I started.
First: Relief
Followed shortly by: Cramps
Enough said.
More than enough said really.
Anyways, in more exciting and a significantly less personal news:
I had a new running personal best this morning.
SIDENOTE: If you are new around here, please don't think for a minute that "running" means anything other than a really, really slow jog. For purposes of this blog though we are just going to call it running. Even though it is just barely running. So barely am I running that sometimes I think I have stopped and have to look at the landscape to make sure trees and houses are still being passed. Still, it is not walking and therefore it is running. Wonder how long I will keep putting in this disclaimer before I just allow myself to just call it running?
Now that we are clear.
I did about 1.3 without stopping!! Woo Hoo! Did a couple of other decent bursts of running on our 3 mile track but that is my longest to date without stopping! I even talked some! Didn't have to have my music to drowned out my gasping, struggling, breathing issues. That is just one week after getting back to it after the Christmas holidays! So excited. I really think in the next couple of weeks I might be able to put the whole 3 miles together. Won't that be so awesome?
There is this one little hill that has me worried. It is more of an incline really, but you can sure tell when you are running that it is uphill. I can't wait till I run up that sucker! That will be a major accomplishment!
Must log off to go find the Aleve! I do have another post to put up shortly about Chip's future profession. Check back in a bit!
Hope your Friday rocks!
Friday, January 7, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Our Welcome Home
When we returned from Alabama, after 13 and 1/2 long hours on the road, we found a couple of surprises in our front yard.
First, our front yard tree was adorned with beautiful Christmas lights. When we left Texas it did not have Christmas lights.
We also found this happy face snowman, lit up and smiling as we made our way to the front door. He also, was not here when we left. What a happy little surprise, but who put him there?
Well, what do you know? The same folks who "Horned" our house during last year's Christmas break struck again! This time with a nicer twist.
In fact, much nicer. They also left this yummy, yummy treat for us! Wasn't that sweet?
Are you wondering about the little bride and groom on the cookie? Let me explain.
We have gone many times to the Brown Santa facility with the V family to wrap presents for the less fortunate. One time, while there in late November they were holding a little silent auction with random things you could bid on. There were some pretty wacky things to bid on including this African American Mini Barbie Bride and Groom Cake Topper set.
Unbeknownst to us, they put down a $2 bid with our name on it.
A few weeks later, Hubby gets a call on his cell phone from the folks at Brown Santa telling him that he has won something at the silent auction and he needs to come pick it up. He doesn't remember bidding on anything so he asks them what it is? Cake toppers they reply.
He calls me and says "Did you bid on cake toppers at Brown Santa?" I had no recollection of even seeing cake toppers. He pauses for just a split second and says "I bet that dang (maybe didn't use that word exactly) UJ and Peggy bid on something for us. I am going to pick it up."
When he came home, he had not just one set of cake toppers, but THREE sets of cake toppers. The folks at Brown Santa said the toppers had been in the auction for three years and had never been bid on so they were giving him all three. He explained what trick had been played on him to the little ladies working at Brown Santa and they thought it was hysterical. They said he didn't have to take them if he didn't want to, but he said "Oh no, I will happily take them. They are going to be wrapped up as a Christmas gift for some really nice friends of mine."
So we did.
We wrapped them up in a beautiful box and left it on our dining room table for the V family. See, they take care of our stupid cat when we are out of town so we knew they would find it.
We left town on Wednesday and they called on Wednesday night, laughing like hyenas. They had forgotten about bidding on the little cake toppers until they pulled the first one out of the box. Just cracked up when they pulled three out of the box.
Of course, they gave all three of them back to us. Two on the cookie and the other four in various locations around the house.
Now we have to figure out how to sneak these six little jewels back over to their house!
Definitely more good times to come in 2011!
I'm Late
Ten days late to be exact.
Not going to panic.
Not going to buy a pregnancy test.
Not going to be a medical miracle who's tubes grew back together.
Not believing I am going to blog about this, but it is consuming the majority of my thoughts at the moment.
Surely to goodness this is pre-menopause or something. Surely.
Heaven help me if it isn't.
Not going to panic.
