Monday, April 30, 2018

This Weekend Brought to You by Ibuprofen

Oh, my word, y'all, I. Am. Sore.

Like, if I didn't have an innate aversion to prescription pain killers, I would totally be popping the oxy, sore.

How did I get this way, you ask? Well, Friday night, while Hugh and I were enjoying a delicious meal at our favorite Chinese restaurant before catching the early showing of Avengers: Infinity War (more on that in a minute), Phoebe texted to let me know that she'd had a change of plans and wouldn't be visiting the following day, after all (insert sad face, here), so; I decided to spend Saturday cleaning off the porch and getting it ready for Porch Night Season (yes, I totally capitalized that shit like it's a proper noun).

Sounds like a simple task, right?

Oh, my heavens, no.

It required the use of a power washer, a really powerful power washer; wielding that sucker for several hours was a workout unlike any that I have endured recently, and, by the time I was finished, my arms were limp, shaky, and completely weakened. And, then I got to carry all the furniture back up onto the porch from the lawn, where I had moved them. By the time I finally got to sit down to enjoy the fruits of my efforts, my arms were too tired to even raise a wineglass to my lips.

I'm not even kidding.

But! The porch is now Porch Night Season ready! Which, means that, once the feeling returns to my hands, I'll be hoisting wineglasses in the company of my friends on a nice clean porch.







Worth the effort.

Also worth the effort? Attending the Avengers movie on Friday night! Oh, my, heavens, fellow comic book geeks! What a great movie! What an ending! I don't wish to spoil anyone who hasn't seen it yet,  so, I won't go into detail, but, trust me when I say; if superheroes are your thing, get thyself to the theater, ASAP!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I am going to throw back a handful of over-the-counter pain meds so I can go to work, where, if I'm lucky, the most strenuous thing I will have to do will entail typing and holding myself upright.

I can probably handle that.

Thursday, April 26, 2018

It's a Major Award!

At last night's Senior Sports Banquet, BCPE (that's Booster Club President Extraordinaire, for those of you playing along at home) received the annual Volunteer of the Year Award. It was highly deserved-I don't know anyone else who puts in the number of hours that BCPE puts in to making sure that our athletes are provided for, that funds are raised, and that parents are kept in the loop. She works tirelessly and without much recognition, so, it was especially nice to see her accept the award last night.




You may recall that Hugh and I were honored with the award last year, which, means that now our names and BCPE's name are forever engraved next to each other for all the world to see (well, the part of the world that happens into the hallway at Petticoat Junction High, where the award is displayed, that is).

I can't think of anyone else I'd rather be engraved next to, or, anyone else I would have rather volunteered with. It's been a great five years.


Wednesday, April 25, 2018

What's Up Wednesday

I haven't participated in a link-up since the Thursday Thirteen group was popular back during my days at Old Day Job; that was...what...eleven or twelve years ago. Wow.

Back then, blogging was a lot different; there were no "influencers" out there, just regular 'ol mamas, reaching out into the blogosphere to make connections with other exhausted mamas. It was a great community and I "met" several awesome women with whom I still communicate, albeit on social media platforms that hadn't even been conceived of back in that day.

Things have clearly changed, and, while I don't intend to make this a regular feature here (she said, with the greatest of sincerity), I saw this particular link-up floating about in the ether and liked the writing prompts well enough to play along. You know, today.

Plus, since my blogging content moved out of the house to live on an island 3000 miles away, any writing prompt is welcome.

So, without further adieu, welcome to


The (I'm sure) lovely ladies behind the effort are Mel, Sheaffer, and Shay ; they do it once a month, which, is a link-up I can manage, not that I'm going to do it every month (she said, with the greatest of sincerity), and, here we go!

What I'm Eating
I've been trying new recipes lately. I mentioned this basil, tomato and mozarella-stuffed chicken breast a while back and it still ranks up there as a favorite.


I also tried a sesame noodle recipe from The Pioneer Woman, and, Hugh is still raving about it.



