Definitely "Fall"en

The temperature that is. Ugh.

I see your tweets and FB messages - "I love fall!"

Good. For. You.

But I don't enjoy waking up to dark mornings and cold temperatures.

Remember I'm not much of a morning person anyway so to wake up before sunrise is pure torture for me.

Not to mention I hate...

...wearing real shoes; no more flip flops makes me sad.

...cutting on the heat in my car.

...dressing for cold in the mornings & warmer temps in the afternoons; layers suck.

...that my last week of Summer was spent sick in bed.

Don't get me wrong, there are a few things I enjoy about Fall such as the leaves changing colors, jack-o-lanterns, pumpkin pies, and the smell of burning fires from chimney tops.

All great things if I weren't still mourning the end of Summer.



Farewell my friend.

Now bring on the pie.

To be honest...

I have nothing remotely interesting to blog about. Being sick is not the best thing for blog fodder, unless you are particularly fond of my whining.

Thankfully Christina graced me with a new award during my time of distress.



Accepting this award requires me to list 10 honest things about myself.

1. I do not like seafood of any type.

2. S & I only knew each other for about 8 months before getting married. We got married at a local attorney's office with only his Mom in attendance. In fact he did not meet my Dad until after we were already married.

3. I have a potty mouth. Seriously, sometimes I don't even realize what I'm saying before it pops out.

4. I'm going to be a Mimi again. Lil J is going to have a brother in November.

5. I cannot stand to have wet or cold feet. Even if I'm wearing nothing else, I wear socks a lot during the winter.

6. My favorite color is green because it looks good with my eyes.

7. I tend to be overly emotional whenever I see someone crying on TV. It doesn't matter if it's a commercial, movie, or a tv show, if there is someone crying then I feel such sadness that I cry most times too.

8. I hate sneakers. I own several pairs but all of them just feel "clunky" and over sized so I rarely wear them.

9. I am afraid of death.

10. I'm tired of being sick, and sick of being tired.

I'm supposed to tag 7 other bloggers, but if you are reading this consider yourself tagged.

Thanks Christina!

The glass half full

I could go over all the bad things about being sick the past two weeks, but instead I'm choosing to look at the glass as half full. Here are some good parts:

-You don't have to make dinner. Or clean. Or go to the store. Or do anything.

-No one makes you feel guilty for napping during the day.

-You can catch up on daytime TV. I found a few rays of sunshine known as The Wendy Williams Show & Wife Swap. Both shows made me feel a whole lot better about myself. How you doing?

-You can eat whatever you want. That is when you actually feel like eating. And sometimes you can actually make special requests, such as McD's fries.

-Your husband brings you gifts like medicine & books.

-You have time to come up with creative ideas. Like Bravo producing a Real Housewives of Utah show. I'm thinking it would save on production costs when you can film the whole show in one house. Get it?

-No one cares if you shave your legs since they are staying as far away as possible anyway.

See being on your deathbed ain't so bad.

The Return of the Living Dead

Unless you follow me on FB, you may not know the reason for my prolonged absence.

I've been Ill. Sick. Unwell. Weak. Fatigued. Achy. Whiny. Dying.

But even worse, I'm not even sure my doctor really knows what the hell was wrong with me.

It started with a dry, scratchy throat on Sunday, then turning to a full blown hacking cough by Monday morning. I figured some Vicks and bed rest would do the trick, but when I woke up with a fever on Tuesday I knew a visit to the doc was necessary.

She took two vials of blood {yes TWO!}, wrote me two {yes TWO!} scripts for cough syrup, slapped my ass and sent me on my way saying it was just a viral infection that would "work itself out."

By Thursday I wasn't sleeping, although I was sweating like one of the Biggest Loser contestants and still coughing my guts up. Sounds like fun huh?

So I called the office back and got a nurse. Not the one I normally see. She said it was the flu and that the CDC had recommended that otherwise healthy people should "just work through it." Are you sensing a pattern?!?

Even when I reiterated just how miserable I was again, Nurse Biznatch just said "That's the flu." in a voice that was a bit too cheery for my taste. Whore.

Anyway long story short I suffered through the weekend before calling again yesterday. My regular nurse said it sounded like the swine flu.