Not going to buy a pregnancy test.
Not going to be a medical miracle who's tubes grew back together.
Not believing I am going to blog about this, but it is consuming the majority of my thoughts at the moment.
Surely to goodness this is pre-menopause or something. Surely.
Heaven help me if it isn't.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Chickens and Turkeys
Remember that little art project I mentioned before Christmas? No? Well, you must not be paying attention! That is one blog demerit if you have no idea what art project I am rambling on about.
If you are currently screaming at the screen that you DO know and DO remember my previous post, please award yourself $200 in Monopoly money. Thanks for reading so carefully.
For any potential slackers, let me refresh your memory. Before Christmas I wrote here that I had a hankering to do something crafty. I wanted to paint something, weave a rug, blow glass, refinish a chair...something creative. It happens occasionally.
Lo and behold, the opportunity was dropped right in my lap while we were in Alabama for Thanksgiving. Upon arriving at Callie and George's "farm" we found out that their recently acquired chickens were killed or dead or eaten or something. That kind of thing happens on farms. These folks have lost ducks, cats, rabbits and various other farmish animals.
When I relayed the news to the boys Chip said "Mom, that is a bad farm. They need a better fence."
Of course I shared his statement with Callie and George and they got a big laugh out of it and said "That should be the name of our place. The Bad Farm."
So for Christmas we decided to make them a sign. We had lots of fun tossing around ideas. Here it the finished product:
Can you tell those are chickens? Or maybe they are roosters? For sure, they look like fowl, right?
What about the windmill? You knew it was a windmill, didn't you? George is an Aeromotor Sales Rep and big time into windmills.
I thought I did a bang up job on the original canvas painting.
They laughed so hard when we gave it to them. I told them to hang it in the garage, although there was some talk of hanging it in their dining room. I do hope they put it in a place that not too many people will see it.
Heaven knows I don't want to be bombarded with requests to paint signs for lots of people.
Hardee, har, har...crack myself up.
On the same fowl track, this is a turkey platter. This platter was pulled from the trash by my sweet Hubby when he was nine years old. Yes, he pulled it from a pile of trash that someone in his neighborhood had left out for garbage pickup.
His mom washed it, and has used it for Thanksgiving and Christmas every year since then.
Hubby is 45, so that means this Turkey Platter has been in use for 36 years.
That is a very productive life for a turkey platter that was on its way to the dumpster.
Hubby told Callie when she dies, he gets the platter. I am sure there will be a huge family fight over this one, so we will probably put his name on the back of it with some masking tape to lay claim to this family heirloom. Don't want there to be any question who gets this glorious platter forty years from now. They tried to look up a similar platter on Ebay this past Christmas and I think this beauty is fetching $21 or better. No telling what it will be worth in forty years.
Here is something that is priceless right now. Pictures of my two turkeys. I am fooling around with PhotoShop and learning more and more every day.
Made this picture black and white, lightened the shadows and removed a facial blemish (alright, it was a zit) from Harold's chin. I could play with PhotoShop for hours. There are so many buttons and so many special effects you can use. It will take me years to figure it out. Super cool. Anyone else out there love PhotoShop?
That is all for now.
Have a great day!
If you are currently screaming at the screen that you DO know and DO remember my previous post, please award yourself $200 in Monopoly money. Thanks for reading so carefully.
For any potential slackers, let me refresh your memory. Before Christmas I wrote here that I had a hankering to do something crafty. I wanted to paint something, weave a rug, blow glass, refinish a chair...something creative. It happens occasionally.
Lo and behold, the opportunity was dropped right in my lap while we were in Alabama for Thanksgiving. Upon arriving at Callie and George's "farm" we found out that their recently acquired chickens were killed or dead or eaten or something. That kind of thing happens on farms. These folks have lost ducks, cats, rabbits and various other farmish animals.
When I relayed the news to the boys Chip said "Mom, that is a bad farm. They need a better fence."
Of course I shared his statement with Callie and George and they got a big laugh out of it and said "That should be the name of our place. The Bad Farm."
