Luck Be A Lady

Well we're approaching the end of the holiday/year! Means my birthday is almost upon us!   We've decided to head on down to San Diego to visit Mark's family. It's been 4 years since my last visit so I'm glad to be able to see everyone again!  Of course, the drive down is always annoying (well, only through the Siskyous Mountains if there's lots of snow) but I'm looking forward to some sun! It should be fun....I haven't seen my nieces in ages and now they're almost all grown up! I know Mark will LOVE being able to hang out with his sister as well as his mom without having to rush around.  He's already under stress having to deal with work, my birthday, Christmas gifts, etc.! Poor guy.... Once I get back home, I'm going to start doing a lot of DIY stuff that I've been obsessing over on Pinterest! Get ready to try out some products friends.... I'm really excited to get started!

Well, I seem to be going down the DIY path more and more. I'm still in chaos at home (the house is stacked to the gills with junk, stuff, everything and the kitchen sink!) so I am slowly trying to organize this place. You'd think with me working very 'part time' I'd get this house in pristine order! No.... it's not happening any faster than if I were working 50 hour work weeks! I know I'm lazy by nature but I'm trying to get my rear in gear and make this house a 'home.' Anyway, back to the DIY thing: I've been addicted to Pinterest to the point that I'm staying up until 3am looking at recipes, dogs, drinks, Christmas decor, house remodeling ideas, organization, etc. I kept coming across many pins related to coconut oil and it really got my curiosity going. My dietician insisted I start using it in my cooking since it's so good for us but I had been sitting on this big jar of stuff we bought at Costco. Well.... I finally started real

Okay, one of the benefits of doing community theatre is meeting people. Meeting people typically gets you new recipes! (Just like church, school functions) The last show I did, our stage manager shared a family recipe for a cottage cheese/shrimp dip. I about died when I tried it. It's so addicting! I've doctored it up to match our family's tastes (we love garlic and a few other herbs) and here's what I got: 8 oz. (1 cup) of softened cream cheese 8 oz. (1 cup) cottage cheese 1/2 cup (or more) of small bite sized shrimp (or chopped up shrimp) 1-2 cloves finely chopped garlic 1 tsp (or more) dill 1/4-1/2 tsp onion powder Salt & pepper to taste Mix this all together and let it set in the fridge (covered) overnight. Letting it sit will mellow out the hot bite raw garlic has (of course I ate it right away because I LOVE garlic). If you'd rather, use garlic powder so you can enjoy the taste without the heat but I don't think it tastes quite as fresh. Al

Dang it.... Mark was just complaining this a.m. that he's gaining weight too. I thought he'd maintain, especially with his daily walks to and from work. I'm ticked....not at him but at how our bodies are working as we approach 50. So..... I'm working on ways to get us in better shape. Obviously, we need to exercise and eat right.  But sometimes, even that doesn't work well. So....I'm researching things. My nutritionist gave me a new menu to work with and I need to attempt to stick to it. It's quite good actually....not this non-fat crap that is loaded with sugar but real foods, organic and healthy. I'll keep posting things as I discover what and what doesn't work. I'm pretty excited about a couple of things I found. In the meantime, I'm going to get back into my former weight training/cardio plan. I hope it works. I was poking around Pinterest and found this. I about died..... Britney Spears 2001 Seriously.... the girl was young (ab

Several things.... 1) the Newton, CT school shooting. So many children lost. Brave teachers/staff - some lost, many survived and were able to protect their young charges. So many families devastated. I pray those that are left behind to mourn will find some kind of peace.  There is no logical reason for this. Sudden loss is incredibly painful. I know. 2) I am trying to cut back on certain activities. I don't feel that my talents and time are necessarily wanted or needed in some places. Sometimes, it's just not appreciated and that's when I start looking at the front door. I think I need to focus on me and my little family.  Time for a shift in priorities. 3) This is so trivial, especially in light of what happened today. I auditioned for two shows. Did not get in to either. And ya know, I'm totally okay with it. My old self would have argued (inside voices of course) and thought WTF but I do realize that I'm not always the best choice. Sometimes, I'm the w

Oy veh..... I'm a glutton for punishment. I wanted to take a break. And yet, I went to an audition. I've got another one coming up too. What am I - nuts? Yup. Plain and simple. I live and breathe this stuff. Music, theatre, art, I love it all. Life isn't worth living without it. If I'm not in it, I want to be teaching it. Directing it. Watching it. Just being in the same room with it is a thrill. I did my best to stay away for a little while. I really tried. Looks like I'm going to eat crow and jump back in.