Yes. The SWINE FLU. Remember all that blood they took? Apparently no one ever thought to use it for diagnosis. ~sigh~

She called me in some antibiotics and told me to pick up some Mucinex.

I don't know what it was. They don't know what it was. What I do know is that I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

Word of advice - Wash your hands people. And wash them often.

If it weren't for bad luck...

...I'd have no luck at all!



Taking a leap into an expensive project took a lot of thought. We went back & forth because the economy hasn't been great, business hasn't been great and we're not big risk takers when it comes to financials.

After debating the issue for a while we decided this weekend to have a deck built on the back of our house. We made the arrangements with the builder & paid for the materials.

The next day I discovered that one of our toilets was leaking & had been for a little while. Ugh.

That was fixed on Wednesday.

It was that same day I noticed my car making an odd squeaky noise. Then I noticed it was idling a bit harder than usual. Ugh.

I mentioned it to S when it didn't stop so he made arrangements to take it to the shop today and I was going to drive my "old" car to work.

That should be fixed today when a new water pump is installed.

I get into the car this morning and turn the key. Nothing. I try again and it's still not cutting on so I called S at work to give him more bad news. Ugh.

When he gets there he tries charging the battery but that doesn't seem to be the issue. A few more attempts - nothing.

The car has been sitting in the same place for a while so he rolls it down the driveway just to make sure it's getting gas. Eureka!

That did it thank goodness.

I feel sorta like the "grim reaper" of stuff this week. I wouldn't be surprised if S stop taking my calls.

Hell, I don't want to make anymore calls.

In my estimation I'm due for some good luck so I'm headed out to buy a lottery ticket or two.

That is if my car starts.

Catching Fire but not catching any zzzzzz's

From previous posts you know I have issues sleeping. If it's not S keeping me awake with his annoying habits (snoring & gritting his teeth) then it's the fan making a ton of noise or my own overactive imagination.

Then on the one night when I could go to bed at a halfway decent hour what do I do?

I stay up till after 1AM reading a book.

A GOOD book. A GREAT book. Obviously a I-couldn't-bear-to-put-it-down book.

So run on out, grab this book because it's the first one:



Then get this one:



But please for the love of all that is holy, make sure you have adequate time to finish it and/or you don't have to get up early the next morning.

Let me know if you've read them so we can discuss, which really means I need another person who will understand why I am in desperate need of the third book now.

The third book that does not have a release date.

~sigh~

That is all.

Mission Accomplished

Sorta.

Before:





After:



You'll notice that the painters tape is still up because I need to give them a second coat, but already the difference is AMAZING.

Although I did briefly consider purple & neon green as suggested, I took the advice of many of you and went with black because, and I quote, "black is classy".

I concur.

**Please ignore the empty flower bed; I'm in the midst of cleaning it out and planting new mums for fall & bulbs for spring.

Scaredy Cat

I sat straight up in bed.

Huh?!?! What was that?!

I KNOW I heard something so now I sit still and strain to hear it again.

I see a small flashing light through the bathroom door & I've almost convinced myself that it must be storming.

After a few more minutes, I get up and check out the window. Nope. It's not lightning. Then the flash again.

It's my Glade Sense & Spray. Duh.

I creep back to bed and continue to listen for any suspicious noises. Ten minutes pass. Twenty minutes pass.

I'm straining to hear over S snoring, grinding his teeth & the fan. Still nothing.

Thirty minutes pass.

I start mentally reviewing the entrance points of my home, determining where the least secure point is. Then I think of the items that an intruder would take.

Forty minutes pass.

I decide that I can live without all of it and try to go back to sleep. Then I remember that I left my laptop out.

Panic sets in. My LIFE is on that computer - pictures, financials for me & the company I work for, personal information and tons of other stuff I cannot be without.

An hour has passed.

I decide that my laptop is worth protecting so I grab the remote control. (Hey it was that, body spray or a "BOB". I don't keep weapons by my bed.) As soon as I hit the hallway I turn on the light and creep my way towards the living room.

I check the doors & look outside for suspicious activity. Nothing.