So for Christmas we decided to make them a sign. We had lots of fun tossing around ideas. Here it the finished product:
Can you tell those are chickens? Or maybe they are roosters? For sure, they look like fowl, right? What about the windmill? You knew it was a windmill, didn't you? George is an Aeromotor Sales Rep and big time into windmills.
I thought I did a bang up job on the original canvas painting.
They laughed so hard when we gave it to them. I told them to hang it in the garage, although there was some talk of hanging it in their dining room. I do hope they put it in a place that not too many people will see it.
Heaven knows I don't want to be bombarded with requests to paint signs for lots of people.
Hardee, har, har...crack myself up.
On the same fowl track, this is a turkey platter. This platter was pulled from the trash by my sweet Hubby when he was nine years old. Yes, he pulled it from a pile of trash that someone in his neighborhood had left out for garbage pickup.
His mom washed it, and has used it for Thanksgiving and Christmas every year since then.
Hubby is 45, so that means this Turkey Platter has been in use for 36 years.
That is a very productive life for a turkey platter that was on its way to the dumpster.
Hubby told Callie when she dies, he gets the platter. I am sure there will be a huge family fight over this one, so we will probably put his name on the back of it with some masking tape to lay claim to this family heirloom. Don't want there to be any question who gets this glorious platter forty years from now. They tried to look up a similar platter on Ebay this past Christmas and I think this beauty is fetching $21 or better. No telling what it will be worth in forty years.
Here is something that is priceless right now. Pictures of my two turkeys. I am fooling around with PhotoShop and learning more and more every day.
Made this picture black and white, lightened the shadows and removed a facial blemish (alright, it was a zit) from Harold's chin. I could play with PhotoShop for hours. There are so many buttons and so many special effects you can use. It will take me years to figure it out. Super cool. Anyone else out there love PhotoShop?
That is all for now.
Have a great day!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Make This Soup
Please.
It is called Mary's Chicken Green Chili and Jalapeno Soup.
It comes together in just a few minutes and is so dang good and pretty dang healthy. I made it today, for like the 15th time this year and it is so worth sharing! In fact it is probably worthy of a Public Service Announcement. Someone get this recipe posted on PBS or something.
SIDENOTE: No one in my house will eat it except for me. I make it anyway. I don't do that very often. It is their terrible loss and my delicious gain.
Here is the recipe:
Mary’s Chicken Green Chili and Jalapeño Soup
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
l/2 cup chopped white onion
1 clove garlic, peeled
One 32oz box organic chicken broth
One 10 3/4 oz can cream of mushroom soup Campbell’s Healthy Request
One 10 3/4 oz can cream of chicken soup Campbell’s Healthy Request
2 cups lowfat milk or 2 cups evaporated skim milk (I used one cup of each)
2 - 4 oz cans chopped green chilis
2 pickled jalapeno peppers, cored, seeded, and chopped (I used one 4 oz can)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 pound Velveeta cheese, roughly chopped
2 cups cubed or shredded cooked chicken
1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
Preheat a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the oil and onion and cook, stirring constantly, until the onion turns translucent, about 5 minutes. Press in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the broth, soups, milk, green chilies, jalapeno peppers, and cumin. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the cheese and cook, still stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes, until melted. Stir in the chicken, cilantro, salt, and white pepper. Cook for about 2 minutes more to warm through. Ladle into 6 bowls and serve each with a lime wedge on the side.
Serves 6 to 8
DO IT! Then come back and tell me how good it was. I already know, but would like to hear it from you guys.
It is called Mary's Chicken Green Chili and Jalapeno Soup.
It comes together in just a few minutes and is so dang good and pretty dang healthy. I made it today, for like the 15th time this year and it is so worth sharing! In fact it is probably worthy of a Public Service Announcement. Someone get this recipe posted on PBS or something.
SIDENOTE: No one in my house will eat it except for me. I make it anyway. I don't do that very often. It is their terrible loss and my delicious gain.
