What's For Dinner?

98% Fat Free Hebrew National Hot Dogs and Fat Free Pringles
I got fancy with it and toasted the bread in the oven.

The day after hubby's Birthday dinner I flat out told him.  "Don't expect me to eat today."  I pigged out the night before, I'd had a few indulgences over the week leading up to that and our vacation was just around the corner.  I felt like a stuffed pig.  I absolutely was not in the mood to have food pushed on me that day.  As soon as I said it I was totally relieved that I had the day ahead of me to eat what I wanted when I wanted and yes...how little I wanted.  I love food as much as the next person.  Maybe even more!  I am a cheese addict.  I love anything with cheese particularly Casadilla's and Pizza.  I have a major carb addiction too.  I can eat bread like nobody's business.  I have a sweet tooth.  I probably crave candy more now then I ever did as a child and my favorite dessert in the whole wide world is Molten Chocolate Lava cake.  I can and do get my grub on but sometimes I really don't want to.  I am a calorie tracker.  Using my phone app it's like a fun game to me.  I enjoy eating but I also enjoy staying within my calorie budget.  To do this I watch my portions and use a lot of low fat substitutions.  I might eat ice cream every night for dessert but it will be light ice cream and only the 1/2 cup serving size. You can eat anything in moderation.  Mj calls it an obsession with calories and weight.  I call it discipline.  It's how I am and I don't think I can totally change it so my goal is to manage it.  Which I think I've been doing a pretty good job of despite his statement of a month ago that I have gotten too thin.  I beg to differ.  I know I  should be adding fruits and vegetables on the side instead of pretzels but I am making an effort and sometimes I just want to be left alone when it comes to my eating habits.  I'm a snacker, I don't want 3 squares a day and if I eat too much one day I simply don't want much the next.  I'm an adult.  Let me eat what I want. 

Longtime fav:  PBJ.  With a side of pretzels.

Low Sodium Fat Free Ramen [280 cals].  Hot commodity.
You can't find this stuff every where.

Like a lot of women, I have a complicated relationship with food.  I love to eat it but then I bust my calorie budget and I love to hate it even more.  Every time I turn around there is some social event with food or sweet treats floating around the office that interfere with my food plans.  Sure, no one has a gun to my head but it's the only time I allow certain indulgences so I usually can't resist.  I skip my healthy snacks to compensate which I know is not good for me.  Then, I come home to Mj saying, "What are we having for dinner" and the reality of it is that I just don't care.  The structure of Breakfast and Lunch annoys me and Dinner is whatever.  I'm a snacker and I can only squeeze so much into my calorie budget.  I'll get a craving for popcorn and want to eat that instead and call it dinner.  Day to day at home I prefer light and easy meals.  Ones that are prepared in the microwave, can be eaten off of a paper towel or that don't require any heat whatsoever are fine with me.  If I get hungry later I can have a snack.  Can you tell I love my snacks?  Or if it's a "real" meal then I want Salads with chicken or Grilled Chicken Breast with Veggies.  If we grab something out my #1 go to is always Subway or a Chicken & Rice bowl.  I'm down for Pizza but reluctantly because I love it so much but sometimes have a hard time with knowing when to stop.  Well, I know when to stop, I just don't want too!   I prefer to reserve hearty meals for dining out or social gatherings.   

Albertson's Fresh Baked French Bread with Fat Free
Mozzarella Cheese.  Forgot that stuff doesn't melt.

Only $3.50 at the Grocery store.  Prep time: 1 minute. 

 With Mj out of town I've been getting a bit of a break.  I can snack the day away and I've been eating things like Fat Free Ramen, Hot Dogs, Sandwiches and bread for dinner.  Yes, bread.  I see absolutely nothing wrong with this.  Ok, so maybe I do.  Day to day nutritionally  meals snacks like that are not the best but that's what I want.  And trust me when I say my diet has improved from where it was just two years ago.  With Mj around I've had to make some changes.  When I lived alone I never cooked.  I barely even had pots and pans and food was way low on my priority list.   For Mj's sake I have stepped up my cooking game over the last year since we moved into our new house and have even started to enjoy it a little bit but the rigmarole of shopping for and preparing meals is too much for me sometimes.   I only have so many free hours after work and the gym as it is and I don't even want dinner half the time so finding the motivation to cook is hard.   I've fallen off the wagon lately and I need to start up again with that.  He gets home earlier then I do.  He is a great cook AND he loves to do it.  Neither statement particularly applies to me but he cooks for us so I will return the favor even if it's not my favorite thing to do.  He is adventurous whereas I could eat the same thing every day for months on end and be just fine with it.  I like the comfortable routine of predictable meals and it sometimes rattles me if I can't plan ahead.  Mj is a foodie so I really do try to get over myself and my own issues and participate so it is something we can enjoy together. 

I might have the palate of a 10 year old and just want to eat a sandwich every single day but it's not just about me.   It's about cooking a meal and eating it together or roasting S'mores in the back yard.  Indulging in something totally fattening just for the hell of it, experimenting with new recipes or having pancakes for dinner.   It's also about being healthy.  I have to remind myself that that food is HEALTH.  It is not just something to resist or dread.

Hangin' out with Sis

Me and Big Sis at Mom's house 
She's almost done losing her baby + weight!

I had a great weekend hanging with my big sister and the rest of my family.  Friday night I was on my own.  I stayed home and watched The Roommate.  It was a typical obsessed girl beats herself up for attention and snaps at the end kind of move but it was good.  Saturday morning I rolled out of bed and cleaned the house.  I'd put it off for a while so it had to be done.   One of Mj's friend's planned a baby shower for Saturday night.   Even though he is out of town I still wanted to go, but not by myself so Big Sis dropped my nephew at mom's and came down to spend the night so we could hang out and then she could come with me. It's so great having her nearby again.  We have already planned our next sister get together for next month up at her house.  We spent the day hanging out at my house talking about anything and everything and then went to the baby shower that evening.  The first of what is likely to be a flurry of baby shower's to come seeing as how everyone is turning up pregnant lately.  I'm not a big fan of baby shower's for some reason so I liked it that it was just a basic unisex gathering with food.  The only way you knew it was a baby shower was the baby themed cake, paper plates and napkins and the baby gifts.  No games at all.  There was some really good eats and we had a fun time.  It was kind of late but still, we did our best to stay awake after we got home but didn't make it long before we had to go to bed.

