Happy New Year

Hey, A,

Another storm, another year...

Just a quick note to say thanks...I've had a great year and you are a big part of all that was great. I have so enjoyed getting reconnected, and doing so here. What a bonus that in getting back in touch, that in feeling like I really know you again, I feel like a writer again, too.

Amanda, I feel like we both have a gift, this natural ability to string words together that some people long for. In simply sharing it with each other I feel like we are paying respect to that. What a waste it would be if we were crafting funny or poignant thoughts only in our heads.

What comes from my head or starts in my heart I am always comfortable bringing to our page, and I am eternally grateful to you for sharing this place to which I can show up day after day.

I hope 2009 is even bigger and better for us than 2008. What I look forward to most is sitting across a table and saying these things to you with my vocal chords, while my fingertips rest--around what will undoubtedly be one of the best cups of coffee of my life.

Love to you and yours,
Barb

Dinkin' Around Day

Hey, A.

I am in vacation mode in a major way....I have been dinkin' around today--all day. I slept in, read a little, cleaned out one of my kitchen cupboards, then went out to mail Netflix and my car loan payment. I ended up at Michael's and a couple other stores, and finally got back home at 2. I put my new 75 cent white snowflake garland on my tree (it occurred to me that something was missing), made myself lunch (that curried chicken salad, but on a bagel today), and thought about whether I wanted to take myself out to dinner tonight or go out for lunch tomorrow. In the spirit of vacation, I decided that a grown-up lunch will be a good vacation thing to do. I can go out to dinner with W this weekend, and any night of the school week for that matter. I don't often get to be a lady who lunches, however. So tonight I'll try another new recipe and will make Gorgonzola pear quesadillas when I get hungry. If I had apples and brie on hand, I'd try that too. I thought for me it can be lunch or dinner in a pinch, but 1/4 of one, served artfully with a bit of lightly tossed salad would be a great first course for a dinner party. Anyway, back to my play-by-play. (Dear Diary, I am on vacation.) After lunch, I changed wallets (I think my new wallet would look good with your new bag, btw) and finally figured out my Bluetooth. Now I'm thinking about heading upstairs to clean my tub and shower--my least favorite chore in all the world--but am clearly procrastinating just a little while longer. Maybe I'll wash and spin my romaine lettuce first.

I tell you again, I want to be a stay at home mom, without kids. lolol

Hope you're having a good day.

Love, B

PS So you finished The Glass Castle. Craziness. In one word. That's exactly what D said. She also said it's so friggin' crazy you can't make it up. Compelling, disturbing, riveting, all of those things. I suppose now that I have two BFFs giving it a thumbs up, I should put it on my list of things to read. Maybe this summer.

Crazy IS relative

Hey,

It's almost midnight, again, and I have just finished The Glass Castle. I haven't been so caught up in a story in a very long time; it's a memoir, but it's a novel and a fairy tale and a tragedy and a comedy all at the same time. I hope you choose to pick it up. It truly is one of the most remarkable books I have ever read.

It does beg the question, however: "Why in the world am I in therapy??? " Talk about perspective. Talk about crazy is relative. Wow.

I just hope they don't make a stupid movie and crucify it. There are some books that should be left on the page.

More tomorrow,
Love, A

Noteworthy Nonfiction

Hey, A,

Laundry is done, housecleaning still awaits, but I thought I'd write (and read) a bit before continuing with chores. It's only 6:30 after all....(vacation rocks!)

I ran a couple of errands earlier in the day before I did my laundry and was almost tempted into running out again (I started craving mussels--random), but decided I needed to stay focused. Furthermore, I had defrosted some chicken to make curried chicken salad and it would have been a waste to go with the craving. I'm so glad I stuck with the chicken, as it was delicious. The recipe came from my Everything TJs cookbook from C. It calls for Thai Yellow Curry sauce (which I already had on hand in the fridge) and mango ginger chutney (which I picked up on Saturday when I went to TJs with my gift certificate). Rather than add grapes, I added Craisins (because I had them) and some candied walnuts; and I had it on a nice roll that I had in the freezer (instead of buying pita). To bring a long story back down to size, the chicken salad was delicious and I'd make it again, I'd even serve it to guests, and I'll keep using Ina Garten's tip of roasting skin-on, bone-in chicken breast rubbed with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper when I make any chicken salad. It's tasty and inexpensive, and the skin is a nice little snack. Oink Oink.

I think I'll do mussels on Wednesday night, as my New Year's Eve treat. W doesn't like seafood much, and although he is coming down, he is not coming until New Years Day, so that will be a little something special to look forward to for my solo celebration. It's all good.

D read The Glass Castle and loved it. She told me all about it and found it riveting as well. I still have not picked it up, but thought I might put it on my list of things to read. I do read non-fiction on occasion, and that seems worth the read. I am actually reading non-fiction right now, a book I got for Christmas from L, recommended by D, called Garlic and Sapphires. It's by Ruth Reichl, whose Tender at the Bone you gave me years ago and I loved. This one is about her years as a food critic at the New York Times. So although it's homework of a sort, I love her and think she's a great writer. She could make day old, dried out boxed mac and cheese sound both scrumptious and sumptuous. In fact, she could probably get me to eat shoe leather. After I'm done with G and S, it's on to Wally Lamb's new tome, which should take me the better part of 2009....

So that's my day in a nut shell. I'll spend the rest of it reading and cleaning. I might also finish some writing I started a couple of days ago.

Have I mentioned how much I love vacation?????

Love,
Barb

PS I think the shoes would look great with jeans and a black top or black pants and fun color top. My two cents, so you can save yours from the Nordstrom monster.

Monday - NOT!

Good morning, Barb.

Comfy jams. New coffee cup. Great book. Inspiration. These are the things I woke up with this morning, and indeed, all are made so much better by the fact that it's still vacation! Loved reading from you this morning and was happy to hear you had such an enjoyable Sunday night. (OMG - T! That's been awhile, eh?) Sounds like a lot of fun, and just what the doc ordered for the migraine.

We finished the weekend quietly last night after C went home. We had a blah dinner and then JJ and I sat down to read for a bit before bedtime. Three hours later, when he had long gone to bed and I caught a glimpse at the clock - midnight - I forced myself to put my book down and call it a night. I am reading The Glass Castle by Jeannette Wells, which I have wanted to read for over a year. I absolutely cannot put it down, B. This is such a cliche, but it's riveting. I seriously could have stayed up and finished it, cover to cover, if I didn't have to get up and be a mom today. I can't wait to find time today to curl up and get back into it.

Not that I couldn't be doing that right now...but like I said, I woke up with inspiration. Ok, maybe I didn't wake up with it, but it came to me early; I feel like writing today, and I want to get to it before I lose it. My to-do list is long, and my house is a complete mess, but I've neglected my blog for too long. Priorities.

Honestly, you didn't know I was a high-heeled shoe ho? Good lord, I'm the queen of heels. And yes, I probably do have all those foot afflictions - which is why I don't go barefoot - but I willingly pay the price, most of the time. Which is not to say that I don't change into my slippers the minute I walk through the door of my house, like Mr. Rogers changes his sweater. The ones J gave me are a little crazy, even for me, but I spied them weeks ago and he remembered. Who knows what I'll wear them with. I'm planning to debut them at K's New Years tapas party, so I guess i had better get my butt over to Nordstrom pretty soon and find a complimenting outfit. Because I'm made of money, right.

Talk at you later,
Love, A

Holiday Cheers!

Have I mentioned how happy I am to be on vacation?...This coffee tastes better and this robe feels more comfortable than usual. I don't need to choose between the book on my coffee table and my to-do list, and my to-do list isn't daunting. I'm so in vacation mode I actually went out on a Sunday night!!!

My friend L called after the game to let me know that she and her husband D were heading to our old local haunt (the Polish place you've been to). I had a migraine and really wasn't up for it, but knew it was the right thing to do. I find it so easy to hibernate, and am usually so content to do so, which is exactly why I decided I should seize the opportunity to be social. I'm glad I did. Our friend T (yes, that T) was also there with his girlfriend and he's always a hoot, and we had a lot of fun. As I was pulling down my street at 10 (on a Sunday!), I was glad for every minute I was out, and thought about how rarely I do something like that anymore. Usually I go out by myself for dinner, or with C or W for drinks or dinner. I can't remember how long it's been since I stood with a group of old friends at a bar and laughed like crazy.

I think I'll sign off for now before I refill my coffee, but may be back between loads of laundry or later in the day.

Love,
B

Barb's Bistro

Good morning!

Whoa! Daring shoes, Amanda! I don't really remember you as a high heel girl (maybe that's because I only saw you dressed up for the classroom) but am impressed that you can wear them! More so I am stunned that you are not ailing from some combination of heel spurs or bunions or hammer toes that would prevent you from doing so. You go, girl. Love the bag! Shoes and bags: a girl's best friend. I heart shoes and bags.

I thought I'd write this morning before I get started on my brunch for one at Barb's Bistro, and also so that I might get back into a daily, morning writing habit this vacation. I have been able to click some things out lately but have been distracted--understandably, I think. The holidays--first Thanksgiving, then getting ready for Christmas, then Christmas itself-- become a priority for all of us. Anyway, I hope to write a little more over vacation since I'll have the time--at least until W comes down next week.

