NaBloPoMo

Ha...
I did it...

I made it through NaBloPoMo.

How in the world I came up with 30 blog posts and remembered to post them...
Well, that is pretty darn amazing.

I don't now that anything that I typed was worth reading, but hey - I posted!

I am now going into baking, present searching and wrapping modes.
I am going to try to keep posting regularly, but I am not committing to another NaBloPoMo. . .
Yet.

Namaste.

Back To Work...

I took five, much needed days off. . .
Granted two were for Thanksgiving, two were the weekend and I took one more day.
They were needed and I think that my head may be on a little bit straighter.

I had planned on writing this post during lunch. . .
Then I got to work and the piles needing attention were quite big. . .
And the minutes ticked by pretty quickly. . .
And I had 10 minutes for lunch to read Monday Morning Quarterback.

It ended up being a long, productive day.
It is nice to know that I am needed, though working an eight hour day is much nicer than today. :)

Namaste.

Five Minutes of Rambling Thoughts

Wood Glue stinks. . .
Pillows and my neck do not get along. . .
Freezer cooking is worthwhile in the long run, but stinks in the beginning. . .
I really dislike the man who started building this house. . .
I really love my husband who is very crafty and good at fixing stuff (see previous note). . .
Why is it when I have five minutes of thoughts to type, I can't think of anything. . .
I am not looking forward to going back to work tomorrow. . .
I am trying to figure out how to rearrange the house to include Christmas decorations. . .
We have four trees - how many will get decorated. . .
I found neat looking fall mantel decorations, now I just need to find some for other seasons. . .

Namaste.

Stuff

I haven't been at work in four days. . .
About to make it five.
I can't lie, it has been kinda nice.

We have gotten quite a bit done around the house and have a bit more to do.
A trip to Home Depot today added to the "To Do" list.
Two of my kitchen cabinets are about to get an over haul and I am pretty excited about it.
Still debating how I am feeling about making some of my pots room decor.

I don't think that our remodeling will EVER be done!

And MaBell thinks the Serial Killer snuck rubber bands into her room.
I can't make this stuff up.

Namaste.

Almost an Oops. . .

I almost messed up.

I had a full day of cooking (breakfast and supper).
I worked a lot in the garage with MBB.
I pedaled three miles on the bike.
I got caught up on my Biggest Loser episodes.
I headed upstairs to fold clothes and go to bed. . .

Then, I realized what I hadn't done. . .
I didn't blog.

I almost messed up my NaBloMoPo.
Never fear, I headed back downstairs and am going to squeak in a post. :)

To not completely wimp out, I will share a crafty project. . .
Yep, I made these to hang in our entry way. "Dance" "Graceful" "Dignified"
Uniquely ours.

Namaste.

My Black Friday. . .

The last two years, MBB and I have ventured out on Black Friday.

We usually avoid the opening times - you know, we didn't want to be pepper sprayed or anything.

This year, we happened to be driving home late and saw some "lines" from the highway. . .

It was a pretty scary site.

I decided to sleep until. . .Well, until I didn't anymore.
I woke up at 9:30 and realized that I missed all of the door busters.

I'm not too upset by this.

I surfed the net for a bit to see if there were any deals that interest me.
I found something. . .I bought it.

Alas, it wasn't on sale.

I did use ebates, at least.

Then, the kids realized that we left the bag of frozen meat in the car...

The raw, frozen meat was on the verge of being thawed and now had to be cooked before refreezing.
Yep, that meant a job for me.

I cooked. . .

and cooked. . .

and then decided that I might as well bake too.

I baked. . .

and baked. . .

and now I have breakfast sandwiches, cookies and a cut up roast in the freezer. . .

And an overflowing cookie jar and refrigerated meat prepped for a casserole.

It was a LONG, productive day in the kitchen.

Guess what makes it even better?
Someone else has clean-up duty!

Namaste.

Thankful

I know of many people who are posting something / one that they are thankful for every day in November. Since I have already committed to trying to blog everyday, I decided that another commitment wasn't a good recipe for success.