He changes everytime I see him. 

I've really been in my homebody mode lately, especially with Mj being gone.  I was going to stay home alone in my jammies after my sister left for my Mom's on Sunday.  But really.  Why should I spend the day at home alone in my pajamas when I can be with my family? Nice as that sounds I just did that last weekend.  Mom told me I should come up and she'd make whatever I wanted for dinner and I'm glad I did.   I got to see Mom and Dad and my little nephew who is as cute as can be.  DJ is standing up by himself now and has 4 teeth.  He'll be walking any day now.  We had Turkey Chili, Salad and Cornbread for dinner.  I only just started eating cornbread last year because I'm picky and had decided that I didn't like it which doesn't make too much sense because I love bread.  Anyways, I like it now and it was so good.

It was a little bit gloomy all weekend but the sun seems to have reappeared and I'm looking forward to a sunny three day weekend and Mj coming home.  I've missed him!  And not just because I had to take over the the plant watering and trash duties. 

Credit Card Craziness

I was watching some really bad TV on VH1, Mafia Wives to be exact, while I was on the elliptical at the gym and I saw a commercial for the RUSH card.  It's this pre paid Visa being offered by Russell Simmons.  Your tax return or paycheck can be deposited directly onto the card.  You can also add money to it at any time.  At the end he says that he created this card so that everyone can have access to the American Dream.  I couldn't help but laugh.  What a crock.  Credit cards have mostly been a nightmare for people not a dream.  And how is depositing my paycheck onto this card going to get me any further then where I am right now?  If Russell were planning to add some of his stockpile of money to it then I might understand but if I only make $500 a month and I deposit it onto this Visa I still only make $500 a month.  What more is that going to get me?  OK, so I can rent a car now and reserve a hotel room but I doubt that has anything to do with the American Dream.

I just thought it was funny that he made this big global statement about this card  and the American dream in one breath.  I get it that it will help people build credit but it really is a huge leap especially when the credit reporting that is supposed to help you build your credit is only done by "participating" agencies.  So then I couldn't help but wonder, what does the company get out of this because you know there has to be a money making angle in there somewhere.  Could they possibly be charging interest to use your own money?  Well, the answer is no but the fee schedule attached this card is longer and more complicated then any I've ever seen for a credit card or bank.  If you get the basic card your monthly fee is only $3.95 but if you get the BabyPhat Rushcard design-no I'm not making this up-it's $14.95 per month.  Depending on what plan you choose you are basically charged for everything for things like simply using it.  There are fees per transaction.  You are charged for getting a replacement if you lose it and depending on your plan there is a monthly maintenance fee on top of the initial monthly fee.  They charge you to enroll in bill pay then a monthly fee to use it.  The only thing that is totally free is getting your online statement.  If you decide you want paper it's $1.00 per month.  Now you know a lot of people will not look at this monstrous fee schedule and then they will wonder where all of their money is disappearing to and probably be surprised at how quickly all those little fees add up.   

I on the other hand don't have to settle for a RushCard.  I got the invitation I've been waiting for my whole life.  The coveted and rare Visa Black card.  Yep, little old me.  It came in this thick black fancy envelope.  Did you know that only a very small percentage of the population is considered worthy enough to have it?  Well, the interest rate wasn't bad for these times at 14.99 % but still not anything I want to pay out on purchases.   If that wasn't enough to make me say forget it then the $495 yearly fee was.  That's an airline ticket.  I'd rather buy that then pay a yearly fee for a card that provides me with concierge services and airport lounge services that I would rarely even have the chance to use.  Besides that, I hate debt.  Clearly it's for rich folks but thanks anyways.

I had no job and no credit history but I was handed my first credit card in college.  For some odd reason I wanted the ugly Bart Simpson T-Shirt with the Visa logo they were giving away for free and thought it would be cool to have some plastic. I was practical enough not to use it much and have never been in any kind of major credit card debt.  I hate having lingering debt and I hate paying interest.  It adds onto the purchase price so that if I got a killer deal on something that interest just eats it up.  I paid cash for my car and if there was any way on earth I could've done the same for our house I would have.  We paid cash for our wedding, everything we furnished our house with and all of our little home improvement projects.  I have never allowed myself to overspend beyond my means.   I'm a saver not a spender and I was basically born that way.  If it's a big purchase and I don't have the money  I'll use the cards and try to take advantage of balance transfer offers to minimize interest with the plan of paying it off quickly.   One purchase at a time.  I use my Discover card for daily use and pay it off monthly so I can rack up points.  It's great for my credit too.  This works well if you know your budget and have the restraint to stick to it.  I've had up to $150 in cash back bonuses at one time which I save to use as spending money on trips and Mj and I got hundreds off of our Hawaii plane tickets because of accumulated points.  I'd much rather make money off of them and not let them get a dime out of me! 

May kicked my butt financially.  Patio Furniture, new glasses, and Mother's Day.  Big Sis B Day and Mj's B Day.  I bought him an i Pad-enough said!  Then there was the car registration and our San Francisco trip.  All that along with my seemingly uncontrollable urge to shop happened at once.  So this month I'm only paying off my statement balance and not the entire actual balance, which still won't cost me any interest because bill close was the 10th.  I busted my budget which I usually don't do but hey, it's bound to happen some times.  I'll let a bit roll over into next month and pay it off then.  Credit cards can be evil if abused but they can be your friend if used properly.  The cards can establish the credit needed to get houses and cars but if you get out of hand and abuse them you'll have a lot of stuff but not much of anything else.

Backyard S'Mores

We finally got our patio furniture a couple weeks ago only to find one of the parts was defective.  I called the manufacturer and got another sent out and Mj put it together so that we could FINALLY officially enjoy our little outdoor space before he left.  It was night time so we roasted s'mores in the fire pit and had wine.  But of course.  Mj taught me how to turn it on and off so I could do it on my own.  I have an irrational fear of lighting matches so I've never done it in my life....until now.  I guess it took owning a fire pit to force me. 