The Patriots play at one and I have a bottle of champagne in the fridge so I'm going to have a fairly typical Sunday as I mentioned above--brunch and mimosas. Only I have no school tomorrow, which makes today entirely different. After the game I won't be thinking about what outfit I'm going to wear and what I'm taking to lunch tomorrow. I won't be worrying about what papers I might need to correct or what I have to photocopy first thing in the morning as soon as I walk into the building. Yay me.Tonight I would take up an invitation (should one come my way) to visit with someone, or might even tackle a project or two.

I think I heart vacation more than shoes and bags. Maybe not. But the three might tie today with mimosas and brunch...

I hope you have another great day. I loved reading about your Christmas and am so happy knowing that you are in a good way, surrounded by those you love and enjoying the spirit of the holidays.

Love you,

Barb

Hey there!

What a beautiful bargain post-Christmas gift to yourself! I, too, have the vase o' ornaments, but different altogether. Love it!!

Just a short note while I have a moment (which I really don't, since my house is full of kids (shocker!) and M is about to come downstairs in search of computer time. C and J should be home from shopping sometime soon...so here's my best effort!

Christmas was a really good day. I received very nice gifts: a killer purse from C, a kick-ass pair of shoes from my hub; stuff that was meaningful: "Football For Dummies" from JJ, my bronzed baby shoes and silver cup from my mother; and household appliances I had been begging for, since I'm not opposed to those as gifts: a tea kettle and a new vacuum! We lounged around, J cooked a big ole breakfast of eggs and sausages and croisssants and cinnamon rolls; C and I enjoyed Bloody Marys...opened presents, cleaned up a bit, seasoned my Prime Rib and put in the oven, took a nap, made a pie...somewhere around 3:30 I took a shower. At 4:30 we took our roast and our wine down to my brother's house for dinner. CC had invited a couple she knows (D&M) (she worked with M a couple of years ago). They were very nice, if young. Actually, they graduated from high school the same year as C. So they probably felt like they were have dinner with their parents' friends, but they seemed to have fun. J, Brother J, CC and I were all ready for our semi-annual game of Trivial Pursuit ( Thanksgiving and Christmas, always boys vs. girls), but when I brought up playing a game, D's eyes lit up and he asked "Is it Rock Band??"

Soooo....we played Rock Band, instead. Not that it wasn't fun; I am a sucky drummer by the way. Bro J had set up a big 1000 piece puzzle, which is traditional at my parents' house, so a few of us sat around working on that too. It was actually a very fun evening and the food was terrific. My prime rib (first time out) was fabulous. No one told me that it was easier to make than a box of Mac and Cheese, or I would have been making it long before now.

We came home around 10:00 or so; M had hooked up with some friends to spend the night (long story) and the rest of us were wiped out. All in all it was a super day.

Yesterday, C and I sat around the house ALL DAY and did NOTHING. She got a shower in early on, but I didn't do that until 5:00. Honestly, we didn't do a single thing, other than, oh yeah, vacuum. Because I could. Last night T called to ask what I was making him for dinner, so - you guessed it - everyone came over. K&R got home from Winthrop and came by for a drink too. We grilled paninis and then oinked out on the four thousand plates of cookies and candy and coated popcorn that's clogging up my kitchen counter. I was out like a light by 10:00, even though I had only had a couple of drinks all night. Probably from being stagnant all day.

This morning S and K went post-holiday sale shopping, J & C went return-shopping and R & T went to Ikea for some reason. I really had no desire to go anywhere so I took the kids. I called CC and invited my nephew A to come over, then I took all four boys to see Bedtime Stories. I had wanted to see it anyway; I wasn't disappointed. I love Adam Sandler. It was a cute movie. They all wanted to come back here and play war so that's what they've been doing ever since.

I think I'll try to get some ironing done and get a little caught up on the laundry. Seems like I haven't done laundry in a month, the amount that's sitting there. No plans for the rest of the weekend; next week I have a couple of appointments and will probably go do my own shopping stuff one day.

Oh, I almost forgot. Get this: yesterday, out of the middle of flippin' nowhere, K called M. Hey, like how was your Christmas? Want to go to lunch sometime? My God but he's a nut. M wasn't all that impressed, and when I offered to take him up there for a lunch date, he declined. Mom, I don't really want to go, he told me. What damage has been done. How sad.

And on that note, I'm so sorry about your cousin's cancer. There is always hope, so I'll keep her in my prayers. Hang in there.

More later if I get inspired...enjoy your day!

Love you,

A

Very Vacation

Good morning, Amanda.

Well, it's morning for you but afternoon here, although I must say that one of the things I enjoy most about vacation is how similar morning and afternoon and night can be. I spent as much time this morning in pajamas with no lights on but my Christmas tree, flipping through cookbooks and whiling away the hours as I did last night.

I am headed out to Trader Joe's in a little bit with a list of things to check out and a list of things to buy. In addition to a gift certificate to TJs, C also gave me a cookbook of recipes made with all things TJs, and I thought I might try a couple over vacation. I figured it will be a nice Saturday afternoon adventure for me to take the drive and poke around. While I'm out, I may stop somewhere for a quick lunch.

I hope you had a great Christmas, as I did, although I found out that my cousin's cancer has spread. The miraculous improvement lost its footing and she has three new spots on her bones. They are going to change her meds (she's been on Tamoxifin) and see what happens. Apparently, at this point they won't do IV chemo again, and it's never been about a cure for her. Rather, it's been about maintenance and quality of life, slightly extending her life expectancy. Kind of hard to take in and process, but we are all still hopeful.

But enough of that sad stuff. It's vacation! I almost did a back flip when I realized that I still have a whole week of vacation left. YAY.

Can't wait to hear about your Christmas and visit with C.

Love,

B

Merry Christmas!

Great to hear from you, Amanda. I'm glad all is well in your corner of the world.

Things here are good as well; I didn't get much time to do nothing today, but have enjoyed today nonetheless. I spent the morning wrapping, then made cupcakes and decorated them, then got myself showered and dressed and ready to go. I just got back from my errands--milk, champagne (for mimosas tomorrow), and dry cleaning. Now I have an hour before I leave for my family's Christmas Eve celebration.

It's raining here and not very Christmassy, but at least we got enough snow over the last few days that it won't all melt so it will still be a white Christmas.

Enjoy your winter wonderland. Merry Christmas to you and J, C, JJ and M.

Love you,
Barb

Catching up!

Well, hello there.

I seriously checked out, didn't I?! Sorry about that! I was so happy to see that you continued to write anyway, and am finally at a point of P&Q where I can write for a minute.

Backing all the way up to Friday -- turns out J and I went shopping after all. School was called off for the third day in a row. I never made it over to S' for coffee and tv; J worked in the morning then came home and we went out for most of the rest of the day. We got almost everything done, then had an appetizer and a beer at Red Robin. It was actually a nice afternoon, even if he is a complete workaholic. Saturday, I dinked around, shopped with M a little, then came home to go to the movies with K. The weather was so bad, though, that we bagged it in the end and everyone stayed home. It was kind of nice, just us hanging out here; M was at a friend's and JJ was over at JL's until 9:30 or something crazy like that, so it was just the two of us, wrapping presents and hanging out.

Sunday we did more wrapping...S and I went to Target etc. in the yukky weather for awhile. That evening KB and her husband (the crazy one whom I had not yet met) came for dinner. We had really been dreading it for days; JB has told me so much about this guy and what nut job he is, I didn't have any desire to meet him at all. Eventually, though, we couldn't get out of it, so they arrived here at 5:00 for dinner, with the intention of it being an early night. At least that was the plan.

OMG. "Nut job" doesn't cover it. LOUD, obnoxious, annoying, never shuts up, weird, insecure, socially retarded...that comes a bit closer. I'm surprised J made it all the way to 10:30 when they finally left; he literally shut the front door, said goodnight to me, and went to bed. I stayed up and did some dishes then crashed too. The guy's a big drinker and, well, so am I, so I was pacing myself alongside of him (mostly because it was easier to deal with him that way). It was so painful - he's just unbearable. I was so glad to have gotten it over with; now the trick will be to not have to do it again any time soon. Or ever.

I did make a killer chicken fettucine alfredo, though, with crumbled bacon...it rocked. Fresh French bread and Caesar salad...warm gingerbread for dessert. I was a little intimidated at first because KB's husband, (GG) is somewhat of a chef, I guess. She's always telling me about these dishes he makes and how much he loves to cook, blah, blah, blah. You know me, I can feed my family, but I'm no Giada. I tried to make something with which I was familiar, yet would be a little more impressive than the average chicken dish with sides. He turned out to be such a whack that he could have been Emeril himself, and I wouldn't have felt bad if I had served Kraft Mac and Cheese.

Yesterday I did the daycare thing again. T and S went shopping and my sister-in-law let me borrow my nephew to help entertain their youngest. Then JL came over and we all (six kids and me) walked to Wendy's in the foot-deep snow. That was actually pretty fun; M helped a lot. He's so good that way. Of course, there was free food in it for him, so that was good incentive. When we got back, the boys headed out to play in the snow and JL and I curled up on the couch to watch The Polar Express. About halfway through it I decided to make cookie dough. When I accidently put twice the amount of sugar in, I had to double the recipe. This jammed up my KitchenAid to the point that it took like an hour to get all the dough mixed. By that time, I didn't have any desire to make the actual cookies, so I put it all in the fridge and called it good.

K and R left today for their Christmas in Winthrop (eastern WA, where their youngest son lives) so last night, she made tacos for all of us. BBQ pulled pork - hello! I ate two of those, then later had a plateful of the meat. That was after my half of the bottle of Walmart wine (not bad - better than $2 Chuck) and a fair-sized chunk of leftover gingerbread. An hour after dessert, S went back for seconds, so I figured, hey! Why not? It was amazingly good.

