We Don't Need No Stinkin' New Years Resolutions

I don't actually have any New Years Resolutions. I could vow to lose weight and exercise more but I think we ALL know that is probably not going to happen. Although I do plan to cut back on the Christmas candy and cookies. But that is only because I already ate all of them.

I could vow to watch less TV but what would be the point? I am constantly learning all kinds of vital information from the TV shows we watch even though, at this particular moment in time, I can't recall a single one. But I'm pretty positive they exist.

I could vow to take fewer naps but then what would I blog about? Because when I searched for a blog post to put here as an example, I found TWO PAGES of posts. About napping. So, obviously, they are an important part of my writing repertoire.

I could vow to cook more meals at home but someone has to support the economy and what would all the employees of those restaurants do if everyone stayed home and cooked? They would go out of business, that's what. So, I'm actually being pretty darn noble here.

But I felt pretty strongly that I needed to have some sort of inspirational New Year-type resolution message here. Something that I could actually accomplish. Something to show you that I am not actually the slacker/napper/no-home-cooked-meals preparer/ individual I might appear.

And then I noticed this.


And I thought. That can be my resolution! I will clean and organize my desk!

And then I remembered the two books Tom got me for Christmas. And how I have only finished one. And that I have basically nothing to do all day today. And that. Well. There might actually be a few cookies left. That are in serious danger of getting stale.

So I got in my recliner with a quilt over my legs and I read a book. And ate cookies. All afternoon.

I'll get to the desk.

After all.

It's a resolution.

Right?

Try It Tuesday: I Paint My Face Every Morning

Perhaps you think the title of this post is a use of figurative language and I don't mean that I LITERALLY paint my face my face, but FIGURATIVELY. But no. I paint my face. I use this.

That's a foundation brush from Estee Lauder, but you can get one from most of the makeup companies.

A while back when I got a makeover, the makeover person suggested I try a foundation brush. When she explained that you put some foundation on the back of your hand, then use the brush to pick it up and paint your face, I thought she was insane. Not FIGURATIVELY insane but LITERALLY. Who paints on their foundation? That's just crazy talk.

Only. It's not. The brush is big and soft and actually feels really nice as you put on your foundation. You also don't get any dirt or oil from your fingertips which can happen if you use them to apply.

It might sound insane, but it works and I love it. If you don't want to invest in a brush without trying it, go have a makeover. Most of the department stores have makeup counters that will do one for free. Let them use the foundation brush. And let me know what you think.

You can learn a lot about people in the parking lot of a mall the day after Christmas, can't you? That most people are actually pretty nice. That most people will give a little bit, let someone pull out in front of them, take that extra 60 seconds to pause and let people walk across the lane in the front of their car. Read more at my Herald-Leader blog here.

He GETS Me

Well, it's only taken 31 1/2 years.

Years of getting presents carefully shopped for and purchased from a list I painstakingly created for him.

A list he asked for every year because he had no idea what to buy for me.

This year I added a little something to the list. At the bottom, in small print, I wrote "Surprise me".

And so, for the wife he has known for almost 40 years, for the wife who spends an INORDINATE amount of time getting massages, manicure, pedicures, locating the closest spa on vacation, shopping for herself and generally pampering herself to the UTMOST. He bought.

A gift certificate for a massage. And a gift certificate for a pedicure. WENT to the locations and purchased them. Tucked them in my stocking.

I think I'll keep him around for another 31 1/2. Don't you think?

For Fun Friday: December 26, 2008

Play and create with dominos.

http://www.drawminos.com/

This gets harder and harder. See how you do.

http://www.freeworldgroup.com/games8/gameindex/mindcards.htm

Turn off the music and just enjoy the fire. No mess. No cleanup.

http://fauxfire.com/

Merry, Merry Christmas!

I have my turkey in the oven, presents piled under the tree, and my table set with Christmas dishes. The house is quiet as I sit here in my robe writing this note to my wonderful and loyal readers. My children will be here soon and we will open presents, have a delicious meal and laugh and talk and just enjoy being together.

I am so lucky. I realize it every single day.

I hope you are having a holiday that makes you as happy as you can possibly be.

Thanks for reading. I truly appreciate it.

It's Just A Good Thing I Am Not In Charge Of Getting That Heart Transplant There On Time

So, I had plans to meet up with some of my girlfriends for lunch the other day. A friend emailed and we planned it right up and I made a mental note and, even though I was going to have Moose that day, I knew I could arrange everything because I am so ORGANIZED and SO AWESOME and I PLAN EVERYTHING so well.

