Friday, June 29, 2012

It's the weekend!!

I would have posted last night, but on especially hot days, our power will have fits.  It'll cut off just long enough to shut off computers / air conditioners.  Luckily Randy got home early from work to keep us from having roasted dog & cat and boiled fish!

I didn't sleep well Wednesday night, so Thursday sucked.  I didn't stay for the WW meeting.  I was back down the 1.6 lbs I was up last week!  Which means I'm holding steady at 221.  Sigh. This is NOT where I want to maintain!!!

Anyway, I got out there today and Wednesday before work to take a walk around the park, approximately 2 miles.  I'm so glad I had my phone with me since the sunrise was stunning!


I'm liking the morning walks. It's still fairly cool and peaceful and I haven't even had the iPod on - just enjoyed nature! OK, I have really only seen birds and the occasional squirrel, but they're pretty entertaining.

We don't have much planned for this weekend.  Randy has the evil primary support beeper from work and I stopped at Home Depot on my way home tonight to get a few things needed to finish  a project I started last week. I also stopped at hobby Lobby - can you believe they have like 2 rows of fall stuff out already and many rows of Christmas stuff ???  I did find myself browsing the ornaments.  But nothing grabbed me (except for some glitter maple leaves!)

Have a great weekend!  Stay cool!

Monday, June 25, 2012

{insert witty title here}

yeah, I couldn't think of a good title for this post.  My thoughts are pretty scattered right now, so it should be fitting.

Today was the last "official" day of summer vacation #1 for Miss Angel.  She starts summer school tomorrow until August 2.  And she gets to take 2 classes!  So by August, she will have science coming out of her ears.  Yay! 

This also means the she won't be on the school dance team.  I let Coach C. know when we got the letter about the second class & she said Angel would be missing too many practices and wouldn't know any of the dances for football season, so she would not be able to be on the team but try again for basketball season. She must do things different than Coach D., because last year they'd learn a dance in 3 or 4 practices.  But anyhoooo.   I really thought Angel would be upset about it, but she wasn't.  She seemed to take a really long time to read the email, but then she was like "I'm not giving back the shorts & shoes I just got today!" Well, no.  I paid for those, they're not issued!  I frankly am relieved that we don't have to deal with it.  For some reason I was stressed & not having a good feeling about the team this year anyway.  I don't know what it was.

On a happy note, we went & registered her for summer classes at the studio.  They're offering acro classes for the first time so she was all about that!  Then her usual tap, jazz, leaps & turns and technique. At the end of the session are try-outs for the comp team.  She can't wait to get back dancing!  Apparently a lot of the girls are. 

Friday after work, I dropped her off at a friend's house for the weekend.  Taylor's dad got free tickets to Cedar Point and they asked her to go.  So Randy & I had a date night.  Dinner at Cheeseburger in Paradise, then browsing at Garden Ridge & finally ice cream at our favorite little stand.

Happily - Garden Ridge is slowly beginning to get their Halloween / Fall stuff out.  I really don't know why people were looking at me funny!

This guy came home with us.  They don't have regular sales, so I knew the price wouldn't be any lower than what it is.  So why not?  He's no longer buckled in my back seat.  He's not chilling in the garage in a lawn chair!

Saturday, Randy went to go play radio at Field Day at the Weather Service Office.  I got up with him & as soon as he left, I went for a 2.3 mile bike ride, came home & got the dog.  Took him on a 1.3 mile walk (I love MapMyWalk!).  Probably not a good idea to do this on an empty stomach, since I felt weak when I got home.  Anyway.  I stopped to eat on the way to got to Home Depot / Salvation Army / Ace Hardware.  Then I came home & worked on a couple projects.

Randy texted me that afternoon with a list of items to bring out to him.  I timed my visit to coincide with the evening weather balloon launch at the Weather Service.  It's neat.

 The mobile antenna farm with the big Doppler radar dome in the background. 

 Getting ready to launch the weather balloon!

On the way home from there, I stopped at what I thought would be a dinky little cemetery that I've passed every time I've gone out there.  Boy, was I wrong.  LakeView Cemetery is huge and has the most elaborately carved stones I've ever seen! It was like 8:30 when I got there, so I was in a hurry to make sure I didn't get locked in!