S and I left a little early - she to put her kids to bed and me because I was tired. M had come over earlier to eat (and found his Santa gift in K's garage when he went out to get a pop - that SUCKED) and JJ was spending the night at a friend's house, so it was nice to have grown up time. It was our "Christmas dinner" for BLU; we are doing a big New Year's thing with Kim and Josh too, when everyone is back in town.

Today J and I were up and out of here at 5:30am to get to Seattle for his 6:45 cataract surgery. All went well and he's been crashed out on the couch for most of the afternoon. Tomorrow we have to go back up there for a follow-up, which I'm not looking forward to. The city was a flippin' mess today - the streets are horribly icy and bumpy with frozen snow. It took us about 45 minutes to go six blocks. It's supposed to snow again tonight, so tomorrow morning ought to be fun. Not. I hate driving in that.

And there you have it, my update. M's off to meet a friend here in a minute (he worked today) and JJ's out somewhere in the snow - I've hardly seen him in a week. I was contemplating making pork chops for dinner, but I'm wondering if it's worth the effort. I also gave some thought to making those cookies, but as of right now, it's not looking good. I'm much more inclined to sit on the couch, watch tv and go to bed early. Tomorrow, C will (hopefully) be here by dinner time, so I've got her room and the bathroom to clean...that can most certainly wait til the last possible minute. I just hope that, if it snows, it's not awful, and she can make it up here in her little car.

I'll make it a point to call you tomorrow and check in verbally before Christmas. I am surprisingly DONE with everything gift-related, so I'll have some time to kick back and enjoy this first nearly-stress-free holiday. No need to bump up the meds; the dose I'm on seems to be perfect even for the rough patches. Yahoo!!

Hope you guys had fun this evening and that you areenjoying the beginning of your Christmas break. Talk to you tomorrow!

Love you,

A

Ho Ho Ho

Good morning, Stranger.

Today is the never ending day around here. I'm just eating my way through it. Teachers bring food and the secretaries set up a buffet. I started with kielbasa (my contribution) during B period, as well as seafood salad and crackers, a couple of shrimp cocktail. Last period, D, I went for a couple different kinds of meatballs and a couple different chili dips. And I'm not even full.

After school I'm heading to the mall with C. We're going to have a glass of wine before I finish my shopping or shoot myself, whichever comes first. haha. Then it's homeward bound to collapse around packages, wrapping paper, and more wine. Tomorrow I plan to sleep in, make cupcakes, and clean up the holiday debris. I hope I have a little time left to do nothing until it's time to go to my aunt and uncle's.

Hope all is well with you, that you are ready for Christmas and got there without having to bump up your meds. ;-)

Love you! Barb

Winding Down

Hey, A,

Whoa. Where does the time go? It's already Monday night????!?!?!! Clearly neither of us has been in the mood to write or we've been short on time. I think both apply on my end...

I just got home from a little get together with my friend K (sesame Jack strips and a drink at Friday's in between last minute shopping errands) and I am not motivated to wrap all the sh*t I brought in, so I thought I'd say an overdue hi instead.

I spent Saturday, our reprieve between storms, shopping, then took myself out for dinner at Outback. I swear when I sat down to my steak on Saturday night I had been hungry for a meal , a real meal, since I left holiday happy hour on Thursday. I think I would have been happy with a dried out pork chop and soggy broccoli--as long as it required a dinner plate, fork and knife. As it turned out, the steak was rockin', as was my salad to start and my beans and garlic mashed potatoes. Oh yeah, I went all out. Then Sunday, I snuck out before the 1 o'clock Pats game for a couple more hours of shopping at the early end of storm #2. I drove home with a migraine so ended up taking it easy most of the day. By night time, however, I was ready for some wrapping and cookies. I went to bed later than I should have, but we had a delay today, so it all worked out in the end.

I could have (and should have) finished shopping tonight, but decided to wait until tomorrow since I'll be out after school for a Christmas wine toast with C. I'm sure I'll regret the decision as soon as I'm stuck in gridlock, but tonight it seemed like the right choice. Just as I'm sure I'll regret buying a big bag of M&Ms tonight when I weigh myself on January 2, but tonight, as I snack on them, and tomorrow morning when I have a handful with my coffee and relive one of my top five flavor combinations, I'm so very very content.

I hope you 've been caught up in the holiday season and spirit and are enjoying the festivities at BLU, and assume that's why I haven't heard from you. Give a shout when you get a minute--here or on the phone.

Love you,
B

Festive Flakes

Hey there, A.

We are in the middle of our first significant storm, and I am enjoying my first snow day--although not as I had originally planned...

Last night, after our holiday happy hour, we all left with no idea of whether we'd go in today and be released early, or if we'd get a snow day. This storm had been predicted for days, but the timing was iffy. It was supposed to get here between 10 and 1, which made calling the day difficult for superintendents--especially since weather forecasts have been wrong before. I went to bed hoping for a snow day, but with no expectations. When I got my call at 5 am I was thrilled.

I went back to sleep and finally got out of bed at 8:30. I had coffee, checked email and blogs, then thought I might run a couple of Christmas errands before the storm, and I did, but not before having a panic attack when I checked my bank balance and found no payroll deposit there. I called the admin offices and got the story (not worth repeating here and getting all worked up again), then got in my sweats and drove out to school. I ran my errands and did some Christmas shopping after that, and since the first flakes were just barely starting to fall at 1, I decided to take myself out to lunch--while wearing no makeup, bad pony tail, and fleece sweats. I got a couple of mini burgers and a half salad at the Ninety-Nine next to my supermarket and enjoyed every bite with a glass of Shiraz. What a treat! By the time I walked out it was snowing pretty hard so my timing was perfect. I got home at 2, just when the last bell would have been ringing for the end of the day.

I may try to get cards done (wasn't that the original plan?) tonight, but I may just relax. Tomorrow will be another crazy day of running around and trying to get my Christmas shopping done, so tonight I may take it easy. Then Sunday we're supposed to have another storm, so that might be my wrapping and cards day while I make a pot of chili.

Speaking of cards, I got yours today and love it! As much as I had gotten a sneak peek at the photo shoot, it was nice to get the card. What a great picture....I also tried to call, but you didn't answer your cell. I know you had breakfast plans today (yum...it inspired me to put sausage on my grocery list) (and what sounds like an awesome night last night!) and maybe haven't made it home yet....I'll try again later. And, since I'm snowed in, you can find me here.

Merry Merry! Cheers! Love, Barb

Crazy Busy

I find it hard to believe that we're having snow days and you aren't. I'm thinking we have half the snow you do - we're just so ill-equipped to deal with it. They called it a snow day yesterday due to a horrendous forecast, even though at 8am it was simply raining. The weather people ("STORMWATCH '08") told everyone the blizzard of the decade was coming by mid-day; you know what happened? It rained all day long. We had a freakin' Rain Day. Then today, I thought for sure they wouldn't make the same mistake again. It was a little snowy this morning, but not bad at all. And the forecast for the day was that it was going to warm up and the precip was going to go down. They called off school anyway - I was very surprised - but in the end, someone had the right idea. By 2:00 this afternoon it was snowing like crazy and the roads were terrible. I had gone shopping in Tacoma with KB, and was glad I decided to leave after lunch. By the time I got home, I could hardly get up my driveway. It has continued to snow so much that they have already called off school tomorrow. So we're officially on Christmas Break three days early.

Today was fun, actually. JJ and JL decided to go with me to meet KB for shopping. We turned them loose in the mall and we got a lot of shopping done. (So did they, apparently. JL had $15 burning a hole in her pocket so she bought JJ a FOX t-shirt for no reason at all. I swear, if he doesn't marry her...) After a couple of hours at the mall, we took the kids to Red Robin, then browsed around World Market for an hour or more; JJ and JL bought these wooden Santas to paint and I took care of gifts for wine club and then some. We were home by 2:30; I was so tired from driving 25 mph all the way home, with my butt warmer on and the car heat on, like, 85 degrees. I came in the house and immediately curled up on my amazing couch and was out like a light for an hour and a half. M came in at 3:30 to get ready for his first night at work and woke me up - thank God; I think I would have slept through the night.

I took M to work them came back up the hill (quite treacherous) and parked the car for the night. J had already agreed to pick him up at 7pm, so I was done with the whole driving thing. T called then and asked it I wanted to come outside for a snowball fight, but I was really warm and cozy so I offered up dinner instead. Ham, of course, since I have leftovers enough for the Russian Army. They played outside awhile then all came tumbling in about the time J and M got home. Only minutes passed before my sister in law poked her head in the laundry room door and suddenly, it was a party. Funny how it always works out this way.

T and J and Brother J kept all the kids outside, riding the inner-tube tied behind T's quad, for an hour or more ,while S and CC and I polished off the first bottle of wine and ate dinner. The boys followed later, eating and then drying off upstairs. We sat around the kitchen drinking and eating my really good ham and bean soup, killing two bottles of really good red wine. By 10:00 everyone was gone, JJ was in bed, M had wandered off to S's house for the night and J and I were here, me doing dishes in the kitchen, him reading the paper in the family room.

Tomorrow, J had planned to take the day off and the two of us were going to finish our shopping. When the weather got really horrible, it was pretty clear that we weren't going to go ahead with our plan; at dinner we were talking about it and CC reminded me that she had offered to take the kids if wanted to go our for dinner.

"I know you guys aren't going to go shopping, but it you'd just like some time tomorrow, I'm happy to take JJ." she says.

