Dis and Dat

I'm back to making lists. Who am I kidding? I have to or it didn't happen. Calendars are my friend. Most of our stuff goes on my phone calendar since I always have it with me. Then they get transferred to paper when I get home. I even add it to the lesson plan book so I know how to plan for each day. Big sigh.

• For the last couple of months, if hubby hasn't been working on a Saturday, he's been hunting. Lazy Saturday mornings are one of my most favoritest things, but I haven't had very many. Even with hubby gone, we've had one activity or another it seems. When I do have a lazy morning, I like to watch Soul Train. That is one of my very favoritest shows. It's all the reruns from a bygone era. I get to hear great music. I get to see so many artists that have gone on to make great music or some we never heard from again. I get to see classic performances. And I get to dance like a fiend in my bedroom! Then I get to collapse in my bed with a cup of coffee when it's all over. This past Saturday it was Elton John before he was Sir Elton and Morris Day and the Nights. I never knew that Philadelphia Freedom was the name of the tennis club where Billy Jean King played. The things you learn from watching Saturday morning TV. It was a lovely morning!
• I almost had a break down at the park the other day. I was talking to friends and the subject of crying came up. I told them that I had cried in front of my kids, but not the deep sobs of mourning. I said the words "When my mom was dying..." I knew she was and there was nothing I could do about it. Not one thing. All those feelings came back and almost swamped me. It was all I could not to just explode into blubbering. I just had to keep talking or I was losing it.  
• We got our taxes done. Yea for refunds! Now we wait for the IRS to start processing returns. We have gotten to the point we don't even itemize anymore. Our deductions aren't enough to matter. When we would take our taxes to people it would cost us an arm and a leg. They don't give you prices up front. $250 later and all for forms that said you didn't qualify. Forget that. I've already been looking at curriculum. Duh.
• It has come to my attention that I am spoiled. Again, duh. I love being spoiled. To quote Big Sis "I didn't spoil me." I could claim it wasn't my fault, but I let it happen. I didn't kick, or scream, or throw a fit. And I'm ok with that. 
• Hubby and I took time for date night last night. We went to dinner and a movie. It sounds cliche, I know, but we had the best time. We got to spend time with each other having real conversations, and not always about the kids. I sat and watched a couple next to us. The guy was watching the basketball game and never took his eyes off the game. The gal was talking, talking, talking. Really? A little courtesy would be great. Hubby said the couple behind us sat playing on their phones the whole time. Why? I just think that's sad. I don't understand it. I'm spending time with my favorite person and I don't want to ignore him. We got to hold hands and rest our hands on each others legs under the table and kiss and stare into each other's eyes. Ok, not so much the eye thing, but normally there is so much going on at our table we don't get to just be. At home, he sits at one end of the table and I sit at the other. That makes it sound like our table is 20 ft long, doesn't it? It's not. I don't understand the need to be distracted. Aren't we distracted enough? Crazy I tell you.

That's about it for now. I think I'm gonna go spend some time with my man. No more distractions.

Scrambled

My mind, not eggs. Although, I did overcook 6 eggs the other day. That's bullet point number 1, so more on that in a minute. I've been trying to be a good girl and keep a list, but that's been hit or miss. We're going all over the place today. Ready?

• I usually try to keep 18 eggs for us. Once we fill a carton, I set it aside and let it sit in the fridge for at least a week. Boiled eggs are one of those things we can take with us that are easy to make, easy to take, easy to eat. They have to sit at least a week, preferably closer to 2, before I can boil them, though. If the egg is too fresh, the white sticks to the shell when you peel it and you're stuck with just yolk. I don't mind that, I'm weird. Well, I have some to boil, so I did. And burned them. What the hell? How do you burn boiled eggs? You leave the pan on high and forget about it. Then, apparently, the eggs will explode when all the water boils out and they get too hot. Thankfully it wasn't an all over my kitchen explosion, more of a busting out of it's shell kind of thing. That was enough. It would have been ok, but I had also turned the toaster oven on to warm up before I put a sweet potato in. I didn't put the potato in, but the toaster oven just warmed it's little heart out. That'll teach me to do history and science with my kids. From now on, they're on their own! Not really, but it was kind of humiliating for me, the kitchen diva. Just goes to show, you should set your kitchen timer to get your attention. Maybe that would work.
• Moisturizing jeans? Really, Wrangler? I know that denim can be a little dehydrating to your legs. What I want to know is what kind of moisturizer is being used? The chemicals can kill you. Think of all the dye, the processing and now moisturizer? I think no, but way to be inventive.
• I made deodorant last night. I'm not sure it will be antiperspirant as well, but we'll see. I have a crystal deodorant I've ben using, but really those are hit and miss. We have one day of dance where we are at the studio for 4 1/2 hours. While I am not dancing that day, (well kind of, but I'll talk about that later), the waiting room gets very crowded, with standing room only being the norm. Many times I've made my kids sit on the floor to open some chairs. You get a room full of women laughing about stuff and watching Mr. Matt dance and the temp goes up. I can usually smell myself after hour 2. I don't want to do that. I have 2 friends that swear by it, so I'm going to try it. And there aren't any chemicals. It's cornstarch, baking soda, and coconut oil. Add essential oil for fragrance if you want. I'll let you know how it works.
• I went to the dermatologist. I have contact dermatitis. How the hell did I get that? You know it's bad when I lift my pant leg to show the doctor and she recoils and says "Ewww!!" Thanks. I needed to know I was gross. Don't try to cash that check. She wrote me a prescription for a cream. It has helped tremendously! I still itch. I'm still sore from the scratching. But it is clearing up, thank God! My legs and elbows are still bad, bad, bad, but not BAD, BAD, BAD. I have a feeling when all this is over, I'll be buff puffing to get rid of the scab scars. That sucks. I think it was all the junk I was eating during the holidays. Nothing else has changed. I think all the junk changed my bodies pH, and voila! But somebody has to eat the Unjunked candy. Why can't it be me? Because sugar no like me...
• I am ready for a new tattoo. I am unhappy with the way the color has faded on mine. I am unhappy with the way the writing has faded. I want to cover it with flowers and have it recolored. On my other arm I want my kids' Hawaiian names with maybe some flowers. We'll see.
• I have put some really unflattering things about our POTUS on the social site. I have a couple of friends that actually like him and voted for him. Why, I don't know, but I didn't say all my friends were well informed. It gets kind of awkward when I see them after I post. It won't stop me. If you want to have an intelligent debate, we can. All I ask is that you bring facts to back up your assertions, not just feelings. I have some feelings, too. He's an idiot. That's how I feel.
• I want a dog. I don't know why, but I do. So there. I don't want huge like a great dane or tiny like a yorkie. I want something in between. And I will walk, it, and feed it, and name it George. Probably not George.