Sunday morning was quiet & peaceful - since Randy & Angel were still both gone.  I just enjoyed the quiet.  Then I finally got dressed and went to a nearby park for a family reunion.  This was my Dad's side of the family, most of whom I'm friends with on FB, but haven't actually seen in years.  I am glad I went!  It was nice to see a whole LOT of cousins and herds of little ones and I really enjoyed chatting with my Aunt Linda.  I don't think I'd even gotten to talk with her before.  I never even told Mom or the sisters I was going.  Mom has a beef with some of my cousins, which means Laurie does, too. She also has issues with Uncle Ron.  I don't even know what might of happened to offend her.  It could have been 40 years ago.  Whatever.  I personally thought everyone was pleasant & genuinely happy to see me and asked about everyone. It was fun!

So anyway.  It's time to head to bed.  I drug everyone out for a walk after dinner.  We had to take advantage to the cool evening, since it's supposed to get hot again later in the week.  Things might be a bit crazy in the morning, since Angel & I will be leaving at 7:40 instead of 7 to get her to school, and that cuts into Randy's morning routine.  But we'll figure it out.

later!

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Weekend Recap

Happy Sunday!

First of all - I have a/c in my car again!  Randy is totally my hero!

I did much better than I expected this weekend. Friday night was date night.  Randy & I went to Cheeseburger in Paradise.  The mini sliders for an appetizer weren't the best choice, but he had them ordered before I knew it. And the "Electric Lizard" tasted entirely too good to be healthy.  Coconut rum & melon liqueur.  But then I ordered grilled tilapia & shrimp with steamed broccoli & it was gooooooood! 

Then we stopped in Garden Ridge to browse.  It's a home furnishing warehouse-type place.  Randy had never been there.  They had 1/2 an aisle of H'ween stuff and 3 huge racks of fall flowers out already.  And since they never have real sales except for after-holidays, I went ahead & bought a 5' skeleton since they had a good selection to choose from. I love driving around with that buckled into the back seat of my car - LMAO!!  Oh yeah - then we stopped for ice cream.  The place was out of chocolate ~gasp~ so we both got small vanilla cones dipped in nuts.

Saturday, Randy left fairly early.  I took a 2.3 mile bike ride, came home and grabbed the dog and went for a 1.3 mile walk with him.  I could really feel THAT in my knees later!  Then I stopped for breakfast at Tim Horton's (and I tracked those 18 points from my large iced coffee / BELT / Boston Cream Donut!!) on the way to Home Dept and various other places to get supplies for a couple H'ween projects.  When I finally got home, I finished one project (putting casters on my life-sized coffin - I'm sure the neighbor's visitors loved seeing me pull THAT out of the shed!) and started on making PVC frames to reinforce the 2 cheap plastic skeletons I got for last year.

I didn't get to eat my big ol' salad that I had planned.  I got a text from Randy asking me to bring a whole list of stuff out to him at the Weather Service office so I planned my trip there to coincide with the nightly launch of the weather balloon.  It is always fun to watch & it went straight up, so there was NO wind whatsoever!

Getting there for the evening launch, also meant I was invited to stay of dinner, such as it was.  I took 2 loaves of low-fat banana bread out to the dedicated contesters who were staying there all night, and they had steak.  And the can of Pringles Randy had requested.  Wooo.  Yeah, I'll pass on that dinner, although I did have a chunk of that steak & it was realllly goood!

I was sore from the bike ride / dog walk, but I did get some more exercise on the way home.  I passed a really neat cemetery (I know, I know.) so I stopped.  And since it was close to 8:30 when I got there, I was afraid I'd get locked in, so I moved fast!  The place was huge & the stones amazing

Today I was in no hurry to get out of bed. A purring cat somehow increases the pull of gravity around him.  And Chester was up against my side.  The only plans I had were to drop in at a family reunion for the side of the family I haven't seen in forever.  I made sure I ate before I went and intentionally didn't take a dish to pass, so I wouldn't feel pressured to eat.  You know, picnic food.  But that was an epic fail.  My cousin Todd insisted I have a sausage & some pasta salad.  Luckily right then, I got a text from Angel saying she was back from Cedar Point, so I just ate a little bit to make Todd happy then left to get her.  I enjoyed seeing a big bunch of cousins and being amazed at how big kids were getting and wondering who all the littler kids belong to.  I really enjoyed seeing my Aunt Linda. She was so surprised to see me! I don't think I'd ever really sat and talked with her. I am so glad I went.

Dinner tonight sucked, Randy occasionally has the urge to get chicken from North Shack.  I somehow don't think it is as bad as KFC since they use pressure steamers to cook the chicken and potatoes.  But it's not healthy / boring grilled boneless, skinless chicken breast.  But it was tasty and we haven't gone there in a long time.

