500th Post and Random Dozen

Holy Crap! I am up to 500 posts. I should actually have more than 500 but I panicked last year when a real world friend found my blog and deleted many, many posts. But the dashboard says 500 so 500 it is!

I am sure that many of you are now sitting with a pile of Christmas cards getting ready to recycle them. May I suggest sending them to St. Jude's Ranch instead. St. Jude's ranch is a home for abused and neglected children. (Not to be confused with St. Jude's Medical Centers-also a wonderful charity). They have three campuses in Nevada and Texas. For a fundraiser the children take your old Christmas Cards and recycle them into new cards which they then sell. So, please take a moment and instead of tossing or even recycling your greeting cards, please place them in an envelope and mail them to St. Jude's instead. One thing that I do is send out an email to my co-workers offering to recycle their cards as well.

The lovely Linda over at 2nd Cup of Coffee is involved in an interesting program. Her church is doing a "Thanks not Cranks" bracelet. The intention is to wear a bracelet for 21 days and every time you complain you need to move it to the other wrist and start over. The purpose is to make you more grateful and less whiny. This is being done through the Complaint Free World blog.

I am trying to find some, "Thanks not cranks" bracelets to buy, but I might just get a pack of the complaint free world bracelet and do a giveaway. Would anyone be interested?

I also will have a Perricone giveaway coming up later this week. Check back to see what is being given away and how you can win.

Since its Wednesday, I have the Random Dozen courtesy of 2nd cup of coffee. Feel free to use this meme in good health, but let them know you played.






1. On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being a cranky-baby-hissy-fitter, how much of a complainer are you?
I am a 6. I complain and kvetch more for entertainment value, than my honestly being pissy.

2. When someone else is talking, do you listen, or are you thinking about what you're going to say in response?
It depends on who is talking. My boss has a very distinctive accent so I find I have to listen to him very carefully. But usually stuff just comes out of my mouth, with very little conscious assistance from my brain. Yes, I have gotten into trouble because of that.

3. I just deleted 1062 messages from my email account. Do you have any plans for a clean sweep this month--of anything?
No. I usually go through my emails every month or two to clean up, but nothing major.

And now, here are some brilliant questions from a gal named Angie at Angie's Ad Lib who graciously offered to let me borrow her brain. Please go over and see Angie because it was so nice of her to help me out. Thank you so much, Angie!

4. Tell us about your perfume. Was it a gift? What does it remind you of? Do you have a signature scent?
I love Jo Malone. I adore the Red Roses and I am now wearing Honeysuckle/Jasmine which is like summer in a bottle. I bought this perfume while Hubman was enjoying being a hot-husband in Vegas.

5. What is your best organizing tip for the new year?
I read one today that I am going to try. It suggest rolling up your sheets and putting them in the pillow case, so you won't have to look for all of the matching parts.

6. What is your favorite comic strip?
Dilbert or Sally Fotrth.

7. Do you sleep with a fluffy or flat pillow?
Firm, yet fluffy.

8. What color is your kitchen? Why did you choose that color?
White. Because it came with the house.

9. What’s the most interesting bumper sticker you’ve seen?
I like your Christ. However, I do not like your Christians as they are nothing like your Christ.-Ghandi. It is provocative and reminds me how off message the practice of Christianity can sometimes get from the theory and teachings.

10. Do you prefer an expensive writing tool or whatever is lying around? (Are you a Montblanc or a Papermate?)
I must have a micro-fine roller ball pen. I usually buy them on sale and watch as people borrow my pen for a moment, become converts and then try to steal my pens.

11. What chore doesn’t feel like a chore – you just enjoy it (at least most of the time)?
I love grocery shopping, especially if I can go alone and especially if I can go somewhere interesting like Whole Foods or Trader Joe's. I like to wander the aisles, see what is new, read the labels and think of all the yummy things I can make.

12. If your parents often repeated themselves, what is something one of them said more than once?
I remember frequently being asked to clean my room. I figured that if I could close the door and they couldn't see it, then who really cared? Apparently they did.

No day is So Bad It Can’t Be Fixed With A Nap

So says Carrie P. Snow who apparently is an author of many great quotes. My favorite of her quotes is "If God was a woman then semen would taste like chocolate." But I digress....

I was reading a Huffington Post article about the 2010 sleep challenge. To sum up, Americans in general do not get enough sleep with women being the worst culprits. A lack of sleep leads to diminished cognitive function All women should immediately try to get at least 7.5 hours of sleep for the next 30 days.

