We just got home from seeing The Jungle Book. The price to bribe the Man-Cub to be seen in public with his parents at a G-rated movie was dinner at the Chinese restaurant, a large popcorn, a family-sized box of Junior Mints, and a super-sized Dr. Pepper.
I think we got off easy.
Sunday, April 17, 2016
Friday, April 15, 2016
Friday Favorites: Fun Stuff
Uno:
While The Girls and I were shopping at the Coach outlet this past weekend, this bag jumped out and threw itself into my arms like a long lost lover.
Ok, maybe it didn't go down quite like that, but, still; love, love, love this bag. I love the color, I love the shape, I love that it has enough room in the center compartment to hold all of my larger items as well as several smaller pockets for my small stuff, I love that my cell phone slips into an outside pocket, making it easily accessible, and I love that the bag is an easy-to-clean and durable Coach canvas. I also love the small details that Coach puts into its' bags, including the vanity tags.
Dos:
I picked up this book in the Phoenix airport to read on my return flight. I could not put it down, and, finished it in a day and a half. Like all of Elin Hilderbrand's books, it is entertaining and engaging. It would be the perfect book for reading poolside, but, I don't have a pool, so I take my entertainment where I can get it.
Tres:
The weather was nice enough this week to wear skirts, capris, and sandals (right up until this morning, that is, when it turned cold and rainy, with a good chance of snow, grrrr), and I took full advantage of the opportunity to wear these sandals. Not only are they adorable and comfortable, but, they looked really good with my Phoenix pedicure.
Quatro:
Speaking of my Phoenix pedi, after resisting the allure of blue and/or green nail polish for forty-some years, I am now a convert. It doesn't look like fungus at all (yes, that really was my hang-up)!
Cinco:
Did I mention that I got to spend some quality time with my daughter, yesterday? I did? Oh, well; it bears repeating. I got to spend some time with my baby girl, yesterday.
Seis:
The new Jungle Book movie hits theaters today. I am hoping that the Man-Cub will humor me with a movie date sometime soon. He's at that age where he's not really interested in being seen at a movie theater with his mother, but, I have my means of persuasion; I plan to bribe him with Milk Duds and Junior Mints.
While The Girls and I were shopping at the Coach outlet this past weekend, this bag jumped out and threw itself into my arms like a long lost lover.
Ok, maybe it didn't go down quite like that, but, still; love, love, love this bag. I love the color, I love the shape, I love that it has enough room in the center compartment to hold all of my larger items as well as several smaller pockets for my small stuff, I love that my cell phone slips into an outside pocket, making it easily accessible, and I love that the bag is an easy-to-clean and durable Coach canvas. I also love the small details that Coach puts into its' bags, including the vanity tags.
Dos:
I picked up this book in the Phoenix airport to read on my return flight. I could not put it down, and, finished it in a day and a half. Like all of Elin Hilderbrand's books, it is entertaining and engaging. It would be the perfect book for reading poolside, but, I don't have a pool, so I take my entertainment where I can get it.
Tres:
The weather was nice enough this week to wear skirts, capris, and sandals (right up until this morning, that is, when it turned cold and rainy, with a good chance of snow, grrrr), and I took full advantage of the opportunity to wear these sandals. Not only are they adorable and comfortable, but, they looked really good with my Phoenix pedicure.
Quatro:
Speaking of my Phoenix pedi, after resisting the allure of blue and/or green nail polish for forty-some years, I am now a convert. It doesn't look like fungus at all (yes, that really was my hang-up)!
Cinco:
Did I mention that I got to spend some quality time with my daughter, yesterday? I did? Oh, well; it bears repeating. I got to spend some time with my baby girl, yesterday.
Seis:
The new Jungle Book movie hits theaters today. I am hoping that the Man-Cub will humor me with a movie date sometime soon. He's at that age where he's not really interested in being seen at a movie theater with his mother, but, I have my means of persuasion; I plan to bribe him with Milk Duds and Junior Mints.
Thursday, April 14, 2016
Thursday Thirteen
1. The Queen Bee spent part of the day with me, today. A visit from her is always a pleasure, however, today that visit coincided with another trip to the dentist, where we met her new front tooth.