I knew we would have to leave town at 11:30 to be there by 12:00 so we ran our errands, then went to the mall where we exchanged some sleeping pants, went to several stores to find little boy shoes with laces (per mom's instructions) with Spiderman on them (per Moose's instructions) and, although we had to go to four different stores and had to compromise on lace shoes with ELMO on them, we managed and everyone was happy.

And it was 11:15 and time to coat up and head to the car so we could be at lunch just in time. We popped in Red Robin for a corn dog and fries since I didn't think Panera would tempt a little boy's appetite and then, there we were. At Panera. At 12:00. I was marveling at myself just a LITTLE BIT. Because I had planned things SO WELL and I was SO ORGANIZED and so totally AWESOME. I may have even tossed my head. A little. Because I was that FULL OF PRIDE.

And then I looked around and saw none of my friends. God. I can't believe they are late. Don't they realize how ORGANIZED I am? How I PLANNED EVERYTHING? How I am TOTALLY AWESOME???

So, at 12:10 I called Debbie to see where everyone was.

And she informed me we were getting together TOMORROW.

Not TODAY.

So Moose and I had lunch at Panera.

He was great company.

Just not precisely the lunch I was visualizing for someone who is so organized, awesome and such a great planner.

Not PRECISELY.

Stumble It!

Try It Tuesday: Sister Schubert Pre-Baked Dinner Yeast Rolls

We have been huge fans of the Sister Schubert frozen yeast rolls for years. They are a staple at any holiday dinner and I often use them for our family dinners as well. Just pop them in the oven in their aluminum pan and they are just as good as homemade. I was grocery shopping the other day, decided to pick some up and noticed a bag of the Sister Schubert pre-baked dinner large yeast rolls, so I thought I would give them a try.

You MUST go the store and IMMEDIATELY and buy these. They are FABULOUS. Not only are they already baked, so you just heat them up for about 5 minutes, they are better than any homemade or restaurant yeast roll I have EVER had. Seriously. They are a nice size and 3 2 1 goes very nicely with any meal. If you have some willpower. If not, you can easily heat up more. Let me know what you think!

Why, yes. That bag IS empty. Huh. Guess I should have taken the picture before we PIGGED out on rolls.

Does anyone else have an ISSUE with these dark tinted windows in vehicles? I'm not talking about a lightly shaded window that helps block the sun and keep the car cool, I'm talking about a pitch black window that is as dark as being inside the stomach of a possum...read more at my Herald-Leader blog here.

Well Played, IPHONE, Well Played

Tom sent me a recipe to try the other day.

Yes. That is NOT a misprint.

My husband sent me a recipe. This is the same husband who can't throw away trash and is incapable of throwing away the heel of the bread and, just this morning, asked me if the dishwasher was full of clean or dirty dishes because he JUST CAN'T TELL. He sent me a recipe. By email. From his Iphone.

At first, I thought it was joke. A recipe? Seriously? And then I realized. It was the IPHONE. His new Iphone. With all the new apps. Which he loves and adores and practically croons over as he uses it. No. Wait. He DOES croon over it. We skip over the commercials every night when we watch the DVR but when an Iphone commercial comes on? We have to pause just to make sure it is not app he does not already have.

Now, if there was only an app that would actually teach him how to make that recipe on his very own as I lounged in a hot bubble bath and then had dinner served to me on a tray?

That would totally be a worthwhile app.

For Fun Friday December 19, 2008

Took me a while to figure out the technique with this one.

http://www.miniglobz.com/games/twin_en.html

We all know we have to DUCK AND COVER when an atomic bomb hits. Because we know THAT'S going to work.

http://www.archive.org/details/DuckandC1951

Pretty funny...

http://www.news.com.au/common/imagedata/0,,6404759,00.jpg

Velveeta Revelations: Velveeta Fudge

So, we are still workin' the whole Velveeta thing over at our house and can I just say? Every single recipe I use calls for a POUND of Velveeta. What's up with using a whole POUND of processed cheese PRODUCT in your food? And what does this say about those people who actually eat Velveeta? Of which I am one? I'm not going to think about that. I'll think about it tomorrow. And Scarlett never would have maintained that waistline if Velveeta had been invented a little sooner. Read more at my Herald-Leader blog here.

I Can Wear Pajamas To Work

One of the nicest things about working in a school, besides this of course:

is that we often participate in fun, silly events. Like Storybook Character Dress-Up Day, which was announced the other day. It didn't take me long to think of the PERFECT book. "The Polar Express", by Chris Van Allsburg. The characters are all dressed in their pajamas.

I wore sleeping pants, a long sleeve t-shirt and slippers to school.

Seriously.

Could life BE any better?