I have to admit there were times in my life where I looked at my bed with the same longing that a shoe lover may look at a pair of Manolo's. This was when the children were small. When I understood how sleep deprivation was used as a form of torture. When I would actually hold my nose and swig down some red bull on the way to work. Now, that I do not have to get up for midnight feedings, the "sleepless night" does not happen very often and when it does it usually involves fevers or vomiting for distance on the part of my kids.

But now I think oh pish, I get plenty of sleep. Then I thought about it. I usually go to sleep (and this means sleep and not bed and sex) around 11pm and the alarm goes off at 5:45. That means I get a little less than seven hours per night. Combining the fact that I often wake up before the alarm and wake up during the night to either pee or investigate a noise coming from the kids or dog, or Hubman I am going to say that 6.5 hours is more correct.

So for me to get the 7.5 hours of sleep I would have to go to bed around 10:30pm and wake up at 6:15am. This would seriously cut into my blog reading/writing , HNT photo taking, book reading and sex time. These are all things I am not willing to give up.

So readers, how much sleep do you get? Do you need more? Less? What would you have to give up in order to get 7.5 hours of sleep every night and would it be worth it to get more sleep?



As you ponder that thought, I leave you with some quotes about sleep.

To achieve the impossible dream, try going to sleep.

Sleep is like the unicorn – it is rumored to exist, but I doubt I will see any.

Life is something that happens when you can’t get to sleep.

It is better to sleep on things beforehand than lie awake about them afterwards.

Tomorrow night is nothing but one long sleepless wrestle with yesterday’s omissions and regrets.

A sleepless night is as long as a year.

A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book.

Some people talk in their sleep. Lecturers talk while other people sleep.

A ruffled mind makes a restless pillow.

We are not hypocrites in our sleep.

The good people sleep much better at night than the bad people. Of course, the bad people enjoy the waking hours much more.

Laugh and the world laughs with you. Snore and you sleep alone.

Its Everywhere!

For one of my goals for 2010 (I don't call them resolutions-I don't keep them), was to try to eat cleaner this year. While the snow has kept me from traipsing down to Whole Foods to get some organic meat and produce, I have decided to try and reduce the amount of processed foods we eat and to eliminate High Fructose Corn Syrup from the family's diet as much as possible.

I went to the supermarket and started reading labels. High Fructose Corn Syrup is everywhere. Its in the ketchup, the bbq sauce, and even the salad dressing. It is going to take some doing to reduce the HFCS, but hopefully will be worth it in the end.

I also bought the Ore-Ida frozen potatoes that you steam in the microwave and mash.

They were not good. I found them to be grainy and got cold really quickly. If I was making a potato casserole, I might use these as a short cut as the cheese in the casserole would cover up some of the flaws in the potatoes, but I would not use them as regular mashed potatoes.

I feel its been so long since I've been to the strip club, I told Hubman that I was going to book a sitter for Saturday night and if we did not make plans with friends then we will go for dinner and boobies. Anyone want to join us.

Hubman and I have Swingshift up today. It seems that we might be in a sticky situation.

We are also still looking for ideas for traveling to Hawaii.

I was writing out checks yesterday. Am I the only one writing 2009 on the checks?

Wish me luck today. I am going to insist that PP wear underwear today. I also have to get Darling Boy up and out of the house today after two weeks off. I warned him that he would have to wear both underwear and shoes tomorrow. He is bummed about the whole thing.

Happy Monday Everyone!

A New Year's Brain Dump

So far the 1st day of the new year was pretty good. Penn State won the Capital One Bowl, Darling Boy is at a sleepover and Hubman and I are working our way through the crack m&m's so we can rid the house of all junk food so we can diet more effectively.

I am starting to feel better now that I have had two days of antibiotics for my bronchitis, but I am still really freaking tired. However I plan to go kickboxing today, as well as take PP to a birthday party, bring dude home from his sleepover. I am hoping that the weather won't be too crappy because I would love to sneak out to get my bangs trimmed, eyebrows waxed, and a mani-pedi.

We took all the Christmas decorations down. The living room looks so much bigger now that all of that stuff is back in the attic.

I am hoping my SIL has her baby this coming week. They are thinking of inducing her a week or two early as the baby is at 8 pounds. I know that I am looking forward to the baby for reasons selfish and unselfish. The unselfish reason is that I can't wait to see my SIL with her long awaited baby, and I know she is at the stage of the pregnancy when you really, really wants it to be over.

The selfish reason is that my SIL is normally overbearing and has to be the center of attention at all times. The baby coming has just made it worse. My MIL has done her best to be sensitive to my kids, and sending Alex out to see her at Thanksgiving was wonderful because he was worried that grandma wouldn't have any time for him anymore with the new baby coming.