2. Unfortunately, she won't actually get to have the new tooth installed (Is that the correct verb in this situation? I'm not convinced) for another eleven days, due to the lingering pain that she is experiencing. Instead, the dentist sent us off with a prescription for something to "calm the nerve down a bit" and instructions to call if she is still in pain in three days, at which point they will entertain the idea of a root canal. Fingers crossed that the pain subsides.
3. After leaving the dentist's office, we went to Target to have the prescription filled. While we waited, I browsed the seasonal items that are starting to line the shelves, picking up a few sets of slate garden markers for the vegetable garden that I have not yet decided to plant. Seriously, I am undecided; last year's garden was such a disappointment, I don't think I could take another failure. On the other hand, I love fresh vegetables and gardening is almost therapeutic, so...yeah, still undecided. The garden markers are super-cute, though.
4. When we left Target, we headed to Starbucks to visit with QB's BFF, Bradlen; QB hadn't seen him since they got back from Hawaii and she wanted to say hello.
5. Later, we went to dinner, where, despite the numbness and discomfort, QB managed to polish off the better part of a breakfast burrito before agreeing to a selfie (or, two) with her old mom and, ultimately, heading back to her place.
6. While Hugh was available to join us for dinner, we were without the Man-Cub, who, as I mentioned yesterday, is off at the State FBLA Conference. His presence was felt, however, when he graced us with a text message bearing a selfie of his own. His new haircut is the bomb. Also, he is clearly wearing part of the $300 wardrobe that we purchased for him prior to the trip, so, money well spent, clearly.
7. The Cub will be home tomorrow, just in time to help his classmates decorate for the prom, which is Saturday. The weather is supposed to suck ass, with cold temperatures and a rain/snow mixture, which, I hope doesn't delay their trip.
8. It also sucks ass that the weather is supposed to continue to be crappy throughout the weekend, including prom; this will significantly impact my ability to get good pictures of the Cub and his date.
9. I am trying not to compare QB's proms to the Cub's experience; I understand that boys are different (oh, how different!), but, I would be lying if I said that I wasn't the teensiest bit sad that I won't be serving dinner to a large group of kids this year. Because, I am.
10. Instead, the Cub and his date have reservations at one of the nicer restaurants in Hooterville, which, will be lovely, I'm sure. After dinner, they are (hopefully) going to stop by the house for pictures, and then they will continue on to the school for the Grand March.
11. I'm hopeful that I will be able to get some pictures at the Grand March, but, since there are so few kids attending the prom as couples, I have no idea what to expect. I would be happy with group shots, as a number of the kids are going stag, but, who knows?
12. Kids are weird.
13. That is all.
2. Unfortunately, she won't actually get to have the new tooth installed (Is that the correct verb in this situation? I'm not convinced) for another eleven days, due to the lingering pain that she is experiencing. Instead, the dentist sent us off with a prescription for something to "calm the nerve down a bit" and instructions to call if she is still in pain in three days, at which point they will entertain the idea of a root canal. Fingers crossed that the pain subsides.
3. After leaving the dentist's office, we went to Target to have the prescription filled. While we waited, I browsed the seasonal items that are starting to line the shelves, picking up a few sets of slate garden markers for the vegetable garden that I have not yet decided to plant. Seriously, I am undecided; last year's garden was such a disappointment, I don't think I could take another failure. On the other hand, I love fresh vegetables and gardening is almost therapeutic, so...yeah, still undecided. The garden markers are super-cute, though.
4. When we left Target, we headed to Starbucks to visit with QB's BFF, Bradlen; QB hadn't seen him since they got back from Hawaii and she wanted to say hello.
5. Later, we went to dinner, where, despite the numbness and discomfort, QB managed to polish off the better part of a breakfast burrito before agreeing to a selfie (or, two) with her old mom and, ultimately, heading back to her place.
6. While Hugh was available to join us for dinner, we were without the Man-Cub, who, as I mentioned yesterday, is off at the State FBLA Conference. His presence was felt, however, when he graced us with a text message bearing a selfie of his own. His new haircut is the bomb. Also, he is clearly wearing part of the $300 wardrobe that we purchased for him prior to the trip, so, money well spent, clearly.
