CAUTION: Woman In Progress

Because I'm bored and I've got 20 minutes before I get off work, I looked at my expenditures for a couple of months and did some calculations and comparisons. In October 2009 I spent $74.05 on fast food, bagels and lattes. This month? $18.49 cents. I've come along way, baby. :-D

So the mechanic never did call me before 12:30. I borrowed Mama's car and just spent the afternoon at Sis2's house with her and the kids. Emmy was there having come to town on a short trip with her daddy anyway so it was a good time to visit. We did craft projects and watched Sprout network. Lyssa helped me eat the small fries I'd gotten for lunch and Ethan showed off his newest skill--he can walk behind a little push toy all by himself! Little booger's gonna be walking on his own before he's a year old, I'll bet. :-) We did all have a lot of fun so I guess you could say that it worked out better than my plan anyway. Those kids are growing up so fast and it's definitely good to remain a part of that. I want to instill as much of my insanity on them while they're young and impressionable as I can! :-D While I was there, I did get the call I'd been waiting for...at about 1:15. *shakes head* My car was ready and all it had been was the gas cap not s...

So I had to bring my car in to the shop this morning. Stupid check engine light came on Saturday when I was on my way to town for groceries. *sigh* Fortunately the check engine light isn't on of those things were you car's gonna explode or leave you stranded when it comes on. Just means that either there's something not quite right with the way the car's running or your car is yanking your chain. Either way, I  had to bring it in. I'm voting for the car yankin' my chain thing, obviously, as I seriously don't have a lot of cash to put out on heavy car repairs. I so gently use my car you'd think it wouldn't have much opportunity to go bad. But I suppose anything man made has the potential to screw up. I decided to try a new mechanic recommended by a friend because she said she thought it might be cheaper and the dude is really nice. But it's nearly 12 and I haven't heard anything. *sigh* He may be good and he may be nice but dude ain'...

...about work being so crazy is that I'm also burning calories while I run around like a chicken with it's head cut off! hehehehe The downside is, of course, that I'm worn slap out all the darn time. And the vast infinity of what all still needs doing frightens and intimidates me. *shudders* Another upside, though, is that if I happen to accidently fall into a mocha frappe on the way home from work I don't have to worry too bad about the extra calories. :-D Not that I accidently fall into too many mocha frappe's--or much of anything else, for that matter. The only reason I've accidenlty fallen into a couple over the past couple of weeks is because I had coupons for free ones. Would be a SHAME to waste thouse, right? ;-) In all seriousness, though, I'm hanging in there. I've so far stuck with my DVD routine in the evenings and 90% of my eating habits are AWESOME. Seriously, I even said no to lunch out with the girls today. Well, most of that was ...

So, at lunch--thanks to my 22-year-old friend, L--we got into the discussion of what our parents let us take with us when we moved out of their home. L's mother has informed her under no uncertain terms that she is not allowed to take her bedroom suite with her when she moves out next year. L is all in a huff about it because she assumed that she'd take it with her. She was asking her three older friends--me, A. and E.--(I'm not old enough to be an "older friend" dangit!) about our experiences at break this morning. I told her that when I decided to move out that Mama told me to take all my crap with me because she wanted my room. (She had grand designs of making it into her own den of sorts. She bought a futon and everything.) I mean, seriously, when I moved out at the ripe old age of 22 we packed up every piece of furniture in my room, except for the one piece that was Mama's, and moved it into the lake house. There was no discussion of leaving anything. N...

Though I'm fairly certain I've been productive today, I can't say for certain I've been entirely awake. I think I may have sleepworked through the day. ;-)

I bought a half gallon of milk last week to pour over my chocolate Cheerios. (Ya'll tried chocolate Cheerios  yet? Ya'll need to. They're goooood.)  A half gallon of milk will usually last me a couple of weeks. Even when the expiration date is set to pass before the second week is up, it usually holds out. It's the only way I can justify spending $1.62 (and sometimes $2.62) on a half a gallon of anything . Well the milk I bought last week was set to expire on the 25th. Sunday, right? So I figured, it'll be good this week. No biggie. I figured I'd be pushing it to make it the end of the week but I've done it and all was good. Apparently, this particular milk didn't get the memo that just because it expires on a certain date doesn't mean it has to go bad on that date. I poured my chocolate Cheerios into the bowl and covered them in milk. Made my way to the recliner and sat down to shovel a spoonful of breakfast. *Gag!* *Spew!* The milk? It...