"Well, thanks," says J, "but I'm going to go to work if we're not going shopping."

Really?

You've already taken the day off - a week ago - and you totally hate your job - and you need a break in the worst way - and you're going to go to work?????

Excuse me???

Barb, is there something wrong with me that this completely pissed me off? I was just flabbergasted. WTF?

School is already cancelled. He's not the Duty Chief on call. The office staff is already planning for him to be out, and he's going to work.

I just checked out at that point. I'm pretty tired of the entire world revolving around him and his job and the fact that he may not (probably will not) be promoted to Chief in the end (that's another whole long story.) Here we are: our closest friends and family, starting out our Christmas vacation early; the kids are all running around the house in long underwear while the dryer tumbles various socks and gloves and hats and ski pants; good food is on the table, everyone is laughing....and my husband's going to go to work tomorrow.

What the f*** ever.

I will touch base with S and T in the morning and I know T will make a big breakfast of sausage and bacon and eggs and waffles for anyone who happens to come through the door. I will scurry over there in my pj;s, with my down coat wrapped around me, and spend the morning on my BF's couch with a hot cup of coffee and all of our kids bouncing around me. We will watch The View and Ellen, T and S and I, and we will have a fabulous Friday, hanging with our families. The fact that J won't be there is testament only to his over-commitment to his job. Too bad for him, to miss such a great morning.

Ok, well...glad I got THAT off my chest before attempting to go to sleep! God, he frustrates me!!

Did you end up with a snow day today (Thursday)? Hopefully you'll get one Friday. Do you really have to go to school on Monday? When do you get out??? We would normally have been done after tomorrow; we get a full two weeks, including three weekends, off this year, which is a lot for us. The kids were psyched to know they don't have school tomorrow, before they even went to bed tonight.

So if you end up at home tomorrow, give me a call. I'll likely be here after morning breakfast and TV with S; I'd love to catch up. Otherwise, it looks like we're pretty much snowed in for the weekend, so I should be around.

Sorry about not writing today - I left early to go shopping then had a houseful after my nap...excuses, excuses.

Love,
A

Winter Weather

Hi, A,

Lucky you. I had to settle for a 2 hour delay today but am fairly confident, however, that we will have Friday (and perhaps Monday) off. But so as not to jinx myself, I decided to bake some cookies tonight. I made oatmeal cookies after dinner and now I'm ready to put my feet up, but I wanted to say hi before I sink into the cushions.

Hope you enjoyed the snow day.

Love, Barb

PS I got those "sequin sprigs"/shiny sequin discs (gold, red, fuchsia, blue, green) on twigs (?) at Pier 1 a couple of years ago. I don't know how else to describe them but I just love them. They're shiny and festive and fun. The picture doesn't do them justice. Maybe I'll try to take a better picture close up.

PPS I have similar boxes, from Costco even, but mine aren't metal. I like yours better.

Snow Day!

Hey, you.

Thanks for the pics - I love the three vases; what is in them? I can't see the picture close up enough. The metallic boxes I bought at Costco a few years ago -a total of eleven stack inside of each other. They sit on the right hand side of my couch (under the palm tree) and then I have a little stack near the front door too. Super easy decor!

I have only a few minutes this morning - our first snow day! Turns out it's not that bad out there; there really isn't much snow at all and the temps are higher than they've been in days. The weather report says it's supposed to get colder and snow more this afternoon, but we'll see. They haven't been too accurate so far.

I'm having lunch with J's assistant today. I'm going to help her evaluate written tests (for job applicants), which I've done a lot before. We're going to redesign the rubric though, so we thought we'd throw a little Chinese food in there. Then I'm off to pick up my friend's daughter to take her to the orthodontist. Mom and Dad both had to work today so I offered to get her there. This is the sister of JJ's friend, B, of whom I believe I've written before. Their parents went through a divorce last year due to Dad's crack problem; he spent some months in rehab and is now clean. B had a lot of difficulty with anxiety during all of it and wouldn't/couldn't stay anywhere but home, with his mother or sister. Except here, which no one really can figure out why. He loves it here; he loves me, he can even spend the night (or two) without a hitch. Over the past year, he has been with us a lot, as his mom went back to school and now works full time; but both of his parents reciprocate to the point that it's worked out really well for all of us.

Ok, don't know why I wrote all that, but now I have to go. I'll write more later!

Let it Snow!

Hi, A,

No worries on the time you wrote today. This is the first chance I've had to sit and read, and I still have time to write tonight, so this works out well. And you may get a chance to read before bed. It's all good.

I took the time when I got home to sit and really plan a budget for bills and extras. The past few months have been all about catch-up and unusual expenses (e.g. Boston) and now I feel like I need to get past what bills can I pay with this check? or how can I make Boston/dinner out happen in the midst of this stress? So I got in my jammies, got out a new journal and a calculator, and I crunched numbers without the distraction of the TV or my cell (btw, thanks for the voice mail while I was in Boston). It took 2 hours, but it's done. My Dec. 19 will be all about Christmas shopping, then beginning Jan 2 I'm all set. No more catching up. Normal bills and expenses and much less stress. Of course, more money to spend would be nice and you know I love to spend when I can, but I can live with the budget. I'll have enough to eat out and do reviews with C, to shop on occasion, even enough to think about a summer trip to the PNW.

Okay, now that I have that brain drain out of the way...

I, too, am preparing for bad weather overnight, but it looks as though we may only get a delay tomorrow. Friday, on the other hand, looks more hopeful for a snow day, which, of course, would be glorious! I haven't done Christmas cards yet and honestly may not get them done at all if I don't get extra time. Also, I don't do cookie exchanges but would love to bake some oatmeal cookies and some peanut butter chocolate bars--just to have around, just because that's what Christmas is about, right? The girls may stay overnight during vacation and what kind of auntie would I be without cookies for them? It's all about getting in the mood for the season. Weather helps (I can't imagine Christmas in Miami) and Christmas decorations mean a little more when it's cold and snowy outside.

Speaking of, your Christmas decorations look great! (Are the boxes metal? Are they outside?) Sounds like decorating with your daughter-in-law was fun. The 12 drinks party sounds fun (can I have your martini recipe?), albeit a little more mellow than years past. Sometimes it's just better to grow old gracefully, I'm afraid. There's no turning back, A, we're in our 40s, as much as I still often wonder Oh my goodness, how'd that happen?

It would be great to chat sometime this week (if we have a mutual snow day) or weekend...Let me know your schedule; I'm around.

Great to read from you today.

Love, Barb

PS lol on Prozac doesn't cover that.
PPS Wrapping? You have enough to consider wrapping. Yikes. I'm really behind.

Hey, Barb.

Well, it's not exactly morning, as I promised it would be when I wrote. But I'm here...at the page...although not in much of a writing mood. I'm not exactly in a funk, but feeling somewhat listless...I ran a bunch of errands earlier: grocery shopping at Walmart, which included some Christmas shopping since the place was empty, then the post office to mail some things, then back home to make a ham for J's potluck lunch today. The ham actually came out beautifully, even if I do have several pounds left over for my own family. The woman at the meat counter assured me that the ham I was buying was the perfect size for 15 people, but I'm pretty sure this thing will end up feeding 30 by the time all is said and done. No problem...I'm going to make a ham/bean soup this afternoon and then I guess we have sandwiches to last us through the snowstorm we're expecting tonight :)

I was happy to read that you had such a good weekend. I texted you on Friday to see if you got to Boston ok - I was watching the storms and power outages that morning on the news and was afraid you would have had to cancel your trip or that you might have been caught in all the mess. What a sweetheart W is, with the flowers! Sounds like a perfect few days together with C and W.

I did get my house decorated in time for the party Saturday night. Friday night, I babysat six kids here (and I didn't even drink!) S&T had T's company party, so I had their two boys, JJ plus his friend B, my nephew and the girl across the street, JL. We got a big ole pizza from Costco and let them have the run of the house. I'm sure I've mentioned JL before - she and JJ have been BFF since JJ was born (she's one year older than he). The past few months they haven't seen each other much since she's in middle school now, but lately, like the last month, they have been inseparable again. I love her to death; she's truly like a daughter to me. She and I have always been close, I call her my "daughter in law" and she calls me her "other mom". We joke about when she and JJ get married, that sort of thing. Anyway, since she was the only girl here, she wanted to help me decorate instead of hang out with the boys. We had so much fun - hours on hours of weaving lights and bending garland to fit the staircase, arranging snow globes and table decor, and chatting up a storm the entire time. I don't know what we talked about - boys, school, her dad, her mom (they're divorced) and whatever else a 44 year old and a 12 year old have in common. I just had a blast with her, the boys running and screaming and jumping and shooting all around and above and under us, Christmas carols on the radio and a Christmas movie on the tv - it was crazy and awesome.

Saturday, I spent most of the day doing finishing touches, then spent a couple of hours at the nail salon for fills and a pedicure before going home to get ready. The party was great, as usual. It was our tenth year and we did notice we're all slowing down a little. There were far more water bottles being consumed this year than ever before! Since my house wasn't until 10:30, I only had two drinks before then - a pomegranate lemon drop (delish!) and an Oatmeal Cookie (lots of cream, Baileys, butterscotch - yummy). When I got here at 10:00 I kicked back one of my caramel martinis, which turned out not to be such a big hit. They were way too strong for most people (not me, of course) but the flavor was good. I had the perfect amount of food and drink, which was a first for most of us this year (it took us long enough to figure it out!) After my house, I had a couple of jello shots at CK's and a shot of Fireball (my new favorite alcohol) at the last house. That was it for my imbibing - at The 12 Drinks, no less! I do have to say, it was awesome to wake up Sunday without the killer hangover I expect and anticipate and prepare for every year. We hung out with T&S until 1:30am so I was dead tired the next day, but at least my head was intact. After we left the last house, T fired up the firepit and we sat around it, the four of us bundled up in big coats, snow on the ground around us, covering the trees...it was truly beautiful.

