Hello world!

Not quite sure what's going on with me right now.  I hardly ever go online when I'm at home now.  Is it because my desk is a mess and I can barely find my laptop let alone turn it on?  Is it because it gets dark so early now that I eat dinner & immediately feel like it's time to go to bed?

I have 301 unread blog posts in my feed.

I go onto Words with Friends once every few days.

I check my emails, ABCNews, & facebook religiously on my phone & that's about the extent of my Interwebs perusal.  After a month (at least) of telling me to look for flights, I'm finally taking my dad's suggestion & will book it tonight.  I better go do that before I get online exhaustion & shut down before it actually gets booked. 

Now as far as finding my credit card goes...not sure how long that will take...

Needing some inspiration

I'm a huge fan of Google Reader but lately, the blogs I subscribe to have been falling flat.  I find myself scrolling through my feeds and realizing at the end that I didn't read a single one.  Is it because I'm entering a new phase in my life?  Is it because the majority of what I subscribe to are written by people I don't know & possibly find uninteresting??

What are some of your favorite blogs?  I need a change of pace!

So good you can catch us in the Rose Parade

Scrapbooking

I've wanted to "learn" how to scrapbook for a while now.  Years I'd say.  I subscribed to a couple of scrapbooking blogs, but quickly removed them from my feed when I was inundated with posts.  Luck of the draw I guess.

I also subscribed to a series of 24(?) scrapbooking lesson emails.  I've received 9 so far and haven't read a single one.

I've made progress though...I picked out pictures from our vacation in Florida and even saved them on a flash drive so they can be printed.  Let me tell you...that's a huge step.  I haven't had pictures printed out since my trip to Belize...at least five years ago.

I even pulled out a scrapbooking kit I purchased years ago.  And much to my surprise & excitement, I have also apparently acquired several more scrapbooking supplies--enough that I feel I have the resources I need to create an acceptable first scrapbook.

So I say to my husband, "You need to ask *a certain coworker* if she belongs to any scrapbooking groups."  And his reply is:  Why would we ask her?  It's not like someone can teach you how to scrapbook.

What?!  Which led me to this epiphany:  with everything I do, there are steps.  There are certain things that precede other things and a certain way things are done.  Scrapbooking is no different in my eyes.  And I need to learn those steps before I can conquer that which is scrapbooking.  My husband politely & kindly informed me I'm crazy.  

So maybe I can muster up enough creativity to make a scrapbook.  Wish me luck!

Our trip to Universal Studios Orlando

To celebrate our 1 year anniversary, C & I drove down to Florida and spent 3 days riding rides, eating junk, & having an overall jolly good time.

I was actually quite pleased at how much fun we had.  We probably wouldn't have had as much fun had the Wizarding World of Harry Potter not been there, but then again, we wouldn't have gone had it not.  We stayed at one of the U.S. hotels, so we got early park entry, breakfast at the 3 Broomsticks, Express Passes (to go to the front of the line), & we upgraded our room so we got access to the "Club Lounge" with free drinks & food.  And yes, I think all of that was WELL worth the money.  Well worth it.

The most popular ride by far was Harry Potter's Forbidden Journey, so of course, first day, we head straight there.  Multiple motion sickness signs later, I was on the ride and you guessed it, not...lets just say I was not handling it well.  It was not until after the Spiderman ride (which was SO cool--I'm upset I couldn't keep my eyes open) that I realized, "Hey, maybe I get a little motion sick on these rides."  It was after the Simpsons ride that I knew for sure I wouldn't be going on any more simulator rides.  I'd say we were 10, 15 seconds into that ride and I put my eyes on my lap and kept them there.  At that point I had a pretty good handle on what would make me sick and what wouldn't.  Any kind of simulator...sick.  Which really kind of confused me because I went on a roller coaster simulator when I was younger and didn't have any problems.  Perhaps it was a crappy one.  Although, I did get sick at a fair once...and I've been told my bro and sis fought over who had to sit next to me in the car...oh, and there was the time I got sick on a flight to Seattle...so maybe I've just been in denial all these years.  :o)

At any rate, I was lame and C ended up going on a few of the rides by himself.  Including the Forbidden Journey which he rode again on our last day.  I followed him through Hogwarts until the loading area where I veered off to make my exit.  I was planning on hanging around to watch him get on the ride, but as I was waiting, a group was making their exit from the ride & this woman, wide eyed & holding a hand over her mouth bolted to a corner and started gagging.  At which point I thought, "Thank you!  I'm not the only one!!"

Moral of the story:  heed to warning signs on amusement park rides. 

Oh, and we had butterbeer which was so good, but none of the recipes I've made since returning home have lived up to what we had at the park.  Universal, if you're listening, please start selling it to us muggles...I will buy.

Athena's Day at the Beach

Really? I had no idea!

C & I went grocery shopping after work today; he had the list, I had the coupons.  After three years I thought I knew my husband, but apparently not.

I was plumb shocked that he had not a clue where anything was!  Lasagna, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, candied yams, canned pumpkin...no clue.

I kept trying to tell him offering to switch duties with him, but he was having none of it.  Which is just as well I guess since I suppose he should learn at some point.

I will say this: it was very endearing.

Faith

Another year

C's anniversary/early bday present to me.  This could possibly replace all of my cookbooks.  BUUUUUT...I can't & won't part with them.  :)  He also got me (us) a filter thingy for our Keurig so we can use "real" coffee instead of those cups all the time (NOT eco-friendly!!).

He has six fingers on his right hand

see more dog and puppy pictures

Xyron vs. Cricut

Sadly, my favorite thing to do right now is update my Amazon wishlist.  I use it as a reminder of what I'd like if I ever decide to buy anything for myself.  Particularly books.  If I don't write a title down (or in my case, add it to my Amazon wishlist) I don't remember it.  And then I have things on there like Vibram shoes.  Realistic?  Not so much.

At any rate, I somehow got routed around to the Xyron ($380) and Cricut ($103) "personal cutting machines".  Somebody should of thought twice before using that phrase. 

Xyron Wishblade

Cricut

 

At any rate, here are the main differences I've been able to learn in a short time:

Xyron - initially more expensive, connects to your computer for designs, not all that portable
Cricut - less expensive initially, uses cartridges at $80-$90 a pop (yowza!), very portable

So I'm thinking, "Well darnit!  Which one am I going to put on my wishlist?!" 

My decision??  Perhaps I should start scrapbooking or paper crafting first.  ;oD

Can't believe my husband didn't show me this video earlier

String of thoughts

I got a guy kicked out of my place of work today.  Pretty stoked about it.  I knew he had been coming in without a membership or guest pass, but was finally able to catch him today.  I'm a stickler for rules.