Instead, I am going to have a blog post that I am going to update throughout the month (no, not everyday) and post on Thanksgiving Day. . .You know, that day when I am going to be in taste bud overload. . . :)

SassyMarie is thankful for (in no particular order):

1. MBB

Yeah, I know that I said this list was in no particular order, but #1 is. I also know that it is cheesy to put my husband as my #1, but he is. I refused to settle all those years and waited a long time for him. He is my Handsome Husband (yes, that was him that you just saw cringe) and my Prince Charming. . .I'm doing just fine with that.

2. My Kids

They may not have been born in my body, but they were born in my heart. I would give my life for MaBell and OB, and in some ways have - My life has evolved into homework, hugs, sporting events, writing lots of checks, school meetings, etc.
I believe that being a parent is the hardest job that ever exist. I believe that it is even harder because I am a step. . .You know, not Mom.
Yes, I do have a furry kid too. . .Who is trying to lay on the keyboard as I type to make sure that he is the center of my world right now (yep, Dad isn't here at the moment).

3. My Health

I have to admit that this area isn't as good as it has been in the past, but I am very thankful that I can walk, see, talk, etc. I am realizing that I am so thankful for this area that I am going to try to focus more time on it in the near future.

4. My Wealth

I am not rich, though some people think I am. I am just frugal in where I choose to spend my money. I tend to use my elbow grease a lot more than others, so things look nice and I have that money to spend elsewhere. I am blessed that my bills are paid and I don't have to worry about how I am going to do that.

5. My Home

Yes, it is a money pit. Yes, it is definitely not my dream house, but it is our home. It shelters us and protects us and it, after four years, is becoming "ours".

6. My Family

I am very blessed to have family in my life - some family by blood, some family by choice. I am blessed that some have left and that some have stayed. I can truly say that this blessing is one that I cherish deeply.

7. My Friends

I am reminded of a piece that was written when I was in college and yes, it made it into the yearbook. . . I have posted it about it previously - in my own vague way.

8. I'm Employed

I have had such a rough few months in this area that I cannot truthfully say that I am thankful for my employer, but I am very thankful in this economy that I have a job and am earning a paycheck. That's right - I am thankful that I work for a living and am not "freeloading" off of everyone else.

9. Music

I reconnected with a very talented woman recently who reminded me in her own way that music is very important and some songs hold messages that I need to be reminded of, sometimes daily.

10. My Past

Everything that happened in my past has shaped who I have become. I may not like some of the individual experiences, but the impact on my life needs to be acknowledged. There are some important people who love who I am today, I must be thankful for those experiences that made me this way.

I could probably come up with more, but this list feels right just the way it is.

Namaste.

That Rocks. . .

I started to title this post "Quick Thoughts", but it evolved more into a list of things that rock. . .

I don't really think that this a "Thankful" post and not really a "Things that Make Me Happy" post. . .

It occurs to me that these may even be a way of finding the good. . .

1. MBB rocks.

He just does. It doesn't hurt that he was my night in shining armor last night when I had a flat tire. It also doesn't hurt that he took what he thought would be a 4.5 day project and turned it into more of a 2 day project.

2. My Manager rocks.

I don't normally talk about work in detail on my blog - really don't want to follow in Dooce's footsteps on that issue, but with all of the issues I have been having at work lately - he is definitely not one of them. He is a good boss and a good friend.

3. Yeager-bomb rocks.

Yep - love my kitty, even when he tries to lay on my hands as I am typing this post.

4. Robo rocks.

One of our splurges - he sweeps for us everyday and was well worth the money, even when he keeps beeping at me to empty him. It also appears that he has nine lives and Yeager-bomb is starting to tolerate him.

5. My lease program rocks.

Flat tire yesterday = no hassle fix today.

6. GFS's jalapeno cream cheese filled pretzels rock.

Yes, I'm munching on them as I blog.