I think the new baby will be toughest on DB. He had the undivided attention of all of the adults in the family for over five years before being displaced a little by PP. I know that the new baby will displace him a little more, but I will make sure that he feels included in everything.

Hubman turns 40 this month. I will have to think of something fun to do to torment him help him celebrate.

I did eat very cleanly yesterday though. Lots of fruits and veggies, lean protein and I made a really yummy pear and blueberry crisp. Hubman is not into this sort of thing so I halved the recipe. I also cooked it in the toaster oven.

1 small pear, peeled and coarsely chopped
1/2cup fresh or frozen blueberries
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons Gold Medal® all-purpose or whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats
1/8 teaspoon apple pie spice (I didn't have that in the house, so I skipped)
1 tablespoon butter or margarine (firm)
Cream or ice cream, if desired

Heat oven to 375°F. Grease two 6-ounce custard cups. Mix pear and blueberries; divide between custard cups.
Mix brown sugar, flour, oats and apple pie spice in small bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender or fork until mixture is crumbly; sprinkle over fruit.
Bake about 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown and pear is tender. Serve warm with whipped or ice cream.

In September of this year Hubman and I will have been together for 20 years. I am hoping we can celebrate with a trip to Hawaii. Everything I know about Hawaii is from watching the episode of the Brady Bunch where the Brady's all went to Hawaii. So if any of you have suggestions about which island to visit, where to stay, etc., please let me know.

Have a great weekendd everyone!

Friday Foodie-Getting Back to Basics

Happy New Year Everyone! I hope this post finds you all well and happy and ready to tackle those resolutions.

I love doing recipe posts so I am starting the New Year with a little reboot of the Friday Foodie. I am going to tighten the focus a little bit. Instead of a bunch of recipes I am going to only feature one or two recipes each week. And now that the holidays are over I am going back to posting the nutritional information. I am also going to try to include the following:

1. Prep and Cook Time;
2. Photos of the food & maybe the prep;
3. How much it cost to make the meal.

I am hoping that the third item will appeal to a lot of you. I am guessing that the only thing people are watching more than their waistlines are their wallets, and I am going to try to be more aware of that in the upcoming year.

So when I include the costs, it will be the cost of the ingredients minus the kitchen staples, unless you are using a large quantity of the staple. What are the staples? Everyone had a different opinion, but if you are going to cook with me in 2010 you might want to have the following on hand:

Flour, Bisquick, Dried Oregano, Basil, and Parsley, Salt both table and sea, black pepper, crushed red pepper, chili powder, garlic salt, butter, olive oil, vegetable oil, garlic, yellow and red onions, non-stick spray, a hunk of Parmesan or asagio cheese and maple syrup.

As far as equipment? I have a TON of kitchen equipment, but I find myself reaching for the following most often:

Small and medium saucepan
Large soup pot
12 inch deep skillet
10 inch saute pan
toaster oven
rimmed cookie sheet
silicone spatulas
wooden spoon
serrated knife
regular larger knife
tongs
colander
ziploc bag
plastic mixing bowls
measuring cups
measuring spoons
8x8 & 9x13 pyrex pans
3 quart & 5 quart crockpot
aluminum foil
small grater/zester

The list looks long, but you can get just about everything on it at target or walmart for $200 or less.

I look forward to a year of fun together as we prepare meals that I hope are tasty, economical, healthy and easy to prepare.


Happpy New Year! See you next week with the 1st recipes!

HNT Favorites Edition

I love the end of the year. Its a great time for reflection and planning ahead for the upcoming year. It was a lot of fun going through my HNT photos with Hubman, although it was hard to choose a photo. I love so many of them. I generally try to put a lot of thought into the HNT and try to do something witty or amusing (at least I hope they are witty and amusing). I loved all of the heartfelt commentary from the HNT Flaws edition, but for pure coolness of photography I had to choose this one:

HNT! Viva Las Vegas Edition

Now that I finished my housewifely duties I got to go on a much needed vacation to Fabulous Las Vegas. We stayed at the Wynn and I got to enjoy a gorgeous view of the strip from our room.

I also asked Hubman to choose his favorite photo and he chose this one:

HNT Alphabet Edition

Today's HNT is brought to you by the letter S.....

S....is for Seattle Sunshine!

Although Seattle is reputed to be a rainy city, I must say that it was not even cloudy the entire time we were there. Each day was sunny and lovely. According to many of the Seattle natives, the city gets less precipitation than many areas of the country. The only difference is that they get a little at a time frequently, whereas in Boston you will get 14 inches of snow dumped on you in a 24 hour period.

I did have a lot of fun doing the alphabet series, but i will have to let Hubman explain why this was his favorite HNT for the year.

