had been looking forward to the movie ever since I heard they were making it, but we didn't get to see it in the theater. We were like in Hawaii or something.

It used to be so easy to plan a family night, but it has taken us until this afternoon when all four of us were here for the length of time it would take to watch it. So we made a day of it. Lunch at Applebee's and then we came home to watch the movie. Todd took Balto for a walk in the frozen tundra (it was cold and veeeery windy today) to wear her out while I got my comfy sweats on. We all converged in the family room and settled in to watch the movie.

Harrison Ford is old now and Sean Connery's presence was definitely missing. It wasn't as good as the first or third Indy movies - I don't even consider the second -but it was a ton of fun. And it was just nice to be a family again even if it was just for a little while! Before long it was time to take the kids to Youth Group.

Speaking of Youth Group -- I got nuthin'. I guess it's time to end this post so Adios Muchachos!!

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Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Oy Vey, Such a Night!!

In roughly three months Taylor will be eligible for his driver's license. While the thought of turning him loose with a fast and heavy machine scares me, I also look forward to it. My life would be just a tad bit easier - like tonight.

Here's this evening's schedule:

4:30 leave the house, drive to Wawa for dinnery-type items.

5:00 drop Taylor off at church for Youth Leadership.

5:15 pick Katie and Shelby up from play practice, drive Shelby home while Katie eats dinnery-type item.

5:50 drop Katie off at voice lessons.

6:00 pick Taylor up from church.

6:20 pick Katie up from voice lessons.

6:30 drop Katie off at a cake decorating class.

GO HOME!!

8:00 pick Katie up from cake decorating.

Once I get in the car after Wawa I don't see my butt leaving the driver's seat until I get home the first time. Of course, even if Taylor had his license and an actual vehicle to drive it wouldn't make a huge impact on tonight. It's pretty much all Katie's doing. Too bad she's not going to have a cake for us to enjoy after all that running around tonight.

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Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Guess That Song

I'll get back to NYC and the Chicas later, but first I have this. Guess what song I was singing in the shower this morning! Go ahead. Guess! I'll wait.

*
*
*

Good guesses, but no. There's just no way in the world you'll guess it. But I'll give you a hundred more tries.

1. No.

2. Wrong.

3. Uh-uh.

4. Nope.

5. --- Oh forget it! We'll be here all day. I'll just tell you.

Flat Foot Floozie with a Floy Floy


Told you you'd never guess!! Who sings that?? I mean in like the last 50 years? Well, obviously I have because I'm not 50. And my mom definitely has because that's how I know the song. But how many normal people sing that anymore?

And how did I even get it in my head this morning?

And what exactly does it mean? I know what "flat foot" means because I have a flexible flat foot which means my foot looks like it has an arch until I stand up and then it goes away. Got that from my mom, too. And "floozie" -- everyone knows that's a tramp. But what's a floy floy? Is it a hat? Or maybe they're orthopedic shoes for the hoochie mama's foot problem. Does anyone know??

OH MY GOSH!! I just looked it up and it says the song is actually Flat Foot Floogie, "floogie" meaning floozie which is "a slang for a prostitute who attracts customers by walking the streets" and "with a floy floy" indicates she has a venereal disease! Seriously!! That's what the internet says so it must be true.

MOM! I can't believe you sang that song to me!! I thought the college drinking songs were a little inappropriate. But this???

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Thursday, October 16, 2008

More About The Weekend

Sing 4 Joy Some people won't leave me be so I'm going to share a few random pictures and stories from last weekend.

Look at what GGG brought me from Texas:



It's a box of Texas Fortune Cookies. Each contains Texan trivia. This is what I've learned.

1. Texas leads the country in the sale of pick-up trucks.

2. The King Ranch, the largest ranch in Texas, is located in Kingsville, and is larger than Rhode Island.

3. DFW, the nation's largest airport, has the world's largest parking lot. It is located in Grapevine, Texas.

4. Dallas has more retail shopping space per capita than any other U.S. city.

5. Houston is the largest city in Texas by population.

Not only am I a history geek, I also hoard useless trivia. (I am such a blast at a party!) So this was right up my alley.

***

This is mostly for S4J and GGG. On our way into Philadelphia I was telling them how I loved the multitude of old farm houses and churches in our area. In fact we have one of the prettiest farms just around the corner from us. Katie piped in, You mean the one with "God Bless America" on the barn?

