Luck Be A Lady

Poor Mark. It's been 3.5 months since he was laid off from work. He has applied for jobs to no avail. And of course, the one he thought he was truly right for, he didn't even get notification of any kind. The jobs were filled and that's that. Ugh.... his heart just got crushed with that one. Especially since he knows someone on the inside and they had met and discussed his strengths and qualifications and they felt he would get the interview. I'm sitting here praying that he can find something soon. It's hard to watch him go into this horrible funk. He wants to provide for his family and is feeling like a failure. I can't really tell him otherwise and I understand. He can't seem to find anything on this side of the water that pays enough or he is overqualified so he gets passed up. I know that there is something out there..... I just wish he didn't have to worry and go into this spiral of depression. He has the strongest faith of anyone I know..... b...

Birdie is my beautiful Sheltie. She is a retired show dog with many championships to her name. She had just turned seven the day we picked her up from the breeder. It's been only a little over 10 months since we got her but she immediately became part of our family. If truth be told, we were actually concerned about how she would get along with our two Maltese dogs. Well, actually one Maltese in particular. :-) Turns out, everything was fine between the three dogs. Birdie was my Sentry. She always guarded the house like a good dog would. It seems that some fairytales aren't meant to last. Our beautiful girl is dying. She was diagnosed two weeks ago with failing kidneys. Our wonderful vet gave us the bad news – we had days left, not years. It looks like we'll be saying goodbye to her tomorrow or by Friday at the latest. We can't bear to see her suffer any longer. It's the right thing to do. As much as it hurts us to let her go we can't let her suffer just...

Warning..... this one may go off on some tangents. My mind is trying to grasp at a couple of life lessons and it keeps jumping around like a jack rabbit in heat! (I don't really know what a jack rabbit in heat acts like....LOL) It's the last day of 'Bark the Musical' at the Jewel Box Theatre. Five weeks (which seems long and in the great scheme of things really isn't) later, I'm happy and sad. Happy that I got to do a show that is about the pure joy of being a dog and owning a dog, sad that it's coming to an end but happy that it is coming to an end so I can move on to my next show. Maria Callas awaits and I need to wrap my head around 50 pages of monologues in less than 5 weeks. It will be a challenge! Birdie (our Sheltie) is not getting better and her picky-ness with food is driving me insane. She needs to eat carbs and it goes against her dog nature to avoid meat. She's lost about 5 lbs and I'm so afraid she's losing even more. Poor girl.....

I am heartbroken... I am crying quietly, yet uncontrollably. My lovely dog, Birdie was diagnosed with kidney failure today and there is nothing we can do for her. We have had her less than a year. She had just retired from being a show dog and had given birth one time to a beautiful little boy named Bogey.  We were to take her and give her a forever home with no pressures other than to live the life of retirement and bliss. My tears won't stop. I feel ripped off. She's almost 8 years old and should be able to have another 4-6 years. But now, we're forced into deciding when she'll take her last breath unless her poor shriveled kidneys decide to fail on her first. She looks a little tired... a little less sparkle than she used to have a few months ago. But she still looks and acts like a healthy dog. She hides her constant pain and discomfort like the best actress in the world. She nudges me for love, she barks at the vacuum and the hair dryer, and she wants to p...

So...... I'm sitting here after reading a very long email from someone who is upset and angry with an organization. They chose to cut their ties and then another person chose to follow suit and do the same thing. I have to admit that I understand why they are upset. Without getting into great detail as I'm not at liberty to discuss it, there were some actions taken against some people that were perceived as mean and just plain wrong. I was not a part of the originating decision but I am very much affected by it. Of course, there are two sides to the story. Anger is blinding however, and it is extremely difficult for some to see things for how they truly are.  Even I was angry at first but I had made a commitment to follow through on something. I chose to stay and try to work through things and if I couldn't resolve it, then I would walk away once my time was done. Well.....fast forward to 9 months later and I'm seeing a much clearer picture. I have resolved some...

