Friday Favorites

Happy Friday! I can't believe that another week has gone by, although, I was ready for this one to be over, for sure. I'm ready for a weekend with not a whole lot on the agenda, except for things that I enjoy.

Speaking of which, tomorrow, Katie officially graduates from college! She's thisclose to being a fully-fledged adult, complete with a nursing degree and a gazillion dollars in student loan debt. I could not be more proud of her if she really and truly was one of my own, and, I know she is going to do great things.

We are going to attend a celebration of her accomplishment tomorrow afternoon, and I'm looking forward to it.

Before that, however, I am planning to spend the morning tilling cow poop into my garden. Dream big, I always say!

But, seriously, I am actually stoked to get back into the dirt (manure and all); I missed not having a garden last year. Hugh is stoked about it too, but, mostly because I picked his favorite vegetable up at the nursery today...

...that would be Brussels sprouts, in case you don't recognize the plant. I purchased every single starter that the nursery had on hand, because, Brussels sprouts are wicked cool to grow, and, the last time I planted them, Hugh ate the entire harvest, practically overnight.

In addition to the sprouts, I am planning to plant cucumber (again, for Hugh's sake), three varieties of tomatoes, enough basil to feed an Italian army, and, for the first time ever, a tomatillo plant. I have no idea how to grow a tomatillo or what the hell to do with it once it starts producing, but, hey! That's how  felt about the sprouts a couple of years ago and, look how well that turned out!

I'm also going to plant a variety of cutting flowers as well as several mammoth-sized sunflowers, so, it should be a very colorful space once everything starts blooming.

Of course, all of this is dependent on the weather cooperating. Happily, the forecast is favorable, and since temperatures have been in the eighties all this week, I am optimistic.

So, it looks like I will be spending the weekend with some of my favorite people, doing some of my favorite things (I totally plan on capping the weekend off with wine on the porch Sunday evening). Then, it's back to work on Monday, but, guess what my favorite part of today was?

Go ahead, guess..

..you'll never get it, so, I'll tell you; I got approval today to take Fridays off throughout the summer! Every Friday! I am stoked!

Four day workweeks are definitely a favorite!

I Should Have Budgeted Accordingly

The eagle has landed!

The cub is back in the den!

The nest is again half-full!

I can't think of another way to announce that the Man-Cub is finally home, except for a photo of my grocery cart, which contains three times my usual purchases.

He's going to eat me out of house and home, but, he'll be spending a lot of time in that home, so, I'll forgive him.

And, when he isn't home, it will be because he is in Neighboring City, where he will be working, and bunking, side-by-side with Mikey. So, while I will technically have him home, I'll still be rocking the empty nest half of the time; I can live with that. And, speaking of the empty nest, I am planning to write a more extensive post about what I've learned, how I've adjusted, and what I now know about being a mom to adult(ish) children, sometime later this week. I think it's important for me to document how it all shook out, given the massive amount of worrying and fretting that I was doing over the prospect of it this time last year (remember that? Even I was like "Yeesh, woman; pull yourself together"!).

In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy having the Cub under my roof on the days that he is here, and, I'm going to continue to rock the empty nest stuff when he isn't, all of which will be a lot easier to do now that I'm not worrying about erupting volcanoes, bomb-happy dictators, tsunamis, surfing accidents, and bites from poisonous spiders (I really never did get over that Hawaiian episode of The Brady Bunch. Anyone else? No? Ok, just me, then).

My heart is full.

This Post Brought to You by Sumatriptan

I had a relaxing weekend, just to be hit with a wicked migraine this morning. I don't neccessarily believe the two to be related, but, one did preceded the other, chronologically speaking.

Saturday morning, I got up early to hit the nursery in Hooterville for the flowers for my front porch; the nursery I prefer to get them from just recently re-opened for the season and I wanted to make sure I got first pick. I was not disappointed.