Try It Tuesday: ABC Fun Shapes Tater Tots

The three nicest words in the English language? I love you.
But a close second? SNOW. DAY.

My grandson is a big fan of corn dogs and tater tots and, really, who isn't? At the grocery store the other day, I stopped in the freezer aisle to pick up some tater tots and found these. ABC TATER TOTS!

How fabulous is that? He gets his favorite food AND an educational experience at the same time. As he ate his lunch, we talked about the different letters, what words started with those letters and the sound they make. And then he dipped them in ketchup and ate them. Not very often you get to eat your learning materials! I sampled one and they are just regular tater tots. Only in ABC shapes.

Check them out and let me know what you think.

Today I have a darling arts and crafts basket to give away. I'll give you the details in a minute but let me catch you up on the book giveaways for the last few weeks. Read more at my Herald-Leader blog here.

Oh, And Coincidentally...

At lunch the other day in the teachers lounge (which, incidentally, is a complete MISNOMER because it is extremely difficult to lounge when you have 25 minutes to eat lunch) someone mentioned how their daughter was participating in this yoga class at college they called "Hot Yoga". Not nearly as sexy as it sounds, apparently they keep the room at a toasty 105 degrees while they do Yoga. It aids in the stretching and, I'm sure, in the sweating. She said it had another name but she couldn't remember what it was.

Huh. Interesting. Never heard of it IN MY LIFE but interesting.

I came home that night and was browsing through blogs when I found this quote on a new blog (Camels and Chocolate) "I’m in my Bikram yoga class, the kind where the room is kept at sauna level, around 105 degrees, and reeks like moldy socks."

Seriously? Hot Yoga? Something I have NEVER HEARD ABOUT IN MY LIFE? And I hear about it twice in one day? Does this ever happen to you? I'm telling you, it happens to me all the time. I will hear about something and then immediately hear or read about it so quickly, it is just unbelievable.

Does this happen to you?

For Fun Friday, December 12, 2008

List of restaurants where kids can eat free in every state.

http://www.familyfriendlyamerica.com/kidseatfree.html AND
http://coupondivas.com/kids-eat-free/

Could these puppies BE any cuter?

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/shiba-inu-puppy-cam

I'm sure there is an easy mathematical reason for how this works. But I can't imagine what it is.

http://www.numberguess.com/

Velveeta Revelations: Velveeta Shrimp Stroganoff Casserole

As I mentioned last week, Tom and I are not big fans of The Spicy. But there is something I neglected to tell you. Tom is also not a big fan of The Casserole. This goes contrary to everything my world is fundamentally based on because I think casseroles RULE THE WORLD so, I guess what I am trying to say is that, even though Tom is not a big fan of the casserole? I am. And since I am the cook...read more at my Lexington Herald Leader blog here.

Polka Dots

I love polka dots. Seriously. If it has polka dots, I will more than likely purchase it.

I think it's heredity. My mom likes polka dots too.

I came home from work the other night and it was cold and wet and yucky and thin, silky pajamas just weren't going to warm me up, so I pulled out a light blue polka dot pair lined with flannel. Admired them for a few minutes. Then put them on. And they made me mull over all the polka dot fashions I own. I have 2 3 5 7 polka dot dresses. Green, brown, red, black with white, white with black...why, yes. I have a white dress with black polka dots AND a black dress with white polka dots. What's your point?

I actually have two pairs of polka dot strappy sandals also. One black and white and one rose and white. I haven't worn the rose and white ones yet but when I find the perfect thing to wear them with, I will have them. This is what is known as a back-up fashion plan.

So, I put on my sweet polka dot pajamas. I tidied the kitchen. It was too late for a dinner that required a lot of work, plus I had my nails done ( TECHNICALLY the reason I was late) and they were PERFECT, so I made cheesy scrambled eggs and hot buttered toast. And we settled in to watch "Gilmore Girls". Season 3.

I curled up in my chair and admired my polka dots. And they were absolutely perfect.

Try It Tuesday: Broth In A Box

So, last week I wrote about the fabulous new innovation of squeezable sour cream which had, in reality, been around for AGES.

This week it's another new and innovative product which has also, apparently, been around for a while. But I have just discovered it. So, it's new to ME. And, really. Whose blog is this?

That's what I thought.

Chicken (or beef) broth IN A BOX. Who knew? The extreme fabulousness of this product is that, if you don't use the whole container, you can close the lid and stick it in the fridge to use later. No pouring out half a can of broth in a plastic container, then throwing it away a few weeks later when you discover it in the fridge all congealed and busily creating a colony of mold. Not that this EVER happens to me. I'm just saying.

So, broth in a box. Anyone tried it? Love it? Let me know.