I'm in the midst of prepping for a show called "Bark" at the Jewel Box. It's really cute.... and yes all the actors are playing dogs. We aren't wearing costumes that would make it obvious but our songs are definitely about being dogs. I am still amazed at how actors learn lines and lyrics. I struggle so much to memorize prior to opening a show. Monologues, I tend to get quickly and songs are pretty easy to learn but the regular lines....the back and forth are tough for me. Lucky for me, I don't have that much dialogue in this show. A few spots here and there there's some lines, one monologue and 2 big songs so it's not crazy bad. The group numbers are huge though.... so I'm trying to do them repeatedly while I have time to be at home. Found my costume (I'm supposed to be a motherly type so I was given direction to look like June Cleaver). I am looking forward to seeing how it works in the show! It's a super cute outfit and one that shou...

Oh, I'm showing my age with Styx song titles! Seriously, I cannot get over how easy it is to do nothing when you aren't working. Of course, there's stuff to be done but it's easy to just get by with the bare minimum! I tried to take on a piano gig - unfortunately, my right arm decided it wasn't capable of withstanding the pressure of doing a week of run throughs and shows. Sad to lose out on the money but it's cheaper than surgery! I got hired as a substitute para educator for BSD and got in a day of work this week. Of course, the first check won't even matter because I had to pay for fingerprinting with it. Still, I am hoping this leads to me getting the job I really want. They still haven't let me know if I'm even being interviewed. It's agony waiting, especially since I got a chance to work in the office and I now know everyone there. I even ran into an old HS friend that works in the superintendent's office so it would be such an ea...

I hope to start getting more into the foodie & now DIY blog stuff again shortly. I'm a little more focused on life events right now since we're dealing with a few things. Hoping that I'll have some good news to herald on the new job horizon shortly..... In the meantime, I have heard from two theatres so I know I'll be directing a musical and a play next season and that makes me very happy. We're not talking big pay but it's something I love doing. Can't wait to start working on designs and such..... I can't wait to say the names of the shows. REALLY psyched! I have been doing a lot of soul searching and praying lately, especially with the difficulties we've been facing lately. I have strong faith though, and I know Mark and I are being guided and watched over. We also have terrific friends trying to steer us toward new careers and make sure we're doing okay. For all that, I am so VERY grateful. I can only hope I can be such a good friend ...

Still job hunting.....and crossing my fingers.  Keep sending out good vibes toward me, okay? I was sitting in the office looking at various social media sites. I try not to get drawn into any dramas so I just read,observe and stalk a few people here and there, LOL! I have been watching one particular person who honestly, I think is quite dumb. They certainly have made some really stupid life choices and I'm not sure if they know it. Occasionally, I have wondered if I should impart some of my wisdom to them but something stops me. Probably a wise thing to just let things lie. I think they would probably get psycho on me anyway tell me to mind my blankety-blank business. ;-) And I've certainly made some AWFUL choices in life so I guess I'm not one to preach....thank goodness I've learned some things since then. So, I guess I'm kind of wasting my time but it's sort of a guilty pleasure. Kind of like reality TV without the TV.  Part of me feels awful but the o...

and be grateful for it. ;-) Life has thrown us a curve ball and now it's time to go out and find a job. I will get more into detail when I'm given permission to say so but in the meantime I'm placing applications where I think I'd be a good fit. I'm trying not to be desperate quite yet. A couple of companies (always insurance, it seems) came a' calling but I will not work for those slimy door-to-door types. I am crossing my fingers for a particular position. The job closes tomorrow so they'll start reviewing the apps after that. I don't want to have to wait more than a couple of weeks for this....and I hope that I get this one or something similar within the same organization. Pray for me.....

Yes, yes..... it's more about coconut oil. Poor Mark, I go on and on about it and he just laughs. I guess the guys at work are making fun of him because everything I'm making (baked goods in particular) have coconut in them now. Seriously.... I have officially gone through my first jar (from Costco - the Nutriva brand) and I think it's doing some good things. I keep reading about the health benefits and I'm sold. I have lost 3 lbs of the weight that I had regained (not nice to lose 16 and gain back 8!).  I'm not doing a lot of exercise but have started a new regimen of walking and working out again. Hopefully I can stick to this since I have a show to do in late March and I don't want to feel winded and fat onstage. One great benefit I've notice so far is that my knees are not making those creaking noises and they don't hurt going down stairs. With all this excess weight I know my knees and feet have been taking a lot of pressure and the pain was...