Have lots planned tomorrow including shopping for fridge part 2.

My friend posted pics of her baby nursery she just finished.  Looks straight out of a magazine.  Pretty cool! 

I used to really want an awesome kitchen...now I think I'd be satisfied with a craft room.  Maybe it's time to do some Fall organizing.  I'm to the point where I'm even saving old clothes with the idea that I'll tear them up and crochet a rag rug.  Hm.  Wonder if that'll ever happen!!

Watched the season premieres of Biggest Loser yesterday & Grey's this evening.  I'm still amazed I get a kick out of BL because I know it's a crap show.  Grey's, however, I still love.  The season finale was cah-ray-zy!  I think I might actually go & rewatch it. 

On to the thesis...my deadline for "something" is today.

Life's Been Good

My happiness

This is usually how they spend their time...together, right under my feet.

Sign me up for a piece of that!

Heaven in a glass & on a plate

I made some really good food this weekend.  I keep saying I'm a really good cook, as long as I have a really good recipe to follow.

Made the chocolate mousse cake.  C says I have to post a picture so you guys can check it out.  Hopefully I'll remember to do that before it's all gone.  There were a couple of hiccups along the way...I don't have an heat proof bowls to do the whole double boiler thing.  I know, I was shocked too.  I improvised (I almost sent the husband out to buy one) and used my stand mixer bowl.  Which sucked because then I had to wash it out to do the mixing part.  So let's see, I washed it out 6 times for the entire recipe.  But man was it worth it.  The other thing that went wrong was that for some reason the first "cake" layer pulled away from the sides of the spring form pan so the second layer settled around the first.  Not a huge deal.  Especially when it tastes so good.

The second thing I made was baked ziti.  I've never loved baked ziti more in my life.  I've made it before & it always comes out kind of dry & hard.  This version was...well, heaven on a plate.  C ate his in about 2 minutes.

The other thing I made was a 'frappuchino' of sorts.  Milk, sugar, coffee, ice = yum.

I definitely think I'm 10 pounds heavier after this weekend, but I really don't care.

As for what we did on our Labor Day weekend, we mostly watched movies & tv shows, but we did drive down & watch the Clemson game with my aunt and cous.  Nothing fancy, but it was definitely good to get out of town.

Back to the grind.  Excited for the weekend!

Chocolate? Yes please!

This is what I plan on making next.  You can find this recipe for Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake on my current favorite website: www.americastestkitchen.com 

I highly doubt mine will come out that pretty, but I definitely do my best.

The times they are a-changin'

It's finally starting to get cooler around here.  It still gets warm during the day, but the mornings & nights are quite pleasant.  Which is welcome relief to this incredible heat we've had around here.

We still don't have the refrigerator we ordered back in July.  We purchased this thing FROM SEARS & we kept getting phone calls pushing the delivery date back.  The day of delivery arrives, we make all the preparations to receive the refrigerator (pull the broken one out, transfer food from the old (not broken one) one to the cooler) and we receive another phone call saying that the fridge would not be delivered & we'd receive a phone call in a couple of days with details.  The details??  THE FRIDGE HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED AND WE'D HAVE TO RESELECT.  What?!  You've got to be kidding me.  It wouldn't be as big of a deal as it is if we didn't live and hour away from the store & if you had told us this the first time you pushed the delivery date back.  The people at the Sears store, once they found out what was going on, have tried to be helpful, but substituting the new model refrigerator (that replaces the discontinued version) that's coming out in October as an equal trade, doesn't quite seem enough to me.  Throw in the warranty package at no cost & we have a deal.  It's definitely aggravating & I never once thought we'd have this much trouble with Sears. 

BUT, we did finally get our wedding album.  He threw in some pictures that we wouldn't have necessarily picked, but all in all, I'm really pleased. 

I suppose that's it for today...time to go mow.  Later Taters

I am loving...

1.  This week being over.  Today we helped with freshman move-in.  I can't tell you how much I dreaded hearing the words, "ninth floor".  I sweated so much my jeans were soaked.  My fault for wearing jeans during a heat wave.

2.  America's Test Kitchen.  I love the Equipment Corner & the taste testing.  Love it.



3.  Our anniversary that approaches.  Can't wait to delve into that top layer. 

4.  Sleeping.  TTFN

Where is that you say??

It took lots of pestering & mallets, but I beat it out of C.  It was supposed to remain a secret, but I don't do very well with that.  I know it was in the U.S. & in the south.  Then I got the clues "british" & "category 5".  I'm really not sure how I finally ended up guessing Harry Potter, but I did. 

We're going to Universal Studios Orlando for our anniversary!

So excited.  Can't wait to visit the Harry Potter part.  I'm gonna drink a butterbeer & then be sorely disappointed when it tastes nothing like how I imagine.  Haha!

Speaking of which, we're SUPPOSED to get our wedding album this week (grrrrr if it's not here tomorrow) & I'll be sorely disappointed if it's nothing like how I imagine.

Our new fridge is being delivered on Sunday.  I know what it is, so I won't be sorely disappointed. 

Just thought I'd leave on a high note. ;o)

Introvert?

I've never thought of myself as an introvert before because I equate introverts with being recluses.

I'm beginning to think more and more that perhaps I am one--an introvert, not a recluse.  I don't shy away from people, but I know I'd be perfectly content having my weekends to myself for the rest of my life.

There are 4 weddings coming up...only 1 of which I feel comfortable going to.

We've had student staff training all this week & I find myself shutting down and looking for the nearest exit when everyone is together.

But there are other get-togethers I'm perfectly fine with.  I wonder if there's a secret mixture of # of people to # of people I know well.

I think I've always been this way but just didn't know it for sure until recently.  I think my sister said they didn't expect me to last in the dorms at college.  I did, I just didn't romp around in big groups.

Not really sure what the point of this story is.  Just that I'm exhausted from staff training, I have to help with freshman move-in tomorrow (which puts me in more big groups of people), & I can't wait for training to end (which just means the beginning of more craziness when everyone is back in classes & signing up for memberships and/or Group eXercise classes).

This isn't an uplifting post.  Don't read it--just skip to the next one.  OH!  Too late!  :o)

Pocket emailing?

Never thought I'd ever pocket email someone, but it has happened.

I apparently sent an email to a friend of mind with 'R' as the subject.  And what did she send back?

Arrrrrrr! 

Hilarious. 