7. Our bed rocks.

Even though we could use a new mattress, it is hard to think about spending a night away from home and sleeping anywhere other than our bed.

8. The quiet rocks.

Yes, I love music. Yes, my family loves TV.

But it is nice to sit here in the quiet with my thoughts.

Namaste.

Movies

I am not a big movie person.
I have a problem sitting in front of the TV / Movie Screen for that long. . .
Occasionally, okay.
All the time, yeah, no.

Problem is - I married into a movie / TV loving family.

There are a few movies that I do enjoy seeing.
Some have become tradition.

Yes, I'm talking about the Twilight Series.
I saw the first and the second with MaBell.
So, I had to take her to see the third.

MBB and OB like this tradition too. . .
No, they have not seen ANY of the Twilight movies.
But, when we are watching one, they get to go see another movie - usually, one that I will not watch (think Horror).

The third movie is by far the best of the series.
I don't even know if the fourth could beat it - not because the acting won't be better or the budget either (I'm sure they will be), but the subject matter will not have near the dramatic, computer affects that this one did (yes, I have read all of the books).

Never fear, when the fourth is released - I'll be there with MaBell. . .
Even if I have to drive all night to get to her college to take her.

Namaste.

Anyone else overwhelmed?

Ugh.

Overwhelmed.

Yes People.

I am feeling overwhelmed.
Holidays are overwhelming.
Remodeling is overwhelming.
Raising children is overwhelming.
My job is overwhelming.

I fear that no amount of organization is going to help.
Heck, I'm not even in charge of cooking anything.

WOW

When it rains, it pours. . .

Just when I think things can't get any harder. . .

Even when I expect it, it still hits like a surprise. . .

Yeah, life has decided that I have more "experiences" that I need to learned.

Being thankful this week may be another experience.

Heaven help me.

First Heart Attack

I may have experienced my first heart attack this past September.
Getting that phone call when I was standing in the middle of a store. . .

Yeah, well. . .
I admit. . .
That was me that just left the cart sitting in the middle of the aisle.
Hey, at least there wasn't anything perishable in it!

Why?
You may ask. . .

Every parents' nightmare!

Luckily, she was okay. . .
Just a scratch and a bruise.
No hospital visits. . .
Well, except for the car.

Namaste.

Organized?

Someone told me a few months ago that they wanted to be just like me.
They thought that I had my stuff together and was super organized.
They thought that I "was all that".

Wow.
I've got them snowed.

I try to be organized.
I try to keep my stuff together.
I fail most days.

I have lists.
I have small bursts of energy.
I have calenders.
I have lots of tears.

Most days, I leave the house right around 6am and if I come straight home from work, I may return about 4:45ish. That's about 11 hours a day to work that 40 hour week.
If I have any errands or have to visit the DREADED grocery store, it easily becomes a 12-13 hour day.

Then, there's dinner (when I am not pulling out my hair).
And homework.
And remodeling.
And yes, I am trying to get back into exercising.

Organized?
Who has the time?

Namaste.

I Read Just A Few. . .

I read blogs more than I write blogs.
Lots of them.
So much that I use a blog reader to keep them organized.
Some blogs are in the Fun Folder, some in the Frugal Folder.
Then I have the Crafty Folder and the Kitchen Folder, you get the idea.

Typically on Mondays, I am in the Frugal Folder looking through the sales and coupon match-ups.
Some days, I am caught up, have everything read and am waiting on more.
Most days, I just got to a few folders and let the rest go (love "Marked Read anything older than a day").
Other days, I have over 500 posts because I haven't read in awhile.

Sometimes, I remember I need to go through the stars.
AUGH.
I tend to star things that intrigue me, but I don't have time to look at it now.
It usually takes me an hour to get through my stars. . .
I tend to star a lot.
If it is a recipe that still looks good, I print it (and get rid of the star).
If it is a tip that still intrigues me, I may keep it starred for next time.
If the thought "Why did that get starred?" leaps into my head. . . Bye bye star.

