glad to be home

Whew, isn't Thanksgiving supposed to be relaxing? What a whirlwind: packing, traveling, driving, eating, lugging suitcases, doing dishes, honestly, I am sort of glad it's over. I hate to admit it but I like routine, order, the same 'ole thing every day. Who am I kidding, now is the craziest time of the year, but at least I'm at home and ready to go. We got our Christmas tree yesterday and plan to decorate it this weekend, that means I'll be decking my halls for the next week or so. I'm not sure how much I'll do since our house is still on the market and it probably won't "show" well with all my Christmas schmag all over the place. I do however plan on purging a whole bunch of decorations as I unpack them all. I couldn't do/didn't want to do this last year since I was preggers, now I am excited to see how much stuff I really don't want/need. I've got my Goodwill box all ready to go...

my weekly menu:

• chicken and rice cheesey bake (I'll sneak some veggies in here too)
• lasagna and salad
• chili and biscuits
• chili spaghetti (using leftovers)
• ?- hubby is gone twice this week so I'll be wingin' it at least once

stuff I want to do this week:

• order some presents online
• decorate the Christmas tree
• address envelopes for Christmas cards
• get my hair trimmed
• weigh in at Weight Watchers (Monday evening)
• finalize Christmas shopping list
• plan holiday menu
• iron (it's been a couple weeks)
• date night with hubby (Saturday)
• begin Christmas scrapbook (photos and journaling)

gobble gobble

Hi All,
I am taking the week off to craft, cook, clean, travel, watch tv, get well (double ear infections!), organize my coupons/shopping lists, and eat of course. Have a wonderfully happy Thanksgiving.
Jenny

What are you thankful for?
I am thankful for:
the obvious:
my husband
my children
friends and family
our pets
our home
our health
resources that make our lives better/easier (money, computers, phones, etc.)
health insurance
working vehicles
all those service men/women fighting for us around the world
now for the fun stuff:
makeup-especially under eye concealer and mascara
Weight Watchers
funny tv shows- The Office
good tv shows- Mad Men
the library
Walmart and Target
slippers
Diet Dr. Pepper
pictures of my kids when they were tiny
Longaberger baskets
blogs
Swiffer products
music by Sting, Michael Buble, Dave Matthews Band, and The Black Eyed Peas
John Travolta movies
cards/letters in the mail
coupons
drive thru anything
my treadmill
scrapbooking
UK basketball season has started and they are rockin'
Converse shoes
living within a mile of a horse farm and a dairy farm- love seeing those guys every day
putting my kids to bed at 8:00
Burt Bee's chapstick
M&M's
my children's laughter and hugs

thinking about friends

Thinking about my friends far and near, and some I have never met...

Lately, I have been listening to some of my old CDs and I still can't believe how a song can instantly transport me back in time. I am reminiscing about high school, college, those first few years of teaching, basically my carefree youth. I am loving all the memories but then reality hits... wrinkles, dirty diapers, bills to pay, you know the rest. It even prompted me to join Facebook, something I never thought I would do. I've heard all the horror stories about people becoming addicted to finding friends and losing countless hours to this new hobby. I will say I have enjoyed looking at people's pictures and although I haven't made any official "friend" requests, I do find it comforting to see my old buddies with kids and spouses. Makes me feel kind of normal, less alone, part of a group, sounds like high school all over again!

This photo is for Kristin: thanks for telling me about the sale at Michaels on the scrapbooking supplies I have been wanting... aren't you so glad I already used some!? (I added my title after the picture, oops!)
This one is for Becca: you are not alone in the messy desk category. See mine, there is only one teeny spot in which I can do anything. It's stuff like this that keeps me up at night. I swear I have visions of spools of ribbon rolling off onto the floor and disappearing forever. You can even see there is a mess under my desk, where my feet go! I have some serious work to do this weekend. Oh my goodness, this is giving me hives just looking at it.
So, hello friends, have a great weekend.

trying new things

I am a virgin no longer.
Oh, get your head out of the gutter, I've got three kids for goodness sake!

I had my first sushi yesterday. I have wanted to try some for years but finding a good sushi place in Cincinnati doesn't vibe with the kids who want nuggets and pizza and the hubby who wants wings and ribs. So I found myself at Jungle Jim's, a foodie's paradise, and they had samples sitting out. I thought, what the hey? I tried it and by george I loved it. I mean, I didn't get too crazy, just veggies, organic brown rice, soy and wasabi sauce, seems pretty basic. Now, I am in love. I figured I would like it, me being the veggie lover I am. I'm not sure how adventurous I will get, eating raw fish does raise the ick factor a bit, we'll see. I bought a little pack and had it for lunch today. Yummo! And, the best part, I got to eat six pieces of my healthy veggie sushi and it was only 2 points! For you fellow weight watchers out there, you will agree this is a rockin' good food.

