Category Archives: Books

A Reading Day!

Good Morning!

I have had a very good weekend so far. I spent the day yesterday taking care of myself; writing, resting, taking some time to get pampered, spending some quality time with my sweetie. I met my girlfriend, Dawn, for dinner at Venti’s last night! I love catching up with Dawn! Things sound like they are going very well for her, but her story is not mine to tell. I am just so thankful that she is happy – she really deserves to be happy!!!  😉

We did get to do some wedding talk, which was fun! I have never been a matron of honor before and really don’t know what is expected, besides make sure that the bride is not stressed by anything on her wedding day!

Ok, done!

I CAN DO THAT!! 😉

Oh, yeah! That and the bachelorette party, but Dawn is so sweet, she said she didn’t care if that was just her and I going out and doing something fun!!! I think we should have a girls’ weekend up in Portland or Seattle, just the two of us! or maybe Sammy too!! We could take a leisurely train ride up, have a spa day, a staying in a FABULOUS hotel with a BEAUTIFUL view. Spending the whole weekend giggling, walking, shopping, good food, good drinks, take in some of the sights. I will have to run it by her and see what she thinks!! I think we should do that about a month before the wedding, so that she doesn’t have to worry about ANYTHING!!!! 😉

Yes, I can do that too!! 😉

Ok, so back to today, besides doing chores and getting ready for this week of work, I am going to be doing A LOT of reading!! I am in the middle of four different books right now, so I am trying to touch base with each one. The four books I am reading are:

  1. What the Deaf-Mute Heard
  2. Full Heart Satisfied Belly
  3. The Artist’s Way
  4. The City of Fallen Angels

However, my girlfriend, Chris, and myself are trying to read the new book by Cassandra Claire, City of Fallen Angels, together. This means that we have an agreed upon stopping point, and when we see each other at work, we discuss what we have read so far. Currently I am just starting chapter 5. Chris and I had agreed that we were going to read to chapter 10, but apparently it is getting good, because Chris texted me yesterday and told me that she was going through chapter 14! LOL!!!

So, I had really better get cracking!!! 😉

Right now, Jason and I are taking a break from chores, mainly so I can get my morning blog posted. We are listening to a variety of music playing – my i-pod actually! Right now one of my favorite Keili’i Reichel Hawaiian songs are playing. Jason just commented that he really liked it – I do to, it is very peaceful, and reminds me of my family!! 😉

Which reminds me, I had better call and touch base with them today so they don’t think that I have fallen off the face of the earth somehow!! 😉

Have a FABULOUS morning!! 😉

Hi, Honey! I’m Home!

Good evening!

I have just gotten home from work, and man did I have a rough day!! Nothing in particular, but there is just a lot of work coming at us, and not quite enough of us to get it all done yet. I am so excited that Julie starts on Monday, even though part-time, I can’t wait!! She will be a breathe of fresh air for our team! Aaaah!

Anyway, there are so many changes going on at work right now, I have decided to pull out my copy of the book, “Who Moved My Cheese?”. Have any of you read that book before? This is a book that I pull out occasionally when I am feeling a little unsure of what the future holds!! I am not sure if my cheese is going to be moved, but let’s just say that I am getting my running shoes on and getting prepared. I know my cheese is out there, I just have to go find it!!!

It is Tuesday, which means it is my turn to cook tonight, and I have TOTALLY FORGOTTEN!! So, I gave my husband my leftover lunch, and I think I will have a bowl of cereal! Not the dinner of champions, but there you go!! Actually I may try and get it together enough to maybe make myself a healthy breakfast burrito! Ok, that sounds good!! I hope my meager lunch fixings will tide my Sweetie over until dinner is made! 😉

I have not been sleeping well, I am not sure why. I have been getting to bed earlier and earlier, but I seem to just toss and turn all night, and last night, I sat awake in bed for about an hour and a half, which kind of negates the reason for going to bed early in the first place, don’t you think??? 😉 So, I am going to take myself to bed a little bit early tonight, and then try and get some reading done before it is actually time to go to sleep. I will see if that gets me through the night. I am also thinking about possibly taking a melatonin. I hear that is a chemical that is a normally occurring drug your brain releases, maybe that will work. Has anyone used melatonin before? I have had success taking it before, but it has been so long that I have forgotten if I stay asleep all night, or if I have any problems getting out of bed in the morning! Anyone else have those problems??