The charge is on, now, to finish Christmas shopping (still so much to do) and wrapping (haven't even started yet). KB and I are planning to go shopping Thursday (weather permitting) and J and I are going to go on Friday. CC offered to take my kids after school and for dinner so J and I could stay up in the city for dinner if we want to. Not sure yet what we'll do but the offer was nice. We had snow Saturday evening and all night, then it turned to ice. Temps have stayed well below 30 since; we had a late start yesterday but the roads were ok this morning. Tonight, however, we're supposed to get a huge snowfall and they're pretty much already calling it a snow day at school for tomorrow. That should last through Thursday and then clear up again by Friday, only the have more snow on the weekend. This may actually be the first white Christmas we've ever had here!

Nothing else going on here...JJ will be off restriction tomorrow morning if it snows tonight. He had to spend the whole day Sunday - our first snow - in the house and shopping with his Dad. Bummer for him, but it got the point across. We figured that was enough; we won't make him stay in the house when there's snow and no school. My Prozac doesn't cover that.

Happy Tuesday to you - hopefully you'll shorten your wait time a little with a snow day or two of your own out there.

Love you!

A

P.S. The pictures are of our decorating efforts in my formal living room .

Weekend Souvenirs

Hey, Amanda.

One of my favorite moments last weekend was when C and I walked out of the hotel and saw W walking toward us, with flowers--for both of us. These beautiful roses were for me; C got a mixed bouquet. The first photo is how they looked when I put them in a vase Friday night, the second and third are of the roses today, beginning to open and even more beautiful.

I did take today off and am so glad I did. I made my own snow day!... meaning I did very little, until it was time for my physical (yuck). They took me in 30 minutes late. It was one of those appointments where I was the first to arrive in the waiting room, watched it fill, and was the last to be called in to an examining room. My EKG was good, as was my BP and everything else seems fine, but I need to have blood work done and that could change everything. I haven't had my cholesterol checked in years...therefore I am on a red wine kick from now until my fasting blood work that I'll have over vacation. Ha ha. Anyway, after my appointment I went to visit my mother and now I'm just hanging out again, counting the days until vacation (6 school days left).

Look forward to hearing from you when you get a chance.

Love, Barb

On the Fence

Hey, A,

What a wonderful weekend. Boston was great, the trip home on Friday with C and W was fun (especially since we stopped close to home for drinks and snacks), and the remainder of the weekend here with W was delightful. So much fun. In fact, it was so much fun I am debating staying home tomorrow...to sleep late and revel in it all.

I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow afternoon that I have to leave early for, but forget to make arrangements last week to do so. They've been nickel and diming us for time off (if you take more than an hour off, they charge you a quarter day, e.g.) and honestly at this point it seems like it would be easier to take the whole day. I'd have to email lesson plans, but it would be easy enough, given my schedule tomorrow and where I am with my classes. So, I guess I just made up my mind. After I finish writing, I will email in sick for tomorrow.

I hope you had a good weekend. Can't wait to hear more about JJ and his bus episode.

Love, Barb

Happy Traveling to You!

Good Morning, B.

Sorry to hear you had such a crummy day yesterday. If my clock is right, you only have four more hours to freedom!

I'm suffering a minor, but really annoying, headache this morning which is impeding both my desire and ability to write. We tried the caramel martinis last night and they were absolutely fabulous; I'm definitely going to make them Saturday. But drinking three of them was way over the top for a Wednesday night and I'm regretting it now. T ended up coming over at 9:00 when he put the kids to bed and stayed another hour, which was fun, but by that time, I was curled up in my favorite chair with a blanket and I was half asleep.

This was all following the little run-in we had with JJ yesterday, which will be funny someday (maybe?). He is suspended from the bus for five days for fighting - my JJ - and cussing (he actually used words like MF!). He's in a bit o' trouble if you can imagine. Now I have to drive him and pick him up every day, not to mention he's grounded for ten days which means he's with me every hour of the day...not a bad thing, but it makes running errands a little more cumbersome. Lucky for him, he's got two parties (Friday and Saturday nights) that I've already committed to, so he's going to get off the hook for those. I may philosophize on this elsewhere, later, if I get my house finished today.

I only got as far as the family room yesterday, but it looks beautiful, if I may say so myself. I have this mantel decoration that took me forever to get right. No wonder my kid cusses, you should have heard me. I should have tackled it after the martinis. Today I will try to assemble all my village houses, which is generally an arduous and messy task, what with all the fake snow and glitter, but a rewarding one. My mom started this collection for us several years ago and now it's gorgeous when it's all set up. Perhaps I'll take some pictures for you if I get finished.

That's it for this morning. Just wanted to catch you before you leave, to wish you a safe drive (no snow, I see, but be careful!) and a wonderful getaway to Beantown. How jealous I am!! Have a great time with C and enjoy the hell out of your weekend with your chocolate cake! :-)

Love,
A

Change of Pace

Hey, A.

I decided to stop and visit my mom this afternoon after school, and was pleasantly surprised that L was there with C (he gets cuter by the day!), as was my Dad. I didn't stay very long, but I did visit...and now I won't feel so bad that I'll be AWOL till Sunday.

Last night I did nothing but go to bed early after my late dinner, so now I feel in the weeds. I can't believe I'm actually taking the time to sit and write and--shocker--have a cocktail. lol (And you have not heard me once wonder if I have a drinking problem!) I guess I just need to sit and regroup and relax before I get busy doing what needs to get done, which honestly isn't that much--given the squalor I used to live in, in that God awful, sticky-with-nicotine tiny place. Cleaning here is quick and easy, but I guess I just like things to be perfect. Maybe my need to relax comes more from the day I had at school.

Last period of the day I have a mix of 23 freshmen and sophomores. They are "Level 1" students but they are so immature and talkative they behave more like 5th graders at a Hannah Montana concert than they do accelerated students. I told them today that I am actually embarrassed for them that they are so talkative and don't understand how ill-behaved they are. An hour with them at the end of the day makes me thankful that I don't have children. Prior to that hour I had my other stressful class. Just before that, during my free period, I realized I was on the verge of overdrawing an account, so I had to drive in the rain to the credit union and deposit some cash from my Boston stash :( to stop that from happening. That is to say, it wasn't a great day.

So now I just want it to be 2 o'clock tomorrow. Even though I won't have as much money to spend as I had hoped, I will be happy to be away from school. It will feel so decadent to wake up late on Friday and drink mimosas before heading out to Boylston and Newbury and (window) shop.

W and I have a low budget weekend planned, and I'm fine with that. Just me and my big piece of chocolate cake! I have 2 movies from Netflix, eggs and bacon and Prosecco in the fridge, shrimp and bagels and burgers and steak 'ums in the freezer, and a stocked liquor cabinet. We'll be just fine.

If you don't hear from me for a few days, don't worry. It's because I'm having fun!

It was good to read from you and sit there at the concert with you. I, like you, would have teared up at Silent Night too.

Love you. Have a good weekend.
Barb

Concerts and Cocktails

Hey you,

Glad to hear the chicken was worth the wait. Me? I had a massive bacon cheeseburger at Applebee's at 9:00 last night. This is telling of numerous things: 1) we have kids, so choosing a restaurant that pleases everyone limits our options 2) we live in Podunk, so our options are even more limited to begin with 3) I am too lazy to cook dinner before the concert, even though no one really wants to eat at 5:30 anyway 4) by 9:00 at night, my hunger, rather than my brain, dictates what I order. I could have ordered a salad, sure. But honestly, by that time, I was ready to eat the sugar packets, pink, blue and yellow. As we placed our orders, J and me, - extra large quesadilla burger with artery clogging sauce, please, and I'll have the jumbo sized fatal bacon plus red meat combo - with cheese, please - M says to us,

"Are you guys ever going back to Weight Watchers?"

LOLOLOL!!!!

I ate it all anyway. It's freakin' December.

This morning M had to get up early for Wednesday School - our equivalent of detention that happens on late start days. Sucked for him to have to get up early (that's what you get for being tardy just about every day), but it got me out of bed way before I had planned and now I feel like I have all the time in the world. I made a pot of joe, got him out the door with J, then sat down here, in the peace and quiet of my house, for an hour to read my various blog favorites, catch bits and pieces of the news, dink around a little, getting ready to decorate my house today. What an awesome way to start the morning. Now JJ is up and showered, ready to get his homework done (love the late start - getting home so late last night) and neighbor A will be here in a few minutes to get our routine started. Speaking of can openers, I was absolutely delighted to find that there is plenty of Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch for both kids this morning, which means cereal (A's favorite), instead of something I have to cook for breakfast. Yahoo! The little things...