Darn you gravity!

For the Good of the Group

At the end of all of our staff meetings, we do a "For the Good of the Group" thing where everyone tells the group something positive that's going on in their life. 

At our last meeting two weeks ago mine was: I'm happy it rained.  Really.  That's all I could think of...pretty sad.

I'm already thinking about what I'll say tomorrow & I'm happy to report that not only do I have something better than rain to talk about, but I'll need to whittle it down. 

1. I'm a crocheter, not a knitter.  This weekend I decided I was going to become a knitter.  So I started on a dishcloth & can't seem to put it down.  I'm having so much fun--and I'm so impressed I was able to pick it up fairly easily.  I even contemplated getting up earlier in the morning so I'd have more time to knit before having to leave for work.  If only it were like that with my thesis...

2. Speaking of my thesis, I finished a very rough draft of my Results section.  I still have many edits to do, but the only section I have left is the Discussion.  Yes!

3.  My bro got engaged!  Woo!  So excited for a sister-in-law & niece!

4.  I started selling AVON.  It's been so much fun.  I had four sales for Campaign 16...which I thought was pretty good until I heard someone at the erepresentative meeting I went to last night talk about having 50 sales.  I don't care...I'm pretty proud of my four sales.  :o)

5. My friend finds out the sex of her baby on Friday...SUPER excited!  I live vicariously through others. 

Until next time...

Can't Get Enough!

Well, I'ma workin' on it!

A friend of mine blogged a while ago about how she divides chores between her & her husband and does them during the week so that she can have the weekends to herself.

Wonderful idea so I thought I'd try it out!  I even went so far as to create a "Home Organizer" binder with all kinds of sections and worksheets and stuff.  Bleh.  Useless if you don't keep up with it--kind of like budgeting.  It definitely did help to write down the chores & days & who is to do what. 

It really did help for a while...that is, until I fell off the wagon.  I need to post the duties somewhere where I can see them & be reminded of what I need to do. 

The only thing I'd say is a bummer with this system is that we never have the whole house clean at the same time.  One thing gets clean but then it's dirty by the next week while something else is still clean. 

I suppose it's better than having a whole house that's dirty!! 

"In Italy..." Part 3

"There were several B24 parts that could not be ordered from the supply house.  One that I remember was an arm about 4 inches long that operated a light which indicated landing gear position.  I bet I made at least several hundred of these.  Each plane only had three, but I think all of the mechanics carried them in their pockets. 

Another often made part was a short cable with turnbuckles that the crew chiefs wanted.  They could use these to splice a cable in midair (after being shot up), so the plane could make it home.

Many ideas were thought of and developed that would help get the job done.  One of the most important was an electric bomb hoist used to load bombs, rather than having to crank them by hand. 

After we were there about a year, one of the officers down at the bomb group was walking guard and came upon an Italian in the process of stealing clothes.  He yelled, "Halt", twice and then shot over the Italian's head--or said he tried to shoot over his head--but he hit him square in the back of the head.  After this happened, there came an order down that anyone who shot a native Italian had to leave and be shipped to another outfit.  That was all right with us.  Most of us had enough time in to get rotated home anyway.

One night while walking guard, I noticed the guard before me had been walking around the camp to the left.  I reversed it and went around to the right.  Sure enough, here came about four Italians out of the supply tent.  I yelled, "Halt", then I yelled again and cocked the gun.  Next I shot as near correct as possible--then again and again--each time the one I had aimed at would fall, then at the next shot, the one that fell would get up again.  This continued until all shells were gone.  Then came all our officers to see what I was doing.  One officer still had his pistol wrapped up.  He couldn't have shot it, if his life depended on it.  I asked him to explain its usefulness, which he couldn't. 

It was soon breakfast time.  They relieved me from guard duty so I could eat.  By the time I got to the mess hall, the story had already beat me there.  Everybody was warned not to mess with those guys from the Blue Ridge Mountains!  I did shoot the bags of clothes out of their hands without hitting any of them, but I didn't get to go home because of it.  Anyway the whole outfit knew that I would shoot if needed.  They did not have to announce it.  My commanding officer came around and said, "he would not change a thing.  We put the fear in the Italians without killing anyone, and the C.O. does not have to write a report."

To be continued...

Mystery of the Painful Hip

I had my follow-up appointment on Friday for my hip MRI.  Turns out I have a labral tear.

www.hiplabraltear.net/

Solution: surgery.  I have decided, however, not to get surgery and instead deal with the pain until it's no longer bearable.  Really, at this point, it's not impacting my day to day activities anyway.  Well, as long as you don't count adjusting how I sit on the couch or how I sleep a day to day activity.

Conclusion: I will never snowboard again.  :oD

Go Kate!

So exciting

It's my morning ritual to check my email before I get out of bed (what has the world come to?!) and I was greeted with such a wonderful surprise...my first AVON sale! 

So exciting! 

Just a little shameless plug:  please click here to visit my website.  Free shipping with a $30 order and a free gift courtesy of my crafty hands!  What more can one ask for??  And a lot of times the prices are cheaper than what's listed depending on what you pick out...I added some things that were listed as $6 & $7 but in my cart were actually $4.  I can go for that.

Don't forget that AVON sells more than just makeup...I'm loving the Summer section (Campaign 16, pg 134-137)!

Until next time friends.

"In Italy..." Part 2

"They shipped us to three different outfits before we found one that had room to keep us.  I ended up at the 58th Service Squadron at Grottaglie, making parts for B-24s.  Our job was to repair combat damage when it was greater than could be repaired by Bomb Group routine maintenance.

We ended up on the hill with only on tent available.  It was an empty tent, except the women who were grazing their sheep on that hill used the tent to get out of the hot sun, so we ended up in their resting place.  Now there was no latrine anywhere near, but on top of that hill they had dug a hole, buried a barrel, and put boards on top of the barrel--that was our latrine.  You would sit there with a braced sheet, and there you were with your coveralls pulled down when you went to the latrine.  Now that was during a snow storm!  And it's kinda cold on top of a hill with your coveralls pulled down, but that was the only latrine we had when we first arrived.  So some of my first memories of being at Grottaglie, was being at the top of a hill in the middle of a snow storm with my coveralls down around my ankles!

Now the women grazing sheep on the hill had eating habits that would turn your stomach.  They would pick greens for their meal in the same area that the sheep were grazing.  I didn't want any of their greens!