So anyway.  I haven't planned out this week yet.  It's supposed to be fairly decent the beginning part of this week before getting warmer again.  I'm sure I will get some walks and rides in.

Have a great week!

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Happy Summer!

Well, I actually stayed at my WW meeting tonight.  Since dance season is over for a while, I have time to attend without rushing off to play taxi.

Tonight's topic was about eating foods you love (cough cough, Tim Horton's Boston Cream Donut, cough cough) in moderation and how do you control yourself / substitute for something healthier.  First of all - there is NO substitute for the crack-like deliciousness also known as The Boston Cream Donut.  The smooth, dark chocolate glaze, the airy donut itself, the creamy, not-too-sweet custard filling - Ahhhh!


Anyway - so moderation would have to be used in this case.  Especially with the 8 P+ they cost me.  Unfortunately, there are 2 franchises entirely too convenient to my life.  One is about 1/2 mile from work and the other may be on the other side of the park from us (as in not extremely convenient to my house) but it is a block away from the high school the girl will be attending in the fall.  And with her being on the JV dance team again - I will have to pick her up from both practices & games, taking me entirely too close to the Danger Zone.

So willpower.  yeah.

I was up 1.6 lbs at WI tonight.  I had no idea if I would be up or down.  Seeing as how the A/C crapped out in my car 3 days ago and it's been 95+ degrees ever since - I thought I would have sweat some poundage off.  Especially today when it was raining and I had to keep my windows up.  I felt like I was in a mobile sauna!  But alas - no.

So anyway.  I will be alone most of this weekend.  Hubby is leaving Saturday morning to do the ARRL Field Day (an annual radio thing) and the girl is going to Cedar Point with a friend.  I already have the fixings for a huge salad for dinner Saturday night and a big bowl of fresh fruit, too.  I am determined not to binge like I find myself doing when no one is around.  I have some projects I want to work on this weekend that should both keep me busy and outside.  And I figured out how to raise the handlebars on my bike so it'll be more comfortable to ride for distances.  So I plan on having a good recap on Monday.

Can you imagine being able to do something like this?  And she claims that this isn't even a "good" tilt jump!

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

A lesson in awkwardness....

I guess awkwardness is better than drama.

To make a very long story short - my ex (aka the Donor) showed up unexpectedly for Angel's dance recital on Friday.  Surprise!  I had mentioned the recital to him while texting during one of her last comps.  It was streaming live on a website & I'd sent him the link so he could watch.  Damn, I'm too nice.

Yes, I have talked to him more in the past year or so than I have the entire time since our divorce 12 years ago.  But we haven't seen him at all since then.  Angel has only talked to him a few times, since she doesn't know what to say to him.  

So...luckily everyone was very civil.  I let Randy know right away that he was here.  Mom is the only one who had actually met him - and that is when Angel was born.  I even invited him to go eat afterward with us.  I mean, it's not like we could ditch him!   Laurie was supposed to take her home for the weekend after the recital, but we had to change that some.  I thought it would be nice for Angel to actually visit with John, since he had driven from Pennsylvania to see her.  I ended up spending more time with him than Angel did.   

So that was a rather stressful couple days.  I'm sure he couldn't have been really comfortable, either. But I'm sure he'll be back to visit this summer, since he only lives like 5 hours away.  He said next time he'd let us know first, so she doesn't have other stuff going on.  Good idea! 

So I only got a couple decent pics during dress rehearsal.  I should have figured out the settings on my camera before going.  And I should have grabbed batteries out of the box at home instead of whatever was lying on my desk.  I went thru 3 sets of batteries since they were all dead or dying!

The top hat for ballet was complained about,
but this wasn't????
hiphop

small group comp jazz

ballet

this is the only time they wore the tophats anyway!

small group comp tap

She got a trophy for being at the studio for 5 years and a LOT of flowers!

It was such a crazy weekend, with spending half the day Saturday with the ex, then taking Angel to Laurie's (about 45 minutes each way) and then totally forgetting that I'd ordered cookies for Father's Day that needed to be picked up (thankfully they are in a strip mall with neighbors open later who held them for me!).  We went out to dinner alone Saturday night, then I took Randy to breakfast Sunday morning for Father's Day and then went out farther than Laurie's house to the fairgrounds to watch niece Lisa in a horse show.  Whew! I was glad the weekend was over!
Randy finally got his cookies!

Kisses was glad Captain was back from the horseshow.

Kisses running around in the rain.

TREATS!!!!