Check out Jungle Jim's if you're ever in the Fairfield, Ohio area.
www.junglejims.com

watchin' my weight Wednesday

In my quest to maintain "lifetime" status as a Weight Watcher. I admit I weigh myself every day. I know some people would say that is unnecessary but it's all part of the ritual for me. I find that checking in with myself every day forces me to be more accountable for my actions. I do not weigh in during "female monthly time" that is just depressing and I get really mad at the number on the scale even though I know it is due to hormones and retaining water. I also take measurements (frequently, not daily) and this has helped me to feel really good about weight loss and maintenance. The best part of monitoring my weight is being able to shop for jeans. I took the tags off a new pair of jeans I bought and taped them to my closet mirror. The visual reminder of the new size of my jeans is the best motivator I have found yet. I think we all have to find what works for us and stick with it.

hoo hoo

Real owls are scary. You all know I have a slight bird phobia that has existed forever, it has only waned a teensy bit since becoming a bird mommy. I still have to get up with Tanner several times a night, I have never been one of those lucky ladies whose children sleep through the night at six weeks old, mine like to have me visit them until they are about six years old. Oh well, sleep is overrated. Lately I have been rocking the Tan-man in his room trying to get him back to sleep and I have been hearing real live owls hooting (is that what it is called) to each other. And let me tell you people, it is spooky! It doesn't sound at all like "hoo hoo" what you hear on Scooby Doo or even scary movies, it sounds like, "hoo-ooo, ooooh-ooh" oh, you get the picture. To make it even scarier, I think their nest is right outside Tanner's room in the tree by our house. Our house is built on old farm land and there are a lot of big trees in the neighborhood. I think they have nests in the two big trees by our neighbors for sure, we have seen them (using binoculars) sitting on the tree tops right at dusk. Now that the leaves have fallen, there is this big mass of leaves and stuff in our little pear tree by the house and when those guys hoot, it sounds like they are in the same room with me. So creepy. Shivers and chills. I keep having visions of letting my little pug out to go poo and this big silent owl sweeping in and snatching him up, could that happen? I also worry it will somehow get in our attic and therefore in our house, aren't phobias just the darndest things? Do owls fly south for the winter? I can probably draw them a map with sidewalk chalk or something. Now that I have heard them, I lay awake at night and listen for them, imagining all kinds of scooping up scenarios. Ahh!

medicine area and my weekly menu

In reference to a few weeks ago...
Here is my straighted/stocked medicine area:

I am a big believer in using what I (you) have so no fancy baskets or containers. I used some that were in the basement. I think they are leftovers from my hundreds of shoes days. One box is for adult medicine, one is for kids, one is for thermometers, we have several kinds, don't ask! They are not usually this overflowing, doesn't really reflect my "organizing mommy status", but Walgreens had a BOGO sale and I stocked up on pain/fever relievers since Parker was infected with some kind of flu (probably H1N1). By golly, I am prepared! You will also notice that I have my extra vitamins in here, I always stock up when there is a BOGO sale at CVS or Walgreens. Anyway, you get the idea...

Now here is the next shelf which houses my stock pile of personal care products.
One drawer is for deodrant and razors. One is for toothpaste and toothbrushes. The last one is for first aid (band aids and first aid ointment). Along the sides is where I put shaving cream, hair products and my yearly supply of contacts. The top of the drawers is where I put bar soap, tooth flosser thingys, and small tissue packs. You can't tell from these pictures but this closet is a weird shape. It is not a boxy closet, it has angled sides and those dumb wire shelves (things always fall through!). It makes organizing difficult, I know, shock and awe! Can you believe I said that?! So that is why I have to put the square things in the middle and odd shapes on the sides where I can cram them in. I mean place them neatly, ahem. The good thing about this closet being small and somewhat unusable, it forces me to purge regularly and does not allow me to overbuy.

My menu for this week:

• chicken enchiladas
• crock pot chili and hot dogs
• baked fish and sweet potato casserole
• Vegetarian quiche and sausage (for the kids!) with biscuits
• Tacos and taco salads

All menus subject to last minute changes when hubby calls to say he won't be home until late and kids won't eat what I fix, therefore, we have chicken nuggets for kids and salad for me! ;)