what a week...

It's only Tuesday and I'm already counting the hours and minutes until Friday afternoon. That's what I get for having a job in Human Services and having to deal with other peoples' problems.

I invited Greg to go on a date Friday night, dinner and movie. I want to see "Glory Road". (That's the basketball movie with the hot guy from "Sweet Home Alabama".) I'll let Greg choose where we eat, though the conversation will go just like this:
G "Where are we eating?"
T "I don't care. You choose. I picked the movie."
G " I don't care. You say."
T "No, I chose the movie. You're pickier than I am. You decide."
Can you tell this conversation has happened a few times in the past 25 years? :o) Now, I could suggest a place the first time he asks, but he'll say, "Nah, I don't really want to go there." But he won't suggest an alternate establishment. Sigh.

Today's photo has nothing to do with this post. I just thought it was amusing, especially since my friend had her gnome kidnapped from her front yard last Spring. The only contact she's had with the 'nappers was a single letter saying her gnome was fine and she'd be hearing from him. No other communication has been received. Wonder if he's in this pic?

Where oh where has Jack Frost gone?

Not that I'm complaining about the weather. It was wonderful to wander the Old Market section of Omaha last night wearing just a sweater. But I fear we'll pay in March and April. The photo today is one I took earlier in the week when we had a frosty morning. I love waking up to find the outside covered in thick frost, especially if the sun then shines and makes it all sparkle for a little while.

I'm in Omaha for some training so I can be a trainer in Kearney in March. I had the training almost 5 years ago, so this is a refresher and update on the curriculum. We're staying at Embassy Suites so we're quite pampered with excellent service, free breakfast in the morning, and free cocktails in the evening. The only spoiler is I forgot to pack socks, so I'm on Day 3 with the pair I had on when I got here. Ew!

I will be very glad to get home this evening. Two nights away from my home and honey are quite enough. :o)

Happy Birthday Grace & Garett!

Gimme five

What were you doing 10 years ago?
January 1996:
Working at Head Start, doing "mom" stuff with the kids, didn't know that in another month the world as I knew it would change forever with Mom's diagnosis of terminal lung cancer...

What were you doing one year ago?
January 2005:
Working at Head Start (different position), taking college classes, Mom to a senior in high school and a 21 year-old (gulp!).

Five snacks you enjoy:
1. Chocolate
2. Cake
3. Nachos
4. chips & dip
5. Cookies

Five songs, to which you KNOW all the lyrics: (Only five?! Man, I know a TON of songs!)
1. Paradise by the Dashboard Light by Meatloaf
2. Away in a Manger
3. Bohemian Raphsody by Queen
4. Beverly Hillbilly's theme song
5. Hush Little Baby Don't Say a Word

Five things you would do, if you were a millionaire: (Okay, I'm going for MULTI-millionaire, and this list is for after I share with family)
1. Set up a charitable foundation to help with medical costs for women who have no health insurance(HUGE need for women ages 18 - 40).
2. Buy a vacation home in Vail, Colorado.
3. Take both of our families on a huge vacation (Hawaii, Disneyworld, someplace BIG).
4. Huge donation to our church.
5. Scholarship program for teen moms so they can finish school and go to college.

Five bad habits:
1. Talking
2. Procrastinating
3. Planting my behind in front of the computer too much
4. Drinking too much Diet Coke.
5. Taking on too many projects at once.

Five things you like doing:
1. Scrapping
2. Sitting at the dining room table with family, just talking and laughing
3. Writing
4. Cooking
5. Snuggling with my honey

Five things you would never wear, buy, or get new again:
1. Stirrup pants
2. Huge hair bows
3. Exercise leotard
4. Blue frosted eyeshadow
5. Bikini (never an option again, sigh)

Five favorite toys:
1. Laptop
2. Digital camera
3. Scrapbooking supplies
4. Mp3 player
5. 32" flat screen TV

Sweet dreams

Oh, what a morning to awaken to memories of a sweet dream! A huge chocolate bar, all mine. Rich, creamy, and guilt-free. I wasn't worried about how long I'd have to work out to negate the effects of that chocolate bar. I could taste the chocolate in my sleep...
I confess that I have this secret dream of bathing in a tub of warm, melted chocolate. Well, not so secret now! :o) But wouldn't that be luscious to just soak in?