Oddly enough four pounds down and mah butt is still huge. I'm feeling very buoyant about those four pounds, though. After I stepped off the scale this morning I almost wanted to do my 30 minute walk right then. But the shower won out. I had to get ready for work anyway. So tonight, it is ON like Donkey Kong and I WILL do my 30 minutes and I WILL NOT eat the entire Totinos pizza like I normally do. Maybe not, anyway. We'll see. But I WILL do my 30 minutes. And maybe another 15 later if I eat the whole pizza. :-/

So yesterday I got an email from my aunt and uncle in GA announcing that their youngest daughter, my cousin, is expecting her second child. They also announced that they had bought a new house further up in the mountains and were trying to sell their current home. I responded with  "Congratulations", some mild excitement and the hope that their current home sells quickly. This was my uncle's reply: You know, you would look great in our old house here, 2 acres (or 5 if you wanted it), sitting on the front porch with Mr Jana just a swingin', and relaxing and enjoying life! Look at it again and see if you can't figure out why it kind of ticked me off just a tad. Keep in mind that this same uncle has been after me to get married for years now. Has even offered to find me a fella in GA if I'd come out to visit for a few days. And when I bought my house last year, he was genuinely baffled as to why I, a single gal, would purchase a home on my own. *Gasp* What ...

I took off work early yesterday and went home to veg. It felt completely decadent and slightly naughty. But I loved it! So okay, I didn't take off just because I wanted to veg. Mama had to take Daddy to Columbus for a doctor's appointment yesterday afternoon so I would have had to drive my car and use my gas. Gas which I don't have money to refill anytime soon. So to save gas, I took off early and left with Mama. Usually when I ask to leave early I have an errand or something important to do. I never just take off and go home to veg. Maybe I should, though. For my own mental health. Especially now that there's so much going on at work and there's a lot of pressure on me to decide things and know things and do things that I don't feel qualified to decide, know or do. Maybe and afternoon off every now and then would help me to keep my head clear and my energy up. It would also give me more time to admire the Devil Pup. ;-)

So ya'll all know I had big plans to spend Saturday at home doing whatever I wanted to do. Ya'll also know that life rarely ever follows any sort of expectation I have. I did get the house cleaned up and all that done. My house is now minus about 5lbs of dog hair.(You think I kid but between what I swept up and what I vacuumed, the garbage can is almost FULL. lol) I dusted, I cleaned the kitchen, got all the laundry done, I rearranged some things and generally just wore myself out doing stuff around the house. I had just settled down to rest and watch Gilmore Girls on Soapnet when Sis2 called. She and her crew were out visiting and they were at the folks' house. Come on over if I wanted to see them, she said. Yeah. Because I'd ever turn down a chance to play with my babies. *snort* So me and Libs loaded up in the car and drove the mile to the folks' house. Ya'll, we ended up going fishing. I haven't been fishing since March of 2009! And since it wasn...

I have had Carrie Underwood's song, Undo It, stuck in my freakin' head all freakin' day. Love the song but not when it's been floating around in my gray matter for nine hours. Barely dodged a bullet at lunch. Was tempted by a friend to go to Chick-fil-A for lunch with her. Would love some crispy juicy Chick-fil-A but don't need it. Fortunately, it had just started pouring rain. My aversion to getting drenched trumped my temptation to spend money on something I didn't need to eat anyway. My friend got drenched, btw. She said it was worth it. I'm really starting to feel the affects of my daily workout routine. My arms muscles are screaming at me today. Calling me some not-so-nice names. Like one that starts with a "b" and ends with an "itch." My arm muscles are not only wimps but also rude. You stole my happy, you made me cry. Took my lonely and took it for a ride now I wanna uh..uh..uh..uh..undoit. Sorry. Told you it was stuck in my ...

For the first time since early May I have a Saturday all to myself tomorrow! I hardly recall what those are like! Seems I vaguely recall being able to do my laundry and take my time cleaning my house. Or heck, lazing on the couch with the DP watching HGTV and Food Network. Summer is always such a busy time with birthdays, holidays, Emmy's visits, work, etc. And it isn't as though I haven't enjoyed the time with my family--I totally have. But, this hermit is ready to get back into some serious routines. And for at least this Saturday and next, I can do that. So I'm so looking forward to tomorrow. Beyond grocery shopping (which is always the one constant) I haven't made any plans. I need to do some serious deep cleaning around the house. Dog hair has begun taking over! I swear, it's getting so bad that every time I move around the house dog hair flutters every which way. Makes a good argument for shaving the Devil Pup, huh? hehehehe Yesterday was a little wor...

I'm almost scared to eat this tomato, it's so huge. Never seen one this big before. And ain't it cute bein' all heart shaped and all? ;-) Anyway... So last night I did another round of Denise Austin Interval training walk. I only did the one 15 minute walk because a) I got home later yesterday b) I was tired c) that interval training kicks my butt. However, tonight I'm aspiring to do 30 minutes again. I figure it couldn't exactly hurt to alternate days. 15 minutes two days a week. 30 minutes three days a week. That kind of thing. On the fence about working out on Saturdays since Saturdays are usually pretty physically active anyway. Lots of laundry and cleaning and that kind of thing. Maybe I'll do the 15 minute walk first thing Saturday morning. Or just walk brisquely around Wal-Mart for 15 minutes before I start my grocery shopping. Wal-Mart is at least a one mile walk, right? hehehe Crap. I just found something I was suppose to have done two months...