7. The Cub will be home tomorrow, just in time to help his classmates decorate for the prom, which is Saturday. The weather is supposed to suck ass, with cold temperatures and a rain/snow mixture, which, I hope doesn't delay their trip.
8. It also sucks ass that the weather is supposed to continue to be crappy throughout the weekend, including prom; this will significantly impact my ability to get good pictures of the Cub and his date.
9. I am trying not to compare QB's proms to the Cub's experience; I understand that boys are different (oh, how different!), but, I would be lying if I said that I wasn't the teensiest bit sad that I won't be serving dinner to a large group of kids this year. Because, I am.
10. Instead, the Cub and his date have reservations at one of the nicer restaurants in Hooterville, which, will be lovely, I'm sure. After dinner, they are (hopefully) going to stop by the house for pictures, and then they will continue on to the school for the Grand March.
11. I'm hopeful that I will be able to get some pictures at the Grand March, but, since there are so few kids attending the prom as couples, I have no idea what to expect. I would be happy with group shots, as a number of the kids are going stag, but, who knows?
12. Kids are weird.
13. That is all.
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
The Shape of Things To Come
The Man-Cub left today for the State FBLA Conference in Vail. He'll be gone until Friday, which, should give me ample opportunity to try out the whole "empty nest" thing that people keep warning me about.
I'm going to start by not cooking a meal, but eating leftovers from their cartons while standing in front of the open fridge door. Then, I'm going to wash it all down with a swig of orange juice, straight from the jug.
What? Did you really think that I would mope my way upstairs, to throw my body across the Cub's bed while I wept and mourned the passing of my ovaries (RIP; you were very good ovaries)?
Nah.
I gotta save something for next year.
I'm going to start by not cooking a meal, but eating leftovers from their cartons while standing in front of the open fridge door. Then, I'm going to wash it all down with a swig of orange juice, straight from the jug.
What? Did you really think that I would mope my way upstairs, to throw my body across the Cub's bed while I wept and mourned the passing of my ovaries (RIP; you were very good ovaries)?
Nah.
I gotta save something for next year.
Monday, April 11, 2016
Weekend Escape
I got back from Phoenix late yesterday evening, after a whirlwind weekend with The Girls (say that ten times, fast); I'm in full recover mode today, but, thanks to The Girls, I have the motive and energy to get back on track.
It's going to be a great week.
The weekend, was, of course, wonderful. I flew out of Neighboring City Friday afternoon, arriving in Phoenix at 4:00, local time. Reese picked me up at the airport and, after checking into the Arizona Grand Resort and Spa, we ran a few errands before returning to the airport to pick up Phoebe and Jules, who had arranged a flight together.
By the time their flight crew finally let them off their plane, we were all starving, so our first stop was a Mexican restaurant that Reese recommended. Once we had our fill of taco salads, burritos, flautas, and margaritas, we ventured back to the resort, where, thanks to the pillowy-softness of the beds, we fell into an early sleep.
This allowed us to rise bright and early Saturday morning for mimosas, or, in Jules case, for an endless glass of champagne (Jules is rocking a low-carb plan put together by a nutritionist she is working with and, apparently, champagne has zero carbs and zero sugars. Who knew?). Reese poured the mimosas, which helps to explain how we ended up with an empty bottle of champagne while still having three-quarters of a bottle of orange juice left. It also explains the buzz that we were all sporting when we left the resort to get lunch and pedicures.
The buzz also explained a shopping spree at the outlet mall, where we may-or may not-have spent a small (discounted!) fortune on purses at the Coach and Michael Kors stores. We regret nothing!
We spent the remainder of the afternoon lounging poolside at the resort, which was relaxing and energizing at the same time.
We needed the extra rest and energy for our evening expedition: a visit to the Phoenix Escape Room, where we matched our wits against a scenario that involved us being shackled to a wall in a sinking ship.