Yes, this is a rant. I am sitting here on a semi cold day enjoying a hot chocolate at a cool coffee shop. So why the rant? I was checking emails and FB statuses (great game Seahawks!) and something struck me today. As an actor, I've been really lucky. I've had some great roles and been in some terrific shows. Lately, I've begun to realize how difficult it is to get roles as a woman reaching "middle age". I have a auditioned for a couple of things lately and not been cast (and that's okay!) and then I read an email from a man that has 3 shows lined up (overlapping) and possibly another if he gets in. I'm not mad at the actor - I'm mad that we don't do shows that feature more women since fewer men do theatre. Rejection is okay. That's a given in theatre. I just hate the unfairness of the sexes though. It's just a fact of life though and I have to deal with it. Okay. Back to my coffee shop and your regular daily programming. Go Seahaw...

I feel the need to be very clear and concise this morning. I'll try not to ramble. I don't normally believe in doing resolutions because they're bound to fail for me. But this year feels different. I've undergone serious changes over the past couple of years, including turning 50 last month! Happy birthday to me! I remember thinking how old 50 was! I'm happy to say that way of thinking is so wrong! I actually feel young! And smarter! Well, maybe 'wiser' is the better word here. ;-) Okay.... I'm taking the reins on accountability. If I fail, I won't beat myself up. I'll just keep at it. After all...is it actually a competition? Nope. It's about continuing to evolve and become a better me. So here's my list: 1) Lose weight and get in shape. I am tired of feeling heavy. It's more than actual numbers - it's the way I feel. I feel sluggish and slow.  I want to feel healthy. 2) Stop taking criticisms and corrections so persona...

Have you heard of Oil Pulling ? I've been reading more and more about it lately and finally convinced myself it was time to try it. I'm sitting here doing my obligatory 15 minutes of oil 'swishing' as I type this. ;-) For those of you that don't know about it, I encourage you to read about it. It's definitely got some interesting research results and after reading about how many germs live in our mouths (especially in the a.m.) I thought this might be healthful/helpful for me.  On a slight tangent (but not, actually), I am an avid Egyptologist kind of gal and having watched every NatGeo show on the topic (especially Pharaohs) and having read and read many books and finding out how dental disease basically killed one of the Pharaohs (a bad tooth sent infection/bacteria in the king's bloodstream, basically killing him) it reminded me of the proven results of oil pulling so I said 'why not?' I'm struggling with weight issues. I know I've r...

Oh yeah... I forgot to say "Happy New Year" in my last post!  LOL, when I get focused on cooking I don't remember what day it is! Okay, so my husband and I were in sunny San Diego for Christmas and my wonderful sister-in-law had this caramel corn sitting in bowls with all the other assorted yummy holiday treats on her kitchen counter. Because I have braces, I typically try to avoid caramel anything so I kind of poo-pooed it and ate the fudge instead. ;-) And I didn't realize this caramel corn was HOMEMADE until I'd been there for 5 days! She asked me if I'd help her make it and being the avid home chef/cook that I am I thought why not? I wasn't going to eat any but I could enjoy the smell of caramel (one of the best things on earth!). Let me tell you something, this stuff is CRACK. Way addicting. Beyond the normal caramel corn you get, even at the county/state fair or down at the local sweet shop. Making it yourself just adds that special something. An...

So I'm sure we all want to follow a recipe right to the letter...NOT. I am disappointed frequently with some 'famous' television personalities that claim they can cook and end up having shows and cookbooks. While they make millions on this mediocrity thousands of people are thinking this is 'good' food. Ugh... Well, I know that just because you're on TV it doesn't mean you have talent. I don't ever think I'd be one for the cameras but I do know what good food should taste like. I understand that some foods need to be slightly bland (especially when you have little ones!) but to put out boring and bland dishes for the masses bugs me. Kids need to taste things and make choices. It's about color and texture for them but they also need to taste. How else can they learn to like things? Okay, so I tried a pasta salad recipe from a tv show and while it was okay and fine for fussy kids it just bored me. So here's my slightly jazzed up version of ...

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...