The concert last night was good, as always. I'm such a sucker for that stuff. While I'm not the mom who is videotaping, snapping pictures, or whispering constantly to my husband about how cute my kid is, I am the one who tears up when "Silent Night" begins and all those little kids (who are suddenly so grown up) try to hit the high notes with all their might. I love all the attempts at suits and ties, the frilly, overdone holiday dresses with maybe the first pair of "high" heels...the slicked down hair, the nervous swaying due to locked knees on the bleachers. JJ told us last night that he was stressed because the whole thing was being videotaped. As a result, he had the sternest, most concentrated look on his face the entire time; he looked like he was mad at the world and about to faint. That, with his little Elvis Costello outfit - skinny jeans, his polo shirt with skulls on it, and his funeral shoes - black patent leather - what a crack up. Such a hip 5th grader. I was proud, indeed. And a little sad, too, as I realized that this was our last elementary school concert...that next year, the Christmas concert will be replaced with a cold, rainy, middle-school football game, where I will tear up for all new reasons.

When we got home, M modeled his McD's uniform for us, which was a good laugh. He is so excited about this job! Almost made me forget about the fact that he can't get to first period on time. Almost. He'll be the death of me, one little, tiny thing at a time :)

Tonight the girls are coming over, while J takes JJ to football and basketball practice, to test-drive my drink for Saturday night. J chose the Carmel Martini from a selection of drinks I gave him. This is funny, because he probably won't drink it. He just thinks it sounds cool, and I'm all about being unique and interesting for The 12 Drinks. I joke that I'm going to serve beer and pretzels one year, but I couldn't. I'm going to bow out on a homemade appetizer, though, only because I had these awesome little Pillsbury puff pastry things at T's last weekend that are perfect! Easy, quick and super yummy. Our house isn't until 10:30, when everyone is more or less crocked, so a fancy offering would be lost on the crowd anyway.

C will be here on Friday; it will be her first time at the party. Another neighbor's daughter and boyfriend will also join us - wow, that makes me feel old! Our kids are already taking over our drinking traditions! I will be grateful for the female help, if you know what I mean. J is a great housecleaner, but when it comes to preparing and presenting the food and drinks, I'd rather he just stay at the last house and let me handle it. But a girl is different. C will know exactly what needs to be done and do it right (i.e. my way). Is that horrible to say? It's true. :-)

Today: decorating. That's been the plan for the past two days, but so far I have made no progress whatsoever. I keep having to be somewhere in the middle of the day, which just throws me off. But today, I have nothing planned - not even a stray errand - until the girls get here at 6:30 for my Cocktail Testing and Tweaking Party. Kim will join us too, which makes me want to call others, but I won't. I need to get away from this making mountains out of molehills; I think I will just have K & S over to try the drink, then I run into Kim and end up inviting her, too, then before I know it, I've called everyone I know, because, well, why not just have a party?? But not tonight - I won't feel pressured to get the house done, or even clean, four days early. It's just a cocktail.

I hope you're having a good day and that the temp is dropping, precipitation is rising and the stars aligning.

Love,
A

Satisfaction

Hey there.