Fireball s'mores

Yesterday was a wonderful Saturday of relaxation.  I thought about cleaning the house but didn't.  I thought about going to the gym but didn't.  I thought about taking a shower and running my errands....but DID!! After that it was back home into the jammies to relax and clear out my DVR.  I even took an awesome late afternoon nap.  My triumph of the weekend was getting those errands done which lately I really hate doing even more then usual and doing laundry.   While I was out getting my rings inspected the lady tried to sell me on this 1.5 karat diamond ring for 13K!  She did all of this complicated math and told me that if I traded in my two wedding bands and one engagement ring that I could get into a brand new double setting very similar to mine and with this gorgeous 1.5 karat ring for only 9K.  What did I just walk in there looking like I was worth $10,000 that day?  I have priorities and spending that kind of money on jewelry is not one of them.  We could do a total kitchen re model for that much.  Mj says at some point I can get a bigger diamond but I LOVE my setting so I won't be changing anything else. 

Would your honey pay 13k for this? Would you let him?

A Cracker Barrel breakfast I don't get to eat

Mj's in Texas for work and wouldn't you know it I see a spider last night.  We rarely have creepy crawlies in our house and just days after he leaves I have to see one crawling on the curtain.  I also have an irrational fear of spiders so while Mj watched via face time on our i phones and laughed at me I screamed while I sprayed it then put one of his shoes over it and smashed it down a little.  He said it was like watching a horror movie which makes sense because I felt like I was in one.  I'm too afraid to pick up the shoe and dispose of the carcass right now so that will have to wait.  He sent me this drool worthy pic of his breakfast from Cracker Barrel.  We ate there when we were on the East coast in 2009 They have the most delicious perfectly crispy edged pancakes I've ever had in my life.  Sadly, they don't have one in So Cal so I haven't had them since.  I'm so jealous!  The house feels so quiet and empty with him gone.  I'm just here bumping around and have already slipped back into my old dinner habits.  Ham and Cheese on Sandwich Thins with Fat Free Pringles anyone?  I'll toast the bread.

San Francisco is COLD

This mother's day was a little different.  It's the first time in my life that I didn't spend it with my Mom.  Mj's busy travel schedule made  it the only time we could take a trip to visit my little sis so we had to go.  The gifts for my mom, my sister's first mother's day and her birthday were sent via mail and we were off to San Francisco Thursday right after work.  It's a pretty short flight for us.  Little sis T and her boyfriend picked us up from the airport in their Zip Car rental and then we checked into our hotel.  Hotels in SF are expensive unless you want to stay in a dump or be next to the Airport.  It's probably the oldest hotel we've ever stayed in but turned out to be pretty decent.  It was $180 per night WITH a military discount.  I've been totally spoiled by checking out of our timeshares without a bill on our last few trips.  It had a good 2 feet of crown molding and lots of beautiful detailing inside and out.   We took our first of many walks throughout the weekend and walked over to T's apartment where she was making Taco's for dinner.  After that we did a little bar hopping-away from the touristy Union square area-where the drinks are cheaper.  I still can't believe I managed to stay out until 1:30 am.  Practically a miracle for me.

Bar hopping

Hangin' out with lil' sis and her boyfriend

Friday was mostly a day of shopping, but first we had breakfast.  There is always a long wait at Dotties True Blue Cafe but everyone said it would be worth it.  They serve 250 meals a day, there are 2 cooks and the place seats 40  but feels smaller then that.  The place is tiny so you wait in line outside and I was freezing my butt off.  It's been featured on Diners Drive-Ins and Dives- (You Tube Video Link) and I waited 50 minutes to get in so I was not about to order my same old boring egg beater Omelet.   I got the French Toast made with their homemade bread and it was the best I've ever had.  Tons of flavor.  Mj enjoyed his Pancakes, eggs and bacon.  After thawing out and getting a good meal we hit the shops.  I'm broke so I had no business shopping but there I was at Macy's, H & M and DSW spending money like I had it.  To be fair, I did get really good deals and actually didn't spend a whole lot of money, but still.  Mj did a little shopping of his own at Macy's and was really patient as I dragged him around to the other stores.  We met little sis for dinner that night and got to hang out with her some more.


Breakfast on the go

Entering Alcatraz.  I'm sure the prisoners didn't smile
on the way in like me.

Saturday the three of us got Egg McMuffins and coffee on the go for breakfast and walked to Pier 33 and then did loads more walking once we got off the ferry at Alcatraz Island.  I finally got to see this place!  I have been wanting to visit this historic Prison since I was a kid.  You see, I have this really weird prison fascination and seeing as how this might be the only prison I ever get to actually go inside I knew that someday I had to do it.  It is a very dreary place.  I cannot even imagine what it would be like to be shut in that tiny, cold, concrete cell day in and day out for years at a time.  I walked into the cell and tried to picture it and just shook my head in disbelief.  How terrible!  We did the audio tour which is pretty much self paced so you can take your time looking at everything as long as you want to.  The view of the city from "The Rock" is beautiful.  It was so darn windy that it was hard to get a good picture.  My eyes AND my nose were watering

Locked up

A little too close for comfort and the decor is awful

San Francisco skyline behind us

We spent quite a bit of time exploring and then went to Fisherman's Wharf for a snack.  I got some yummy fried mini donuts and warm coffee to thaw me out.  Then, we took the long way home so we could walk through China Town.  All you really need is a quick walk through there.  All the stores are basically the same but the architecture is pretty cool.  I was exhausted by the time we made it back to our hotel.  We spent the entire day walking.  We had about 1 1/2 hours to rest then it was off for more walking to meet my cousins for dinner at the Embarcadero.  They live about 45 minutes away and made the drive up to see us.  I ate at a Thai Restaurant for the first time ever and it was pretty good.  I played it safe and got Pad Thai with Chicken.  I'm picky but as long as I stick with Chicken I usually can't go too wrong.

In Chinatown

Cousin's

Sunday was check out day.  We were able to sleep in, walk around the corner for breakfast and then check out.  The hotel held our bags while we walked down Market St where I managed to find some more things to buy at The Gap.  Then, before we knew it T was picking us up and we were heading to the airport to go back home.   It was so good to see my little sis.  There is a 10 year age difference  between us.  For a while she was just my bratty little sister but now that she is older we have gotten so much closer.  Her graduation is on May 27th and I won't be able to make it but I am so proud of her for getting through school and growing up to be the smart, sweet and pretty young woman that she is.  She is still in that post graduation, job hunting, uh oh the student loans are coming due soon phase in her life but with a little more time she'll eventually find her way as we all do.