I flip the light on downstairs and hurry down the steps to grab my laptop, making a quick peek at the door downstairs. Nothing seems to be disturbed.

I'm back in bed with my laptop safely upstairs, the remote back on the nightstand and my fears quashed. I lay back on my pillow and snuggle into my blankets but my mind is not ready to sleep.

It races for another hour until I see 4:00 flash on the clock. Ugh.

Being a scaredy cat is exhausting.

3 Day Weekends...

...ROCK!!

Since I've got an extra day of freedom, I plan on painting my shutters.

NO, I haven't gotten that done yet Mrs. Judgey, McJudgey.

But I made a trip to Lowes and bought everything I needed, the weather is supposed to be FAB-U-LOUS and I have an extra day to work with so I may have finally ran out of excuses.

Speaking of fab weather, you'll also find me lounging in the hot tub enjoying the cool summer nights we've been having recently.

Which reminds me of a picture Kat posted earlier in the week...



I wouldn't mind finding that in my water.

Anywho. My long weekend will be a mix of work & relaxation.

How about yours?

Words of wisdom from Paula Deen

I've been reading through the Paula Deen cookbooks Angie sent me, and to be honest I love Paula. Even in written word she comes across as a real person that I would love to meet & hang out with.



Quotes from Paula Deen's Kitchen Wisdom:

"Bein' rich is having leftovers. Good leftovers make yo' tongue fly outta yo' mouth and smack yo' brains out." Leftovers sound painful. Painfully good.

"Nobody better get between a fat girl and her food, 'specially if the girl's me." Amen.

"I never met a Campbell's soup I didn't like." Me neither Paula, me neither.

"Michael said one day that I was the only person he knew who put butter in her cornflakes." I don't know anyone that does this, but it sounds strangely delicious.

"Oh I would be so teed off if I didn't put butter on my biscuit one mornin' and I walk out there and a truck hits me. And there my ass is, lyin' out in that street to die healthy. Oh, nooo, darlin'." Perhaps I should rethink this whole diet thing.

"And if I find mold and spoiled food and opened cans without covers and a funny smell in someone's refrigerator when I'm lookin' for a can of soda-well, I'm going to be too plump busy to go to her barbecue." Ditto.

And finally my personal favorite...

"You know, I am so sick of cuttin' on my television and everyone on it is obsessed with livin' forever. Well, I have a news flash: Ain't none of us gettin' out of her alive."

You don't get much more real than that.

Tears of Blood

Did ya'll see this on the news? This 15 year old boy cries tears of blood three times a day.



Religious sign, medical oddity or vampire?

**I'm totally kidding about the vampire part. I really feel bad for this kid.

Pesto is best-o (and other random thoughts)

*I recently discovered the goodness that is pesto. For years, I've read about it or heard it mentioned on the cooking shows I watch. I've even seen it made - roasted pine nuts, basil, garlic & olive oil whipped into an green paste - but it didn't look that appetizing. OMGosh why didn't someone make me try it before now?!

*How much is too much when it comes to updating your FB status? I always thought once a day was the norm, but then heard a convo this morning where some people found that to be irritating. I don't particularly care for when people have their twitter updates connected to their FB status (Well except for LiLu, cause she's just funny as hell.) but a couple times a day doesn't bother me at all. Opinions?

*HBO is on my bad list right now. Next week should have been the True Blood finale but those bastards at HBO are making us wait two weeks. For the last show. The. Last. Show. WTH?

*Did you know that I wrote a guest post for Denise's "Money Saving Monday" series yesterday? Cause I did. You should check it out & then be sure to visit every Monday for more money saving ideas.

*I've won four giveaways in the last month or so but I've neglected to thank those bloggers so...

Thank you Brandy! The bows are adorable! (Stop by her place -she has even more giveaways going on this week!)
Thank you Christina! I love the EcoStore products that I picked out. (Coconut soap, citrus spray cleaner & pure oxygen whitener in case you were wondering.)
Thank you Angie! I got my Paula Deen books yesterday & already read through Kitchen Wisdom and Recipe Journal. I ♥ her. And you.
Thank you Josie! I cannot wait to get the tutu bow holder for one of my girls!

...whew! I feel much better now.