The thing about working hard

The thing about working hard is that sometimes you feel like you'll never meet your deadline. You plunge ahead and everything feels like it takes twice as long as you think it should. You worry that Friday at 5 is going to mean that you're still working and will be through Monday morning--that stinks for a relaxing weekend filled with shopping and fun.

So, you plow ahead, trying to hold those anxiety bugs at bay, and then get ready for bed on Tuesday night and realize that you're 3/4 done with the project. Really. 3/4. And it's only Tuesday night, which means you can sleep in a little on Wednesday morning and enjoy a new pace of work because it's not going to make a difference if you finish Wednesday afternoon or Friday afternoon, so long as you're finished by Friday and now that seems entirely possible. And to top it all off you even get to add those neat little extras you wanted to do to make up for the fact that you're really really late turning in this report.

So, I'll continue working hard; I expect tonight will be another late night, but then I should be able to go shopping in Mobile on Sat. and then spend Sunday getting ready for our trip to SD. Aaah, to feel human again.

Travel

I love to travel. I would travel all the time if I could somehow manage to take my bed, cats and pillows with me. Of course, I would need lots of money for that kind of travel, but I would love going and seeing places and being entertained all the time...but wouldn't we all. Or at least I think everyone thinks that way. I've been told it's a Sagitarius thing--we like to go and travel and see the world.

3 months from today, the family will head out for 17 days in Europe. We all don't know how we're going to wait the 89 days we have to wait...it's been torture waiting as long as we have been! But, the trip is completely paid for and we're waiting to find out what can happen and what we'll see.

On Monday next week David and I go to San Diego for a very quick trip. I have never been to California and am eagerly waiting for this trip. I have a friend who lives in Palm Springs who is driving down to see us, plus our hotel is right on the beach. Life will be good.

In April, David and I will be heading out to San Francisco--another trip to CA! I have wanted to go to San Fran ever since my mother was hooked on the tv show Scarecrow and Mrs. King. It should be lots of fun--David will be at a conference and seeing friends, and I'll be free to do as I please. Plus we'll see the vinyards.

All that travel, and yet I could pack my bags tomorrow and go spend a week at the beaches in Alabama. Or head up to Amish coutry and see the spring planting getting started. Or go to Kentucky for the April races at Keeneland. I'm even thinking about where I want to go to see fireworks in July...

it never stops, so I better get back to work and earn enough money so I can get to those fireworks!

Vignette 1

Elizabeth has given up soft drinks for Lent, and the following conversation ensued Wednesday night while she was searching in our medicine drawer.

Elizabeth: Mom, do we have anything for caffeine withdrawal?
Me: Well, what are your symptoms, then I’ll know what to give you.
E: You know, I’m having caffeine withdrawal since I’m not drinking Dr. Pepper.
Me: I understand that, but what are your symptoms, headache, stomachache, shakiness?
E: Nope, just tired.
Me: Well, get some sleep.

Still Sugar Free

I've wanted to report for a while now that I'm still doing well with the "no sugar" thing. I very occasionally allow myself a chai tea latte from Starbucks (full-sugar since they don't have sugar free) but otherwise, I'm very very good. I'm really enjoying the control of it all...I'm still losing weight. I'm down about 25 pounds now since June, which is really great considering that I'm not doing much else to try to lose weight except walk when I can get around to it. My jeans are falling off...and one of my favorite shirts looked so big on me yesterday that I decided I can find out what happens if I wash it by hand instead of taking it to the dry cleaners. This is all very exciting.

But, when I go to the bakery to get my fresh wheat bread or a baguette, I look longingly at the cakes and brownies. Yesterday I almost convinced mysef that one cupcake from Starbucks to go with my latte wouldn't really hurt me that badly--and probably it wouldn't if I could stick with just that one, but I don't trust myself. And I really want to stick with this through our trip to Europe mainly because every time I've done well losing weight, I totally blow it on vacation. And I'm not going to do that this time because I'm mentally prepared...but it doesn't make things much easier when those cakes and cookies look so yummy...

Boys can be so stupid...

We have this conversation almost daily--about how stupid boys can be. It's mostly in reference to teenage boys and their interaction with my daughters or their friends, but sometimes, it extends to men. I tell my daughters that about some things, men will never "get it." Exhibit A:

This figurine of a balking mule was given to me by my husband for Valentine's Day 2001. He saw it on a trip to Amish Country in Ohio, wanted to buy it for me but didn't want me to know he was going to get it, left and went home, lost the contact to the store, had to SEARCH to find the store, finally did, purchased the balking mule (whose name is Dolly, by the way), had it mailed just in time for my fabulous Valentine gift. He couldn't even wait to give it to me on "the day" so gave it to me early. Needless to say it didn't go over very well, and I ended up getting a gigantic box of Godiva afterwards for all my hurt feelings.

Yet, to this day, my husband, who can be really smart about most things, thinks this was a great gift and I just didn't appreciate it in the right way...

It took 16 years, almost!

When David and I first got married we made tacos at least weekly. It was one of our staple foods along with Double Dave's pepperoni rolls, beans-rice-cornbread, and sandwiches. Tacos were almost like real food because we had to do some preparation...AND they had meat and vegetables in them. You remember your poor days, don't you?

Well, I got pregnant not too long after David and I got married. Morning sickness didn't kick in until I was almost 3 months along, but when it did kick in, it kicked with a vengence. One night we sat down to our dinner of tacos, I took a bite, managed to get it down, and tried another. This wasn't all that unusual as most foods made me do that. However, after bite 6 or so, I ran to the bathroom, and unloaded all of that and most of everything else that I ate that day. I managed to suck on some Jolly Ranchers and get my stomach to calm down, but couldn't possibly eat more of those tacos.

