christmas in july

So, I stopped in Hobby Lobby after work and what before my wondering eyes did appear, but eight big fat aisles, jam-packed full of Christmas gear! 'Tis the season to begin thinking of the holidays, I'm afraid. Well, at least that's what our local retailers want us to believe. Personally, I want to savor the Fall before I even contemplate the Winter holidays.

What do you think? Are retailers way too quick to push the holidays on us? Or, is it okay to start thinking and planning this far in advance?

video of the day

Ode to Joy

at the movies...

Jacob and I went to see "The Dark Knight" last night and, in my opinion, this is the movie of the summer. Heath Ledger is just AMAZING as the Joker!

Warning: Rated PG-13, some images in this film are pretty disturbing. Even at 12, Jacob covered his eyes for some parts...

7.13.08

Sunday morning. Vacation, Day 8. It's back to work for me tomorrow. I woke up this morning in a panic, wondering if I had done everything on vacation that I had wanted to do. Nothing jumped into my mind, so I guess the answer's 'yes'. Still, where has the week gone?

Today will be a regrouping day, getting ready to settle back into the routine of work. Today also starts the new and improved, low-fat diet, with pre-planned dinners of grilled lean meats and lots of fresh vegetables.

That being said, I need to start regrouping the laundry. Have a peaceful Sunday!

7.12.08

Vacation, Day 7. Today was a typical Saturday. The Farmer's Market was in full swing with the biggest selection of vegetables so far this year. I loaded up on lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, green onions, radishes, fingerling potatoes, zucchini, green beans and sweet corn. The Amish lady that makes the most amazing jam was there and I couldn't resist - even though it's bad for my diet I brought home a jar of her strawberry/rhubarb jam and it's so yummy! As always, Bailey was with me, the weather was beautiful and we both enjoyed our morning adventure.

After I dropped Bailey and the vegetables off at home, I headed to the regular grocery store for some incidentals, stuff for lunches, dairy items and a trip to the meat counter. I stocked up on lean cuts of meat, chicken, chops and salmon fillets. On a side note, I paid $3.99 for a gallon of milk - ouch!

The rest of the day was uneventful. For some reason I was tired and felt the need for a 3 hour nap. Dinner was grilled salmon and fresh green beans, followed by a movie. How boring! But , very relaxing...

7.11.08

Vacation, Day 6. Last night was opening night for the latest "Kids-for-Kids" Musical at the Bell Tower Theater. This year, it's Disney's Alice in Wonderland, Jr., featuring Jacob as the King of Hearts and Shelby in an ensemble role.

The production was lively, witty and thoroughly enjoyable.

Of course, today I am busy scrapping pages for everyone to frame...

7.10.08

Vacation, Day 5. My lazy day at home today started off with a breakfast of eggs, sausage and sourdough toast, followed by a nap. For lunch, it was a BLT on the same homemade sourdough. I know what you're thinking - sausage and bacon in one day? Well, guess who's in seventh heaven? (Actually, right now she's in a bacon-induced coma...)

The sky is overcast and clouds are looming again - we've had rainstorms on and off all day and, according to the weatherguy, a severe thunderstorm is approaching. Fine by me; I'm spending the afternoon with a book and a Beagle!

7.9.08

Vacation, Day 4. I started with a visit to the doctor for bloodwork results - good news/bad news scenario. My 'A1C' (http://www.diabetes.org/type-1-diabetes/a1c-test.jsp), which is an average measurement of your blood sugar and should be around 6 if you are normal, is down to a 7.8. (Keep in mind that it was a 12.9 last October when I first found out that I had diabetes.) My doctor is very pleased and expects us to hit our target of 7 in three months. Yay! The bad news is that I've gained 7 pounds. Ouch! I have been so focused on carbs that I think I let fats and other things (peanut butter, cheese and veggie dip) get me. So I will have to focus on more exercise I think. I'm going to look into joining a gym if it's financially feasible. Then, it was a stop at the dentist to get a permanent crown cemented on and receive a bi-annual cleaning. Done deal, see ya in six months.

Had a bit of a toothache after the work on the crown, so it was home for a couple of hydrocodone and a nap! Dinner was a salad of spring greens, strawberries, mandarin oranges, almonds and cranberries - dressed with a creamy poppyseed dressing. I followed that with a grilled ribeye steak and baked potato. YUM!

Now I'm off to settle down with a book and a Beagle. Good night!

7.8.08

Vacation, Day 3. Niece Shelby spent the night and we ran some errands this morning, picking up nephew Jacob on the way.

It's official, Bailey the Beagle is no longer a 'fugitive from the law'; we went to City Hall to get her a dog license. (Rumor has it the park rangers have been issuing tickets to unlicensed dogs at the Bark Park, so I thought I'd better make an honest dog out of her...)

Next was lunch at 'The Naughty Dog Coffee Bar & Deli'. This is a little cafe' downtown that has three different patios/decks for outdoor eating that are all pet-friendly. So, the 4 of us had a lunch of absolutely delicious homemade soups, salads and sandwiches. Yummy! Bailey, of course, enjoyed the whole experience - new people and other dogs to sniff and everyone was eating - a win-win situation for her! She was quiet in the backseat the whole way home, LOL.

We dropped Bailey off at home and headed to Bed Bath & Beyond for hangers of all things. (Okay, I cleaned out the closet the other day and donated a bunch of stuff to the Flood Relief Effort, but then went and bought some new shirts so I needed more hangers.) We finished up with a quick trip to Michaels, mostly to just kill a little time before I dropped them off at 'Alice in Wonderland' rehearsal. I've just had a short nap and a little snuggle-time with Bailey and now I'm off to go pick them up and take them home.

Thanks for stopping by!

7.7.08

Vacation, Day 2. I spent almost the entire afternoon today at the craft table. Every time Jacob & Shelby are in a play or musical, I do a scrapbook page that gets framed and hung in the family room at my sister's house. Well somehow this has snowballed and now both of the grandmothers need pages to frame and hang as well. So, I did three of the same page and they are ready to go. Thank goodness, because we have 'Alice in Wonderland' at the Bell Tower Theater this week!

7.6.08

Vacation, Day 1. Today starts my 8 days of vacation and if I must say so myself, they are well deserved. I had to start the day at Lowe's for a quick meeting, but that's it until Monday, July 14th. Stopped at Perkins for Sunday breakfast with work-buddy Jason, a quick stop into Target for some health & beauty necessities and now I'm home and not afraid to admit that I'm going to go lay down on the bed and watch TV for the entire day. So, until tomorrow, dear blog readers...

go fourth and celebrate

No matter how you feel about the war, our president, the price of gas, or whatever may be bothering you - it doesn't matter today. Take a minute and think about how fortunate we are...

God Bless America and the men and women who defend her!

Happy Birthday Jimmy!

Brother Jim turns 37 today!