I pretty much love anything chocolate. Fudgy, creamy, chewy, with nuts, without, wrapped around caramel, in pudding, cookies, candy, brownies and cakes. But I want quality chocolate. No off-brand, cheap, odd-tasting stuff.

The best I've ever had came from Europe, many years ago. I still remember it, though.

I just discovered those Lindt truffles this weekend. Definitely dangerous. And we love those Ferrero Rocher hazelnut treats. And caramel peanut clusters - but they must be Brach's. Oh, yes, and the Hershey's Pot of Gold I got for Christmas. Dove chocolates used to fill an antique jar I kept in my office for all the staff to indulge in. For stress reduction, of course. But it's so stressful there, that I was constantly refilling, and finally everyone had gained enough poundage that we decided to get rid of the jar. :o)

Anyway, just thought I'd share how my day started out so nicely. No chocolate bars in the house today, so I'll just have to take solace in my dream...

The Virgin Party

Don't be appalled by the title of this entry, it was all very innocent. A group of women gathered together to enjoy good food, good company, and a funny movie. Made funnier by virtue of watching it in a large group. The movie won't win any Oscars, but we didn't care. The best part was being with friends.

We're all trying to be healthier, so the potluck appetizer buffet was quite nutritious. Lots of vegetables, cream cheese/crab fondue, shrimp cocktail, vegetable pizza, chicken wings, devilled eggs, and pretzels. We were not without a sweet treat, though. Barb brought those Oreo/cream cheese "bon bons" that were so popular around here for Christmas. Yum.

And a big gold star goes to my honey, Greg. He joined us for the food, then graciously left the house so we could enjoy the movie. A good man. :o)

Yeah, and we had treat bags when it was time to go home. Candles, chocolates, and a couple of other little "treats" that I won't detail here. :o)

I would only recommend this movie if you are not easily offended by R-ratings. If not, then gather some friends and enjoy your own Virgin Party!

The power of four...

Four jobs you have had in your life:
1. waitress
2. AV geek
3. Arcade/snack bar attendant
4. Preschool teacher

Four movies you would watch over and over:
1. While You Were Sleeping
2. Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves
3. Knight's Tale
4. Moulin Rouge

Four places you have lived:
1. Denver
2. York
3. Kearney
4. Benedict

Four TV shows you love to watch:
1. 24
2. West Wing
3. Desperate Houswives
4. Gray's Anatomy

Four places you have been on vacation:
1. Washington, D.C.
2. Vail, CO
3. Branson, MO
4. Galveston, TX

Four websites I visit daily:
1. www.twopeasinabucket.com
2. www.weather.com
3. various blogs
4. BVCA's intranet

Four of my favorite foods:
1. chocolate
2. seafood
3. avacado
4. mashed potatoes

Four places I would rather be right now:
I am seriously totally happy right here at home.

ABC's of Tammy

A - Age: 44
B - Bed size: King
C - Chore you hate: cleaning bathrooms
D - Dessert you love: Italian cream cake
E - Essential start your day item: right now, 2 Aleve so my foot doesn't swell up
F - Favorite actor(s): Vince Vaughn & Owen Wilson (ad lib so well!)
G - Gold or Silver: White Gold
H - Height: 5'2"
I - Instruments you play: never learned to read music
J - Job title: Head Start Center Supervisor/Family Community Partner
K - Kids: 2
L - Living arrangements: In a house with my honey.
M - Mom's name: Marilynne; MIL: Jan
N - Nicknames: None that I know of (who knows what I'm called when I'm not around!).
O - Overnight hospital stay: Just when I gave birth
P - Phobia: Tubes (MRI)
Q - Quote you like: "Live well, laugh often, love much".
R - Right or left handed: right
S - Siblings: Yep!
T - Time you woke up today: 5:00 a.m.
U - Unique habit: Make up songs spontaneously
X - X-rays you've had: teeth, ankles, knee, pelvic
Y - Yummy food you can make: Cream puff cake; mashed potatoes; chocolate pecan pie
Z - Zodiac Sign: Cancer

As time goes by...