Hopefully, you haven't finished all the Christmas shopping for that little girl or guy who likes to help you cook, because I have the PERFECT gift for you. Several publishers have sent me cookbooks for children and related items recently, so I put them together into a basket for you and one lucky mom will win this. Read more at my Herald-Leader blog here.

Now, Where Did I Leave My Glasses?

I spent approximately 5 minutes the other day at school looking for my glasses. I am CONSTANTLY laying them down somewhere while I am shelving books and I figured I must have put them on a book shelf somewhere. With over 8,000 books in my school library, I have a lot of shelves. I walked around, muttering to myself and then I realized.

I was holding them in my hand.

Sigh.

For Fun Friday, December 5, 2008

How good are you at definitions? I got 270.

http://www.eastoftheweb.com/games/DefineTime1.html

I am moving to Mars. I'm only 29 there.

http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/age/

Answer trivia questions and the site will donate free dog food to shelters. There is a link to a free cat food site as well.

http://freekibble.com/

I Tried To Drown My Wal-Mart Bread

So, I bought some cheesy bread at Wal-Mart the other night. I had never tried it before but I had some ham planned for dinner and some red beans and rice and this cheesy bread just looked perfect. I came home with approximately 4,391 shopping bags and tossed the plastic bag of cheesy bread on the counter so I could warm it up in a few minutes.



Wait.

Let me set the scene for you. There was a sink full of water and a few dirty dishes it it. That had been sitting there since morning. What? Don't you dare JUDGE ME.

So. Cheesy bread on counter in plastic bag. Sink full of water and dirty dishes.

I turned around and the plastic bag of cheesy bread was FLOATING IN THE WATER. How it got there? I haven't a clue. I swear I set it on the counter. It somehow magically lifted itself from the counter and plunked itself in the water.

I fished it out, cursing and grumbling but not really worried because Hello? Plastic bag?

Well, I am here to tell you that those plastic bags that Wal-mart puts that cheesy bread in? They suck. Royally. Because my cheesy bread was WET. I managed to salvage a couple of pieces and stuck them in the oven because I was sure the heat would totally dry them out. I had to pitch a couple that were totally soggy.

They dried out fine. It was actually pretty good. Considering they had been dunked into dirty dishwater. Aside from having to pick off some soggy parts? It was PERFECT.

Uh. Tom?

This is TOTALLY not the cheesy bread we had for dinner the other night. This is some OTHER bread.

This is absolutely a FICTIONAL story. Just to entertain my blog readers.

Ha. Ha?


Tom and I are not big fans of the spicy. I have never been a big fan of the spicy and, as we get older, we are even less and less inclined to partake of the spicy. But when I found this recipe for Mexican Cheese Soup for the first week of the Velveeta Revelations, I thought it would be just fine...read more at my Herald-Leader blog here.

How To Make A Silk Purse From A Sow's Ear

My nemesis actually came in handy for table decorations for Sunday family night dinner a couple weeks ago.

Now, if only I can figure out what to do with the other 4 skillion leaves.

Try It Tuesday: Squeezable Sour Cream

I was SO EXCITED to share this new discovery with you all today. So innovative! So fabulous! So totally and completely brand-new to everyone ON THE PLANET!


And then I went to my trusty pal Google and found information about squeezable sour cream from 2005. Oh. Not so new.

WHATEVER.

It's new to me and maybe to you too. This is truly a great product. I stumbled on the Kroger brand recently and haven't noticed any other brands but, apparently, they are out there. I still buy the trusty plastic container since many recipes call for the whole container but the squeeze bottle is wonderful for baked potatoes. Anyone else heard of this? Been using it for approximately 3 years? If you were in a state of no squeezable sour cream like me, you might want to try it. Let me know what you think.

Be sure to check back on the next two Tuesdays before Christmas. I have fixed up baskets of books and prizes to give away. You will want to register! The two themes are cooking for kids and arts and crafts for kids.
As you can tell from my posts with book reviews and the fact that I am a children's librarian, I like books. Read more at my Herald-Leader blog here.

Graceful As A Gazelle On The African Veldt

You know how, when you get home from work and you go to the bathroom to pee and your tights and pants are around your knees and you realize you don't want to mess with pulling them up because you need to get into your sleeping pants anyway, so you just pull up your panties and kind of waddle down the hall with your tights and pants tight around your knees and then you kind of slide a little on the hardwood floors because of the tights and then, because you are holding up your pants and tights you can't catch yourself, and you give yourself a good rap on your head against the wall?

You know how that happens?

Oh.

You never do that?

Yeah.

Me either.

Stumble It!