it's Roar time again

fyi, friends and fam: I'm dancing in the Roar of Love this year! I'm super excited. A group of ballet alumni are dancing penitents! One of my favorites! Mark your calendars: March 27th & 28th :o)

some belated Christmas cheer

So I know that it's after Christmas & New Year's, but I am finally getting around to posting some pictures and videos of my house decorated for Christmas (after some encouragement from my very active-blogging sister-in-law). I've had the outside shots for weeks, and just never got around to posting. And then it was time to take down my very dried out tree, and I decided I needed a picture of it first. So, for all of you who did not get to come to my house this year, here is a tasting of what it looked like. It's kind of sad now, without any decor up. Just back to plain old house. But now, the cheer will at least live on in photo & video!

The tree this year received a new bow at the top, as well as a new skirt & matching ribbons. I really think they add a lot!

The front with the flash...

...and without. The wreath on the front door also got a new bow--made completely out of ribbon I already had. Sweet!


sorry for the sideways video--not sure how to turn it...


and this is the rear patio.

all in all, I had a great time decorating for Christmas (no surprise there). now just to get all of the storage bins back in the attic... :)

it must be a recession...

because Christmas trimmings in the store today were 60% off! It's a week before Thanksgiving, and it's all already on sale. It makes me wonder how on sale it will be the day after Christmas. I'll think there will be some deals to be had!

I know that everyone tells me I don't need to wear heels...

and some people go so far as to tell me that it's not fair for me to wear heels.

but I can tell you this, they sure can make you feel good.

today I felt just a little more authoritative, a little fancier, a little more important, a little thinner, and a little prettier. I also think I walk a little straighter when I wear them.

my heels today were a whopping 3 1/2" tall. so they made me 6'-1 1/2". (definitely taller than I'm used to being)

so I'm sorry to those who think it's not fair when tall people wear heels--but I'm going to keep wearing them and feeling good when I do.

hooray for heels!

you know what's not fair? when all of your sleeves are about 2" too short. :o)

I turned my heat on last night for the first time since last winter--hooray for that "just turned the heat on funny smell" that I love!

"I'm not a vegetable person...

...but I think I'd like that."


This comment made me smile this week at lunch. My experiments in cooking "real" food have become a means to provide lunches during the week that are NOT a turkey sandwich if at all possible. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a turkey sandwich, I just have had so many of them (years worth) in my lifetime--it's my default brown bag lunch.

I try to cook a big meal once a week (usually Sunday evening) and then take the leftovers to lunch during the week. While it can get old eating the same thing five days in a row, the repetition is far outweighed by the convenience of not having to come up with something the night before, after a long day at work (and various evening activities that keep me out till 8 or 9 pm).

This week's dish was a peanut veggie stir fry in a wheat wrap. (the recipe called for chicken, but I just added more fresh veggies instead--think broccoli, zucchini, cauliflower, carrots, & sugar snap peas ). A guy at work (four of us bring our lunches & usually eat together) made the comment, "I'm not a vegetable person, but I think I'd like that." This guy eats a microwave frozen dinner (or leftover fast food) for lunch every day (and I have yet to see any green veggies come out of his boxes) :o) The comment made me smile, and made me think there is hope for people out there who hate veggies (especially the green ones)--veggies can be yummy! You just have to know how to prepare them.

This particular recipe came from kraftfoods.com--one of my favorite recipe websites. For the link to this recipe click here (I used the variation at the bottom).

FALL!

for those of you not on facebook, I reproduce musings from it:

I LOVE Fall. It's my favorite time of the year. I get giddy thinking about pulling down sweaters and blankets from the attic. I love turning off the AC and opening the windows. My favorite day of the year is the day I turn on the heat in my house. I LOVE the smell. I know, its a little weird. But even stranger is that I'm also strangely drawn to the cinnamon spice brooms they sell in the grocery store this time of year. The only thing that's kept me from buying one is the thought, "What the heck am I going to do with a spice broom?!" Also, there's something about them that I associate with grandmas. I think its because there was one (or something close to it) hanging in my Nana's house throughout my childhood. I try not to encourage grandma tendencies in myself, considering I'm only 27, and don't even have kids. But I can tell you this--if I ever become a grandma, you better believe I'm buying a spice broom!