Here is the recipe:
Mary’s Chicken Green Chili and Jalapeño Soup
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
l/2 cup chopped white onion
1 clove garlic, peeled
One 32oz box organic chicken broth
One 10 3/4 oz can cream of mushroom soup Campbell’s Healthy Request
One 10 3/4 oz can cream of chicken soup Campbell’s Healthy Request
2 cups lowfat milk or 2 cups evaporated skim milk (I used one cup of each)
2 - 4 oz cans chopped green chilis
2 pickled jalapeno peppers, cored, seeded, and chopped (I used one 4 oz can)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 pound Velveeta cheese, roughly chopped
2 cups cubed or shredded cooked chicken
1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
Preheat a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the oil and onion and cook, stirring constantly, until the onion turns translucent, about 5 minutes. Press in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the broth, soups, milk, green chilies, jalapeno peppers, and cumin. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the cheese and cook, still stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes, until melted. Stir in the chicken, cilantro, salt, and white pepper. Cook for about 2 minutes more to warm through. Ladle into 6 bowls and serve each with a lime wedge on the side.
Serves 6 to 8
DO IT! Then come back and tell me how good it was. I already know, but would like to hear it from you guys.
Who's Room is This?
Take a look at these pictures? Can you tell who sleeps in this room?
It is Chip, of course.
This table was made by Hubby's Dad, when Harold was two years old. He made it for Harold's Thomas the Train set and that train set lived on this table for at least four or five years. I loved the train set and it is safely packed away in the attic so that when I am a grandma we can drag that set out and play with it again.
After the train stage passed, this table went through many phases. It was a Robot table for a while, then it was transformed into a Lego table, then back to a Thomas the Tank table when Chip was small, then briefly a Rokenbok table, then back to Legos, then held a miniature electric train set for a while until it went back to Legos.
Well, the Legos have been packed up again. Not sure if it is forever or just another temporary stop in the closet. Now it is a wrestling table.
A hard core wrestling table. Four arenas, more figures than you can count, breakable tables, chairs and ladders.
Regardless of what sits on it, I love this table and will have it forever.
So, back to wrestling. Let me share some information with you. This here is the Prison Break Bamboo Cell. What???
Who makes a Prison Break Bamboo Cell for kids?
I don't know, but it is sitting in Chip's room now.
This is Chip's favorite Rey Mysterio going for the Money in the Bank briefcase. He wins just about all of his matches in Chip's room. He's pretty lucky that Rey.
This is Chip's bed.
Check out the wrestling belts hanging on his bunk bed ladder.
Isn't that a crack up?
You know what else is a crack up?
This morning, before school, Chip and I watched the finale of Monday Night Raw that he had taped from last night. After Chip had gone to school, Harold came down stairs for breakfast and this is what I said to him.
Mom: Good Morning Harold, do you want to know who won the Steel Cage match?
Harold was a little bleary eyed or I am sure he would have been more enthusiastic.
This alarm clock is the icing on the cake. It sits right next to Chip's head and when it goes off it talks in some big time wrestling voices. He loves it.
This phase will last for a while, but as I have learned and mentioned here before...this too shall pass.
In all my purging and cleaning this weekend we emptied out the toy closet and toy box. The boys didn't want to keep hardly anything. There are just a few random toys remaining in the big red bucket. The old toy box that has held toys for the last fourteen years was taken empty out to the curb.
I can't hardly believe it.
The big red bucket has overflowed with toys for years and years and now it holds just a few swords, a variety of balls and a couple of random stuffed animals. It's very sad.
They are growing up so fast and I intend to enjoy the wrestling stage while it lasts. We will laugh about it in ten years. About how Chip was obsessed with all things wrestling. He will be able to name a handful of wrestlers, but the rest will just fade with time.
For now, Rey Mysterio can 6-1-9 all he wants in Chip's room. I just hope he brings down that stupid "The Miz". I can't stand that guy.
Have a great day all!
It is Chip, of course. This table was made by Hubby's Dad, when Harold was two years old. He made it for Harold's Thomas the Train set and that train set lived on this table for at least four or five years. I loved the train set and it is safely packed away in the attic so that when I am a grandma we can drag that set out and play with it again.
After the train stage passed, this table went through many phases. It was a Robot table for a while, then it was transformed into a Lego table, then back to a Thomas the Tank table when Chip was small, then briefly a Rokenbok table, then back to Legos, then held a miniature electric train set for a while until it went back to Legos.