Alright, so I do seem to be rambling a bit this evening, so I am going to get on the ball, and go make us some dinner – that is unless I can sweetly talk my honey into doing it for us tonight, which would be AWESOME!!! 😉 UPDATE: my sweetie has agreed to make dinner!!! YEAH!!! He gets to claim so buck-o brownie points tonight!!! Won’t he be pleased about that???

Have a FABULOUS evening!!! 😉

Note to Chunky Dunkers: Don’t forget that tomorrow night is Chunky Dunker’s Club Night!! I hope that all of you can be there! It is ALWAYS so much fun when we have a full house!! It is in’t too late to get some extra exercise in, or plan on eating a couple of healthy meals before we meet tomorrow!!! I can’t wait to see you there!!! YOU CAN DO IT!!! 😉

My Goal List for 2011!

Good morning!

Well, I was up bright and early this morning at 6:45 AM. Apparently that is what my body thinks it is supposed to do when I want to sleep in on this lovely Saturday morning!! I guess it actually did sleep in, since I have been up and at ’em every morning this week at 5:30 am – so there you go!! 😉

Yesterday, I had started thinking about My Life List, and thought about how I was able to cross a couple of items off for this year, belly dancing, and being on time to everything for a week. I realize it is already April, but I figured now was better later late than never to decide what other things I want to accomplish this year, and thought I would share this list with you!!