What I'm Reminiscing About

Tonight is Petticoat Junction's Senior Sports Banquet, which, reminds me of the Cub's banquet last year. It was such a great time, and, while I'm not missing all the work that it took to pull it off, I am definitely missing the camaraderie of the Booster Moms as well as all the fun that we had watching our boys play the sports that they loved.



Not reminiscing about those extra 35 pounds. Yikes!

What I'm Loving

I recently started using this eye cream by Ole Henriksen. It's supposed to diminish dark circles, and, so far, it's working for me.


I'm also using this vitamin C serum, which, is also by Ole Henriksen. I'm loving how soft it's making my skin. I am using it in conjunction with the Belif moisturier that I've mentioned before, and, I haven't had any flaky, dry patches at all, which is pretty good considering the nightmare that my skin has been since my hormones went all batshit crazy.


What We've Been Up To

In short: Not a whole lot. Obviously, there's been a lot of playtime with the Boomer Dog, who, has settled in quite well over the past three weeks.

 In the office, at work

At home

I've also been picking up pieces for new projects that I will be adding to future Trashformation Thursday posts.



And, as I type this, I am awaiting the delivery of the new mattress and super-fancy bed platform that Hugh and I ordered the week before last.

Our life. It is so exciting!

What I'm Dreading

Going back to work, tomorrow. I'm off today because we are expecting that delivery of our new mattress (sometime between 9 and 5, ma'am) and because I am volunteering time at the above-mentioned Senior Sports Banquet later this afternoon. I don't take enough days off, I've decided (and I have 232 hours of accumulated PTO to back up that statement).

What I'm Working On

The Rodeo Princess's shower! It's not until August, but, I am already having the best time planning, organizing, and creating for it! So far, I've ordered invitations, printed games and signage, and started on the backdrop for behind the refreshment table. I've also been thinking about the food, additional decorations, and party favors. I wasn't lying when I told the Princess that I had been planning to do this for her since the day she was born; so much fun!



What I'm Excited About

The Man-Cub comes home in less than two weeks (less by one day, but, who's counting?)! I've missed that kid and having him home is going to be a relief to my mommy heart; at least until he starts annoying me, at which point, he can visit his sister. Ha!

For his part, the excitment to be home resides solely in getting to raid the fridge on the regular. I'm increasing my grocery budget accordingly.


What I'm Watching/Reading

I don't watch a lot of television, but, since our Dish insists on tuning into the Comedy Network (it learned the Cub's preferences when he was home over Christmas break), I have rediscovered The Office. I'm also giving The Crossing a try, and, so far, I like it. What I really want to be watching is Avengers: Infinity War, which is on my Hopefully To Do list this weekend.


As for reading, I've been taking full advantage of my Kindle Unlimited account, recently. I just finished The Last Mrs. Parrish and am working on Little Fires Everywhere.




What I'm Listening To

The Greatest Showman soundtrack! As I mentioned in a past post, I added it to my running playlist and I have been jamming out to it during my treadmill workouts. The music is great, and, it's no secret that I love me some Hugh Jackman; he's been on my Freebie List for years (don't worry, the other Hugh is well aware of my love for the Jackman, just as I am aware that his list consists of Jennifer Aniston, Sandra Bullock and Julia Roberts).

What I'm Wearing

All the wedges!! It may not exactly be summer weather in our neck of the woods, but, that doesn't mean that I can't act like it is!



What I'm Doing This Weekend

Phoebe is coming to visit! She will be in Hooterville for her oldest son's track meet and will spend the night on Saturday. I can't wait to have a glass of wine (or three) with her! I haven't seen her since our Girls Weekend in Sante Fe back in February and I've missed her.


What I'm Looking Forward To Next Month

Sunshine! Warmer weather! Green grass and planting my garden! PORCH NIGHT!!! It's high time to get the gang back together, and, if May doesn't bring nice enough temperatures to pull it off, I'm going to have very strong words with Mother Nature.

Really, really ready for this view again

Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Recently, in Proof of Life

The Cub will be home two weeks from today, and, yes, I still require daily Proof of Life.

Recently, Proof has come more from phone calls than anything else-mainly because he is having to make some adult decisions and has required guidance and support, but, also because I think he misses talking to me.