The next time David was cooking, I smelled the tacos cooking, ran to the bathroom, and then had to sit outside until the smell went away.

The next time wasn't pretty at all. I had the reaction to the smell, but then felt miraculously better, ate dinner without a problem...and about an hour later while David was in the bathtub, threw up those tacos in such a disgusting way I thought I was going to die. As I was sitting on the floor in utter embarrassment and David is shocked in the bathtub wanting to do everything to make me feel better, I weakly requested that we not ever have tacos again.

I have tried on a couple of other occasions to eat tacos, but I've always felt nauseous and couldn't proceed. Last night, though, at the special request of my kids, I bit the bullet (so to speak) and really enjoyed it, It was flavorful, crunchy, spicy, and just about perfect. Meat and vegetables..And David said, "I would never have thought it would take 16 years, but here you are!"

Everyone's heard of writer's block...

...But do you think there's such a thing as reader's block? Lately, I've been experiencing something I can only term as reader's block. The book is interesting, theoretically and plot-wise. The main character is based on a real person, someone historically significant; the setting is 10th century Japan, an area and time I know nothing about. Really, I should be very excited about reading this book--and I was at the beginning. But 200 pages into it...I was beginning to avoid it. When I would read, I would find my mind drifting and then not care that I'd run my eyes across 2 pages and didn't know anything that had just happened. I could pick that up in context as I went on. And with another 200 pages to go, I just didn't see how I would ever be able to read another book in my life.

And that seemed a little out of hand, especially considering all the books I've bought lately that I can't wait to read. So I've put it aside for a few days/weeks until I finish my next book, and then I'll get back to it and see if it engages me again.

I find this behavior/approach to reading interesting. In my book club there are people that will not put a book down no matter how bored they are or how awful they think the book is. I'm willing to give it 100 pages and then if I don't want to read it anymore I put it away never to worry whether I finished it or not. And if I truly didn't like it, that action will never bother me because I'll never miss those characters or that story. There are others of us in book club that won't read a book if it's about a certain topic, or will put the book down as soon as something specific happens--like child abuse.

So, in lieu of a review of a book I'm not sure I like enough to finish (Tales of Murasaki by Liza Dalby), I'm asking you what kind of reader you are when you approach a book that just isn't grabbing you like you think it should.

Thank Goodness for the Giving People

Our heater finally died on Saturday morning. When the guy came down to give us a report he said, I'll give you the good news first--I don't even remember what that was. The bad news was that the heat exchange box on our furnace was cracked and that the heater was likely leaking carbon monoxide into the house--a bad thing for anyone to consider even if it was going to be 30 degrees that night.

So, we bit the bullet and ordered a new one. Thank goodness they are installing it today because it's blustery and miserable out there and the only reason I'm not freezing to death right now is because we still have a good bit of residual heat from yesterday.

But I feel so sorry for those fellows out there working in this horribly cold weather, on my roof, without the good protective clothing you'd find in areas where winter really means something. So, I'm thankful for people who are willing to suffer so that I can sleep warm and cozy tonight...

Two Pinwheel Quilts

The first is a turquoise, brown and green pinwheen given to a friend who is having her baby boy today. The second is orange, brown and black and is named after my kitty, Lochi because she's orange and black. I pieced it a few years ago and had it machine quilted this month.

Need time Off

Have decided that need time off from the blog to get the projects at USM completed and my life back in order. I'll be back on the 13th...

Miss y'all!!!

Book Review: The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

It isn’t very often that I read a book and want everyone I know to read it so I can talk to them about it. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and think it’s one that most people would enjoy…and when I say I “enjoyed” it, that kind of freaks me out because it is rather creepy for the first half, but so well written that you’re sucked into the tale and don’t want to put it down. I’m assuming this is why I’m so tired today!

The premis of this book is that the most popular British writer, Vida Winter, is dying and wants to tell her life story to a woman, Margaret Lea, who runs an antiquarian bookstore with her father. Ms. Lea doesn’t embark on the task very willingly, but does so anyway because she loves reading and having discovered Ms. Winter’s work, she is excited to find a complementary soul.

I don’t want to tell much more about the plot other than that because to do so would be to spoil the book. It is about family, facing your demons, class system (it IS a British novel after all), and most importantly the love of reading and a good story. It is a book that came to me through many different channels until I finally admitted that I couldn’t avoid reading it. I’m glad I didn’t because it may just be my favorite recent novel.

February Already!

Hard to believe that January whooshed by and now it's already February. Winter seems finally to have arrived, and we all seem to be shivering in our houses while covered up in sweaters with personal heaters nearby.

When I was a kid, I always remember loving February. It was a special month because not only was it short but it got an extra day every four years. I always thought it would be cool to be born on leap-year day, but I guess my mom couldn't have held out another 3 months to ensure that could happen.

February also had all of my favorite holidays--Ground Hog Day which was just so weird and silly I loved because of the symmetry of the date: 2/2. Valentine's Day was always wonderful because of the little cards we always exchanged atschool, hearts were everywhere. I loved any month that used a holiday as an excuse to decorate in red. I also always thought President's Day was cool. It was always a neat tradition to look at pictures of Mount Rushmore and talk about Washington and the cherry tree.

But there also always seemed to be a negative to February. It seems that I got sick every year with a dreadful flu that would keep me home for several days. In 7th grade I was hospitalized with pneumonia and ended up missing all the Valentine's festivities. One year in Kentucky in February we got 2 feet of snow overnight that shut everything down for several days. Another year in Kentucky I got the flu that resulted in an ear infection that lasted for 2 months.

So February always bring to mind a conflicted set of feelings. I am excited about the holidays. I love any excuse to have an "extra" date with David, and maybe get some jewelry or flowers. But I do cringe at the other miserable historical events and hope that this February will be different...