Of course Mj was fine but traveling really takes it's toll on my body.  We didn't even switch time zones and I felt like a train wreck today!  My thighs are still sore two days later from all that walking we did on Saturday.  We both enjoyed our visit but I will not miss that icy frigid wind.   I felt like it was about to blow me down a couple times.  I had my hat, scarf, glove and leather jacket and it still wasn't enough.   The only thing we didn't do that I wanted to is ride the Trolley.  Maybe next time.  All in all it was a fabulous trip!!

He's Finally 30

My husband is so dang nosy.  I could be sitting right next to him and he wants to know what I'm doing.  Not only is he nosy but he notices everything.  I always joke that it's a good thing I don't want to cheat on him 'cause I'd never get away with it.  I figured it would be next to impossible to pull off a surprise B Day party for him but it was his 30th so I was darn sure going to try.  Adding to the difficulty is that although I have all of his friends addresses from wedding planning I don't have any of their e mail addresses or phone numbers.  Facebook saved the day for the most part though and I was able to stalk his friends there and send them an E vite and then message two of his other friends to help spread the word.

Even something as simple as stopping by Albertson's grocery store to get the cake set off alarm bells for him.  I dropped it off at his friends house so they could bring it to the party.  I couldn't resist the bread so I bought a fresh warm loaf and Mj badgered me endlessly about why I suddenly had the urge to stop for bread on the way home from work.  I NEVER do that.  Why?  I just insisted that I had an insatiable craving for it that could not be ignored.  He didn't buy it.

Cooking our own dinner....at a restaurant

He loved this Oreo Cookie Cake

I'm glad to say the party turned out great.  He did pick the restaurant although I told him it would be just him and I.  When we got there about 15 of his friends were already there making it a great surprise.  Of course he knew something was up.  I insisted he could NOT change his mind about where we were going and I was just a little too frenzied and rushed getting ready.  For the most part though he was really surprised.  The restaurant is called The Strip Club.  Catchy huh?  All entree's are meat, mostly steak, and if you order it you have to cook it yourself.  They set up large grills stocked with spices and tongs.  They bring you your raw meat and buttered garlic bread and you get to grilling.   It's a really fun atmosphere and I think everyone had a good time.  Afterwards about 10 of us did a little bar hopping.  By the end of the night Mj had consumed 6 Long Island Iced Teas and was pretty well toasted.  All part of the plan.  We only managed to stay out until about 11:30pm.  I remember the days when I could stay out well past midnight but those days are long gone apparently.  Mj certainly could have kept going but our little group was dropping like flies as people got tired.

Long Island's all night long

He is not really into making a big to do about his birthday but it's his 30th.  He's got great friends that I knew he would want to have celebrate with him.  He's such a great guy and I just wanted to make it really special for him.  I succeeded.  Not only did he say I did a great job but that it was one of his best Birthday's ever.  I was so happy to hear that.

Yummy Cup Cakes

So, that was Saturday night.  His actual B Day was yesterday.  A yucky nothing too celebratory about it Monday where we both work and I don't get home from the gym until close to 7:00pm.  His gift isn't even here yet.  The i Pad is still in China according to UPS but it's case made it in time.  I don't have the time or energy to track down the i Pad 2 at Walmart's and Target's all over the county so I ordered it from Apple a couple weeks ago and told him it should be here before he leaves for Texas.  To brighten his day I decided to stop on my lunch break and bring home some sweet treats.  That night downtown we happened into Heavenly Cupcake because Mj raved about how he loves that place and wanted to get a cupcake.  He settled for Peanut Butter Banana because they ran out of Red Velvet but he went on and on about how delicious their Red Velvet is.  So, I show him the box and he's like, "Cool, where is this place?"  I give him a funny look.  "Uh, Downtown.  You know the place you were raving about on Saturday?"  Turns out not only had he never been to that place before he doesn't even remember going in there on Saturday night!  Funny.  I guess it was the Long Island's talking.  He didn't even choose to eat the Red Velvet first.  Of course not. He doesn't remember how much he wanted it.

Having a hubby who is 4 years younger can make a lady feel old.  He is finally in his 30's!  Like me.   And it's about time. 

Relationship and/or Technology?

-Song Lyrics: 
I Love Technology-Napolean Dynamite

Why do you love me
Why do you need me
Always and forever

We met in a chat room
Now our love can fully bloom
Sure, the World Wide Web is great
But you, you make me 'salvivate'

Yes, I love technology
But not as much as you, you see
But I still love technology
Always and forever

Our love is like a flock of doves

Anybody remember, and love Napolean Dynamite as much I did?  A classic!  For some reason when I was writing this post it made me think of that hilarious song he sang to his sweetie LaFawnduh.

Before I had my laptop I spent less time on the net.  I didn't want to be chained to my desk at work then go do the same thing at home.  Now that I have a laptop I can be in the kitchen, on the couch, and anywhere I want to be and still be connected to the Internet.  DVR has made TV time more customizable.  Now I can stockpile a bunch of shows in my play list and pretty much always have something on TV to watch when I want to.  Add to that the fact that now I have a smart phone.  My phone just became a whole lot more interesting to look at and it's literally with me 24/7.  I have apps, e mail and Facebook available to me all the time at home and away from home without even having to open a laptop.

One moment as I stood there in the kitchen watching a DVR'd House Hunters episode, cooking dinner and checking my Facebook news feed while Mj was upstairs playing play station and watching live Baseball streaming from somewhere I don't really understand on his lap top it got me to thinking.  Has technology taken over or should I say taken the place of my relationship?  This is something that I can't help but think about as my stockpile of electronic gadgets has grown and my access to them has increased. 