When he's not calling or texting, he is staying in touch through Snapchat. Unlike his mother and his sister (who are faithful to one filter, for the most part), the Cub expresses himself through a variety of Snapchat filters, which is why my collection of screenshots is both varied and entertaining...






...yesterday, in a total departure from the usual selfie-with-a-filter shot, I got this:


So, I immediately responded with this:


As much as I love sparring with my child using technology, it sure will be nice to have him home to spar with in person.

Two more weeks!

And, yes, I shall still require daily Proof of Life right up until the moment he touches down in Neighboring City. That's how I roll, remember?

Monday, April 23, 2018

Weekend Wrap-Up

Ah, Monday, we meet again. Now, I know you get a bad rap, Monday, but, honestly? You may deserve it.

Anyhoodle, my weekend was busy and productive. I feel like I say that a lot lately, but, I also often say that I would rather be busy than bored, so...there's that.

Anyhoodle, again...Friday afternoon I got a wild hair and found myself purging and reorganizing my bathroom vanity. I hadn't done it in a while and it was past due. As is often the case, once I got started, the effort led to a plethora of unrelated chores that suddenly seemed equally important; one of which was a cleaning and reorganizing of the kids' bathroom cabinet. Apparently, it had been quite a while since I explored the inner most recesses of that space, as evidenced by the treasure I unearthed...

Mater!

...of course, that led to a trip down memory lane, back to a time when the Man-Cub could not be convinced to enter the tub without a full contingent of Matchbox cars, action figures, and various other playthings at the ready.

This led be to the Cub's room, where I planned to store the toys in the closet, which, left me with an itch to clean out and organize that particular space, as well (I resisted! The Cub will be home in two weeks! He can clean it out his damn self!).

This is how my housekeeping usually goes. True story.

Saturday, I entered my office/scrapbooking room to grab something and it occurred to me that that particular room could also use another tidying up, so, I got started on that chore, organizing the items that I have been collecting for the Rodeo Princess's shower and moving the new items that I have recently purchased for use on the porch into the mudroom, where they will languish until such time as I get the energy to pressure wash and organize the porch for the season.

I didn't even have the room finished before I had moved on to actually scrapbooking (in the scrapbooking room, what?!).

See how I roll? I'm all over here like, squirrel!

But, I managed to knock out several pages for Queen B's scrapbooks; I'm now up to the spring of 2012! Go, me! When I texted the Queen  pictures of my progress, she was duly impressed.



She also reminded me that, back in 2012, she was a sophomore in high school and, now, she is a college senior, so, I shouldn't get too full of myself and my awesome progress.

Whatever, child.

Yesterday, I spent a little more time on the scrapbooking before getting bored tired, at which point I loaded the dog up in the car and set out for the park to play fetch. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, and, I really should have been power-washing the porch (as mentioned previously), but, Hugh was out of town at another wrestling tournament, and, I am accident-prone under the best of circumstances, so I didn't think I should risk our new power-washer with my ineptitude, so, I skipped the job.

Besides, the dog needed exercise. Although, given the fact that he only fetched the ball a handful of times before jogging right past me and waiting patiently at the back of my Tahoe, like, "come on, woman! Time to go lay in the shade!", I guess he would beg to differ.

Later in the day, I met with the Booster Club scholarship committee to screen the applicants for this year's awards as well as to put the finishing touches on plans for the up-coming Senior Sports Banquet.

By the time we were finished, Hugh had arrived home, and, I spent the remainder of the evening lazing about on the couch with this one hanging out over my shoulder..


...I don't know why he was so tired; it's not like he had cabinets to organize this weekend.

As a side note, in my next life, I want to be a cat.

Happy Monday, friends.

Friday, April 20, 2018

Friday Favorites

If you've read here at all over the past year, you've probably heard me say that, since the Man-Cub decided to attend college in Hawaii, I have been inundated with references to, and reminders of, Hawaii. Well, the universe continues to send me thinly veiled assurances that the Cub is exactly where he is meant to be; this week, it came in the form of a pineapple plant that my co-worker found at a local nursery.