And another thought just popped into my head. . .
The blog roll on this site probably doesn't match the list on the blog.
Hmmm. . .
I might need to work on that one.

Namaste.

Saving pennies. . .

Yes, I am a couponer.
No, I am not an extreme couponer.

I have a certain teenager who is starting to eat me out of house and home, so I have to pinch pennies where I can to get more food in this house without spending more.

Do I stockpile?
Yep.
Do I stockpile obscene amounts?
Absolutely not. I try to get just enough of an item to get us through to the next sale. Sometimes that is one month and sometimes it is six months.
Yes, I do have more than one pantry.
OK, I may be extreme in that my MBB tore out an old coat closet that we didn't use as a coat closet and built a stock-pile pantry for me, but we also live in the country. I have to put most of our food in totes or sealed containers to keep the critters out and that played a big part in it too. :)

Do I shop at multiple stores?
Yep.
Do I go crazy chasing down every deal?
Nope. In fact, I probably miss more than I get.

Do I have a coupon binder?
Yep. MBB bought it for me for Christmas.
Does it save me time?
Yep.
Is it crammed full?
Nope.

Do I spend 40 hours a week trying to get 100 free toothbrushes?
Are you nuts?

Namaste.

Sightseeing

Way back when, a few months ago. . .Okay, quite a few. . .We were in Indy for MaBell's volleyball.
I took a few hours to walk around with my camera.

One thing about Indy - there are some gorgeous views / buildings for picture taking.
Not sure what the buildings are and don't remember the names of the monuments, but I think they are pretty anyway.



Namaste.

I Wrote What?

I never thought when I started this blog back on June 22, 2006 that it would actually be read.
Especially.
By.
Me.

Sometimes, I start looking back through old posts to refer to it.
Then, I start flipping through just reading here and there.

Sometimes, it feels like I am reading someone else's blog. . .
Sometimes, it makes me laugh. . .
Sometimes, it makes me go Hmm. . .
Sometimes, it scares me to peek back into the brain of my past. . .

Namaste.

Go Orange and Black!

Stole this from a friend who posted it somewhere else... :)

Four football fans go rock climbing one afternoon, a Bengals fan, a Browns fan, a Steelers fan, and a Ravens fan. They had been arguing all the way up the mountain about who among them was the most “die-hard” fan.

Upon reaching the top of the mountain, the Ravens fan proclaimed to the other four… “This is for the Baltimore Ravens!” and promptly threw himself off the mountain as a sacrifice.

Not to be outdone by a Ravens fan, the Browns fan jumped up and said…”This is for the Cleveland Browns!” and then threw himself off the mountain as a sacrifice.

Refusing to be outdone by the Ravens and Browns fans, the Bengals fan rose to his feet and yelled at the top of his lungs “This is for the Cincinnati Bengals!” and shoved the Pittsburgh Steelers fan off the mountain.

Let's hope this happens today. :)

Namaste.

The Best-laid Plans. . .

I had lots of plans for today. . .
Was going to get lots done - even woke up before the alarm, so man was the To Do list gonna gets some major over hauling today!

Then, I got to the basement to get my elliptical workout done before heading out for OB's dentist appointment. . .
And heard a sound that no one ever likes to hear in the basement. . .
Water.

Suddenly, there is an emergency run to Home Depot. . .
And the line at the bank was too long. . .
And a Craigslist lead turned into reality. . .
But I did get the good deals at Kroger before the Mega Sale was done!

Namaste.

Really?

Ever had one of those months days. . .

You know, when everyone can talk to you like you are dirt, but you can't respond because for some weird reason...the Bosses don't seem to care how one group of individuals treats others, but they care how others treat that group?


Yep, I absolutely LOVE my job.
Yeah. . .I don't believe it either.


But I do love my paycheck, so I guess I'm back to faking it until I make it.
I don't think I'll be too successful, but hopefully, I'm wrong.


Namaste.

What was that again?

My apologies - I have been trying to come up with good blog topics, but that isn't so easy with a foggy head.
I know that a few ideas popped into my head earlier today and the one lesson that is constantly being reminded to me over the last few days:

I must write everything down!