It's obvious that if there were no TV or Internet our time at home together would look a whole lot different.  Without any distractions all we could do is talk or read.  I don't even know what that would be like.  So clearly technology technically does detract from our interactions but not to it's detriment.   I don't ever feel ignored or disregarded in favor of an i Phone.  Mj enjoys playstation but it's not an obsession.  I've been a victim of that addiction before....and it's not pretty.  I do find that both of us often have our lap tops and/or our phones within reaching distance when we are at home but I don't think it's a bad thing as long as it doesn't become excessive.  When I do feel that I've become too engrossed in blogging or whatever else  I do make the conscious effort to say, "OK, close the lap top and put the phone down."  I really try to be aware of the time I'm spending on technology and not let it become more important then my husband.  We don't have a TV in our bedroom which I think is a good thing.  We always ask each other how was work and how was our day.  I might come home and unwind with my DVR during the busy work week but we usually come together for some cuddle time at some point by the end of the night.  We still talk and enjoy each others company.  We play scrabble, although we do it online!  We play old school Yahtzee.  We watch movies and TV shows together and it's something fun for us to do.  We get out of the house and do things together as well.  While technology time has increased I don't think it's taken away from our relationship in any way.  We still get our quality time in AND we enjoy our outlets that Internet, TV and video games provide.  Like anything else in life it's all about balance.

If I ever felt that I could no longer relate to my spouse, felt a disconnect or became totally annoyed when he needed attention that cut into my technology time there might be a problem.   If I felt that we lived two separate lives at home with each of us entwined in our own respective technologies then it would probably be high time to re evaluate priorities and work on reconnecting.  With us, this has not been an issue.  I don't think you have to choose between the quality of your relationship and technology.  A healthy relationship can balance both.

Girly Girl Gets Dirty in the Yard

I'm a self proclaimed girly girl.  I love Pink, shopping and things that smell pretty.   I am afraid of bugs, I hate feeling dirty and I prefer it when Mj handles all the heavy and technology related tasks around the house.  So when Mj said that I was going to help him in the backyard planting herbs and other assorted plants the first thing I said was, "No way.  My mama couldn't make me get out in the yard and you can't either."  "Oh, yes you are," he said.  And he basically didn't budge which is why I found myself outside sitting in dirt in our backyard on a Sunday afternoon.

We headed to Home Depot first for supplies and spent $130, but who's counting right?  I can't believe I spent money on dirt.  So, we got our plants, dirt, mulch, planters, miracle grow, and other supplies that Mj as project manager deemed necessary and we got to work.  The only way I agreed to this is because I was promised gloves.  I put 'em on and started grabbing handfuls of dirt and putting it into the planter box and an interesting thing happened.  I realized that I didn't hate it.  There was something somehow soothing about digging into the dirt with my gloved hands and using it to plant something and make it grow.  I enjoyed placing the roots of these little plants into their new home.  It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be!!

Herbs

When we stepped back to look at our  handiwork I felt proud of it.  I actually had fun and felt like we had accomplished something together.  Now Mj has fresh Basil, Chives, Cilantro, Rosemary and Thyme to use for cooking.  I suppose I can use them too considering I do get in there myself and cook these days.  He also has the tomato plant he wanted.  I don't like tomatoes but I got the dwarf mandarin orange tree I wanted.  It's nice to have a bit more greenery out there.   Planting it with my own hands gives me a greater interest in their survival which means I'm less likely to forget to water them and less likely to kill them. At least I hope so.  I was so inspired that I FINALLY even ordered our patio furniture. 

Orange tree on the left and tomato plant to the right

It felt so good to take a hot shower and relax after that.  This is just another example of me being forced out of my comfort zone by Mj.  I can be so stubborn sometimes but when I allow myself to be swayed 9 times out of 10 I'm glad that I did.  We wanted a small yard with no grass so it would be low maintenence.  There is no reason that I can't participate and help out.  The weather is warming up nicely.  I'm looking forward to finally enjoying our outdoor space and seeing the fruits of our labor. Literally.

Pimp My Closet

Our closet before.  Not too shabby but a lot of wasted space.

I've always thought of our closet as the little walk in that could.  It's small but has so much potential.  I mean, look at all that wasted space.  It's still a walk in so I felt I was moving up in the world because the closet I came from was even tinier.  So tiny my clothes were perpetually wrinkled from being crammed and jammed in there.  I don't know how those people back in the day survived with so little closet space.  Oh yeah, I guess they didn't have much!  Well, now we have tons of stuff so closets are super important.  I was hogging our closet in typical woman fashion but that's what we do because we have the greater need.  I've got work out gear, tanks, bras, long sleeves, short sleeves, skirts, dresses, scarves, pajamas and it just goes on and on.  Don't even get me started on the shoes.  There are flats, pumps, open toed, close toed, sandals and those darn boots.  Men don't have nearly the excessive wardrobe needs that we do.  Despite my feelings of entitlement to more space I at least had the common decency to feel bad for shutting him out so I rearranged some things so he could at least fit some of his stuff in there.

Our brand new organized closet

Mj's double hang rod and Eight drawers

Women love closets.  Men love closets.  And if you have a lot of clothes and shoes like most of us do then you really love organized closets. Enter Closet World.  They pimped our closet and it turned out even better then I thought it would.  I was thinking it might feel cramped after they put everything in AND we put in all of our stuff but it actually made it look larger somehow.  I took the opportunity to get rid of a lot of stuff and tried not to allow just any old thing to make it into our new and improved closet.  Everything got scrutinized and I'm glad to say not everything made the cut.  It was time to cleanse and make a trip to the Goodwill donation center.  I staked out my territory first and tried not to be too greedy!  The double hang section to the left is all mine but there is room for Mj to hang things too if he needs it.  Turns out he only has about 9 pairs of shoes.  How sad.  So most of the shoe shelves are taken up by me of course.  We have 11!  I have  7 which fit 4 pairs across and he gets 4 which fit 3 man sized shoes across.  All the shelves are fully adjustable so I can make it taller for boots and shorter for flats.  There is also room at the top and the bottom for more shoes or whatever else.  We added belt racks and tie racks that slide in and out too.  I was able to fit a lot more into our bedroom set dresser drawers because my clothes are smaller so I'm only getting 2 out of the 8 closet drawers and he has a whole wall of cubbies to himself.

It's been a week and he still hasn't put all his stuff in.  Is he scared I'm going to shove him out?  After seeing the way he awkwardly tried to cram a bunch of his folded shirts and chunky sweatshirts into one of his cubbies I told him he might as well let me organize all of his stuff.  I'm so much better at it.  He agreed.  The only other thing I want to get for storing clothes is a pretty white end of bed type storage bench/trunk, which I'm having a hard time finding.  I've been on a pajama shopping freeze for years because I have a ridiculous amount of pajamas, mostly from Victoria's Secret, that are currently residing in a bin that doesn't quite fit underneath our bed and they could all go in the trunk instead. 