Pineapples in Colorado. What?!

You bet your bippy I ran right out and bought one of my own

I have no idea if the fruit will ever grow large enough to eat, or, if the plant will grow another fruit after the first one is harvested. Actually, I have no idea if the plant itself will survive my horticultural ineptitude. Time will tell that story, but, in the meantime, having a little reminder of the island while he's home for summer break will be good for the Cub.

I did mention that he'll be home in eighteen days, right? No? Yep, eighteen days!

Speaking of the Cub, one of his favorite things to do with Rowdie, before he passed away, was to cuddle on the floor while watching television. I can't wait for him to meet Boomer; I have a feeling they will take to each other like Forrest took to Bubba (Forrest Gump reference!).

I know this happy dog sure has earned a place on my list of favorites.



I'm looking forward to the Cub coming home for a lot of reasons, obviously, but, one of the biggest ones is the fact that I'll have my geeky movie watching partner back; Avengers: Infinity War and Deadpool II are right around the corner!

One movie that I know I probably won't be able to persuade him to watch is The Greatest Showman, which, I am embarrassed to admit, I just experienced for the first time, myself  (I have mentioned that I am always tardy to the party, right?). This is a tragedy because the movie is awesome! In fact, I added the soundtrack to my running playlist and my sessions on the treadmill have been invigorated.

He sings! He dances! He kicks ass as Wolverine! Is there anything Hugh Jackman can't do?

The drink in the Starbucks cup in the picture above is a homemade iced coffee; I keep a pitcher of strongly brewed coffee in the fridge and, when I have a hankering for one, I just add almond milk, stevia, ice, and I'm good to go; it's saving me a small fortune over running to the Sbux drive-thru every time I'm jonesing.

On the topic of jonesing, since I gave up sugar, I've noticed that my tolerance for even natural sweeteners has diminished, which, I guess, isn't actually jonesing, it's the opposite of jonesing.

Huh.

Anyhoodle, my newfound intolerance of sweetness has caused me to turn my nose up at a lot of the containers of yogurt that I used to enjoy. But, this french style yogurt by Yoplait is the bomb-diggity-not too sweet, just tart enough, making for a satisfying afternoon or early evening snack.


Plus, the little glass jar it comes in is ah-doooor-able! I'm saving them for the mini-trifle recipe that I am planning to serve at the Rodeo Princess's bridal shower in August. Additional plans for the shower include this design for the invitations...

...it incorporates her colors as well as the overall theme that the wedding will follow, so, I think it was a very good choice.

And, speaking of good choices, Queen B was accepted into the internship that she wanted; she will be working side-by-side with the head wedding planner at one of the nicest venues in Neighboring City. They are getting the best candidate for the position, hands down, and, I'm not just saying that because she is my daughter.

My favorite daughter.

Thursday, April 19, 2018

Rude Awakening

A couple of days ago a lumber yard in Hooterville caught fire and, despite the local fire department's best efforts, burned to the ground. The fire spread to nearby sawdust piles and, while the firefighters were able to extinguish the flames, the piles are still smoldering.

Last night, I awoke from a pretty deep sleep, convinced that the house was on fire. Apparently, I smelled smoke and my fight-or-flight instinct kicked in, waking me up in a total panic, which, caused Hugh to wake equally panicked. Once he was able to convince me that the smell was just the residual smoke from the saw pits, I was able to calm down enough to fall back to sleep, but, poor Hugh , whose fight-or-flight instinct is more finely honed than mine, thanks to his years in law enforcement, had a much harder time, and, he ended up being awake for quite a while.

I really don't have a point to this story, other than to point out that I am a better smoke detector than any electronic device in my household, which is both interesting and terrifying. Also, credit goes to my husband for not smothering me in my sleep when I passed out after completely ruining his slumber; that took a lot of self control and I speak from experience, considering the number of times I have contemplated holding a pillow over his face when his snoring woke me from a sound sleep.

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

Knock On Wood, Throw Salt Over One Shoulder, Do Whatever It Takes

I hate to jinx myself by saying this out loud, but...I haven't had a hot flash in three days.