Well, the Legos have been packed up again. Not sure if it is forever or just another temporary stop in the closet. Now it is a wrestling table.
A hard core wrestling table. Four arenas, more figures than you can count, breakable tables, chairs and ladders.
Regardless of what sits on it, I love this table and will have it forever.
So, back to wrestling. Let me share some information with you. This here is the Prison Break Bamboo Cell. What??? Who makes a Prison Break Bamboo Cell for kids?
I don't know, but it is sitting in Chip's room now.
This is Chip's favorite Rey Mysterio going for the Money in the Bank briefcase. He wins just about all of his matches in Chip's room. He's pretty lucky that Rey. 
This is Chip's bed.
Check out the wrestling belts hanging on his bunk bed ladder.
Isn't that a crack up?
You know what else is a crack up?
This morning, before school, Chip and I watched the finale of Monday Night Raw that he had taped from last night. After Chip had gone to school, Harold came down stairs for breakfast and this is what I said to him.
Mom: Good Morning Harold, do you want to know who won the Steel Cage match?
Harold: Huh?
Mom: The Steel Cage match last night on Raw.
Harold: Uh, I guess.
Mom: It was Randy Orton. He beat Shamus and Wade Barrett, although CM Punk helped out unofficially when he came out and kicked Wade Barrett in the head as he was crawling out. So now CM Punk is the head of Nexus.
Harold: Cool.
Harold was a little bleary eyed or I am sure he would have been more enthusiastic.
This alarm clock is the icing on the cake. It sits right next to Chip's head and when it goes off it talks in some big time wrestling voices. He loves it.
This phase will last for a while, but as I have learned and mentioned here before...this too shall pass.
In all my purging and cleaning this weekend we emptied out the toy closet and toy box. The boys didn't want to keep hardly anything. There are just a few random toys remaining in the big red bucket. The old toy box that has held toys for the last fourteen years was taken empty out to the curb.
I can't hardly believe it.
The big red bucket has overflowed with toys for years and years and now it holds just a few swords, a variety of balls and a couple of random stuffed animals. It's very sad.
They are growing up so fast and I intend to enjoy the wrestling stage while it lasts. We will laugh about it in ten years. About how Chip was obsessed with all things wrestling. He will be able to name a handful of wrestlers, but the rest will just fade with time.
For now, Rey Mysterio can 6-1-9 all he wants in Chip's room. I just hope he brings down that stupid "The Miz". I can't stand that guy.
Have a great day all!
Monday, January 3, 2011
Capital One Bowl
Happy New Year!! Welcome 2011! I can't wait to see what you have in store for me! I know it is going to be awesome! So far, so good! I hope your new year has been as full of purging and cleaning and sorting and organizing as mine has! I have been a mad woman around the house and it feels so good! I love to purge! That will have to be another post all of its own!
Let's get right to the topic at hand! The Capital One Bowl!
As is their tradition of about five years, Hubby and Harold have gone to a college bowl game. Games in the past have been a little closer to home and usually include the Alabama Crimson Tide, but this year to follow Bama they would have to go a little bigger and better. They went to Orlando to see the Tide play in the Capital One bowl!
If you are not an Alabama fan, you might want to just close this post now and come back later for some titillating conversation about our welcome home, Chip's new men and/or the new and improved linen closet. I know, exciting right?
For now, let's recap the boys football adventure!
They flew out on Friday afternoon. That in itself was complicated with four delays and a plane being held for them in Houston, but they made it to Orlando by midnight or so.
When they arrive in Orlando the smart, smart, genius, must be working on commission car rental fellow talked them into a bit of an upgrade for just a few bucks. They were driving around in a Dodge Challenger, which Harold thought was the coolest!
Yeah, just hanging by the pool in Orlando on New Year's Day waiting to head over to the ball game. A great way to bring in the new year.
Let's get right to the topic at hand! The Capital One Bowl!
As is their tradition of about five years, Hubby and Harold have gone to a college bowl game. Games in the past have been a little closer to home and usually include the Alabama Crimson Tide, but this year to follow Bama they would have to go a little bigger and better. They went to Orlando to see the Tide play in the Capital One bowl!