  • Adopt something from the French culture
  • Bake an authentic French baguette
  • Bake fresh croissants
  • Become a plus-sized model for a day
  • Become a vegetarian for a week
  • Blog every day for a year
  • Build a piñata from scratch
  • Cancel cable for at least a month
  • Cook an entire meal for Jason’s family
  • Create a time capsule
  • Create a warm, inviting & comfortable home where everything in it has a designated place
  • Crochet a queen-sized blanket using a difficult stitch
  • Do an entire cross stitch pattern
  • Eat at Voodoo Donuts in Portland, OR
  • Fill up a journal from cover to cover
  • Form a choir to sing Christmas carols
  • Gather a group of people to blow bubbles in a public space
  • Get a passport
  • Get a professional facial
  • Get a tattoo
  • Get an article published in a magazine
  • Get CPR/First Aid certified
  • Get eyelash extensions
  • Get paid to do what you love
  • Give everyone homemade gifts for Christmas
  • Go a day without speaking
  • Go fruit picking
  • Go out dancing
  • Go rock hunting for geodes
  • Go to a large water park
  • Go to Disneyland with Jason
  • Go whale watching
  • Go whitewater rafting
  • Grocery shop using only reusable bags for an entire month
  • Grow a flower garden
  • Grow a veggie garden
  • Hang laundry in the sun to dry
  • Have $20,000 in Savings
  • Have a grown-up sleepover
  • Have a home with an antique hardwood floor
  • Have a pin-up style photography shoot
  • Have a prayer alter in my home with stair-stepped candles
  • Have my photography displayed in a gallery
  • Have something studded with crystals
  • Hike the longest trail at Silver Creek Falls
  • Hold a jumbo garage sale to downsize belongings
  • Knit a scarf
  • Learn an authentic Hawaiian recipe
  • Learn how to build an SSIS package
  • Learn how to hula hoop
  • Learn how to make a ribbon lei
  • Learn how to make a white sauce
  • Learn how to manage money
  • Learn how to serve cheese
  • Learn how to take pictures with a Brownie Camera
  • Learn how to tile
  • Learn how to walk in heels
  • Learn how to work the camping stove, propane lights, etc
  • Learn scary advance SQL – subselects, unions, temp tables, etc
  • Learn to authentically barbecue beef
  • Learn to belly dance
  • Learn to can food
  • Learn to make ambrosia
  • Learn to make doughnuts
  • Learn to play piano
  • Leave $100 for a haggard waitress
  • Leave yourself a letter in a library book
  • Live without eating out for one month
  • Live without junk food for one week
  • Love my entire wardrobe
  • Make & send my own Christmas cards
  • Make a loan to an entrepreneur in a developing country through www.kiva.org
  • Make a quilt
  • Make Aunt Alice’s somen noodle recipe
  • Make authentic spam musubi
  • Make butterscotch from scratch
  • Make fire without matches
  • Make marshmallows from scratch
  • Make pasta from scratch
  • Make something powered by a potato
  • Make sourdough bread
  • Make yogurt from scratch
  • Meet Della Reese
  • Memorize the preamble
  • Milk a cow
  • Milk a goat
  • No cussing for an entire week
  • Organize a group of friends to spend a day picking up trash/litter from a public space
  • Organize a large family picture
  • Organize all of our personal photographs
  • Organize the scariest place in the house
  • Own a home furnishings boutique
  • Paint a mural
  • Paint a self portrait
  • Pan for gold
  • Pay off all debt
  • Perform 100 sit ups in one sitting
  • Play an entire song on a cornet, again
  • Play ping pong with Jason
  • Publish an e-book
  • Read every book I own
  • Read The Art of Being a Woman
  • Record a lullaby CD with my dad for my child in a recording studio
  • Refinish a piece of furniture
  • Ride a bike for an hour
  • Ride a paddleboat
  • Ride on a ferris wheel
  • Ride on a merry-go-round
  • Ride on a ride that scares the shit out of you – DO IT ANYWAY!!!
  • Ride on a roller coaster
  • Run a mile
  • See a classy burlesque show
  • See a view from the penthouse
  • See one of the planes my dad worked on in the Navy
  • See Pink Martini live in concert
  • See the filming of a Twilight Saga movie
  • Sell all of my jewelry from my old jewelry business
  • Send a letter to a politician telling them, “Job well done!”
  • Send a letter to Elisa every month for a year
  • Send a message in a bottle
  • Sew an entire outfit
  • Spend the day searching the Oregon coast for glass floats
  • Start a book club
  • Start a personal black & white photograph gallery of friends & family
  • Surprise someone with May Day flowers (Ding & Run!)
  • Swim 10 laps non-stop
  • Take a child to OMSI
  • Take a cooking class
  • Take a nature walk & press the wild flowers you collect
  • Take a photography class
  • Take a weekend vacation by myself
  • Take a yoga class
  • Take Jason on a surprise trip
  • Throw Jason a HUGE un-birthday party!
  • Try 10 scary fruits
  • Try 10 scary non fruit/veggie foods
  • Try 10 scary veggies
  • Type up great-great grandma’s recipe book for the family
  • Vacation in a yurt
  • Visit a historical cave
  • Visit a movie studio
  • Visit the Hollywood Museum at Max Factor Building
  • Visit the Winchester House in San Jose, CA
  • Volunteer in a homeless shelter
  • Wear a hat in public
  • Wear a size 14 pant
  • Wear a t-shirt that you’ve creatively changed
  • Wear a veil in public
  • Weigh less than 220 pounds
  • Wire a lamp
  • Write a celebrity a fan letter
  • Write a letter to the President

Whew!! That is a HUGE list!! Today, I plan on baking fresh croissants today, which I have never done before! Wish me luck, baking is NOT my forte.

I am also going to be working on my cross stitch pattern, which I almost have done, and my knitting a scarf project, which is about halfway done!!

I want to go swimming, take the girls for a walk, possibly meet up with some friends for lunch, play some games with Jason, take a nap (it sounds like I will need it), do some neglected house chores, organizing, purging, and reading done!! Again, I say WHEW!!!

Have a FABULOUS day!! 😉

Sunday Evening Update!

Good evening!

Ok, so I realize this morning I said it was Saturday – WHOOPSIE!! That was just wishful thinking on my part, I am sure!!!