Me: It doesn't say "God Bless America", it says "Live Free or Die".

Know it All: No. It says, "God Bless America". I know because I see it every morning from the bus.

Me: Well, then they've changed it very recently because it used to say "Live Free or Die".

Omniscient Teen: No. It's always said "God Bless America".

Okay. Not the time or place for this argument so we drop it. Until we come home and I drive by the farm to see. Let's take a look, shall we??



Can't read it? How about now?


BAM! Who's yo mama now?? Well. Would you look at that. Apparently I was correct. Isn't it a beautiful farm? I want to live there but the residents aren't real keen on me moving in.

***

Don't fret. There is more to come!!

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Tuesday, October 07, 2008

VICTORY!!

A month or so ago I told you about some folks who were in jeopardy of losing their home - The "The Just Plain Wrong" portion of The Good, The Bad, and the Just Plain Wrong. Last night the Township Supervisors voted unanimously for a resolution to ban the condemnation of these two properties for use in building a new park or anything else. The Township building was packed with concerned citizens - we didn't all fit in the actual room and spilled out into the foyer. As you can imagine, there was much applause when the resolution was adopted.

***

When Todd lived at home he would gripe at his dad for not turning the heater on in the early mornings. (Contrary to what some of you may think, early morning in SoCal can be pretty chilly) Now that HE'S the homeowner it's like pulling teeth to get him to turn on the heater. Thankfully for the rest of us, he's out of town. Monday night I turned the heater on and it's a good thing I did. It was 34 degrees yesterday morning! When I told him I turned on the heater he said, "But it's only October!" I may need to put a lock on the thermostat so he can't turn it off when he gets home!

***

I watched about an hour of the debate last night. I couldn't stomach any more than that. This is a totally bipartisan opinion. I'm sick and tired of the lying, the embellishing, the partial truths, the mud slinging -- both sides are just as guilty as the other. Frankly, I don't know who or what to believe. I can't decide if it keeps getting worse or if it's just that I keep getting older and am paying closer attention. Whatever the case, I'll go vote my conscience on that first Tuesday in November and pray for our country and whoever ends up in the White House.

***

Now for the really big news! I'm picking up Sing 4 Joy and God's Guitar Girl from the airport tonight! Then tomorrow I'll get to meet His Girl and a few other Chicas! And they're even going to let me hang out with them on Friday evening and Sunday evening!

Tomorrow I'm taking S4J and GGG into Philadelphia and dropping them off to do their thing while I take the kids to the Franklin Institute to see the Pirates Exhibit (Argh!) and then we might get to catch up with our Hawaiian friends for a bit!

Busy, busy, busy, but FUN, FUN, FUN!

***

As for the hair cut, I'm loving it!! As far as putting a picture on my blog, well, you'll just have to wait. I'm sure I'll be posting a few photos from this weekend and you can see it then. But don't hold me to that!!

***

Okay. I'm off to make my house somewhat presentable for the girls. Gotta go!!

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Monday, October 06, 2008

A Day of Hair, Leaves and Dogs

You may recall a month ago or so I said I was going to cut my hair after I'd lost 15 pounds. I changed my mind. I haven't lost 15 pounds, but I did cut my hair today. Well, I didn't cut my hair because I'm totally inept at that. Just ask Todd. Or Taylor. Or Katie. They each have received one hair cut from me. Lucky for Taylor and Katie their haircuts where when they were very young. Todd was not so lucky. But I digress.

As I said, I haven't lost 15 pounds. I've lost 10. First I lost six pounds, then I gained five, then I lost four. So I may not be ten pounds lighter than I was, but I did lose ten. But that doesn't even matter because I decided I really needed the change. I very much like it, though it doesn't make me look 30 pounds lighter like I'd hoped. *sigh*

The cut is great, but at this very moment it looks hysterical. I ended up with a migraine today so I came home, popped two Excedrin Migraines and fell asleep on the couch with Sookie. So I think I'll go wash it and see what I can do with it.

My friend, Darlene, is my stylist and she lives on a dairy farm in the country. So I grabbed my much adored camera and took a little drive after. The leaves are starting to change, though we're still a few weeks away from peak foliage.






And the Sookie portion of today's post. Look what she did to the screen. We still close it, though, to keep the really big bugs out.



An innocent looking Sookie.



Anti-Sookie/Brady fencing.

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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.

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