When we were in this camp there were 8 men to a tent.  After a while, we learned of space available in another tent elsewhere in the camp, so we moved off the hill.  Now while in Grottaglie, there was a 10 year old Italian boy named Louigie who would come through the camp each day with fresh eggs.  We didn't know where he got them.  He would trade these fresh eggs for candy.  We were rationed one bar of candy and one beer a day, and I didn't need the beer, so I would trade the beer for candy.  The other guys in the camp were glad to trade their candy for my beer.  Well, I would then trade the candy for fresh eggs, so I always had eggs, at least one a day.  But I didn't have a frying pan, so I would go down to the mess hall and get a cook to fry the eggs for me.  I had eggs when nobody else in camp had any.

In 1998 during a trip to Italy, I located where the base had been.  At a bar nearby, I spoke to a man who said he was 10 years old when we were there.  It turns out that he was Louigie--I had found him again." 

To be continued...

Jello shots all around!

Image from amazon.com

Is it sad that a 28 year old is excited to receive the shot cups she just ordered in the mail? 

What a day!

I finally had an appointment with a doctor about my hip today.  I have a hard time because I think, "Is all of this really necessary?  I can walk around without any pain...can't I just live with it?  I can just be sure to avoid rotating my leg for the rest of my life."  But then when I talk to the "professionals" every one of them has said, "Since January?  Yeah, that's a pretty long time, we should see what's going on." 

At any rate, I had xrays done today that showed...absolutely nothing.  So now I have an appointment for an MRI next week.  Apparently they'll inject dye into my hip.  Boy does that sound like fun!  I hope something is shown & there's some sort of treatment.  I'd hate to do all of this for a, "We don't know what's going on, just hope it'll heal on its own."  It was really cool to see my bones though.

In interesting medical news, they're doing hip arthroscopies now.  That may be the next step if the MRI doesn't show anything.  Cross your fingers that it's not.

Image from http://www.hughston.com/hha/a_13_2_3.htm

.

In interesting makeup news, I met with the Avon lady today & got all of my stuff to get started.  Pretty excited...should be fun!

Until next time...

I've discovered my problem!

Study: Body shape affects memory in older women

By the CNN Wire Staff

July 15, 2010 7:16 a.m. EDT

Memory loss in later life is more pronounced in women who carry excess weight around their hips, a study says.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• It's better to be an apple than a pear, study says
• Extra weight affects memory in everyone, but where fat is located is important
• Study includes more than 8,000 women ages 65 to 79

(CNN) -- A woman's body shape may play a role in how good her memory is, according to a new study.
The more an older woman weighs, the worse her memory, according to research released this week from Northwestern Medicine at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.
The effect is more pronounced in women who carry excess weight around their hips, known as pear shapes, than women who carry it around their waists, called apple shapes.
The reason pear-shaped women experienced more memory and brain function deterioration than apple-shaped women is likely related to the type of fat deposited around the hips versus the waist.
Scientists know that different kinds of fat release different cytokines -- the hormones that can cause inflammation and affect cognition.
"We need to find out if one kind of fat is more detrimental than the other, and how it affects brain function," said Dr. Diana Kerwin, the lead author of the study and an assistant professor of medicine and a physician at Northwestern Medicine. "The fat may contribute to the formation of plaques associated with Alzheimer's disease or a restricted blood flow to the brain."
The study published in Wednesday's Journal of the American Geriatric Society said, on average, there is a one-point drop in the memory score for every one-point increase in body-mass index -- a ratio of a person's height and weight. The study included 8,745 cognitively normal, post-menopausal women ages 65 to 79.
"Obesity is bad, but its effects are worse depending on where the fat is located," Kerwin said.

"The study tells us if we have a woman in our office, and we know from her waist-to-hip ratio that she's carrying excess fat on her hips, we might be more aggressive with weight loss," Kerwin said. "We can't change where your fat is located, but having less of it is better."

Time flies

I can't believe it's the middle of July already.  Or at least pretty close to it.  Pretty soon all the kids will be back on campus & annoying the heck out of me.  I take that back...I welcome it...I welcome the new cds the new Recreation Assistants will create so that something new will go through the speakers for once.

I lost over 6 pounds in two weeks.  I like to think I'm becoming healthier, but really, I think I'm probably just losing muscle mass from not working out & losing weight from not eating much due to fear my stomach will lash out against me.  I feel like I've had gastric bypass & can only eat portions the size of peas.

I have a renewed love of books now that we have no satellite tv.  I just finished Summer Sisters by Judy Blume.  Good!  And am now working on Knitting Under the Influence by Claire Lazebnik.  I stopped by our local bookstore this weekend & bought a book about lowering one's cholesterol, a cookbook for blondes (hilarious!), and two romance novels (I know, I know) by Susan Elizabeth Phillips.  I took one of her books with me on my honeymoon & finished it in two days, so I figured I'd try some more out.  I'm looking forward to getting credit for books I trade in & hopefully finding some new ones on my list.  My aunt got a nook for her bday...maybe C & I can split one for his bday.  :o)

I'm getting antsy...I think it's the military brat in me itching to move.  School is blah, the job is blah, all I want is to get out of Sylva.  I was hoping to do something this past weekend, but nothing got planned.  Maybe this weekend.

My book calleth.

My Sister's Blog

http://venetianblond.blogspot.com/2010/07/poem-for-grandaddy.html

"In Italy..." Part 1

"When we got to shore we marched uptown where there were a group of college buildings on a hill.  The natives had stolen all wooden items for firewood to keep warm, for this was in the middle of winter.  We ended up sleeping on the concrete floor with 2 blankets each.

We were next put on a train at Naples, to ride to Bari, Italy.  It was just a box and we huddled in it.  The box cars were left over from WWI.  They were called "a capacity of 40 men or 8 horses", during WWI.  Even though the rail cars were only about 12 feet long and eight feet wide, they tried to get 40 men inside.  We were laying on each other with no air for ventilation.  The cars were coupled together with a 3/4 inch rod (threaded with a course thread) and a turnbuckle.  I don't know how many cars were pulled this way, but none broke loose on this trip.

The rail cars had air brakes but they worked in reverse to the American railroads.  In the U.S., if the coupling brakes' air pressure is lost the whole train will lock up and stop.  In Italy, at that time, if the air pressure is lost all brakes are lost and the train is free to go.

There were tunnels between Naples and Bari, and the engine would have to stop and build up a head of steam before entering a tunnel.  There were no lights in the train, and when we went into a tunnel it was completely dark.  Everyone was crowded in there, and it was hard to figure out where everyone was and what was going on.  The guy next to me said his stomach was about to burst with gas.  Mine was too, so I suggested we "go" together and both of us deny it.  This we did.  A sergeant said whoever did that must admit it, or he would sign us up on sick call and haul us to a hospital.  It smelled like we were ready!  I never saw my partner again.  We got separated and that was good." 