Jason threw his back out today, so all of my semi-grandiose plans changed to just minor, stay-at-home kind of plans, which has still been pretty good!! I have spent some time working on editing the pics for my Look Book. It is going to take me much longer than just one day, but I am soooooo excited to see it when it is finished!! I promise I will take pics and post them when I am done!

That is it, I got nothin’! I think my brain has taken a mini vacation! So until tomorrow…

Have a FABULOUS evening!!! 😉

 

 

Saturday of Fashion!

Good morning!

Today, it is time to get creative!!!

I am spending my Saturday morning putting together my own personal fashion, Look Book!! This is a 3 ring notebook of pics of all sorts of things about fashion. Clothing, outfits, hair, makeup, shoes, accessories – all sorts of pics that I hope will inspire and influence my own personal sense of style. So, I am set up with scissors, rubber cement, tons of white cardstock, and over a year’s worth of collected pictures, and cutouts from various fashion magazines!!! I have been collecting them for so long, and the stack was getting precariously high, that I figured I had better do something about getting them put into my look book, or else the whole stack was going to end up in the rubbish bin because I am sick of it all sitting there and not being used. The very thought made me feel ill, so here I am dealing with the seemingly never ending stack by putting it to good use!!!

I will place them into a three-ring notebook organized by tabs:

  1. Outfits – maybe Day, Work, Evening, Formal???
  2. Clothing
  3. Shoes
  4. Jewelry
  5. Other Accessories
  6. Lingerie
  7. Outerwear
  8. Hair/Makeup/Nails/Skin Care

I am not sure what else, this is a living work in progress!! So, once I am finished it might look COMPLETELY different then what I envision now! I will keep you posted! When I am finished I will make sure to post some pics so you can see too!! 🙂

Have a FABULOUS morning!!! 😉

The Chocolatier Is In!

Good evening!

This is going to be a nice and quick post! My sweetie is busy in the kitchen filling our home with the smell of chocolatey goodness! I took a quick peek, and what I saw made my mouth water!!! 😉 Our counters are covered with chocolate covered strawberries, haystacks galore, and a new invention that he dreamed up tonight, which doesn’t have a name yet. They look like haystacks, but they are dollops of crushed pretzels, chopped walnuts, and rich dark chocolate in the cutest little white paper cups – very creative, my love!! I can’t wait to taste one of your delectable homemade treats!! 😉

Anyway, just to give you an update on what I did today…well, nothing too exciting! I spent most of the day by myself, which was kind of a nice change from the norm! I hit St Vincent de Paul’s to check out their book selection, and of course I walked away with 3 books, but one of them is a gift, so I don’t feel too badly about that! Besides they totalled exactly $3.50 – so there you go!!

Next, I headed over to the craft store, which was ABSOLUTELY SWAMPED!!! There were people doing craft classes, and demos in almost every department, but I still managed to spend at least an hour toodling around, looking for inspiration and ideas, and I am very proud to say that I got out of there empty handed – thank you very much – that took the will of a saint!!! 😉

Afterwards, I met Jason for a very late lunch at one of our favorite little restaurants, and have spent the rest of the afternoon at home, watching a couple episodes of Bones, and spending time together just the two of us and our two little girls hanging out! Now he is busy creating all kinds of goodies out in the kitchen! Well, I am going to have to do some extra working out to keep on track with my fitness plan, but don’t you worry! I will behave!!

As for you…

Have a FABULOUS evening!!! 😉

Note to Chunky Dunkers: This is a good time to say that you don’t have to give up all of your favorites to get fit and healthy. Just remember to enjoy your favorites in moderation. It is all about balance!! GO CHUNKY DUNKERS!!! 😉

A Productive Morning!

Good morning!