Ya'll, these flowers did not bloom in my yard last summer. I think I'd have recalled them if they had. And I certainly didn't plant them. Me? Plant in the yard? Um, no. So, I guess nature likes to surprise me. Anyone know what they're called? They're certainly pretty. I wouldn't mind having a few more of them scattered around the yard. Anyway, ya'll would be proud to know that last night when I got home I did 30 minutes with Denise Austin. I did the interval walk first (a 15 minute "walk" with bursts of fast movement) and then followed it up with the "easy walk" that I've been doing off and on for the past couple of months. Man, that interval walk nearly whipped my butt. It was good, though. Still easy enough on the ol' knees without feeling wimpy. Fingers crossed I don't wimp out on doing it again tonight. Also, this morning my friend A offered to get me a bagel (I haven't had one in over a month!) and I declined. Ya...

In case ya'll are wondering, I did end up having a good time with my friends. We met up at the theater around 1:30 and E and I  decided to split a large combo. (A large tub of popcorn and two large drinks. It was cheaper than each of us buying a small popcorn and small drink.) Yes. I ate movie theater popcorn. And it was good. Even better, we didn't finish the large tub or the large drinks so at least we didn't get as many calories as we could have. Eclipse was really good. Lots of half nekkid (and at one point TOTALLY nekkid--though you couldn't see all of him) Jacob. *squee* And yes, it mildly disturbs me that I sort of lust after a 17 or 18 year old boy.  :-D I tell you what, though...man, two hours in a theater seat and most of a large coke pressing on my bladder wasn't the greatest fun. lol I almost couldn't get up when the movie ended and then was dancing around in the parking lot (you couldn't get to a restroom stall if you tried) while we decide...

How's that for a Saturday morning mood boost? *sob* Seriously, I have this pair of denim capri's that I bought a few years ago. They were kinda big (badly mis-sized) when I bought them but I've worn them a lot anyway. I just always wore a belt with them to keep them from sliding off or too low. This morning I put them on to come to work and...They almost fit. *sob* I know I haven't gained anymore weight in the past couple of weeks. I'm sitting steady at the same uncomfortable weight I've been for more than a month. Which, honestly, is only six pounds higher than I was all last year and the year before. But you'd be amazed at the difference six pounds makes on a body and the way clothes fit. And the way a body feels . Doesn't really make me want to go out with the girls this afternoon, I'll tell you that. I want to go the movie, yes. Absolutely. I just kinda don't want to go to supper afterwards anymore. Not because I don't enjoy the compa...

Ya'll , the alarm went off this morning and I seriously could NOT recall what day it was. Thursday? Tuesday? Saturday? I didn't know! I had to think back to what I'd had for supper the night before (Pancake Thursday!) to remember it was Friday. Seriously, I was panicked cause I didn't know what day I'd woken up on. Not like any of the days are all that different. Each day's pretty much the same. Wake up, pop synthroid pill, shower, breakfast, snuggle DP, get dressed, go to work,break, lunch, break, come home, supper, snuggle DP, Charmed, Reba, Reba, , snuggle DP, bed. Except yesterday I had a dentist appointment for a filling. And you know, I don't mind the Novocain shot or the drilling or the spit and stuff. It's the dead lip and nose that drives me nuts. It took three hours for the left half of my face to wake up. BUT, a tooth that has been bothering me for THREE YEARS finally feels fine. They just now found a cavity in it. Had taken x-rays, have ...

Yanno, to have had a day off this week, it sure had been a loooong week. The fact that I hafta work Saturday doesn't make me feel any better, either. Blech. I almost fell asleep at work yesterday. Well, actually, I did fall asleep. Dozed off at my desk for like five seconds. I was soooooo sleeeEEEEpy. I could barely hold my eyes open. Miserable. I called Mrs. B a little while ago but she wasn't home. Her hubby said she was over at her mother's shelling peas. I'm not surprised. I figured after she retired she'd practically live over at her mother's. He was going to give me the number over there but...yeah. I don't like to track people down when they're doing stuff. Not like it was all that important. Well, it IS important. But not emergency important. I'm trying to get in touch with her to make SURE she's going to be going out with us Saturday to see Eclipse. I know she's not all that insane about the Twilight saga like the rest of us are...

Well, how did everyone fair over the 4th of July weekend? I suppose I did okay. I survived a little worse for the wear, but I survived. ;-) Saturday morning I did my usual early morning shopping trip but spent most of my money on cookie ingredients. Since I didn't get to make anything for Daddy on his actual birthday (July 1) I decided to make some cookies with him in mind to take up to Granny's for the 4th. And by "with him in mind" I mean, I know Daddy likes cherries and dark chocolate so I made him Cherry Chocolate Kisses . Which means I had to buy cherries, dark chocolate Kisses and almond extract. I should have bought another bag of flour because I was just shy of the two cups it called for. Had to go borrow some from Mama. Anyway, once I got home from town, I went ahead and started baking. Sis1 was coming in that morning and I wanted to be done before she got there. I almost made it. The whole "borrowing flour" thing threw me back by a few minute...