Show wall on left and Double row of hanging rods. 

The cost is actually almost double what I was hoping to spend but we figured if we are going to do it we might as well DO it.  We had them design it in the way that would best fit our needs.  We didn't want to build our own closet so it cost us but I think it was worth every penny.  I feel like I can actually SEE my clothes and there is a place for everything.  Even my giant Uggs have a home in this closet. I love it!

 My dream closet inspiration.  Ours doesn't look 

exactly like it but close enough!!

We landscaped the backyard last year.  Crown molding was home improvement project #2 and the closet was project #3 for this year with our tax money.  Project #4 is rain gutters.  Not nearly as much fun but necessary.  We'll put that off until after Summer.  Project #5 is kitchen and flooring and hopefully that will  happen sometime next year.  Mj claims that this is our starter home and that we won't be here forever but I love this house and every time we add to it I love it even more.  I am glad that we are doing some of the things that we want instead of never getting around to it so that we can really enjoy it while we are here.  Even if this isn't our last home I definitely plan to be here for a while.  Really, how could I ever leave my beautiful closet behind?

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Does anyone else struggle with how to store all of your stuff?  Aside from not shopping and donating to goodwill what are your solutions?

House Project:  The Gargce

My B-Day: Simple & Perfect

I never know what I want to do for my birthday.  I'm a simple gal so chances are it's not going to be much but even so I can never decide.  I never know what I want either for that matter.  I took Friday off because as a general rule starting in 2009 I do not work on my birthday if I can help it.  It was so nice to be reading my blogs in my jammies at home looking forward to the day ahead instead of at work where I'd have been stuck in an office for the next 9 hours and might hear talk of what a nice day it was outside without being able to enjoy it.  I had a quick work out at the gym then came back home to get ready.   I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day!!  It was about 80 degrees and there was no hint of gloom in sight which you can't always count on when you have an April Birthday.

Waiting for the trolley

I'm so glad Mj took a 1/2 day off work because we got started on by birthday that much earlier and really had the whole day to enjoy it.  We took the trolley downtown and went to the movies to see The Lincoln Lawyer-Which was very good.  We indulged in popcorn AND soda; something I never ever do because of price and calorie count but today it was OK.

Movie Snacks

Since it was right there I wanted to go to LA Rack.  It's this cute little boutique that has cute little cheap prices to go with it and accordingly I found a cute little top for $16.99.  Time for shots!  We each did a shot at one bar then went to another place to get our Happy Hour on some more.   It was a full and fun day.  We left the house at about 1 pm and didn't get back until 8:30pm.  We got into our jammies and watched Unstoppable.  Mj gave me the gift of shopping in the form of a gift card to Express.  He also gave me 2 pole dancing classes!  I'd mentioned what good exercise it must be and that I really wanted to give it a try so now I'll have my chance.

From a giant cookie to a festive cake

Me and my cake!

On Saturday my family came down.  Mom, dad, my sister and my nephew.  Mom got me a pretty turquoise ring and my sister got me a cute top. haven't been to Souplantation in a while and I wanted something casual and budget friendly.  "You don't have to pay, why are you concerned about price?" is what Mj wanted to know.  Maybe not, but I can't help but consider everyone else.  After dinner we came home and let our food settle for a bit and then it was time for cake.  By request, Mj made me a Chocolate Peanut Butter cake from scratch.  This thing is about as decadent and indulgent as it gets.  Mj was reluctant to give me the recipe but I insisted.  I really shouldn't have.  I plugged it into my calorie tracker and my heart dropped when I saw the calorie count.  I have to admit that I had a lot of anxiety about eating this cake especially on top of all the other weekend eating but I asked for it and Mj made it especially for me one armed and all so I had to put it out of my head and just enjoy it.  That's what Birthday's are for right? 

My Birthday was simple yet perfect.  I got to enjoy the day and the people who matter most to me.  Nothing over the top but it simply doesn't get much better then that.

Our House Has Character

Mj just about drove me nuts in Home Depot on Tuesday night when we were embroiled in our bold vs safe paint color dilemma.  I was nervous about it but I walked out the door expecting to come home with Orange.  Then we got there and Mj started having doubts.  I had doubts myself but was willing to take a chance and just go with it because he seemed to really want to.  Yes, it would be nice to liven things up but oh boy did that Orange seem bright and we just weren't sure if we would like an entire wall that color.  When he started second guessing the choice I told him I could walk out of there happy that minute with Gobi Desert; the neutral or we could go with the Orange if he wanted to.  The problem is that he didn't really want either.  The Orange felt too bright and he felt the Tan would clash with our kitchen curtains.  I could not convince him that neutral goes with everything and it would look just fine.  This was our 3rd trip to Home Depot and I was just over it!  We mulled it over for over an hour, pondered a few entirely different colors and ended up walking out of there with the Gobi Desert which is what we had initially picked after our very 1st Home Depot trip. 

We'd already painted the wall to the right green but had them
re paint it neutral and we extended that color right into the kitchen

We had already painted our Master Bedroom but it needed some major touching up so we had them do that in addition to the kitchen, a few areas of wall left white downstairs, the stairwell and common areas upstairs.  The only white walls left to tackle are the bathrooms and the 2 spare bedrooms.  We can totally do that....at some point!! Our house looks warmer and more inviting without all those boring white walls.  We got the crown molding all downstairs including the half bath, our master bedroom and the common areas upstairs.  We also had them add a really pretty border underneath the three windows in the living room.  It looks so beautiful and makes such a difference in the overall look of our house.  Now it has this so called "character" that people are always talking about on HGTV.  By the time I got home from work and the gym on Wednesday they were still working but almost done.  Our house was a mess!  As soon as they started packing up I ran around like a mad woman putting everything back in it's place because it literally pains me  to see everything in disarray.

the loft area to the left and our hallway to the right

master bedroom

I love it!  I can't stop looking at it and I have no regrets about forking over such a large chunk of cash.  Next project; our closet!  We're getting it done next week and I am just as excited about that as I was about this project.