So this week should be somewhat calmer.  Somewhat.  I made her find her own way (as in text another girl on the team & ask for a ride) to and from dance team practice tomorrow & Thursday - since it was someone's brilliant freakin' idea to hold practices in the morning. I've really been stressing about this, since I can't be leaving work all the time to shuttle her around.   Toss in dental cleaning appointments for both of us (that I had to change because 6 months ago I didn't know she'd have {expletive} morning dance team practices!) and it makes insanity.

Next week she starts summer school - goody. At least my boss knows about that already.

It's been crazy with the number of baby birds that are falling out of the nests this year!  We have barn swallows in the dock at work and I went in last Monday to see at least 7 or 8 babies sitting helpless on the floor - that fell easily 20 feet from the rafters where the nests are.  And another 5 or 6 dead ones. I'd never seen them fall before!  This little guy was sitting between my car and the back step of our house.  He was looking at Angel talking to him.  He didn't make it thru the night, I was sad since he's so stinkin' cute!

Monday, June 11, 2012

Friend Makin' Monday - Bedroom Habits

LOL, got to love the racy title today!

Weekend Recap - it sucked, eating wise. 

Randy was gone for the weekend, so that left the girl & I at home to fend for themselves.  Friday, we went to a bowling fundraiser for a new floor in the dance studio.  It was actually a lot of fun.  Had a couple Bud Lights & 2 pieces of blah pizza.  Bowled really lousy.  Won a $50 tuition voucher from the studio in the raffle & also a margarita gift basket!  Came with a pitcher, 4 glasses, a jug of margarita mix & a bottle of Jose Cuervo silver!

Saturday & Sunday was a mix of shopping / vegging / not cleaning the house, etc.  I found myself eating like a pig!  I could never decide what I wanted to eat. So I'd have something but it didn't satisfy me, so I was back in the kitchen 30 minutes later looking for something else. Grrr.

However, I did get the dog out for a walk halfway around the park.  I think he was feeling the heat, since he'd be going along good, then slow down to such a slow walk that I was almost dragging him.  I should have left him home!
Anyway.....


If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section over at: www.alltheweigh.com so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

FMM: Bedroom Habits


1. Do you set an alarm clock? If so, for what time? During the week, it goes off at 5:30.  On the weekends I have to get up at 7 to take a weather reading (CoCoRaHS) but I go back to bed afterward.
2. How many hours of sleep do you get on an average night?  Usually 6 or so.  I want to go to bed earlier, but it never seems to happen.
3. Do you bring your laptop to bed? Occasionally.  I would rather read an actual book.
4. How many pillows do you require to sleep? I use one lonely flat feather pillow, so I can mangle it at will.  I got a firm "backsleeper" pillow when we got our new bed last month, but its too hard & tall so hubby added it to his stack.  He's got acid reflux and needs to be propped up some.  
5. Do you sleep with socks on? Nope.  Can't stand anything around my legs in general.
6. How often do you change the sheets? Once a week or so.
7. Do you remember your dreams? when I have them, yes.
8. Which side of the bed do you sleep on?  looking at the bed, I'm on the right, always. Which places me in the runway for the cat to race from our bedroom door into the window (which is bed-height)
9. How often do you take naps? Occasionally.
10. Do you sleep soundly?  I sleep a whole lot better with this new bed!  Before I'd get tossed around & sent airborne when the hubby flopped over (he doesn't roll) now it's much better. But if I'm home alone - I hear every noise. I've learned both the dog & cat snore.

Now it’s your turn to answer this week’s questions! Don’t forget to head over and link up in the comments! And hey…try saying hi to someone new this week! Happy Monday, Friends…

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

"Get Ready 4 This" 2012

I was so excited to get this year's pics back already!  Next step....recital next week!  Expect more pics after that, since I can take action shots during dress rehearsal.
 
 Competition HipHop Line
"Drop Down Low"

 Competition Jazz Line
"All the Time in the World"

 Competition Tap Line
"Shake That"

 Competition Jazz - Small Group
"All Dressed in Love"

 Competition Tap - Small Group
"Boom Boom Bang"

 Ballet
"Querier"
 
 Lyrical
:Someone Like You"
 
Hip Hop
"Look At Me Now"

Monday, June 4, 2012

Friend makin' Monday - Quick & Easy

Woo, it's Monday. We had a somewhat busy weekend. Friday, the hubby & I both took off work to attend the funeral services for a friend's mom. I hate that I am a sympathy crier! Anyway. Then I had to leave to go get Angel from school to get her hair done before the Freshmen Farewell dance.  This was like a junior high prom, since everyone was dressed up for dinner & dancing at a nice banquet hall.