If you've never been to an escape room (or, you know, never even heard of any such thing; hand raised!), it is an intellectual exercise in escapism. You are locked in a room, given a scenario, and one hour to find clues and to solve riddles and puzzles, all in an effort to unlock the room and to escape before the time runs out. Our scenario, The Crimson Storm, was a pirate theme, the gist of which was that we had been captured by pirates and thrown into the brig of a sinking ship. If we could find all of the necessary clues and solve all of the riddles and puzzles in the room, we would be able to open the numerous combination locks located within the room, and, ultimately, to escape.
It was not easy, and, to our credit, we solved all but the final two riddles before our time ran out. It was a majorly fun thing to do and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a cool activity to do with a small group. In fact, The Girls and I all agreed that we would do it again in a heartbeat.
One of Reese's local friends had joined us for the Escape Room, which brought our group to five; a perfect number for the size of the room and for the brain power needed to solve the mysteries.
After our pseudo-death in the escape room, we decided to drown our sorrows at a local bar, where the music was loud, the drinks were strong, and the people watching was epic; a break-up and a hook-up played out right in front of us! It was like an episode of Honky-Tonk Melrose Place and we loved it.
It was a great evening; we even managed to stay up past midnight! And, I got my In 'N' Out Burger!
Of course, the late night made for a slow start on Sunday morning, but, we managed. My flight left the earliest, so we were off to the airport by 11:00, for yet another goodbye but, not before brainstorming a list of locations that we would all like to visit on our next Girl's Weekend; that made saying the goodbyes just a little bit easier.
But, only a little bit. A very little, little bit.
It's going to be a great week.
The weekend, was, of course, wonderful. I flew out of Neighboring City Friday afternoon, arriving in Phoenix at 4:00, local time. Reese picked me up at the airport and, after checking into the Arizona Grand Resort and Spa, we ran a few errands before returning to the airport to pick up Phoebe and Jules, who had arranged a flight together.
By the time their flight crew finally let them off their plane, we were all starving, so our first stop was a Mexican restaurant that Reese recommended. Once we had our fill of taco salads, burritos, flautas, and margaritas, we ventured back to the resort, where, thanks to the pillowy-softness of the beds, we fell into an early sleep.
This allowed us to rise bright and early Saturday morning for mimosas, or, in Jules case, for an endless glass of champagne (Jules is rocking a low-carb plan put together by a nutritionist she is working with and, apparently, champagne has zero carbs and zero sugars. Who knew?). Reese poured the mimosas, which helps to explain how we ended up with an empty bottle of champagne while still having three-quarters of a bottle of orange juice left. It also explains the buzz that we were all sporting when we left the resort to get lunch and pedicures.
The buzz also explained a shopping spree at the outlet mall, where we may-or may not-have spent a small (discounted!) fortune on purses at the Coach and Michael Kors stores. We regret nothing!
We spent the remainder of the afternoon lounging poolside at the resort, which was relaxing and energizing at the same time.
We needed the extra rest and energy for our evening expedition: a visit to the Phoenix Escape Room, where we matched our wits against a scenario that involved us being shackled to a wall in a sinking ship.
If you've never been to an escape room (or, you know, never even heard of any such thing; hand raised!), it is an intellectual exercise in escapism. You are locked in a room, given a scenario, and one hour to find clues and to solve riddles and puzzles, all in an effort to unlock the room and to escape before the time runs out. Our scenario, The Crimson Storm, was a pirate theme, the gist of which was that we had been captured by pirates and thrown into the brig of a sinking ship. If we could find all of the necessary clues and solve all of the riddles and puzzles in the room, we would be able to open the numerous combination locks located within the room, and, ultimately, to escape.
It was not easy, and, to our credit, we solved all but the final two riddles before our time ran out. It was a majorly fun thing to do and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a cool activity to do with a small group. In fact, The Girls and I all agreed that we would do it again in a heartbeat.
One of Reese's local friends had joined us for the Escape Room, which brought our group to five; a perfect number for the size of the room and for the brain power needed to solve the mysteries.
After our pseudo-death in the escape room, we decided to drown our sorrows at a local bar, where the music was loud, the drinks were strong, and the people watching was epic; a break-up and a hook-up played out right in front of us! It was like an episode of Honky-Tonk Melrose Place and we loved it.