To be continued...

"Transportation Overseas" Part 2

"We learned later that when we left Norfolk, we ran straight into a hurricane that had passed the East coast of North Carolina.  We had over 900 sick men all trying to get some fresh air and hanging onto a ship that was rolling almost full over sideways, while it pitched fore and aft, diving through the waves.  A lot of us had some serious talks with God, and renewed our relationships with Him.

The only good thing that happened was the storm kept the German submarines at a distance.  Our convoy had 50 ships to begin with--all spaced about 1,000 feet apart--trying to maintain position during the storm that night.  We had a tanker carrying aviation fuel just ahead of us.  Next morning, this tanker was behind us and to the right.  The sailors could not explain how we passed in the night without blowing some of us up.

The rough water lasted about 10 days.  In about 3 weeks we were in the Mediterranean Sea, and we heard that the Allies had not captured a port suitable for us to dock anywhere in Italy.  They parked us in the Bay of Tunis for a week, so they could make the Bay of Naples suitable.  We docked next to a ship that was sunk on its side at the dock in Naples.  They placed two 2x12 timbers side by side for a catwalk.  We each had to carry two barracks bags between these ships without falling between them.  In our seasick conditions, we were all afraid, but had no choice."

Genes are funny things

I had bloodwork done the other day and got the results this morning. 

Good news:
Thryoid levels good 
HDLs good
LDLs good
VLDLs good

Bad news:
Total cholesterol high at 244 (>240 is considered high)
Triglycerides "borderline high" at 187 (200-499 is considered high)

At this point they're at levels that don't warrant medication, so she said to start taking a fish oil supplement, watch my diet & exercise, & recheck in 6 months.  She calculated my risk percentage based off of my age, systolic blood pressure, total chol, & HDL chol and got <1%, so I'm not real concerned about it.  I have no idea what risk we're talking about here though...heart attack?  No clue. 

So that was a big reality check.  I guess we'll see what kind of deal I can strike up with my body in the next 6 months.

"Transportation Overseas..." Part 1

We got on a troop train at some railroad station out in the California desert.  They hauled us there by truck and we loaded in the dark.  For about 10 days to 2 weeks they hauled us in every direction across the United States, mostly in and out of places like West Virginia, Pennsylvania mountains, and places passenger trains don't go.  At first it looked like we were going to Alaska, next it was Canada, then South America.  They had us confused--as bad as the Germans.  Finally, we stopped at Hampton Rhodes, Virginia--near Newport News--with no troop ship in sight.  They had to let us off the train so it could start back for another load, so they unloaded us into a large vacant lot where we waited, and waited.

Finally, they marched us to a dock where we boarded a Liberty Ship.  They had canvas bunks stacked 5 high.  I got one the third from the bottom, which was my home for 30 days.  We were in the center hold of the ship, one story down from the main deck, with the bathroom upstairs on the next level.  Meals were served on our bunk level out in the next compartment.  We had to line up and pass through alley ways.  Garbage cans were placed in the center of the area, above the decking of the next lower hold.  I say all of this so you can imagine what a mess we had when the ship got to rolling during a storm three days later, and the garbage cans turned over.  Everybody was sick and vomiting in their metal helmets.  Some of us were near enough to the stairs to carry it up to the latrine.  Others just emptied them in the nearest garbage can.  I will not try to describe the odor we had to stay in.  If you were not sick before this state, you really were then.

"Draft Board and Military..."

According to my grandmother, my grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer's 16 years ago.  My uncle transcribed his memoirs & gave each immediate family member bound copies.  The following is an excerpt:

"I spent a year and a half working in New York.  The draft board transferred my address to New York, so when I was inducted, I had to report to a New York address.  I was inducted in the Air Force at Camp Upton, New York, October 20, 1942.  They put us on a Long Island train and then to another train to Miami Beach, FL.  About the time we got to Miami, we discovered we were in the Air Force.  We learned that men from the mountains, East Tennessee, and Kentucky ended up in the infantry or artillery.  Men from northern cities were put in the Air Force because they had never learned to shoot a gun before.  That's how I got in the Air Force.

During basic training we were all separated and classified according to our civilian experience.  The Air Force was invading Southern Italy and needed equipment operators to build air fields.  We had one guy with us who could not write his name, but he worked in a steel mill stamping out the plates that go under railroad rails.  The machine that did that was called a Bull Nozer.  When they asked if anyone could operate a Bulldozer, he held up his hand.  In 10 minutes he was on his way to the Corps of Engineers--overseas.  I learned right then to listen closely to what they say and don't volunteer for anything.

All assignments for duty, such as K.P., guard duty, latrine duty, and yard cleanup were done alphabetically.  Of course, I was first in everything, and before they got around to everybody, we would move and start over at the beginning.

They gave us Air Force Machinist Training at Kansas City, MO.  That was easy for me because of my work at New York.  Upon completion of the training, I was classified as Machinist 114.  Then they placed us in a staging area so we could be ready to go overseas, when a need for machinists came about.  While in this area, I discovered I had a planter wart on the ball of one foot.  I could hardly walk and a long march was out of the question.  I missed three shipments overseas because of this.  Of course that was OK with me, but finally the officers had to ship me with my sore foot.  We were at March Field, San Bernadino, California, at this time.  They got order to ship about 900 men overseas.  They only knew the classifications needed which included about 24 machinists.  They didn't know where we would be going or exactly when.  This was all kept quiet because of German spies alerting submarines."

To be continued...

Grandaddy...

...passed away last Friday, July 2nd.  We miss you & love you.

Grady Allman

Jan 22, 1921  Jul 2, 2010

Candler – Grady Worth Allman, 89, passed away Friday, July 2, 2010 at his residence.

A lifelong resident of Buncombe County. He retired in 1982 from American Enka Corporation where he served as an Engineer of Central Engineering following 34 years of service.

He was a member of West Asheville Baptist Church where he was a Deacon and served on numerous committees, including Property & Grounds, was a member of the Men’s Sunday School Class-Dept. #2 and was a charter member of the “Joyful Noise Band”.

He was also a member of the Western N.C. Pilots Association of which he helped organize, was a member of the “EAA” Experimental Aircraft Association and was a U.S. Army Air Corps veteran during WWII.

Mr. Allman was a son of the late Loans Egbert Allman and Fonella Josephine Davis Allman.