When I got home, I quickly got to transplanting the flowers into my window boxes before spending the rest of the morning helping Hugh with some yard chores that have needed attended to for some time (we really, really neglected the yard after Rowdie passed away last year; it was just too hard to be outside without his goofy self following us around).

Later, I got myself cleaned up and ready for the first Porch Night of the season. It was a Cinco de Mayo themed get-together, which meant Mexican flavored appetizers, including a classic 7 Layer Dip, tortilla chips, and a variety of salsas and queso dips. I had also purchased several new wines as recommended by Google (sommelier to the stars!), which is how I discovered a new favorite: Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc.

It paired especially well with the chips and tomatilla salsa, which I really liked. I also tried rioja for the first time and liked it fairly well; it paired nicely with the black bean dip.

Of course, the best part of Porch Night is getting to spend time with friends, and, this particular night, we were helping Mama Jill put the finishing touches on Kenzie's graduation party, so that was definitely worth a good toast.

Sunday, I relaxed for the better part of the morning before taking Boomer to the hardware store so that Hugh could get the kennels power washed. We have discovered that Boomer has an affinity for water; he runs through the sprinklers and insists on being sprayed whenever a hose is turned on in his presence, and, Hugh really wanted to accomplish the chore quickly, without drenching the dog.

The rest of the day was spent transplanting herbs into the herb box that I like to keep by the grill on the back porch, running on the treadmill at the gym, watching Hugh grill chicken for dinner, and watching trashy television (Royals, oh how I love thee!) before turning in for what ended up being the best night of sleep that I have gotten in ages (according to my Fitbit tracker).

So, it was a total bummer when my vision went all wonky as I was getting ready for work this morning. I'm relatively confident that the headache was another in the long list of complaints that I have against perimenopause, so, I won't bore you by saying it again (except, I just did). I will say, however, that I could seriously kiss the scientist who came up with sumatriptan, because, without it, my world would be a dark, dark place.

So, to the makers of Imitrex and all it's generic counterparts, I salute you!

Sa-lute!

Worth It

Raising kids is a scary proposition; assuming you intend to do it right, that is (don't get me started on the "parenting" that I witness on a daily basis at Day Job). From the moment they draw their first breath, every day presents an opportunity for greatness or a risk of abject failure; it's a crapshoot!

I like to think that Hugh and I have done a pretty good job with Queen B and the Man-Cub, because, despite the frequent mistakes and missteps we encountered along the way; they are both finding their paths in this world. We could not be more proud of them if we tried.

Yesterday, Queen B was the "Day Of" coordinator at her first wedding, and, she did it solo, despite it being, quite literally, the first day of her internship. First Day!

And, although I know she was nervous..

...she rocked it like a hurricane! (Side note: neither Queen B nor the Man-Cub understand the "rock you like a hurricane" reference, woe! Where did I go wrong?)

Meanwhile, across the ocean, the Man-Cub was picking up his first set of cords for graduation. Honors Cords, in his first year of college!

He's goofy, but, he's smart!

In fact, they're both so smart, I guess I can forgive them for not getting the Scorpions reference.

All of this is to say: the worries, and fears, and fretting over the years have been worth the effort, and, if I had it to do over again, I would do it exactly the same way, mistakes, missteps, and all.

Friday Favorites: The Vanity Edition

I don't consider myself to be an extremely vain person, but, I do take pride in my appearance, and I am trying to age gracefully. That said, the toll that Father Time is taking on my skin is throwing me into an emotional Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde tailspin that has me alternately praising my still somewhat youthful skin and cursing the obvious signs of my advancing age; which one it is depends on the day.

Today, is a pretty good day; I got carded at the liquor store! I'm hoping it was due to my youthful glow, rather than to the presence of three hormonal zits that cropped up on my face in the past week, but, to be fair...it's probably because, in the absence of a walker or an AARP discount card, they are checking everyone.

Oh, well!

About those zits, while I'm not thrilled about being in the twilight of my youth and still having to deal with breakouts, at least I'm old enough to know how to treat them. This 2-step treatment by Murad is my absolute favorite for dealing with my skin when it gets congested.