It was a great evening; we even managed to stay up past midnight! And, I got my In 'N' Out Burger!
Of course, the late night made for a slow start on Sunday morning, but, we managed. My flight left the earliest, so we were off to the airport by 11:00, for yet another goodbye but, not before brainstorming a list of locations that we would all like to visit on our next Girl's Weekend; that made saying the goodbyes just a little bit easier.
But, only a little bit. A very little, little bit.
Thursday, April 07, 2016
Is It Friday, Yet?
It's been a really quiet week at Day Job, with half the office out for Spring Break and most of my clients off (hopefully) enjoying quality time together as families, it's been a great time to catch up on paperwork and reports.
Unfortunately, having everyone off for Spring Break has also meant that I cannot contact Board Members for necessary signatures for those reports, but, a girl can't have everything, I suppose.
The Man-Cub has been enjoying his Spring Break by traipsing all over creation with his friends, first in Neighboring City, where they bounced their little hearts out at a trampoline park, then, in another nearby community, where they hiked trails and climbed rock walls. He also volunteered a little of his time to help Oscar with some chores as well as continuing to attend baseball practice, so, he's had a busy week.
Later today, we are heading to a small town just East of my college alma mater for a baseball game, and, tomorrow, I officially begin my Spring Break festivities, with a flight to Phoenix to see The Girls.
To say that I am excited would be a vast understatement.
I'm going to use the trip as a last hurrah to my poor eating habits and slot-like ways; a new healthy eating and exercise plan starts on Monday. But, I'll think about that on...Monday. In the meantime, wine! Margaritas and fattening Mexican food! In 'N' Out Burger! Time with my besties!
Bring on Spring Break!
Unfortunately, having everyone off for Spring Break has also meant that I cannot contact Board Members for necessary signatures for those reports, but, a girl can't have everything, I suppose.
The Man-Cub has been enjoying his Spring Break by traipsing all over creation with his friends, first in Neighboring City, where they bounced their little hearts out at a trampoline park, then, in another nearby community, where they hiked trails and climbed rock walls. He also volunteered a little of his time to help Oscar with some chores as well as continuing to attend baseball practice, so, he's had a busy week.
Later today, we are heading to a small town just East of my college alma mater for a baseball game, and, tomorrow, I officially begin my Spring Break festivities, with a flight to Phoenix to see The Girls.
To say that I am excited would be a vast understatement.
I'm going to use the trip as a last hurrah to my poor eating habits and slot-like ways; a new healthy eating and exercise plan starts on Monday. But, I'll think about that on...Monday. In the meantime, wine! Margaritas and fattening Mexican food! In 'N' Out Burger! Time with my besties!
Bring on Spring Break!
Tuesday, April 05, 2016
Treasure from The Tattered Rabbit
I had an oiy vey kind of day, yesterday. That's a German phrase that my grandma Molly used to use on occasion, and, while I'm not certain of the exact translation, it's always seemed to fit these kinds of days quite well.
Because my day was so oiy veyish, I didn't get a chance to post photos of the awesome antique trunk that I picked up at The Tattered Rabbit sale over the weekend. I'm going to remedy that today.
It's on wheels! And, it makes a most awesome coffee table for the porch. In hindsight, I should have staged these photos better, maybe thrown in a platter of grapes, a bottle of wine, and a cheese plate, but, see above: oiy vey.
Anyway, the porch looks better than ever with the addition of this vintage steamer trunk and I now have a much larger surface for all that wine and cheese.
Bring on Porch Night!
Because my day was so oiy veyish, I didn't get a chance to post photos of the awesome antique trunk that I picked up at The Tattered Rabbit sale over the weekend. I'm going to remedy that today.
It's on wheels! And, it makes a most awesome coffee table for the porch. In hindsight, I should have staged these photos better, maybe thrown in a platter of grapes, a bottle of wine, and a cheese plate, but, see above: oiy vey.
Anyway, the porch looks better than ever with the addition of this vintage steamer trunk and I now have a much larger surface for all that wine and cheese.
Bring on Porch Night!
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