 Today is my birthday so I skipped out on work.  Mj took a half day off and we are spending today together then tomorrow my family will come down.  April birthday weather can be hit and miss but this year it's just gorgeous.  The sun came out early and it's supposed to be 80 degrees.  Time to get out there and enjoy this beautiful day. 

Home Project:  Closet Make Over

Paint: Go Bold or Play it Safe?

We painted our downstairs living/dining area, upstairs loft and master bedroom not too long after we moved in.  Everywhere else has stayed what I call basic builder white.  It's so boring and adds nothing to our decor so it's time for it to go.  I'd like to say that we are going to do it ourselves but that is not the case.  The first time around was really labor intensive and turned out to be a full day project.  Painting is a lot harder then it looks!  We will do the bathrooms and extra bedrooms ourselves later someday but since we are having crown moulding installed we decided to pay a little extra, leave it to the professionals and have them do some painting this time around.  We can't reach the high areas in the hallway as you go up the stairs anyways and me on a ladder or using an extended roller on stairs is an accident waiting to happen.   

3rd and 4th down are our neutral picks.  #3 would
be for the kitchen and #4 would be for everywhere else.

Picking the neutrals was not too hard.  We didn't agree on our favorites initially but were able to easily narrow it down to two using the darker one for the kitchen and a lighter one for everywhere else.  Then Mj decided he wanted to get bold for the kitchen.  Which is fine because I would love to liven things up with a bright color too but bold can be scary.  We went back to home depot and picked some brights.    We stood there staring at our sample colors on the wall for a while and couldn't decide.  We walked away, came back and looked again but still couldn't decide.  The Behr Paint app said that this shade of  Orange would go well with our curtains but it just looks so bright!! We actually don't have a huge amount of wall space in the kitchen.  It's so hard to visualize how it's going to look all over and once it's slapped on every inch of our walls we're stuck.  We don't want to have to re do this.  Especially since we are paying to have it done.

The bright orange is sort of scary!!  We did not like the mustard
in the middle but the Peachy one at the bottom is an option.

The crown molding will be installed tomorrow so we have to decide tonight. Do we play it safe with a neutral, go middle of the road with a lighter peach or do we go bold?  We have to make a decision very soon and I still have no idea!!!!

Taxed to Death

When I was young and carefree and I heard "old people" complaining about things like taxes and property values I didn't really understand what they were so upset about.  Now that I am older, a tax payer and a consumer of more then just little things like food and clothes I get it.  Being a homeowner I get it even more.  My goodness...I seriously feel that I am being taxed to death.  I get my pay check and it's taxed.  I buy something at the store it's taxed.  I win a 2 night hotel stay and I have to fill out a W2 because it's going to be taxed.  I can't touch any retirement money I have saved before whatever ripe old age they have decided upon or else it'll get taxed.  When we bought our house we had to seriously factor taxes into what we could afford for a mortgage because it adds almost $350 a month.  The principal and interest payment might look pretty nice but when you add in the taxes and suddenly it's not so affordable anymore.  The only reasonable way to handle these monster property taxes is to set up an  impound account with your mortgage company and pay into it monthly along with your mortgage so that when the taxes are due twice a year the money is there.  All set right?  Well not quite. 

A couple months after we moved in last year we got a supplemental tax bill for $1,012.  They say it's typical on new construction.  We expected it but  weren't actually prepared to pay it so we asked for half to be be paid out of impound and by the time the other half was due this year they had already factored it in to this years impound and it would be taken care of.  We even got a nice escrow refund check.  Yesterday, we got yet another supplemental bill and the only thing it supplements is my annoyance.  This time it's $3,000 on top of our normal taxes.  That's not exactly what we planned on using our tax refund for so I call our mortgage company and thank goodness they agree to pay it.  It will raise our mortgage by $25.00 a month come May because it creates a deficit in our impound account but that hurts a lot less them ponying up 3k at once.  Now get this.  He says the reason could be for home improvements which allows the city to say that our house is worth more and therefore we owe more property taxes.  I wondered, how do they know anyways?  If we did anything that would require a contractor to get permits then it's reported to the city.  The only thing we did is our backyard so that must have been it.  We are already paying taxes on the house, then we get taxed on the landscaping job itself, then getting a 3k bill was like doubling the cost of our landscaping job-for  no good reason!  Apparently, California is notorious for doing their little shady re assessments on property value.  I suppose we better watch out when we get ready to do our kitchen remodel and we can probably forget about getting another escrow refund. 

But really.  It's enough to make your head spin.  At least we got a decent tax refund this year-goodness knows we've paid enough.  According to an old saying the only thing you can be sure of is death and taxes.  I may not have understood that as a kid but I certainly get it now.

Injured List

According to the weather report it was going to be a gloomy day so we decided to postpone our day date.  Mj went on his Saturday morning bike ride as planned and I just expected to spend the day at home relaxing.  I didn't think we'd end up at Kaiser Permanente.

I got the call right after I got out of the shower.  He said he dislocated his shoulder and that we'd be taking a trip to the doctor.  I found out which location had walk in hours and was ready to go by the time he made it back home.  He started biking with his friends last year and now he has all the gear that goes with it.  He has a road bike AND a mountain bike.  He has the tight spandex outfits in bright colors and the weird shoes that clip onto the pedals and everything.  Today they went about 25 miles east to the mountains for a 12 mile bike ride.  It was freezing, there was snow on the ground in some spots and the altitude was really high.  Poor guy.  About half way through the ride he took a toss over his handlebars and his shoulder was unfortunate enough to connect with the only rock in sight.  I don't know how he managed to clip his shoes out of his pedals in time to detach from his bike.  He had to half walk half ride his way back with a jacked up shoulder for 6 miles.  He's such a tough guy.  You would never even know how much pain he's in.  His tolerance is pretty high and he's not a whiner like I am.

Those bones should not be that far apart

Kaiser is so efficient.  We were in and out of there with X rays done and Rx in hand pretty quickly.   The bustling pharmacy is staffed with an army of white lab coats taking orders and getting people their drugs.  Turns out he has pulled the ligament that is supposed to hold his shoulder to the bone and it's separated pretty far.  They put him in a sling and he'll need to follow up with an orthopedic specialist to determine if it can heal on it's own or if it will require surgery.  He's going to be out of town next week for work so it'll have to wait until the week after.  He and his buddies had a mountain biking mancation to Utah planned for the end of next month.  At this point who knows if he will be recovered enough to do that.