Whew! This morning has been VERY productive!!! Last evening, I had purchase a book called “The Artist’s Way Morning Pages Journal” by Julia Cameron. Well, you can go read for yourself what that is, but basically it a guided journal that instructs you to tap into your inner-self by writing 3 pages of your thoughts first thing every morning!! For someone like me who seems to constantly be writing, that was a lot harder than I could have imagined!!! You are not supposed to “cheat” and type out the words, you are supposed to be engaging your whole self while you are being tactile with paper, pen, and writing your thoughts out long hand. Well, about a page and half into my writing this morning I was dealing with some serious writer’s cramp!!! All of my years of computer programming is catching up with me because my carpel tunnel is apparently just out of control! However, what came out on paper, kind of surprised me, and I can see how doing this exercise every morning, for the prescribed 12 weeks, could be VERY eye opening to what is going on inside of you. So, when I finished my third page, I had this strange sense of calmness, relief, and accomplishment. When I was finished I reread everything I had just spent the last hour writing, and I am not sure I would call it writing, but it is definitely a true representation of how my brain thinks, and my mind wanders from one topic of conversation to another. I think this Julia Cameron knows what she is doing, and I can’t wait to see what I discover about myself in the coming weeks!! I will keep you posted!!! 😉

Next on my self-appointed to-do list this morning was to get my taxes filed, both federal and state. Check and Check!! This was a lot more time consuming and more expensive than I was expecting, but it is done, and they are submitted, AND I am getting a nice return – WHOO! HOO! But, not that it is done, I am feeling very much at peace. I think balance might be something that may just be achievable!!

Next on my list is take Jason over to his truck, which is at his sister’s place, so he can go get some work done, and then I am going to take myself for a walk, and maybe watch a movie with the kiddos! We will see, I heard that they hadn’t watched Tangled yet, and now that Uncle Jay-Jay has bought it for me, and I LOVE IT, I thought it might be fun to share it with them!!! TOO FUN!!!

That is it for my plans today, but I know that after Jason is done working, we are talking about going out on a date! That should be fun!!! I may have to call our friends Dawn, and Erin and see if they are up for a get together!!! So, we will see where the rest of today leads us!!

Have a FABULOUS morning!!! 😉

An Evening In My Head!

Good evening!

My sweetie and I just got back from an evening that started hanging out with the family. After spending some time catching up with mom, we got the opportunity to hang out with the niece and nephews! Megan went on a walk with me through the neighborhood chatting up a storm, while Uncle Jay-Jay did some work on his truck. After we got back, and Jason finished up his work, we rounded up the kids around the outdoor basketball net and we played a game of H-O-R-S-E out in the street, which was soooo much fun!!! There was a lot of bantering and fun ribbing between the kiddos and us “old folks” (yes, unfortunately, that would be us!) 😉 I think I will have to swing by tomorrow and do that again!!!

Later tonight, Jason and I eventually found our way over to one of our FAVORITE places, Border’s. I did manage to find 3 clearance books to go home with me this evening! WHOO! HOO!! Only $12 – I LOVE THAT!! More importantly, Jason and I had a sweet evening just reading, walking around, people watching, and just enjoying each other’s company!

I really am so in love with that man of mine!
I realize what a fortunate girl I am!!

Jason and I don’t have any extravagant plans for this weekend. Jason is going to work tomorrow, and I am not exactly sure what I am going to do just yet, but I am sure that I will find something creative!! Maybe I will sweetly ask if we can sneak in an episode of Bones before bed! We will see!!! 😉

Have a FABULOUS evening! 😉

A Taxing Kind of Morning!

Good morning!

Having meditated before bed last night, which in turn caused me to fall asleep faster, I woke up early this morning raring to go!! I’ve decided that I needed to gather my tax papers so that I can file my taxes! I was sure I had a fail-safe plan when I chose a location to “stash” all of the random incoming papers, so as not to lose them, but unfortunately there must have been some kind of a hiccup in my plan, because I am missing two very important papers! Dang! It is going to cause me to have to serious spend some time this evening looking for them!! Oh well, that will teach me!