This morning we had a new acolyte at church. It was heartwarming to see him take his job so seriously, yet we had to chuckle when he could barely reach the candles to get them lit. Reminded me of Nick when he first was an acolyte. He had to stand on tiptoe and stretch to reach. What a long time ago that was - Nick recently had his 22nd birthday. My how time does fly.

Those Christmas Cards!

I used to donate my old Christmas cards to Head Start. We used them to make sewing cards and other Christmas projects. Now we don't "do" holidays at Head Start, and I hate to throw the cards away, so I have some new things I'm doing now.

First, I'm making a scrapbook page that includes 1 1/2" squares punched from all photos that were sent, and from some of the fronts of the cards. I was surprised that most of the photos worked to include everyone even when punched so small! :o)

The other thing I'm doing is because of the following information I got from a Christmas email list I'm on:

Here's some info on where you can donate your old Christmas cards on Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.Oyate Teca Project runs a youth center on the reservation that serves hundreds of children and they'd love to have your old Christmas cards to recycle into craft supplies for the kids to make gift tags, ornaments, cards, etc. for Christmas next year (you can send them now though!)

You can mail your Christmas cards of any type here:

U.S. Mail Address:

Carmelita Mesteth

Oyate Teca Project

P.O. Box 190

Kyle, SD 57752

UPS/FedEx address:

Carmelita Mesteth

Oyate Teca Project

Wakanyeja Okolakiciye Youth Center

1000 Youth Center Drive

Kyle, SD 57752

If you want to save on postage, you can cut off the fronts of the cards and just mail those.

One last thing I plan to do - I saved all the insides of the cards, and all the newsletters I got. They are currently in a wooden snowman box on the counter. Each week I want to pick out a card and write a note or letter to that person. Yeah, snail mail - what a treat! :o)

Survey

What follows is a list of blog questions from a twopeasinabucket message board, intended to be a reflection of the past year. We'll see how many I can constructively answer. Please feel free to post your own answers. :o)

1. What did you do in 2005 that you'd never done before?

Visited a tattoo parlor...

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I try not to make resolutions which set me up for failure...

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Leslie did, blessing our family with the twins!

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Some people from our church and Aunt Ruth.

5. What countries did you visit?

Yeah, just the U.S.

6. What would you like to have in 2006 that you lacked in 2005?

Organization and energy.

7. What date from 2005 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

January 19 - birthdate of Grace and Garett.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Adapting to having the kids gone from home.

9. What was your biggest failure?

Sticking to a healthy way of eating.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Had an MRI on my knee and discovered osteoarthritis, diagnosed plantar fasciitis in my feet, found a spot on my bone - just a "bone island".

11. What was the best thing you bought?

My digital camera and my laptop.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

Jessica graduated from high school and successfully moved to college.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

President Bush; Brad Pitt

14. Where did most of your money go?

Electronics.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

The twins being born.

16. What song will always remind you of 2005?

Inside Your Heaven sung by Bo Bice, anything by Styx

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: i. happier or sadder? ii. thinner or fatter? iii. richer or poorer?

Happier; hahahaha;same

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?

Scrapbooking, reading, taken care of the flower garden

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?

Eating

20. How will you be spending Christmas?

Spent it with family - the best way!

22. Did you fall in love in 2005?

All over again.

23. How many one-night stands?

Um, none.

24. What was your favorite TV program?

American Idol, Biggest Loser, 24, Prison Break, Desperate Housewives, Gray's Anatomy

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?

No room for hate.

26. What was the best book you read?

Didn't read much, and nothing of substance.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Il Divo, Bo Bice

28. What did you want and get?

Digital camera

30. What was your favorite film of this year?

Wedding Crashers - literally laughed until I cried

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

Visited that tattoo parlor - I was 44 . . .

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Weight loss

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2005?

In progress - everytime I buy something I wonder, "Would Stacy and Clinton approve?"

34. What kept you sane?

As always, my honey.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Bo Bice, Tommy Shaw

36. What political issue stirred you the most?

Reauthorization of Head Start, the war

37. Who did you miss?

My parents - every day.

38. Who was the best new person (people) you met?

Lots of nice people in Albuquerque

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2005:

I didn't learn it in 05, but tried to live it more: "Someday is not on the calendar."

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

Nothing comes to mind - anyone have a suggestion?