Surviving are his wife, Lois Faye Coates Allman, whom he married September 1, 1948; sons, Col (ret) James Dean Allman, USAF, DC & wife Karen of La Crosse, WI; Tommy Wayne Allman & wife Carrie of Clyde and Gary Lee Allman of Candler; sister, Celeste Wilson of Weaverville; brother, Roy Allman of Mars Hill; six grandchildren and two great grandsons.

Funeral services will be held 11 AM Tuesday in the chapel of Anders-Rice Funeral Home with Rev. Stan Welch officiating. Burial will follow in Pisgah View Memorial Park with military honors of the presentation of the American Flag by his son, Col (ret) James Dean Allman, USAF,DC and grandson, Capt James Allman, USAF.

The family will receive friends 9:30 to 11 AM Tuesday at the funeral home and at other times, the family will be at the residence.

Flowers are appreciated or for those that wish, memorials may be made to West Asheville Baptist Church Building Fund, 926 Haywood Road, Asheville, NC 28806 or to CarePartners Hospice, PO Box 25338, Asheville, NC 28813.

Indeed indeed

Powerful

A friend posted this on her blog and I just had to repost here.  There is some foul language, so don't play this with young'uns around.

Avon anyone?

Anybody have any strong feelings about Avon, good or bad?  I have an appointment with someone next week about becoming an Avon Representative.  I really wanted to go the eco-friendly makeup line route, but alas, I could not find anything that fit the bill in my Interwebs searches.  Avon seems more like a better fit (than Mary Kay or Arbonne) because (as far as I know right now) the start up costs are close to nil.  I just hope there's not a lot of pressure to sell because I want to do this for fun on the side & not worry about making such-n-such amount of sales.

We shall see how it goes!

My winnings

The purse (& pouch) from Miss Prickly came in the mail yesterday.  It came in a homemade envelope; love that.  It's super cute...I've really got to sign up for a sewing class or two.  Oh the things I could make!  I'd have all kinds of bags...and my husband would be thrilled!  ;o)  You can find other things made by her at her Etsy shop.

I luv NM

From Entertainment Weekly:

Jun 24 2010 01:14 PM ET

Val Kilmer apologizes to New Mexico neighbors for disparaging remarks

by Brad Wete

Categories: News

Actor Val Kilmer apologized to his neighbors in New Mexico Wednesday at a San Miguel County Commission meeting in Las Vegas, seven years after making disparaging remarks about his San Miguel, N.M. hometown in an interview in Rolling Stone. (The actor claimed his area was “the homicide capital of the Southwest,” among other insults.) “I hope that you can recognize my deep regret for the impact my comments have had on you, my neighbors, as well as our state,” he read from a prepared statement, according to the Wall Street Journal. “I am, and wish to remain, a contributing member of our community.”
A five-member commission granted Kilmer the permit needed to open his Pecos River Ranch as a bed and breakfast inn to paying guests. (He previously had no community support behind his desire to transform the ranch, thanks to the interview.) It was an unanimous decision. “The county accepted the apology. We hope this is now behind us and we can all live as good neighbors,” said County Attorney Jesus Lopez, who once called Kilmer’s comments “incendiary.”


Personally, I would've said, "Sorry buddy, guess you'll have to move to AZ to open your lousy B&B."

School in the mountains with a Shorelines program?

I'll never quite understand why WCU has a Shorelines program.  Skip to 7:45 to see our own Dr. Young.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

It's my Friday today

Because I took tomorrow off to write the rest of my thesis.  I'm going to the library and everything, so hopefully some progress will be made.

I went to see a Physician's Assistant today.  I'm 28 and haven't had a physical since highschool (plus I had some questions), so I thought I might pay the Health Center a visit.  I received printed information on Irritable Bowel Syndrome (great), a written prescription for Bentyl which relieves muscle spasms in the GI tract.  I'm planning on not relying solely on the medication but altering my diet as well.  Have done it before with some success, but it's difficult maintaining such a restrictive diet.  No dairy?!  HOW COULD I EVER SURVIVE WITHOUT CHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESE?!?!  I will admit, that was me who was eating feta straight out of the package the other day.  And who got goat cheese on top of a cheese pizza today?  Oh yeah, me.  At any rate, back to my story.  I also have an appointment at the Physical Therapists' office on campus on Monday.  Went snowboarding in Canada in January & screwed up my hip.  Hopefully they have some magic exercises for me to do that will cure it (doubt it).  We also determined I don't need to be screened for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.  I'm not showing any major symptoms & even if I had it, it would just be a waiting game anyway.  As far as bloodwork goes, because I didn't know my family history (doh!) she couldn't really suggest anything, but after talking with my mom, a cholesterol check is in order. 

I suppose that's it.  I let you go now that you're sufficiently bored.  Oh!  One more thing.  I started playing one of my husband's PS3 games.  It's actually pretty cool.  It's called Dark somethingorother.  It's like WoW but not lame.  ;oD  A cyber-poke in the rib of my husband who reads my blog.

Seed Bombs

This is the coolest thing ever!

The joys of living in the mountains

We live in the mountains and our house was built in 1987...or thereabouts.  Which means we don't have central heat or air.  We've been using an A/C unit my parents gave me a while ago, but it's only big enough to cool one room & today we caved & bought another unit $$$.  My husband loves that it came with a remote.  He stands at the door, turns it on and off, looks at me, & then smiles.  My boy Capone is scared to death of it.  The beeping isn't dog friendly apparently.  Well, if it means I can sleep at night, then so be it. 

Cooking with Nicole

Between working, working out, & playing intramurals, I really haven't had much time or energy to make dinner when I get home.  Trying to avoid the going out, spending all of our money, & getting large shall we say, I dug through my volumes of cookbooks & recipes and found a Better Homes & Gardens publication with 20 minute meals.  Very first recipe I chose was a winner.  So much of a winner that I'm including it in my blog. 

I've always said, "I'm a good cook, it's the recipes that suck." 

Sesame-Chicken Coleslaw
Start to finish: 15 min.

1/4 cp italian dressing
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1/8-1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
3 cp packaged shredded cabbage with carrot (coleslaw mix)
2 cp chopped cooked chicken
2 tbsp snipped fresh cilantro
1 head boston lettuce, separated into leaves
1/4 cp slivered almonds, toasted

1. For dressing: In small bowl, combine italian salad dressing, soy sauce, sesame oil, & crushed red pepper; set aside.
2. In large bowl, combine cabbage, chicken, & cilantro.  Drizzle chicken mixture with dressing; toss gently to coat.
3. Line dinner plates with lettuce leaves.  Spoon chicken mixture onto lettuce.  Sprinkle with almonds.  Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Info:
Per Serving:
298 cal
18g total fat (3g sat fat)
68mg chol
457 mg sodium
9g carbo
3g fiber
25g pro

I cut the recipe in half and this was what was left.  I didn't know I'd want to blog about it until after the meal...hence the late to the game picture.  :o) 

I won!