I'm gonna let that sink in for a minute.

Three days, hot flash free.

Now, I am still flashing a bit at night, but, even without the new mattress (delivery was postponed to next Wednesday, whomp, whomp), I am sleeping a lot less crappily. New word! (SpellCheck begs to differ!).

While I have no doubt that this is merely another phase in the journey toward the nursing home, I'm totally going to enjoy it while I can (and please feel free to remind me of that when I inevitably start bitching about the flashes once they stage their comeback).

And, that's the latest update to the ongoing Saga of the Perimenopause.

Could my life be any less interesting? I think not. On the bright side, the Man-Cub will be home in 21 days! That's right; I am 21 days away from completing my first season as an empty nester, and I've mostly survived, intact.

Who would have thought?


Monday, April 16, 2018

Buying a New Mattress is a Lot Like Buying a New Car

Hugh and I have had the same mattress since roughly 2004 and it is beginning to show its age. We notice this most on mornings that we wake up tired and achy, and; I've definitely noticed it a lot recently, thanks to the disturbances in my sleeping patterns. Clearly, fourteen years of nightly use have broken down the materials, and, sleeping in padded divots is not conducive to a good night's sleep. You heard it here, first.

So, Saturday evening, we headed into Hooterville to price a new one, and, friends? Mattress shopping has changed a lot in fourteen years.

It took a solid two hours of reclining on the various floor models before we narrowed down our choice and then it took another half hour of negotiation to get the price down from Rolls Royce territory into the Chevrolet category. I'm not even kidding; we ended up paying about half of what I paid for my first car.

We also purchased a platform that raises the mattress at the head and foot, has a vibrating feature (no need to insert a quarter!), USB ports on each side of the bed, and an led light underneath. My favorite part, however, is the "anti-snore" feature, which will enable me to simply push a button on the remote control, at which point the bed will smother Hugh with a pillow.

Or, raise the head of the mattress just enough to regulate his breathing. Either way!

The price of the mattress and platform includes delivery and the the removal of our old mattress, so, not only will I be getting all new stuff, but, I won't be pressed into service to assist in carting heavy mattresses up and down our stairs; this is a service for which I would have gladly paid twice the price.

Delivery is expected sometime mid-week, at which point I will start comparing my Fitbit sleep reports to assess the new mattress; currently, I am awake an average of twice a night, with 10-19 episodes of restlessness. Any improvement will be welcome, and, at the price of a used car, the new mattress better deliver.

Stay tuned.

Friday, April 13, 2018

Friday Favorites

It's finally Friday, and, as predicted, the weather has turned to absolute crap. Thank you, Mother Nature. Thank you ever so much.

Happily, I have Snapchats from my offspring to brighten my day. Queen B recently discovered a new filter and she has been cracking me up with her efforts...





..while the Man-Cub made my week by sharing his recently shaved, adorably stubble-free, baby face...


...then, Queen B slayed me her impersonation of Boomerang, and, that was all she wrote.


Oh! I also got to wear the cutest wedges in my footwear wardrobe this week!


You know, before Mother Nature went off her bi-polar meds, dropping temperatures by thirty degrees and throwing a snow/rain mixture at us with gale-force winds.

Speaking of meds, what are the chances that insurance would cover Pinot Grigio as a treatment for perimenopausal symptoms?


Asking for a friend.

Ahem.

Anyhoodle, the picture above is of a chicken breast stuffed with mozarella, sundried tomato, and basil. I made it from a recipe I found on Pinterest and it became an instant favorite (the fact that it pairs nicely with Pinot Grigio is just a coincidence, I swear).

Oh, and, hey! Speaking of perimenopausal symptoms (hot flashes, I'm looking at YOU), I recently added a new weapon to my arsenal against night sweats; linen blend sheets! Seriously! They are hella expensive, but, worth every penny. Why? Because they don't hold moisture, which means I don't wake up twisted into a sweaty, damp, cold, clammy, juicy, moist, perimenopausal cocoon.

You're welcome for that image.

And, also; WORTH EVERY PENNY.