I am so not ready for her to go to high school next year.

I also attempted to make these brownies that I saw on Pinterest for her annual studio competition team pool party.  It's a layer of cookie dough, Oreos, then a layer of brownies & bake.  Sounds quite drool-worthy.

Epic Fail!

I don't know what went wrong.  I made the cookie dough using their reduced fat recipe on the box & reduced fat Oreos. I also used EggBeaters instead of regular eggs in the brownie mix.  The cookie layer was too cake-like and the Oreos were just disgusting.  I don't think they were burnt, since nothing else was - they just don't bake well.  Black discs of grossness.  Needless to say....plan B was just regular brownies.

So now it's time for FMM!!!

If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section over at: www.alltheweigh.com so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!


 

FMM: Quick and Easy


1. When is your birthday? August 29
2. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper and mailed it?  Christmas.  I still keep in touch with my 2nd grade teacher & always put a nice letter in her card.
3. What did you eat for breakfast this morning? Oatmeal with a tbsp of peanut butter in it.
4. Who is the next band/artist you will see perform live? Def Leppard!  Hubby got me tickets for our anniversary - which happens to be the day after the concert. I am SO EXCITED !!!!!
5. What is the last song you listened to? Oh crap. In My Head by Jason Derulo is on the radio right now. I can't hear my radio anyway when the air kicks on.  :P
6. If you could be fluent in any other language, which one would you choose? Probably Spanish.  It sounds neat and I would be in demand to talk to our Mexican drivers at work.
7. Does anything on your body hurt right now? Nope!
8. What’s your favorite sports team? Detroit Red Wings.  I'm so sad that Nick Lidstom retired!
9. How often do you watch the news? on TV?  Hardly ever. Online? Occasionally.
10. Do you wear glasses? Yes, but I prefer my contacts. I've needed them since I was 13.

Now it’s your turn. Don’t forget to head over and link up in the comments. Happy Monday!

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Yeah, I hate funerals.

Which is really funny, since I have an odd fascination with cemeteries! In fact, just last night over at Maple Grove Cemetery I posted about finding a pet cemetery & stopping to snap some pics. They're so peaceful & serene & the art / architecture are amazing.

Anyway, this post is brought about by a close friend of ours whose mom was in a car accident last weekend.  Since she was alone and the only one involved, no one really knows what happened, other than a tree got in her way.  Her services were Friday.

I have to confess - I am a sympathy crier.  And anytime I experience strong emotions - I choke up.  I've never admitted that out loud before!  If I see someone else crying, I hear the National Anthem or Taps, watching the races in the movie Secretariat - doesn't matter.  I am just a nut.

So yeah, Friday was a treat. I didn't know Ted's mom personally, but the service was very nice. And of course, they played Alan Jackson's Sissy's Song, Amazing Grace and Steve Wariner's Holes in the Floor of Heaven so loud that you couldn't possibly let your mind wander.  Then seeing the family greet guests {choke}, having to go by to pay last respects to both her & family {tears}, at the chapel in the cemetery, touching the casket on the way out {choke}.  Anyway.  Whew. 

I felt bad that I basically ate & ran after the luncheon.  But Ted & his wife were OK with it.  I explained that I had to get Ted's favorite brat (that's what he calls Angel) from school so she could get her hair done for the Freshman Farewell.  The best way I can describe this is like a prom for junior high, except in the afternoon  (5:30 - 8:30 pm).  The kids were all dressed up & they had dinner & dancing at this banquet hall that the school rented.

 All dressed up!

Angel & her friend Taylor.

She said it was a lot of fun & they showed the video at the yearbook class made & put to music.  I can't wait to see her copy of it!

Other than that, we are getting ready to go over to the studio owner's house for her 2nd annual competition team party.  I see she was smart this year & planned it early.  Last year it was right after the recital, so I'm sure her pool was filled with hairspray & glitter. 

Oh yeah - Angel made the JV dance team at school again.  She was happy to have even made the team, but I don't know why there was even a thought that she wouldn't!   So now she has to figure out how she's going to make the summer practices, since I already have to change my work schedule around to get her to summer school - which my boss is not too pleased with.  I don't know why they choose to have them in the morning anyway.  I can't possibly be the only parent who works & vast majority of these kids are too young to drive!

So anyway, I need to finish up the brownies for the pool party, so here are some parting pics....

 Goofing around in the Salvation Army in some men's size 66 jeans.

 Jack relaxing on the patio.

 The neighbors down the block moved out suddenly & 
these finally made it out to the road for trash pick up.  
MINE!!!