If you are not an Alabama fan, you might want to just close this post now and come back later for some titillating conversation about our welcome home, Chip's new men and/or the new and improved linen closet. I know, exciting right?
For now, let's recap the boys football adventure!
They flew out on Friday afternoon. That in itself was complicated with four delays and a plane being held for them in Houston, but they made it to Orlando by midnight or so.
When they arrive in Orlando the smart, smart, genius, must be working on commission car rental fellow talked them into a bit of an upgrade for just a few bucks. They were driving around in a Dodge Challenger, which Harold thought was the coolest!
Yeah, just hanging by the pool in Orlando on New Year's Day waiting to head over to the ball game. A great way to bring in the new year.
Matching jerseys. Aren't they cute?
They head over to the Florida Citrus Bowl to enjoy the pre-game festivities.
Signs and banners were everywhere. Weather was a balmy 80 degrees.
They get to watch the Bama boys walk in...do you see Julio dead center of this picture? They also watch Michigan walk in, but I don't know any of those boys.
Next, they spent some time at the Fan Zone!
Here is Harold trying out the accuracy throw. Nice spiral.
Here is the Trojan mascot, he looks pretty cool.
They got to see the big football semi-trucks. Obviously, this is Michigan State's.
And here is Bama's! Isn't it cool? I don't know why I love all this pre-game stuff, but I sure do.
Guys with the truck.
Inside the field they met up with Hubby's brother and his family who drove down from Bama for the game. Big smiles all around!
More matching jerseys for Harold and A-Rod.
Checking out the warm-ups.
It is about to get loud in here!
Sweet gloves!
Here comes the Tide!
What a gorgeous day they had for football. During the pre-game they were playing Sweet Home Alabama! Got to love that!
Now let's get on with the real deal!
Here comes the Tide! On your feet fans!
Big boys taking the field.
Everyone is fired up!
Great shots with the new Nikon camera!
Look at this defensive shot. That poor QB was on the ground all day.
Halftime and Bama is up big! Makes it so much easier to watch than their normal nail biter!
The Million Dollar Band - with some cheerleaders doing flips.
Cool shot of a Michigan State fan helmet. How would you like to be the guy sitting behind him?
Toward the end of the game, fourth string Lacy got some playing time and scored a touchdown. The first, second and third string backs are meeting him at the sideline for a high five. I am sure we will see much more of Lacy next year!
Game over! Bama wins 49 - 7! Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer - give 'em hell Alabama!! Dad, do you have chills bumps right now?? I know you do.
Mark Ingram carrying the Bama flag for what might be his last college game. I would sure love to see him back next year, but we will have to wait and see!
Is this kid happy or what? Great year Richardson! Looking forward to seeing him run next year!
A cool, calm, smart QB. Class act. Goodbye McElroy. I will miss you!
After the game the boys and their parents headed over to Universal City to grab a bite to eat.
They ended up at the NBA City Restaurant, which was really cool. Not sure about the food, but after a big football day with an Alabama win everything probably tastes good.
Hubby and Harold flew home early on Sunday morning and got home in plenty of time to help me put up all the Christmas decorations in the attic! Lucky dogs!
It was a great trip for them. Loved the game, the outcome, the location, just everything was terrific! The end of another great season by Alabama. Not sure what their final record was, but most definitely won more than they lost and finished with a superb bowl game.
One last ROLL TIDE ROLL before we close the books on the college football year!!
Must end this post with a huge shout out to my "Technical Expert", also known around these parts as Hubby. He figured out a much faster, easier way for me to load pictures into my blog! YAY!!! Went from taking me three days to upload 30 pictures to taking me about three minutes. Huge improvement and hopefully that means less delays and more pictures in the future!
You may also notice a new ad area at the top of my blog. Hubby added that in the brief few minutes I gave him my password! He's always working the deal! Anyway, according to my calculations if each of my six followers click on the ad 7,354 times each I will get a nickel!
Not going to be retiring any time soon! Speaking of that....must get to work!
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