Hubman: Isn't it obvious? Just look at her! As much as I love pictures of my wife's ass (and I do love her ass!), in addition to how the sun is streaming through the window, I just think this is a very flattering picture of her. It didn't take me long to choose this as my favorite of Veronica's HNTs.

Raindrops on roses? Whiskers on kittens? Nope! It's Hubman showing his favorite HNT photo for the year and looking sexy as always. He was also gracious enough to let me choose a photo as well.

I have to take a moment and thank Osbasso for his efforts to manage the HNT traffic and for being a wonderful friend to my dear M over at Rumblings and Bumblings. I am sure that some people more industrious than I contributed something to The Other HNT this week.

Happy New Year everyone! Thank you for reading my blog this year. I look forward to seeing you in 2010.

Random Dozen and Getting Ready for 2010

I am enjoying the last few days of 2009. New Year's Eve is not a big deal for us. I will be picking up some yummy BBQ for dinner on the way home from work, and probably have a sweet treat for everyone before the annual New Year Sugar Detox. We will watch a movie, (Best Buy was having an awesome sale so I grabbed a copy of Up) After the kids go to bed, Hubman and I will have sex and Champagne and probably blog and watch tv until the ball drops at midnight. Then we are in bed by 12:05. I know we are way too exciting for words.

I've been thinking about my New Year's Resolutions. I think the problem with them is that I set set such lofty goals that are almost unattainable and doomed to fail. You know, "I'm going to fit into the same size jeans I wore in HS by the time my HS reunion comes. I will not eat any sugar. I will brown bag my lunch every day. I won't waste time online..... blah blah blah.

The thing I hate the most about resolutions is all the people that show up at the gym and hog the equipment and do not practice good gym etiquette. If you are going to bathe the mat in sweat, then please wipe it down with the disinfectant when you are done. Thankfully they are usually gone by Valentine's Day.

So for me, no big resolutions. I am going to just try to improve incrementally. Eat a little cleaner,make lunches that excite me so I won't be tempted to go out for lunch as often, try to recycle more, rely less on bottled water and more on the refillable bottles, try to be active, even if I can't get to they gym. I am also going to make an effort to comment more on blogs, as I am very bad about that sometimes.

I am starting a fun project. Like many of you, I have a lot of photos from before we went digital. I have photos in boxes and photos in albums. The only time the boxes and albums really get touched is when I need to move or dust them. So my project for this year, and probably next year as well is to take all of the photos and scan and organize them. To get a two in one for this project, I am also going to do a 365 project of the scanned photos on my family blog, so the blog is more than just a cover story for Darling Boy.

And just in case I did not share enough today. Here is the Random Dozen. Click over here to play.

1. Do you find it gross to share drinks with family? Friends?
I don't like to share drinks with the kids because PP is a germ incubator and DB is a little slurpy. I don't mind sharing drinks with Hubman. As far as friends, based on some of the other things I share with friends, a diet pepsi does not sound too bad.

2. What have you learned this year? (You didn't see a question of that weight coming, did you? At least not for #2.
I have learned why naughty girls carry clips and hairbands. I have also learned how to say Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas in Zulu. Big life lessons. I am too damn congested to think of any.


3. When do you dismantle the Christmas decorations?
We "de-deck" the house on New Year's Day. It usually takes all morning since I have "help". Its so stinking cold out however, I think that Hubman will leave the lights up, but not lit until either spring comes or we have a weekend with unseasonably warm weather.

4. Something you wish to accomplish before the end of 2009 is:
Can I lose 20 pounds in a day? No? Then there is not much on the list. Maybe get cracking on the thank you notes.

5. How do you feel about winter (after Christmas)?
I'm sick of it. I hate the cold, I hate the dry air from the heat and what it does to my skin, hair and sinuses.

6. Have you participated in after-Christmas sales?
Sometimes I do if I need something, or I see wrapping paper too cute to pass up.

7. Do you have plans for New Year's Eve?
See the beginning of this post.

8. Is there anything special awaiting you in January?
Hubman is turning 40! I will have to think of a special way to celebrate with him. Also, my SIL will be having her 1st baby!

9. If your life this year was a movie, what category or genre would it be? (Romance, Comedy, Drama, Thriller, Suspense, Farcical, etc.)
It would be a Romantic Comedy done by the Farrelly Brothers.

10. How much time per day do you spend blogging? Please do not lie. I will know.
Maybe an hour.

11. Who runs your household?
The kids and the dog.

12. Share one hope/dream for 2010.
That Hubman and I get to travel somewhere special for our 20th anniversary of the day we met, that DB adjusts well to middle school and PP finishes her potty training. More than one, but who cares, its my blog.

Happy Wednesday Everyone!