Howdie Family and Friends - here are the going ons in the life of me. Stew shows up frequently. My family and friends visit a lot. My nieces and nephews are represented throughout. It's all about me and how I'm traveling along in this thing I call my life.

Monday, January 6, 2014

The Day in Review - January 6, 2014

After last night, I'm thinking that showering right before bed isn't such a bad idea.  Of course, I'm getting to bed later tonight so no time for that pre-bed shower - but I slept well enough last night to consider making it part of my routine.  The wind right now is crazy.  It feels like the house is in a fighting match and it's losing the wind is beating against it so strongly.  The weather is going to get bitter, bitter, bitter tomorrow.  The low tonight is lower than I remember seeing a temperature drop in a long time.  I'm glad I don't have to go out in it and say to everyone that does to bundle up.  I don't want to see any frostbitten body parts.  

I was supposed to drive to North Jersey today, but after discussing my visit with the site, it was decided that it would be better to reschedule.  I got a lot of work accomplished this morning, but didn't adhere to my schedule at all.  In fact, all of the goals I set for the year went out the window today.  Sometimes I'm so on target and then other days, I'm so far off I'm not sure I remember where the target is.  I don't know what makes one day so much different from the rest.  I suppose one day I'll figure it out.  

We had our first electrician come out today to give estimates on the work we want done in the garage.  He's going to email us his quote.  We had another one scheduled to come out at 6AM tomorrow, but Stew rescheduled because of the weather.  He admits that he's being a weenie about it, but hey, I think this cold even is getting to him - I mean, he's talking about wearing gloves tomorrow.  Who is this man?

Polar Vortex - nothing about that sounds good to me.



More exciting stuff happened tonight, too.  Stew got home and went to move our cars - his car wouldn't start which just pisses me off considering we had his battery replaced not too long ago.  We tried to jump it with both the battery pack his parents got us for Christmas a few years ago and with my car, neither worked.  He called AAA and they were out within an hour and a half or so - they jumped it, started right up.  Hopefully, it will start in the morning.  Fingers crossed.  

Another night of bad food for dinner.  Like I said, when I'm feeling motivated, I'm all in, when I'm not, I'm an unmovable stone.  What gives?

We watched the season premier of Downton Abbey.  Still liking this show a lot - wasn't expecting it to be two hours.  I won't describe any of it in case it's on someone's DVR, but I like the way the story line is developing.  Maggie Smith's character is the best part of the show if you ask me.  She's how I envision I'll be in old age.

Then as we were turning that off and preparing to head to bed, we noticed that curling was on.  I don't understand anything about this sport, but it's damn addicting.  The US beat the Czech Republic.  It was the eighth end that did it.  They scored five points in that one end and had the hammer in the tenth.  



Leaving the eighth up 7-3 with the hammer going into the tenth, time to play defense.  It's pretty exciting.  Stew couldn't believe that they have replay and from multiple angles, too.  LOL.  It is a real sport afterall.  I'm getting excited for the winter olympics.

Now, it's off to bed for me.  Hopefully, I'll sleep even better tonight.



POTD: January 6, 2014

This is Stew's nighttime look - now all he needs is sock garters....


Sunday, January 5, 2014

The Day in Review, January 5, 2013

Today consisted of work, Dexter, and icy roads that killed my plans.

I woke up this morning around 7:30 - still not a great night of sleep, but somewhat better.  I wanted to get up at 5, but the alarm on my phone isn't working for some reason.  I'm sure I messed up a setting somewhere.  I'll have to look into that, but I started my day much later than I wanted to and read a weather report that wasn't at all friendly to my plans.  Tonight was supposed to be my first meet up with the book club that I joined.  I've even read the book.  Unfortunately, getting out of our cul-de-sac is a bit treacherous and I didn't want to chance it, so I changed my RSVP to no.  The gang is going out for trivia night on Thursday and I may go out and meet them then.  I have a three day business trip this week to Northern Jersey, so we'll see how I'm feeling after I'm back from that.

I started my day in my office working on my paperwork that I've put off forever.  Gotta love my procrastinating self.  I did that until about 2:30 and during that time Stew made French Toast for breakfast from the fresh bread I made yesterday.  It was very good and the last time I'm going to see a carb laden breakfast for awhile.  I enjoyed every bite.  Tomorrow it's new weigh ins, new measurements and the start of our get fit year.  No screwing around with this anymore - we're both determined to do it and the fact that it's both of us will help.  Let's not mention that tonight we ordered Pat's for dinner.  I really wanted chicken tenders - I'm on a kick lately - but I also had a salad.  Stew got mozzarella sticks and meatballs, two different dishes.

I did some laundry today.  We watched the episode of Bones that was missing from our DVR and we ended our night with a Dexter marathon.  It's the last season.  The bitch is back, Deb's a whiny pain in the ass and Dexter isn't killing enough people for me.  Also, not enough Masuka - he is the comic relief after all.  Stew did enjoy his comment about a breasteraunt.

Half productive, half lazy day.  Now I'm going to take a shower per the insomnia beating guidelines and hopefully get a good night's sleep to start the work week.  Rest time is over and work will be back with a vengeance tomorrow.  I hope I'm ready.


POTD: January 5, 2013

Here's the productivity of today.  My backlog of paperwork to be sent into the central office for filing is ready to go.  Six hours.  Let's pray that one of my goals for this year - to stop procrastinating - is accomplished and I do this in real time and never have to play catch up with it tomorrow.  On tap for tomorrow, the filing for my other study - oh the joy!!

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Picture of the Day: January 4, 2014, Dinner



This dish is delicious.  It's Slow Cooker Beef Stew.