That's it for now. Who knew I had it in me? I did!

I'm Back, For a Minute Anyway

The start to this one is political. I tell you that so you can back out now. Just sayin'.

• I think it is awful that the President is willing to sign an executive order that is illegal. This is to take away a very important right granted to us by the founders of our country. The right to bear and keep arms was given to us to keep this country's government from taking over every aspect of our lives and making this a monarchy. Make yourselves aware of what is going on before you jump my shit. Even if you like him, do the research yourselves. Look up the Constitution, read it, and know what it says before you say anything. I gave you the chance to bail.
• I have a weird rash. Like all over my body. It itches like mad! It started small, as two spots on my shoulders. Next thing you know, it is everywhere. My legs, hips, butt, and back are taking the brunt of it. I have scratched until my hands ache. Thank goodness I have a doctor's appointment in the morning. I've tried to treat it nutritionally, but, really, until I know what it is, I can't treat it. I've been throwing things to the wall and seeing what sticks. So far, nothing but Neosporin and a big ass bandaid have kept me from shredding my left leg.
• I got a Ninja for Christmas and I love it! We make chunkies, which are really thick smoothies. I even made sorbet in it. We went last weekend and picked strawberries. We picked 30 pounds! I thought we only had 20! We froze at least half of them and have been steady eating the rest. The sorbet was strawberries, milk, and honey. So stinking good. It has handled every thing we've managed to throw at it. It came with 2 pitchers, but they're like my two PC bar pans. They are always dirty. Drives me nuts. I have to make sure that each time I run the dishwasher, I have at least one of them in there.
• The season of suckass is over. You can't tell that from the huge pile of Christmas stuff in my kitchen. The tubs are outside, but so far the stuff hasn't made it there. I wish it would sprout legs and pack itself away. That would save me a huge chunk of time. We had a quiet Christmas, which is what I have come to like. For the first time since I don't know when, we skipped the Christmas Eve service. I just did not feel like I could make it through. I would have been a huge slobbery, snotty mess and I was not up for that. I also didn't want to put my family through it. Or anyone else for that matter. I had a slight panic attack, so we just stayed home. We ate dinner and opened presents and watched movies and waited for Santa to come. And I needed that. And my zebra robe. I love my zebra robe.
• Every Christmas since we've had iPods, we all get an iTunes gift card. I am the one that will blow through all the money and nobody else gets anything. I told everyone not to bring me their card unless they had a list. I get whatever's left over, so make it good. I got a couple of new apps, the kids got some new apps, and even hubby got one. I also got music. Sweet, glorious music. I'm listening to Winger's Seventeen right now. I am a child of the '80s and I will forever love my hair bands. I also got some Jason Mraz, Bruno Mars, Rhianna, Run-DMC, and Pitbull. Oh, Pitbull. I had a friend translate part of a song for me. I only speak enough Spanish to get me in to trouble, but not out of it. I read it better than I understand it spoken. He is a bad, bad boy. I also got Chris Wallace's Push Rewind. The big girl and I are really liking that right now.  
• I have actually had time to read and cross stitch. What the hell is that? I finally finished the picture stitching for a piece I started back in 2005. Yeah, I know. Whatever. Now I'm working on the backsticthing. I have really enjoyed it. I forgot how much I enjoyed it. We watched the Lord of the Rings trilogy before we went to see The Hobbit. Yes, I know those were after The Hobbit, but we did it anyway. I had lots of time to stitch then. I have to keep my hands busy or I tend to start to clean and wander off. Or fall asleep. Then we had long mornings of no school or anything else, so I read my brains out. I finally finished the Septimus Heap book, Magyk. I'm requesting the next one. I got a nice stack of books before we took our Christmas break. I also won a $25 gift certificate for Harlequin, so I ordered some books. Those came in about a week before Christmas.

Alright, that's all I've got for now. Felt pretty good.