I have a few minutes while my chicken is in the oven so I thought I'd write a quick note. I had a busy day today--department meeting after school, a make-up test, then grade catch-up for mid-quarter reports--and didn't leave school until 4:30. From there I went to the supermarket. I was craving Chinese food but then somehow settled on a big ol' salad, which I haven't had in a while. I am quite hungry, so how I am managing to let the salad (with romaine, carrots, cukes, tomato, red onion, craisins, bacon bits, egg) sit while it awaits chicken breast is frankly a miracle.

~~~~~~

You called while my chicken was in the oven and we had a few minutes to talk. Yay! But now I feel like I've nothing to write about, other than to follow up and let you know that my salad rocked. I ate every last bite. Nary a carrot shred or bacon bit was left in my bowl. None had a chance, cling as they might to the side of the bowl. After I talked to you, I called D back, and by the time I ate I was beyond hungry. It was so worth the wait. Yum yum yum.

I'm ready for bed but should try to get a few things done before I turn in. As you know, I go to Boston Thursday and come home Friday night with W, and I'm ready for neither my getaway nor my weekend here.

Hope J enjoyed his triple play haircut and that the concert left you as proud as you were when you dropped M off for his job orientation.

Love, Barb

Obligations

Hey, A,

I feel like I had one of those weekends too. Friday: school, hospital, dinner, bed; Saturday: errands, cooking, shower, party, DUI spot check, bed; Sunday: laundry, put up tree, house decorating, more laundry, football, tree decorating. By the time the game was over last night and my decorating was done I realized I hadn't eaten dinner but it was too late for me to care. Interestingly enough I didn't resent how busy I was, perhaps because I have this weekend to look forward to, and it's a long weekend at that. Also, waking up to a blanket of snow on Sunday put me in the mood to decorate my house and tree.

Today I am tired and not looking forward to visiting with my mom. I know that sounds horrible, but I hate hospitals and convalescent homes (rehab centers, whatever they're called these days) and it just feels so forced. I spent 3 hours with her Friday while my sisters only put in an hour each. I know L won't take the hour drive this week, and honestly I'm not sure she should. As I mentioned yesterday, it was knee surgery. She's not on her death bed and my dad is retired too. It's not like she's all by herself. Oh well. Sometimes we have to do things we don't want to do.

I'll try to write again later, but no promises. I'd like to cook or bake when I get home from the rehab center if I have enough energy. After that I think I'll veg by the tree with a holiday cocktail.

Hope you have a good day.

Love, Barb

PS Love the peanut gallery comments at the cooking class! I feel like I was there.

Whirlwind Weekend

Good morning,

I thought I'd be relaxed and ready to sit down to write this morning, but I'm no so lucky. My day is already packed full, and I'm already stressed about getting everything done. It's dead quiet here, the tree lit up in the living room, dark and gloomy outside....semi-ok coffee this morning...it's a perfect writing environment. Wish I could get out of my own head.

This weekend was so busy that I feel a bit disoriented today. Kind of like getting home from a trip late on a Sunday night. Ok, I started to write down the events of my weekend just now, but got all tripped up in the details of getting from one place to another, so I'm going to try something different.

Friday

5:00 pm: Finally get home from various errands.
6:30 pm: Go to K&S's with S&T and all the kids for hot dogs and pasta salad. Manage to drink only one bottle of wine between the three of us. Crazy, but true. Everyone had early morning plans so K cut me off with some Pellegrino. Smart move. In bed by 10:00.

Saturday

7:00am: Take JJ to football. Seriously. Couldn't get away with sweats and a ball cap because I had to leave the game early...

9:00am: ...to meet K & S for our dessert cooking class in Seattle. This was an interesting and new experience for me. For one, I'm not a cook, as you know. If I were a cook, I'd probably be a baker, so this class, I thought, would be up my alley. It was a little bit like being in the audience of a cooking show, except that we were in a room with round tables so the visibility wasn't very good (we were in the back). We could see the chef, but not the food. She had a very soft voice, too, and wasn't exactly a ball of fire, so hearing was difficult. We got a good laugh, though, K taking notes like crazy all over her menu/recipe packet, because she will actually make every one of the dishes demonstrated, and S & I whispering back and forth things like "What's with the $40 chocolate? Can't you just peel the sides off a Reese's?" and "Is she serious? Stir that for 40 minutes? Throw it in the food processor and get it over with." We were cracking ourselves up, so it was very fun. I was, in fact, taken with the chocolate pecan pie, and am considering making it for our 12 Drinks party this weekend. It was the easiest thing she made and it was absolutely heavenly to eat. We got to help her dip the lollipops she made, which was fun, although, in the end, I decided that we should just buy Tootsie Pops and dip those in the coating, instead of going through that whole process of making a ganache and piping out the lollipops with some kind of hand-held bag that looked incredibly challenging. The coating was easy - melted chocolate and sprinkles. That's my speed.

They served us lunch afterwards, which was good...not memorable, but good. The restaurant is a high-end seafood place, and I know the food was very good, it just wasn't something I'd order. We started with fresh bread and salad with apples and brie. Then there was this potato frittata (that's where I'm out, I generally can't stand frittatas) in a creamy carrot sauce (which was the best part. I could have just had a bowl of the sauce.) Dessert was a serving of each of the things she made for us - chocolate pecan pie (with awesome crust that she made too), peppermint patty cheesecake with a chocolate cookie crust (amazing) and the carmel truffle lollipops, which honestly, had no resemblance to carmel in any way. They were super cute, and probably a great gift idea, but they were such heavy chocolate that I could only eat one bite before my jaw hurt. I brought one home for JJ and even he couldn't eat more than that. Way too sweet, way too much chocolate.

All in all, it was a very fun day. I've never done anything like that and I loved it. I think a more outgoing chef would be nice (this gal obviously didn't teach classes regularly). Not that she was bad, I'm just used to watching Food Network so I was expecting Emeril, I guess. I would definitely do it again. And the three of us girls laughed and ate and drank all afternoon, so what could be better than that?

3:00pm: Get home, turn right around to drop JJ off at a birthday party. Grateful to host Mom for asking him to spend the night, so I don't have to come back and pick him up at 6:00. JJ is excited to spend the night too, with four other boys from school. Poor Mom.

Run errands...grocery store, dry cleaners, gas in car, etc.

4:00pm: NAP!!!

5:00pm: M and S wake up me (to tell me they're going on a run - more on that later) and also to tell me to have a good nap. Thanks guys. I'm awake now.

5:00pm: Go outside with a glass of wine to act as if I've been working all day with everyone else. S, T, J and R have all spent the afternoon putting the Christmas lights on a neighbor's house (single gal, also has a broken foot. They do her lights every year.) I stand around in the freezing cold, whining, until it occurs to me that K hasn't helped either and that she's probably in the house, warm and cozy. So I go over there instead, because the wine I've poured isn't very good and she's got a bottle of my Red Soles I'd rather try. We pour ourselves a glass and visit for a few minutes, until we see that the work crew is finished, then we head out all bundled up to go for a walk in our breathtaking neighborhood. The six of us wander slowly down the block, admiring and critiquing and visiting with whomever happens to be outside, for about an hour.

6:00pm: J has to go to the fire station for the annual tree lighting ceremony. Everyone decides to go with us (not sure why) which is nice, since I really hate this event. We go every year, of course. It's actually a huge deal, which is kind of funny, really. The tree itself, which is out in front of the station, is basically a sad, Whoville tree, that has hardly grown a foot in the 12 years we've been here. On top of that, the "lights" that adorn it are pathetic. One string of blue (for Police) and one string of red (for Fire) and a weak star on top. I'm not kidding. We all count down, 10, 9, 8, until the mayor plugs the thing in, as if we're in Rockefeller Center. Everyone cheers and the kids go wild.

Before and after this momentous connection, the Kiwanis is inside with free cookies, coffee and cider, various elementary school choirs are taking turns on the stage singing Christmas carols, and the place is absolutely packed with BL's finest. Kind of like a trailer park explosion in the truck bay. Nothing like free food and the promise of Santa to bring the inbreds out of the woodwork.

K, R, S and T got a big kick out of the whole thing; Santa came in on the fire truck and gave away toys to every single kid. When the boys were little, they loved going to this thing, but now that they don't bother to join us, it's just painful. Ok, I'm done complaining...it wasn't that bad. My civic duty, my boss' wife duty.

7:00pm: S decides she wants hot dogs again, so we bring all the leftovers to K&R's and R grills up some more dogs for everyone. I am so tired I can hardly stay awake, one glass of wine earlier in the evening has done me in. I switch to Pellegrino and call it a night at 9:00.

OMG, it's still only Saturday!!

Sunday

Slept in! Picked up JJ from slumber party, threw him in the shower then dropped him off at another birthday party.

1:00: Started making cookies for the cookie exchange at my friend T's house. Forgot the eggs in the first batch. Burned the second batch. Finally got the third batch right and my hair dried and out the door, right on time.....

3:00 ...to show up at the party an hour early. What a dork!! Went and ran more errands then came back to the party. Stayed a couple of hours; it was a small group of people I didn't know, but I had a good time.

6:30: Rush to K's where she and S are waiting for me (now an hour late) to go next door to the new neighbor's housewarming/jewelry party. Visit for an hour or so, buy nothing (it's freakin' Amway, if you can believe that's still around. More on the new neighbor later).

8:00: Throw grilled cheese sandwiches on the table for my family...fold a couple loads of laundry.

9:30: I'm out.

I was so exhausted last night, I just felt like I hadn't sat still all weekend (even though I had, I even napped!)

This morning, I'm off to CC's to work on my Christmas pictures. M discovered last night that the only Food Handlers Class he can get into before orientation at his new job is TODAY, at 2:00. I should just let him suffer but I can't bear to see him fail at this job experience, at least not yet. So my plans for the day will all be put aside at 1:00, to pick him up early from school and get him to the city in time for his class. Mom of the year, I think.

Wow. I think this may have been the longest post ever.

And I didn't mean to sound whiny about the weekend - it was a wonderful weekend all around, just busy. More of the same this week, I'm sure, as the holidays descend upon us. But I'm ready. Me and my BFF Prozac, we can handle anything.

Hope you're having a great Monday...talk to you soon.

Go Pats!

Love,
A

Quick good morning

Hey,



I didn't want to leave you hanging for morning coffee since you wrote twice this weekend and I haven't even sat down to the computer once. However, it's late and I've been going all day long. We didn't watch football today, although I got your text. I didn't even know the Seahawks were playing. Something about being one of the worst teams in the nation ....



I am having coffee with CC tomorrow morning to play around with photoshop and my Christmas pictures. Hopefully I'll get my cards ordered tomorrow, then I can get on with decorating my house. I promise to sit down in the morning between the time I get the kids on the bus and the time I go down to CC's and write more. In the meantime, Happy Monday!
Love,

A

Getting There

I probably shouldn't stop to write, but I feel like I deserve a little break--and a maybe a cocktail and a snack.

The party was good, but I felt like I never really let loose and relaxed. I kept thinking of the long drive back I still needed to travel, which as it turns out is a good thing. I was very conscious of how much I was drinking. In the three plus hours I was there, I drank three small (not like the kind I pour myself at home) glasses of wine--6 ounces max. And I ate plenty. Savory apps, sweets, more savor apps. I left just after 10:30. When the hardest part of my ride was over, the long and winding back roads behind me, just before I got on the highway for a quick 10 miles home, I found myself in a DUI check point. I reminded myself that although I had been drinking, I had paced myself and was by no means drunk. I braced myself and prayed for the best. There were four officers, and I went to the front of the line as instructed. I opened my window and had that conversation that is meant to confuse those who are drunk.

"Have you had anything at all to drink tonight?"

"Yes, a glass of wine earlier in the night."

"Come on, who has just one glass of wine?"

"Me, because I knew I had to drive home from A to B." (Ha! You're not going to get me to admit to one more so you can get me out of the car!)

"What time was that?"

"About 7:15."

"Where do you live?"

"[town]"

"What street?"

"G Drive."

"Where are you going now? "

"Home."

"Where is home?"

"[#, street, town.]"

We had this conversation while he was 6 inches from my face of course (which is why I didn't lie about having had wine) and had his flashlight in my face.

"Okay. Have a good night," he said.

It was certainly unnerving to say the least. But I played it as cool as I could. And ultimately, because I wasn't drunk, I wasn't even buzzed honestly, I got to keep driving. As I drove away I counted my lucky stars that somewhere along the line, as much as I love wine and a good party, I have grown up enough not to still believe I am invincible and behave irresponsibly.

Today I got up early, organized my laundry, and got motivated to decorate for Christmas. My first trip to the laundry room was fruitless, so while I killed time I went down to storage for my tree. Because my dining room set is a larger than my last, my tree didn't look right where it was last year, and it took a couple of tries to find the right place for it. Finally, I found it, just in time to throw some laundry in. I had to fix the branches in my anal way while my clothes washed, and while they dried I fixed the lights and brought up my ornaments and decorations. I have my angels out and one on top of my tree, but the tree is still undressed.