I like to think that I have a good memory and to a degree, I may be right.
I have a good memory for the past, not for tracking today.
I live with To Do Lists and reminders and post it notes...If it doesn't get written down - forget it!
My iPhone has started to replace the Franklin Planner, but I am still attached to both for different things.

I think my big hang-up is that I am scared I will lose the phone (okay MommyMarie - let's not talk about the time I left the Franklin at your place...).
Or, as many of us have experienced, will the phone have a melt down of electronic proportions?
I guess that is why I am primarily using apps that are also linked to the intranet - Google Reader, Grocery IQ, etc.
Without those, my organization would go to pot, but my data plan would look much smaller.
Heck, I admit it - my organization isn't that great most of the time (despite what some people think), but it would definitely be scary on its own!

Any other good intranet-based, get my world in order, type apps I need to know about?

Namaste.

Stress?

There are various levels of stress. . .
So I've been told.
I know that I have murmured those words myself a time or two.

And I think I feel stressed a lot.

Then, my body reminds me that it does know what stress is. . .
And reminds me that I should have remembered that on my own without any help.
And if I don't listen to that reminder, I get kicked in the rear and get to buy medicine.

Namaste.

Ickies...

Ever felt bad?
Not flu bad or cancer bad or labor bad. . .

But the can't think cause I feel like I have the sickies or ickies or whatever they are called today. . .
And I'm going through a lot of hot tea and Kleenex and Day Quil. . .

And all I wanna do is sleep?
Yep, that's me today.

Namaste.

Productive

I felt like I was pretty productive this weekend (yes, today is still part of my weekend).
Then, I went to update my To Do list and realized that most of the things that I got done, well, they weren't on the list.

Frustrating.

But, all of those things, well, they needed to be done and would have made it on the list eventually.

Maybe I should add them just so that I can cross them off. :)

Namaste.

Music

(NOTE: Anyone else having issues Blogger not posting things composed in IE correctly? I have to switch to Firefox for it to publish correctly!)

I believe that I posted awhile back about how big of a role that music played in my life (Yep - HERE).

Since then, becoming a parent to teens has taken a larger role and the music doesn't play as often as it used to. I am more focused on having conversations, dealing with day to day things that come with raising kids and spending time with them. It also doesn't help that all four of us have different tastes in music, so we usually listen to country when we are together.

Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with country, but I have been blessed over the years to meet quite a few people who are amazing musicians. . .And none of them are classified as country (but some are also song writers and have been recorded by country artists).

I have also been having a rough time the last few months. No, it hasn't been because music is less of a role in my life. But today I realized that music used to help me deal with those rough times, or at least make them a bit easier to navigate through.

I was blessed a few years ago to spend a week with two musicians who lead a retreat that I attended in Missouri. I was blessed today to spend time with one of those musicians today: Karen Taylor-Good is an amazing song-writer / singer who focuses on life issues and yes, can even moonlight as a Wonderful Water Woman any day! She is real, she is talented, she touched me today again.

One song in particular was co-written with Karen Drucker called "I Am A Gift":

I am a gift

No matter what age

No matter how I look

No matter what I weigh

I am a gift

And I promise every day

When I look in the mirror I'll say

I am a gift

I am a gift

I've loved really well

And every year I've lived, has a different tale to tell

I've made some mistakes, have some regrets

But I promise I'll never forget

I am a gift

There may be times

When I forget the truth about me

When it seems time and youth are just marching on without me

That's when I might need you to find me

And ever so gently remind me

I am a gift

I'm God's precious child

I was put here on this earth, but only for awhile

So I make this vow and I say it with love
I am perfect and whole and enough
I am gift

I am perfect and whole and enough
I am a gift
I am a gift
I am a gift
I am a gift

Namaste.

Drowning in Paperwork

I used to keep every scrap of paper that came into my home for seven years.
It easier - I had to keep the taxes for seven, why not everything else?