Check out this post at My Inner Old Lady!

Oh...you know...stuff

Photo by David Cappaert @ www.forestryimages.org

Went to a cookout at my boss' place this evening.  Every now & then I realize how much I love living here.  The southern hospitality is unparalleled.  And the lightning bugs.  Come on...who doesn't love lightning bugs??

 Please enjoy these images from my southern garden:

One of my mimosa trees (a non-native) in bloom.  If you look closely you can see Pony has stuck his head in a MASSIVE HOLE THEY DUG!!  :oP

My hydrangea weeping from the heavy blooms.

Well this was rather eye opening

Found via Crafting in a Green World.

No PBR for me!

10 Best Beers on a Budget

One good thing that came outta this

Stress free in the Whee!

It's true.  More physical activity = less stress.  At least for me it does.

Did yoga (outside) during my lunch break.  I felt like I was back in Belize for a split second.

Played sand volleyball with friends tonight.  Yes, I was bummed we lost, but I felt good for having played...felt like I was 15 again.  So cheesy, but it's true. 

And to all my readers: tell your loved ones how much they mean to you...life is not a guarantee.

Song of the Week

Renewed love

The other day I was really craving sushi.  But where does one find sushi in a small town in the mountains of western NC??  Not anywhere that you would trust.  However!  My husband found out a local eatery (one that is trusted) has sushi Wednesdays.  The restaurant is kind of, as they say, "crunchy" and was closing/for sale at one point but has since reopened. 

So guess what we had for dinner tonight.  As we were leaving we stopped by a table where some friends were eating and were promptly told not to forget to get our bookstore stamp.  Huh?  Apparently with every visit (meal?--still not sure) one gets $5 off used books at the bookstore connected (physically) to the restaurant.  Yes please.  Of course we head over there (uh, who could pass up a visit to a bookstore?!) and I find a used copy of Watership Down (I've been craving that too) and my husband gets a new book titled something written by somebody.  What can top it all off??  A FREE tea or coffee at the restaurant by buying a new book.  It just keeps getting better and better.  You can also receive credit at the bookstore by trading in books you no longer want--but let's take this one step at a time.

And I know it's all a ploy to get you to visit more and spend more, but I'll take my little hole in the wall restaurant and my little hole in the wall bookstore to your Barnes & Noble & Starbucks any day.  "Your" as in "The Man"...not you personally. 

It's days like these that I love my little town.

Ping-Pong

I don't know if this is real, but it's hilarious nonetheless.

Weapons of mass destruction

I've been checking my sunflowers everyday.  This is what I came home to today:

Sunflower leaves eaten

If you're thinking, "Wait.  I don't see anything."  Mmhmm.  Precisely.  SOME VARMINT ATE THE LEAVES OFF MY SUNFLOWERS!!  I'm proposing the following critter:

Keep your eyes peeled people!  These guys kick ya when you're down!  And to think, my husband and I were just ooing and awing at a mama & two babies happily strolling up our driveway.  So what do I do?  I put my husband to work!

Putting a fence around the sunflower bed

Not to worry, he owed me for this:

Black spots on beebalm from weed killer

 And this:

Last surviving leaves on mountain mint from bout with weed killer

I shall leave you with a happy ending to this story.  Check these babies out!  They're taller than me!

Michigan Lilies

 And someday soon they will look like this:

Happy day everyone!

Bummer

I've decided not to go to my highschool reunion.  Not really worth two $340 plane tickets + hotel + rental car + kennel fees for the animals.  I think I'd rather go to Jamaica, Costa Rica, Belize, etc.  Wyoming doesn't exactly say kick-ass vacation.

On a positive note, my husband & I made this wonderful side dish for my husband's office's Memorial Day cookout tomorrow (WCU folks have to work...we get an extra day off at Christmas in exchange).

Black Bean, Rice, and Sweet Corn Salad

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 1/3 cup)

Ingredients

• 1  cup  water
• 1  teaspoon  salt, divided
• 1/2  cup  long-grain rice
• 6  tablespoons  fresh lime juice (about 2 large limes)
• 2  tablespoons  extravirgin olive oil
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1  garlic clove, minced
• 1  cup  rinsed and drained canned black beans
• 1  cup  fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears)
• 1/4  cup  chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

Combine 1 cup water and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large, heavy saucepan; bring to a boil. Add rice to pan. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork.
Combine remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, juice, oil, pepper, and garlic in a large bowl. Add rice and beans; toss to coat. Let stand 15 minutes or until completely cool. Stir in corn and cilantro.

Nutritional Information

Calories:  111 (30% from fat)

Fat:  3.7g (sat 0.5g,mono 2.6g,poly 0.5g)

Protein:  2.8g

Carbohydrate:  18.5g

Fiber:  2.2g

Cholesterol:  0.0mg

Iron:  1.1mg

Sodium:  387mg

Calcium:  16mg

Joanne Weir, Cooking Light, SEPTEMBER 2007

Salsa anyone?

Check out my homemade topsy turveys!  The shepherd's hook with the sun on it (furthest from the camera) is one I already had.  I was hoping to use the one with two hooks for both pots, but they were just too heavy--I kinda saw that coming.  Not sure if I'm going to return it & get two of the smaller hooks or keep it & still get two smaller hooks...the only problem with that is that the plants might grow so large they touch the ground.  The best option would be to have my husband build me something sturdy to hang them on. 

All in all I like how they turned out.  I have a tomato plant, pickling cucumber, & serrano pepper.  My coworker made pickles a while back, so I want to try that out.  The idea behind doing this (topsy turveys) is that 1. they're off the ground so less likely to become diseased or infested & 2. they're closer to the house, so I'm more likely to attend to them.  :o)

And speaking of my coworker...it's the same lady who gave me the plants in this post.  I have some bad news about the plants.  I had my husband spray the front slope & apparently it was windy because my newly planted beebalm & mountain mint got hit.  :o(  The beebalm has pulled through and I think the mountain mint might pull through too.  It looks like there's still some green leaves at the top of the plant.  I know, boring, but I was pretty upset. 

Happy gardening!