You can find the recipe here.  Stew and I both recommend this dish.  The only change I made to the recipe was to add four bay leaves instead of 2 - love the flavor, and to increase the amount of ground black pepper.  The other thing is, the recipe calls for it to be cooked on low for 8 to 10 hours.  Well, since I didn't get it in the crock pot until noon, that time wasn't going to work for me.  I cooked it for 6 hours on high, the beef was tender and it was still delicious.

The Day In Review, January 4, 2014

It's been nine months since I posted anything here.  I thought maybe with the New Year, it might be time to get back on track.  I know, I know, today's the fourth, but I did journal on paper for the last three days and I will get caught up.  Unfortunately, I'm doing my first entry on a day that wasn't that exciting.

It was another bad night of sleep.  Went to bed right around 9 (I was in bed around 8, lights out at 9).  Woke up at 1:30 after getting up off and on during that time.  Decided to head out to the living room so maybe one of us would have some chance of sleeping.  I read for awhile and then around 3:30 went back to sleep and woke up around 7:30.  I'm over this messed up sleep schedule now.  Just completely over it.  I read some articles this morning about it.  One said to make sure that you're sticking to a schedule, no eating within 2 hours of bed time, no caffeine after dark (not a problem), and no compensating - mean no naps, sleeping in, or going to bed early.  Well, boohoo.  So most of today, I've been struggling to keep my eyes open and Stew has been a tyrant about not allowing me to go to sleep.  He's such a meanie sometimes.

When I got up this morning, my plan was to clean the house.  You know, we were expecting company so I needed to get my Merry Maid on and get this disaster I call a house cleaned up.  Then I gave up on that thinking altogether when I looked around my house and decided that it wasn't so much a disaster as it was lived in.  Stew's shoes were on the landing - the horror.  We had mail sitting on the living room table - such devastation.  It's things like that that I look at and think, ahhhh, the house is horrible and Stew just shakes his head at me and is like, "whatever you say."  The fact of the matter is, the bathrooms are clean - no rings in the toilet, no gunk build up in the sink - the kitchen is spotless if you don't look at the floor - so there's some dirt down there.  Don't worry, I don't wipe my hand across it before making your food.  In fact, I wash my hands so often when I cook that my hands are dry and cracked almost all of the time.  So, I just let it go.  Believe me, this is a big step for me and honestly, but I thought, hell, it's just Matt.  I ain't cleaning for him.

So in the middle of my zen moment of letting go, Stew got up and I proceeded to make him clean out the laundry room with me after we cleaned out the kitchen cabinet down in the family room last night.  I'm kind of on this organization kick.  I want it all cleaned up.  Everything has a place, everything in its place.  So, we spent an hour or two moving a stand up freezer, going through games, sorting cleaning supplies and the like.  I have so much more room in my laundry room now.  It's like an oasis - okay, okay, even I can't pull that crap (sorry GEP, I know, it's a bad word) off.  It's no where near an oasis, it has exposed dry wall and a concrete floor.  It's on the list of things to remodel, but it is now spacious and that makes me happy.  Good enough for the day.  Side note, I still didn't get a damn bit of laundry done today, but I digress.

Come to find out, the universe was sending me some message about not spic and span cleaning the house.  Matt had to cancel.  Unfortunately, a pipe burst in his house.  Understandably, he had to stay home and take care of that.

About this time, I decided that since it was the last day of the storage sales event at Micheals, that Stew and I should go and buy me my storage cubes.  That was a complete no go.  This man actually said to me, "it's cold out there."  Ummm, hello, who are you and what have you done with my husband.  If that alone doesn't freak you out, let me inform you that this same man had two blankets - count them: 1, 2, blankets on this morning when I went back in the bedroom.  He said it was glorious sleeping in our bedroom but it was cold.  You have to understand that we keep our thermostat at 65.  Yes, you read that right and none of the heating vents in our room are open.  It was single digits this morning.  You could see your breath in my bedroom - well, you couldn't, because you're not invited in my bedroom, but we could see our breath.  Yeah, I'll say, it's cold.

So, I showered, tried to take a nap - DENIED - and off to Michael's I went.  I got my storage cubes, rubber cement for Stew so he can put my F18 fighter jet model together, and heavy duty fabric scissors - also for Stew so that he can make my other blanket with the monkeys on it.  The storage cubes will just sit for a time now because that room needs to be emptied, painted, carpet removed, a decision made on the floor, and then put back together.  This is going to hurt, LIKE A LOT.  I'm looking forward to the end product, but not the process.  Not even one little bit.  I got a bit of a reprieve because we decided to focus on Stew's garage first.  Need to get some electric mumbo jumbo done before he can start setting it up.  Don't ask me what.  I am deaf and dumb when it comes to mechanical stuff.

The rest of the day, I read, talked to Stew, and cooked.  Made a beef stew in the crockpot.  Holy cow was it good.  Go over and see the photo of the day to get a look at it and the recipe and I promise you should make it.  It's delicious.  The only thing I'm going to do differently next time is to have my own beef stock on hand.  I don't want to use stocks out of boxes anymore.  I'd like to have my own as one of my goals this year is to eat less processed food.  For this I will be using my own definition of processed - so no need to tell me in February when I eat something that it's processed.  There's a list in my head.  This is what I'm going with.  That's good enough for me.

I also made bread in the bread maker.  Combined, dinner was fantastic.

Other than that, nothing much going on in these parts.  The side roads here are still a little dicey.  I can't believe the Colts pulled out that victory and I hope Stew's team kicks the Saints' butts tonight.  I'll be in bed long before it's over and will report on that tomorrow.

That's it for tonight.  Be well!