It clears blackheads and dries up whiteheads in no time flat, and, if I were smart enough to use it on the regular-instead of just when I break out-it would probably keep my skin clear all the time. Sadly, with age, does not necessarily come wisdom.

Perimenopause, as you know, does come with old age, and, what comes with perimenopause (other than hot flashes, unreliable periods, and increased migraines)? Dry skin! Like I needed another challenge, right? Currently, the dryness is most evident in my cuticles, which have become a ragged mess.

Old lady hands! EEEK!

I'm using this cuticle cream, because it has always worked for me when other hormone fluctuations were jacking with me (hello, puberty and pregnancy).

It smells like apricots and soaks in immediately, without being greasy or sticky, and, with regular use, it won't be any time at all before my cuticles look less ghetto. But, I'll also use this cuticle oil a couple of times a week, just to speed the process.

In addition to the dry cuticles, I'm also experiencing brittle nails, which, is new for me; I used to be able to grow long, strong, natural nails that were the envy of all my friends (well, the ones who like long nails, anyway). Now, I can barely get them past the tips of my fingers before they split and peel. So, I'm trying this polish, and, hoping that it works.

Hopefully, with all this effort, I'll get my fingernails looking as healthy as my toenails, which, by the way, look fantastic, thanks to recent regular pedicures and new running shoes that don't compress my toes.

And, speaking of running, I got a new outfit for the gym...

...neon tangerine is my new favorite color.

I also just scored a screaming good deal on a new Fitbit, since mine is dying a slow, agonizing death.

I chose the Flex 2, which is one generation newer than my current Fitbit because I don't need all the fancy bells and whistles that the most recent generation has, nor do I like the way that they are designed to look more like the Apple watch; if I wanted all that nonsense, I would wear a smartwatch. Besides, the Flex 2 was on clearance! And, so was the replacement band! And, I can get equally discounted (and super-cute!) bands on Amazon, so, win-win.

On the original topic of this post, which was my vanity, in case you've forgotten, I also got the sweetest comment on the profile picture that I added to my Facebook recently; it came from a woman whose beauty I have always envied, and, it swelled my head about three sizes. I'm not going to share it here because I'm not that vain, but, it certainly did make my day.

Good days are a favorite around here, for sure.

Driving Miss Lulu

Yesterday was National Bike to Work Day, but, because we are a little slow on the uptake at Day Job, we celebrated it today.

Actually, "celebrated" doesn't seem right...we...participated? Yeah, that sounds more accurate; we participated. Some, more fashionably than others, if, by fashionable, you mean "decked out in spandex and rocking a racing helmet", which, is not what I personally consider the height of fashion, but, to each his own.

Also, not a huge fan of the official event T-shirt, just sayin'.

There were a variety of bike types represented on the ride, but, I think we can all agree that Lulu is the bomb-diggity, and, not just because her basket is the perfect receptacle for a mini picnic complete with a bottle of wine, plenty of cheese, and a fresh baguette, none of which I was allowed to take today, just to be clear.

Basket, sans Pinot Grigio and a toasty baguette

Anyhoodle, Bike to Work Day 2018 is in the books. Now, it's time to get Miss Lulu out more regularly, I mean, her tires are full and everything.

T-Minus Six and Counting

We are less than a week away from rejoining the ranks of parents with a child who lives at home! This time last year, I had serious doubts that I would make it through the Cub's first year in Hawaii with my sanity intact, but look at me, all rockin' the empty nest like a bad ass! I only ever came thisclose to a nervous breakdown that one time, when the Cub added a picture of himself hanging off a cliff to his Instagram page. One time! In eight-and-a-half months!

The Cub seems to be hanging in there, too, although, to hear him tell it, finals week is the most stressful time in the history of stressful times, to which I naturally responded:

One day, he'll be picking up what I'm laying down.

In the meantime, six more days until his life goes back to home cooked meals and free access to laundry facilities. I bet he can hardly wait.