Feelin' guilty

I try to go above and beyond whenever something is requested of me, but today, I did quite the opposite.  I received a phone call this afternoon from a recent graduate requesting I fax her our health questionnaire for personal training.  This normally would have been a small task for me to complete, however, all of the circumstances surrounding this task led me to fax it right before I left work. 

1.  I know the back story...she's way over her head in the position she was hired into because her dad is a YMCA big-wig.  At least, that's what I've been told.  She calls every couple of days with questions.  Questions such as: What brands of equipment do you use?  (She should know this--I knew this just as a patron)  Could I get some interview questions from you?  Come on, at least try to look like you know what you're doing--Google it for goodness sake!

2.  When she called today she asked for "Bubbles" which is the nickname of my office assistant.  That just annoyed me because I hate that name.  ;o) 

3.  She then asks me if I know how to work the fax machine.  ARE YOU KIDDING ME??

4.  Why yes, I believe I do.  What number should I fax this to?  Her answer:  UM, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.  I THINK IT'S ***-***-****.  My brain:  Hm.  You call for someone to fax you something but you don'tevenknowwhatthefaxnumberis?!?!

5.  At this point I decide:  ya know what?  I'm not going to drop everything to fax this girl something she should already know or have prepared when she's not even putting in the effort to sound intelligent or act intelligent.  So I receive a phone call 1(?) hour later...did you fax that yet??  No, I haven't, we're closed this week, we've been crazy busy with cleaning and I just haven't gotten around to it.  Her: oh, well, we're opening our new facility tomorrow & I really need that form.  Me:  Okay, I'll be sure to fax it soon.

6.  4:50 pm, 10 minutes before heading home time, Nicole faxes the form.  And guess what...someone answers the call when I put it through the fax machine.  SHE GAVE ME THE WRONG DAMN NUMBER.  I threw my hands up in the air, walked out of the workroom, looked at my coworker and said, "You're my witness.  I tried to fax this to her."

You work with me, I'll work with you.  You're not working with me when you act like you know more or are better than me.  Part of me thinks maybe she thought she was talking to one of the student workers (not really an excuse) but then I remember that's how she always acted with me.

I had another "altercation" of sorts with the owner of a certain karate place in town.  Look buddy, it's not my fault you sent a quote titled 'invoice'.  It's also not my fault that I didn't receive the second document which you appropriately call the invoice.  Thirdly, it's not my fault you don't have access to a fax machine.  And finally, you may claim this is 'how it's always been done', but 1. I am new & I do things differently & 2. by differently I mean CORRECTLY.  Give & take, give & take.

That's my rant for the day.  Sorry about the numbered bullets...not exactly sure why I did that & now too tired to change it.  :o)

Hang on 30, here I come!

I'm exhausted, my knee is killing me, and I got in a fight with poison ivy.  Poison ivy 1, Nicole 0.  I somehow spread it to my face so I'm trying to leave it alone and not create scabs all over my face from scratching it.  Easier said than done.  I actually woke up last night from the itchiness.  And apparently, I'm not that allergic because I was pulling the "weeds" with my bare hands.  I think people go on steroids to get rid of it, but I'm going to try to wait it out & see what happens--if there's any reason we should get treatment right away, please let me know.  I haven't even gone to get anti-itch medicine yet.  Maybe tomorrow since we're driving to work *note knee*. 

My husband & I started riding our bikes to work again.  We've only ridden twice this week but I have managed to acquire a sore knee & much anger at my bag that keeps getting caught in the spokes. 

I think most of my exhaustion stems from the deep cleaning we've been doing at the rec center because we're already closed from the gym floor being refinished.  All you people who are complaining we're closed:  be thankful we have to breath those fumes & not you.  :oP

*New topic*
Weekend projects: home-made topsy turvey planter & rain barrel.  Youtube has some great simple how-to videos on both of these projects utilizing items we already own, so I'm pretty excited.  Perhaps there's hope for a veggie garden afterall.

*New topic*
Submitted Intro version 2 to my advisor last night.  Proud of that accomplishment since I can't seem to get going on Methods or Results.  Wish I could start each new topic in my thesis with *New Topic*. 

How about that Biggest Loser??

How about that Lost??  Next up: Directv cancellation to save $600/year.

I'll leave on a positive note:  Bro's back from Iraq, last time I heard my uncle's recovering well from heart surgery, my 'rents had a great time in Alaska *jealous!*, & my favorite nephew turned 8!!  Sigh, I remember those days with fondness.  Actually, come to think of it, I didn't really start remembering things until fourth grade.  That sounds weird.  Because, obviously, I remembered my abc's etc.  What I mean is, I couldn't tell you who was in my 3rd grade class or even who the teacher was.  Not until fourth grade did I remember those things.  Okay, I'm obviously tired, so I will retire with my ice packs in tow. 

It takes new eyes

C & I decided to forego the house selling & buying and refinance instead.  Interest rate from 6.75% down to 4.75%, 30 year down to 20 year, and some extra cash to do with as we please.  We've already decided on a new refrigerator.  White, french door bottom freezer with water & ice dispenser.  *sigh*  Now, if we could only keep the price down.

Turns out we had to get the house appraised first so the lady came over this evening to do that.  I'm glad she did because I realized I tend to focus on the negatives about the property & not the positives.  She'd make comments and I'd think, "Oh yeah, that is kinda pretty."  Or, "Hm.  Hadn't thought of that.  I suppose you're right."

I'm really interested to see what it appraises for.  I hope it's not less than what I paid and I hope it's not WAY more than I paid (then I'd want to sell again & I just got over that).  We shall see.

Never fails

This makes me laugh every time.  Genius!  It makes me wonder what kind of round table discussions they had..."& then...& then we could have it turn into diamonds!".  C & I watched a behind the scenes video of sorts yesterday and the only cgi involved was the diamonds.  Pretty interesting!

National Bike to Work Day!

Just a reminder to all you cyclists that this Friday (the 21st) is Bike to Work Day.  I plan on suiting up starting Monday and hope to continue riding through the summer and into the fall. 

We started getting the laundry room together.  I decided not to waste money, time, & energy on repainting...it's already a bright & airy yellow appropriate for a laundry room, so there's no point in redoing it.  I had a great idea regarding one particular corner of the room that shall remain a secret until "After" pictures are posted. 

I transplanted the sunflower seedlings I started & they're not doing so well...in fact, they might be dead.  But when I transplanted them I planted some more seeds in the bed & they're coming up, so I may have sunflowers yet. 

Many things left to do...hope you all had a great weekend!