As I continue to think about where I could have placed those tax papers, I look around and see a couple of stacks of things that just need to be donated, or even tossed in this room! I am sitting in our spare room, which has kinda become a craft room/office/mini library. As you may already know, I go through phases of cleaning/purging/using this room, and other times this room stays completely closed up and unused all together! Sad, really! and what a waste of square footage!! My office is talking about having us telecommute on a more permanent basis, since desk space is becoming a rarity at work right now, which means that this would be the room that I would have to work out of. In it’s current state, I am not sure that would be possible! Not to mention, this chair is not meant to be sat on for long periods of time!!! I think what I am trying to say, is that I have got to keep making this room more of a priority to get FINISHED!!! This room could be such a SWEET spot!! I will get on that!! 😉

As for work today??? Well, I am going to have to be a little more focused in my tasks otherwise I will have a repeat of yesterday, where I had gotten a lot of work done, but they may not have been the BEST use of my time! I have some big assignments that a lot of people are waiting for! I am hoping to knock one of those out of the ballpark today and into the hands of one of my customers!!! That would make for a GREAT day!! 😉

I am going to run and set myself up for a LEVEL 10 day!!! as for you…

Have a FABULOUS day!! 😉

Another Lazy Sunday!

Good morning!

It looks like it is going to be another lazy Sunday around my house today! My hubby is still sick, but apparently going to fight it, until I can finally convince him to get back into bed!! The dogs are happy, fed, and snuggled up against my side while I blog this morning – I really love that.

It is rather quite this morning at my place. The only sound going right now, is the sound of the heater blowing, which is kind of nice when your week is full of crazy hububb-iness!! The sky is the limit for what I can do today, but I think I am leaning towards going swimming, to give my body a good stretch and workout!

Talking about taking care of my body, well – I have been tracking my food with a daily calorie goal in mind, and for me, that is going to be my bread and butter for getting fit and healthy. It seems to be the only thing that makes the scale tip in my favor – which really makes this girl HAPPY!!! 😉 Water has always been something I like to drink, but I find that when I drink AT LEAST 2 liters a day – OR MORE, that is when my scale likes to cooperate with me too!!! So I am trying REALLY HARD to stay on top of that!! As for exercise, right now SWIMMING is my saving grace. It is the only place in this world where I feel not only weightless, but graceful!! I can do things in the water that I could NEVER do out in the real world – not at the weight and size that I am. With the addition of my friends and family for support, I know that fitness is something that I can and will achieve!!!

OK, I am not sure where that tangent came from, but let’s talk about books for a moment! I would love nothing more than to spend a few hours reading today, but I am having trouble finding a good book worth diving head-first into, to be enveloped inside of it’s delicious story!! This is soooo ironic because my library consists of over 1000 books from which to choose from, and most of which I have never even have read yet. Part of my problem is my self-appointed guilt that I feel whenever I start to read a book and don’t like it – for some reason I feel like I have to read the entire book, no matter how much I feel like I am just trudging on! In some kooky way I feel like I am somehow being disrespectful to the book! OK, TOTALLY CRAZY, I KNOW!!! LOL!! 😉 I will have to just suck it up today, and start reading. I just know I have quite a few gems in this collection that, once I find, I will be kicking myself for not having found them sooner!!!

Another thing I was just thinking of, was my sis, Nette, is remodeling her house. Most of the family is helping her, except me. You see, everyone knows that if you want design ideas, decorating tips & hints, a shopping buddy, I am your girl, BUT if you need some manual labor of any kind, you might as well call someone else (sorry, sis!!!). 😉 This may stem from the fact that I NEVER like to get my hands dirty! This has been a long standing joke in my family! Ever since I can remember I have HATED to get my hands dirty!!! My dad says, that I could have been covered from head to toe in all sort of mud, dirt and grime, but if my hands got dirty, I would come running over, crying, until someone wiped them off and then I would run off to play some more with the rest of my filthy self! All of the witnessing adults would look at each other as if they had just come into contact with an alien species, and laugh their heads off!!! Well, as much as I hate to admit it, I STILL HATE to get my hands dirty – TO THIS DAY!!! I am not sure what that is all about, but I have a nephew who is EXACTLY THE SAME WAY!! So, I am TOTALLY SURE that it must be something genetic!! Well, at least that is my story, and I AM STICKING TO IT, well, as long as my hands don’t get dirty in the process!! LOL! 🙂

Thanks for sticking with me this morning, as I see my post today is pretty random!! Now you have a sampling of what it is like to be inside of my head – scary right??? LOL! 😉

Have a FABULOUS day!!! 😉