Meantime, my mother was released from the hospital today and is at the rehab facility just down the street. I am going to resist the Catholic guilt that tells me I should go so that I can finish what I need to do here and visit with her tomorrow after school instead. After all, neither of my sisters are visiting today, nor did they spend the amount of time I did the other day. (That was actually a good joke yesterday when they brought up that they had each only put in an hour of time while I was there for 3 hours on a Friday afternoon, without a cocktail cart in sight-- lolol.) I don't have kids, but I do have a life, and I work full time, and this weekend I need to get things in order for the holidays. Let's not forget that she's not dying, for God's sake, she had elective knee replacement surgery! I'll get there when I get there. It doesn't mean I don't love her if it's not today...especially since I have to catch up on the drinking I didn't do yesterday-haha! I'm kidding.

I'm looking forward to decorating my tree while the Pats play Seattle!!! Go Pats!!!! Then tonight, I may make myself that fra diavolo I was thinking about last weekend.

Hope you had a good weekend. I'll call after kick off, maybe I'll catch a BLU get together in progress.

Love you, Barb

Party Plans

Good afternoon, Amanda.

I finally have a minute to sit and relax and write...yesterday after school I went straight to the hospital to visit with my mom. I stayed for about 3 hours (that frankly felt like 3 years) and headed out when M and V et. al. got there to take over. Unfortunately the traffic was horrific at the time and while I didn't want to wait in traffic, I also didn't want to stay at the hospital a minute longer than I needed to...so I went a little further away from Hartford and home and went out to dinner. It was nice to take a load off and have a nice glass of wine and steak (even though it wasn't really in my budget). By the time I got home, after being up at 5 and leaving the house at 6:45 am, it was 8:30 pm.

This morning I slept in a little then, after list making and coupon clipping, I hit the ground running. I did a little Christmas shopping, then ran my errands which included grocery shopping for this week and next weekend (when W is here) and the week following that and the party I'm going to tonight.

My cousin D is having a little get together and I'm bringing an appetizer. I was on the fence about going, but in the end decided to make the effort. There's always more to do and always another day to do it. More honestly, there's always tomorrow to be a hermit. Anyway. While I write, I have chicken in the oven to make some tarragon chicken salad (with candied pecans, celery, craisins) that I'll serve on English cucumber rounds. I made this last year for a couple of holiday parties I hosted, and it was quite good. Of course I haven't made it in a year so I don't quite remember how exactly I combined the Martha Stewart, Ina Garten, and Silver Palate recipes it represents. In the end, I'm sure it'll be fine.

Sounds like the award dinner was nice. I'm so glad J was honored for his service above and beyond the call.

Hope you have a good weekend in store.

Love, B

Good morning...more later

Hey,

I'm glad to hear the surgery went well, if prolonged and not perfect.

I would write more than I'm about to, but I am soooooo tired I can barely keep my eyes open. We had that fire department dinner tonight and it was actually very nice. In the event that he read my blog, I couldn't write before that I knew J was going to be honored with the first annual DP Chief Officer of the Year Award, presented by Chief's widow. It is a beautiful framed photograph - I'll have to send you a picture if I can get one to come out. The presentation was emotional and he was very honored. I am proud :)

I will write more tomorrow, but as it so happens, JJ is also winning an award - at school in the morning, for being a good citizen. So I'm going to that, then Friday Treats, then the crazy doc, then to get M's new glasses and a haircut for the new job, allergy shots for JJ, then maybe sometime before midnight I'll come home. K wants to celebrated J's award tonight, so we'll probably end up over there for dinner.

I swear I'm going to fall asleep writing. Love you, A

P. S. My hair came out awesome. My spray tan helped a lot. I actually felt attractive tonight.

Quick Notes

Hi, A,

Just a quick note before I head to bed...

My mother's surgery went well, though certainly not like clock work. She went in at 8 but didn't get wheeled into surgery until noon; she was supposed to be out of recovery at 5:30, but didn't get into a room until after 7. She's sleeping; my Dad is home and resting too.

Dinner with C was good--as an experience overall, but C won the entree contest. You know what I'm talking about? At some point during dinner when everyone has sampled and some are pleased, others disappointed, someone says, You win, your dinner is the best! Well, that was C tonight. My meal was...well... er...an odd preparation of salmon (that I'll write more about elsewhere). Although the salmon itself was good, the rest on the plate remained there. Still, it was a good dinner out. In fact, it was just good to be out.

And now that I know my mom is good, my dad is good, and my belly is full, I am ready for bed. Hope all is well with you. I look forward to a morning coffee note?....

Love, Barb

Looking Forward

I'm exhausted. What possessed me to stay at school until 4 this afternoon I will never know, but I did. Then I even attempted to run errands, only to be too frustrated when I got to the plaza to even look for a parking space, nevermind go in. What recession?, I wondered. Sheesh. Anyway, I think I'm hungry, only I can't even think about what to make myself until I'm done with my cocktail and finish my post. There may be no dinner. Especially if I go for cocktail #2. It'll be lights out by 7. Of course I'll wake up starving....

I'm glad we agree that the Diary Police are dead. Brain drain. It's all good...

So if you insist, I'll tell you about my to-die-for, yet nothing-spectacular baked potatoes. More than anything, I guess I must have been in the mood for one, and once I made it, wondered why I don't have them more often. I made it restaurant style. I rubbed the skin with olive oil and sprinked it with kosher salt, then I let it bake for an hour and a half at 350. At about an hour, I turned it over and then with fifteen minutes left I upped the temp a little. The skin was crispy and delicious and the inside was beautiful: nice and moist and fluffy. Half I ate with butter, sour cream, and bacon bits; the other half I did with chili (homemade chili that I had in the freezer) and cheese and sour cream. I ate it all, skin and all. It was delicious. And honestly, what a fun and casual, and economical party that would be. Rather than have to make a whole vat of chili or another protein, you could do taters with various toppings. I saw Paula Deen do a beef stroganoff kind of thing as well as a crab stuffing for a family potato bar. You could do that, or chili, cheese, sour cream, chives, bacon, broccoli and cheese. You could do a fridge clean out for that matter--leftover steamed veggies with cheese sauce or whatever is around--and have fun with it. Or not. At least I know that I will never put a potato in aluminum foil again. My baked potato was better than shrimp fra diavolo could have been that night--especially since the Pats lost. I took comfort in a baked potato and left the shrimp in the freezer for another time.

Tomorrow night C and I are going out for another restaurant excursion, to a place I've never been but that is part of that restaurant group non-chain chain. They have a high end steakhouse, a couple of seafood restaurant, and this is one of their Italian themed restaurants. I haven't been to this particular one, and they are offering a 24.95 Prix Fixe menu this week (now there's a sign of recession). In the interest of our being aspiring food critics, and because she is not broke like me, she is being kind enough to let me run a tab until I catch up. What goes around comes around I guess.

Then next week I'm looking forward to a Boston getaway with C. Last year we played hooky and went up for an overnight in December, and this year we thought we would too--only we planned in advance for a good hotel rate and both put in for a personal day (our one and only) so we don't have to do the song and dance of pretending to be sick yada yada. We're having dinner and staying at the Sheraton in the Back Bay Thursday night, then Friday will shop and have lunch and head home. W will head home with us, so I'll have that to look forward to for the rest of the weekend. How exciting. I can't afford a minute of it, but it will be fun and delicious...and I feel money in my future!

Seriously. I keep putting energy out in the universe that my life is going to change soon. (As will the lives of dear friends!) One more school year, then I'll have a syndicated column and/or C and I will be writing food columns and dining free (business expenses) and then we'll do a cookbook, maybe around the time I get my first collection of essays published or you and I sign for a collection of letters, and then I sign to finish my novel while I get my consulting business or life coaching practice off the ground.

This being too tired to microwave myself dinner or leave the house after dark? Just temporary, my friend. Consider it energy conservation. ;-)

Love you,
Barb

The Writing Police are Dead

Hey again,

Britney Spears? I was in a self-loathing state last night, wasn't I? I am going to the gym this morning, albeit not in an OMG I'm so fat mode. Just going to be going, because it's good for me.

You wrote that your entries are all about what you cook and eat, but I think you're right: we're showing up at the page. If you have noticed, I haven't written elsewhere in weeks and still have no inspiration to do so. I feel like I have nothing to say there (right now), nothing profound or funny. I was hesitant to write about M and our whole homeless debacle, but now I don't know where or how to pick up and continue.

But here, we shouldn't feel obligated to be witty or smart. We shouldn't even feel obligated to be particularly literate, I suppose, if we're going to keep with the theme of our earlier journals. I think of those books as random, rambling thoughts that allowed us to reach conclusions and resolutions without the writing police monitoring us at all. What a great place to go - even though the grammar police are all over us (!) - to just unload.

I want to read about your baked potato!! (So, if it's saved somewhere, which, if you're like me, I know it is, put it back in!) I love reading about your cooking and dining experiences, mostly because I'm living vicariously through your anecdotes. I can't tell you how much I enjoy sitting here with my (crummy) coffee, reading about a life so different from mine, imagining what it would be like to be there. Be you, or be with you, either way! How I look forward to a visit in the near future when we can sit across from each other and verbalize our lives without this stupid fear that I'm not writing well enough to say what I want to say.

Yeah, I am. We are. We are writing well, we are writing a lot, and we are writing for the sole purpose of writing. What could be more valuable than that?

My last apology for a Dear Diary post fades away as I write this morning.

JJ's just about to finish up his homework (that didn't get done last night). I'll take him to the bus stop and meet up with K for our workout, then get on with my day. I hope you had a good morning and this Wednesday is turning out to be a good day all around.

Love you !
A

Correction

Stevie Nicks in the 80's - ha! That's way too flattering. What I meant was Britney Spears. On a bad day.

Eat, Shop and Stay in Denial

Hi, Barb.

Word for the day: attachive. M said it at dinner tonight. He broke up with his old girlfriend because she was too attachive. I don't even need to tell you what it means, do I, because it's a totally valid made-up word. He cracks me up.

We went out for Mexican tonight, to celebrate M passing his driver's test today. The fact that his grades aren't good enough to actually drive is beside the point. He's thrilled anyway. We had a good day, taking care of that, then hanging out at the house before dinner. I got a ton of on-line shopping done today, which made a big dent in my list. Yahoo! I'm way ahead of myself this year; normally I haven't even started by now. As much as I'm technologically challenged, I love shopping on line. It's the easiest thing on earth!

I am feeling much, much better today and, in fact, think I may have been having a massive allergy attack in conjunction with the cold yesterday. My throat is still sore and I still have the dry cough, but not nearly as bad. Still, I'm going to hit the sack now and try to keep it at bay. Tomorrow, hair cut and color (thank God) and maybe a little trip to Nordies to see if I can find a pretty blouse to wear with my black pants on Thursday night. Something festive, yet subtle, maybe? The pictures that CC took of our family are awesome, except for the ones I'm in -I'm not kidding, they are the worst pictures ever taken of me. Ever. And that has nothing to do with her talent, because everyone else looks amazing. I, on the other hand, appear to have sprouted a few extra chins I didn't know about, my hair color is horrendous (I recently had some bug up my butt to go dark, dark brown - NOT!) and, probably because of the dark hair, I have Goth-white skin. Seriously, I look like Stevie Nicks, all puffed up from drinking too much in the late 80's, only I'm not even that pretty.

This should be my aha! moment, where I join Weight Watchers again and start going to the gym fanatically, but, well, there I was at Mexican food tonight. Two enchiladas verde and a gazillion chips, with a Diet Coke, of course. At least I'm getting my hair put back to normal tomorrow. Maybe I'll go get a spray tan too; I'm desperate to look even a hint better than I think I do.

Speaking of looking like a drunk rock star, I'm detoxing from my visit with my folks, which is standard procedure. I'm pretty sure the only thing I drank in five days that wasn't alcohol was coffee. I decided to quit for the week, particularly since I have this dinner thing, (for which, in all seriousness, I am going to stay stone cold sober). It will give me good leverage against my evil alter ego who will want to kick back a bottle of shiraz before I even get there. We have our dessert cooking class on Saturday, at which wine will be served. I am going to try to say no. That's the best I can tell myself at this point.

Nothing else going on here...still raining cats and dogs and getting colder every day. The neighborhood looks gorgeous though, almost every house lit up, and me with the best view on the block! I wish I could take a picture for you - they never come out right. Maybe I'll get CC to take one for the record books if she can.

I'm going to tuck JJ into bed and then do the same for myself. Hope you enjoyed your nothing-doing evening and that your mom's surgery goes perfectly, which I'm sure it will.
Love,
A