It was only a matter of time before SOMETHING else happened.  He has a bit of an accident prone past.  Years ago before we met he sliced his face open in Army drill team tossing swords in the air.  I can't remember exactly how many broken bones he's had.   He busted his eye brow open two years ago playing basketball while overseas and had to get stitches.  The eyebrow scar it left is actually pretty sexy but that is besides the point.  He routinely comes home from mountain biking all scraped up and this is his second major spill.  I love it that he has a hobby he enjoys that gets him out with his friends and keeps him fit but I don't love it that it can be dangerous.  A car could run him over on the streets and they get to speeds of up to 45 mph on those skinny tires.  If you hit a pot hole or an unexpected dip you are done.  Mountain biking is even worse.  The terrain is rocky and slippery with gravel and dirt.   A biker could tumble off the side of a mountain if things went really wrong.  Thank goodness they wear helmets.  I suppose it could be worse.  He could be on a motorcycle.  Well, actually that will never happen because I already told him he better not ever even think about getting one of those.  Nope.  Not on my watch.

Thursday Thoughts

Just some random and mostly unrelated thoughts for the day.

• Is anyone else having a hard time with the time change?  I know it has to be mental because there is no way that an hour lost on Sunday is still actually affecting me on Thursday.  If it ever did that is.  It's just so dark.  I can barely drag myself out of bed and barely give myself 20 minutes to get out of the house.  I couldn't even be bothered to wear green today.

• There is a huge proliferation of shows focusing on the drama that is weight loss and eating disorders lately. In addition to the shows on Discovery Health and TLC about the struggles of the morbidly obese other recent shows are I Used to be Fat, One Big Happy Family, Freaky Eaters, What's Eating You?, Dance Your Ass Off, Heavy, Too Fat for 15, Ruby, Shedding for the Wedding, The Biggest Loser, Thintervention, and Heavily Ever After just to name a few.  There is a new one coming up later this month called Addicted to Food.  I watch most of them.

• I love Teen Mom 2.  I really love it that I turned Mj into a fan and it's become one of our shows that we watch together.  I'm not sure what it is about that show but I am totally engrossed and look forward to the drama of each episode every week.  Jenelle's mom is so harsh and annoying but Jenelle does makes the worst decisions so she brings a lot of that wrath upon herself.  Everyone should have yelled "I told you so" and rubbed it in hard after Chelsea took her jerk of a boyfriend back and the relationship went down in flames again.  Duh.  What the hell was she expecting?  I love Leah and I hope she realizes what a great guy she has.  Chelsea would do anything to have her baby's father actually get a job to support the family AND want to marry her.  I'm glad Kailin got out of Joe's house.  What a totally awkward and uncomfortable living situation that was.  With the exception of Jenelle, they all wear way too much eye make up.

• Yesterday I dropped $680 bucks to replace the carpet in my condo/rental property.  Yikes!  It's a really good thing I'm a natural born saver or else this could have been devastating.  Well, it's still devastating but at least I have the money.  I put it on my Capital 1 card for the points and I'll pay the sucker off when the bills comes.

• I have always been somewhat obsessed but being able to track calories on my phone so easily has taken it up a notch.  It sure beats writing it all down and trying to add everything up.   I love picking out a cute little food symbol for my custom foods and watching my net calories rise and fall with the addition of new foods and exercise.  I like seeing how much over or under my calorie budget I am at the end of the day and planning out what I want to eat.   I have not missed a single day since I started in December.  It's like a game and needless to say, I am having way too much fun with it.

• I am hanging onto my motivation to keep going to the gym.  Just barely!  But I'm hanging in there and have continued to go at least twice a week.  I so badly wanted to drive right on by today and head for home instead but I'm afraid if I miss even one week it will send me back to the couch every day after work for good.

• I drive down the street that has all the frat and sorority houses on it.  I can't help but notice how young and carefree they look as they walk energetically and laughingly down the street in groups wearing their party frocks on their way to some Greek event.  Meanwhile, I'm driving home from a long day at work and can't wait to get into my jammies so I can get some rest and then do it all over again the next day.  Oh to be young.  I have a much better sense of myself now then I did at that age so I don't know that I'd necessarily want to go back but I certainly miss the ease and bliss of youth and all of the possibilities that it brings.

Everything is Beautiful at the Ballet

Photo Source:  Joffrey Ballet

Mj's job has monthly drawings that they can put in to win.   This time he entered to win the ballet not because he has any desire whatsoever to see a ballet but because he knew that I would love it.  He didn't expect to win but lo and behold he did and off to the ballet we went.  I rushed home and changed after work Friday then we headed downtown because we wanted to get something to eat before the show.  Mj was also interested in drinking as much as he could to help him cope with a two hour ballet performance.  We found this cool place with awesome happy hour prices.  I was able to buy one single slider for $1!  Love it.  We split some really cheap appetizers.  I had a cosmo and Mj had tequila AND  10% alcohol beer.  Then, it was a 5 minute walk to the theater.  

Everyone is so casual here but I actually think that this is the one time I didn't see anyone wearing jeans.  The wide sweeping lobby with the rich carpeting.  The tuxedoed ticket takers and the plush red seating.  That's before you even get to the dancers who are perfection and beauty in motion.   There is something about those gorgeous pink toe shoes...it's just beautiful.  There were three pieces all performed by the Joffrey Ballet Company and two intermissions.  Mj kept asking if it was over yet but I was captivated by the music and the exquisite dancing.  They make it look so easy but having taken ballet myself I know how hard it is.  Every arm placement and every leg movement must be precise.  Those tiny little flutter like frappe's are quick and small but when done badly (like I did) they look awful!  It takes so much control and flexibility.  It was nothing like the Nutcracker. It was very lyrical and a whole lot less stiff and structured from the music to the costumes and backgrounds.  There were no tutus in sight and one entire piece was done without pointe shoes.  It was cool to see something different and I really enjoyed it even if Mj just tolerated it.  We've done baseball games and football games.  It's about time we gave some attention to the arts!  But at $75 per ticket even I wouldn't have wanted to pay that much so I'm glad it was comped.  It was a great date night and as far as I'm concerned everything really is beautiful at the ballet.