I have gotten better about throwing things away quicker, but papers do get layed around the house until I get everything into Quicken. If you know how hard it has been for me to find time to post on this blog this past year, you can imagine how much time I found to take care of filing and all of that paperwork!

I finally had enough of all of the piles around the house. . .

I spent about five hours of h e ! ! today filling up a trash bag full of shredded papers and organizing files and. . .
I still have a few more hours to go.

My goal is to find those hours over the next few days to get caught up for the first time in four years!

Namaste.

The Tube. . .

I have never been a big TV watcher. . .
Well MommyMarie may dispute that statement (especially when Sixteen Candles was on).
Since I have owned my own home, I have rarely watched a lot of TV.

I would rather work on crafts, spend time with loved ones or work on the house.
When I lived in the condo, I would only have the TV on when I was working on something else.

Now, I have a family that loves TV. . .Sitcoms, Movies. . .
OB can probably recite dialogue.
I see a lot more TV now, but there are just a few shows that I really like and now that MBB has them set to record, I get to watched regularly.

Biggest Loser (the Aussie version is great too - but they have now restricted it from USA)
The Voice (though one of the judges may lessen my desire to watch this one)
The X Factor (this one surprised me a bit)
Switched at Birth (watching this one on the Internet)
Big Bang Theory

Any other shows that you think are must sees?


Speaking of X Factor, I must say that I was really impressed with Josh and Drew this week. Excellent versions of those songs!!!

Namaste.

I miss. . .

I miss being creative.
I miss making things.
I miss going into my space, blaring music and working away a few hours.

Some people use movies to "get-away from life" for awhile.
I admit that I do that with books. . .
But my main "get-away" was always working on stuff.

My craft supplies have been boxed up for awhile due to our remodeling.
I am beginning to wonder if some of the 2011 funk has been because of my creativity being stifled.

Things that make you go "Hmmmm". . .

Namaste.

Hobby?

As some of you may know, and some of you may not, I am a remodel-er.
It is so bad that I had to start listing it one of my hobbies.

No, it did not begin when I moved into my current house.
This bug hit me about 15 years ago when I bought my first piece of property. . .

I was single. . .
I was poor. . .
I had expensive tastes. . .
I was uncomfortable living in what felt like someone else's home. . .

So, I put the call out and many people in my family started teaching me how to do things.
Good thing I am a fast learner as some of those things have had to be done multiple times (I'm pretty darn good at changing door knobs!).
I also learned when to pinch pennies and outsource - hurt the wallet, but the bathrooms looked good!

Care to take a guess at when I got the Condo done?
The week after I moved out.
Yep, my renter is now enjoying all of the remodeling that I did.

But it was time to not be single anymore and I had something new to focus my attention on.
Yes, I moved out of that beautifully remodeled condo into another fixer-upper.

I am no longer single, which is nice to have someone co-sharing your hobby...
I am no longer poor, but I am pretty darn frugal...
I still had expensive tastes, but now there is something called compromise that gets involved...
I still didn't want to feel like I am living in someone else's home...

And the fun continues. . .

Namaste.

Trying to be back!

I took some time off from the blog. More than I usually do…
Does seem to be a trend around here though.

It wasn’t something that I consciously did…
It just happened.

I could blame it on MaBell’s Volleyball.
I could blame it on OB’s Football.
I could blame it on our remodeling.
I could blame it on changes at work.
I could blame it on the crowds at the grocery store.

But in the end, it simply was that something had to slip through the cracks and I didn’t want that something to be my sanity.

At any rate, I am going to make an attempt to get back into blogging (and not just picture posting). Sometimes putting words out there, even vague ones, seems to help keep things straight in my mind.

I heard a few people were participating in a “NaBloPoMo” (National Blog Posting Month) and I thought about giving it a try…

OK, OK, OK…
I am cheating as I am back dating this post, but I just found out about this activity today from Carmen and so I am posting twice today. Based on my current history of no posts, I think two in one day should definitely count! :)

Namaste.