Unfinished Thoughts

What I love about Saturday mornings

2011-01-22T08:01:00.000-05:00

This is what I love about Saturday mornings and not having to go out.

Temp: 29F
Feels like: 24F
Sunny
Humidity: 51%
Wind: NNW at 4 mph
Updated: 1/22/11 7:45 AM EST

Mexican Chicken Casserole

2011-01-08T16:47:00.000-05:00

Tonight's dinner is Mexican Chicken Casserole. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

7 oz cooked chicken breast, shredded or diced
10 oz canned tomatoes with green chilis (Rotel original), do not drain
10 3/4 oz 98% Fat-Free Cream Of Chicken Soup
4 oz tortilla chips, crushed
1/2 cup(s) Mexican blend shredded cheese

Instructions:
Spray a 2-qt baking dish with non-stick spray. Spread a layer of crushed tostitos on the bottom, reserving 1/4 of them for later. Add the chicken. In a separate bowl, stir together the Rotel and the Cream of Chicken Soup. Spread over the chicken. Spread the cheese over the soup mixture. Top with remaining crushed tostitos.

Bake at 425 for 25 minutes or until casserole is heated through and cheese has melted.

Preparation Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 30 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Servings: 4

You can adjust this to your family's taste by using mild or hot Rotel or using nacho cheese flavored tortilla chips.

Of pasta bowls and spaghetti sauce (a recipe included)

2011-01-03T14:09:00.002-05:00

I got a set of pasta bowls for Christmas this year. They are lovely and I am excited to be able to use them for the first time tonight. It's Monday, so that means it's Spaghetti night. It's been a long time since we've had sauce not out of a jar once we discovered how much we enjoy Bertolli pasta sauce. But for tonight's inaugral use of the pasta bowls, we're having homemade spaghetti sauce served over Barilla thin spaghetti.

Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients:

4 cup(s) cooked ground beef, 10% fat, brown and drain.
1/2 cup(s) onion(s), chopped finely
1 1/2 cup(s) mushroom(s), diced
1/2 cup(s) bell pepper(s), chopped finely
45 oz canned tomato sauce
1/4 cup(s) ketchup, or three squirts
1 tsp italian seasoning, to taste. basil, oregano, garlic salt or powder
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup(s) olive oil

Instructions:

Cook ground beef. Drain and set aside. Add olive oil to pan and saute onion, mushroom, and green pepper until tender. Pour the canned tomato sauce into a large sauce pan (dutch oven). Add cooked vegetables, ground beef, seasonings, ketchup. Stir. Bring to a low boil and then simmer until done, stirring occasionally. Serve over cooked pasta. Store in freezer for later use. Makes 10 1-cup servings.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T11:02:00.001-05:00

A new day, a new month, a new year.

A time to look at the here and now.

A time to move forward.

A time to take the lessons learned from the past and not repeat the same mistakes.

A time of forgiveness.

A time to encourage.

Happy New Year!

Eleven things for 2011 - health improvement

2010-12-30T20:03:00.000-05:00

Eleven is my favorite number. I love the number 11. And now it is nearly the year 2011. I'm planning to celebrate the number eleven all year and culminate it with a party on 11-11-11 featuring the number eleven.

So I was thinking about how to incorporate my love of the number eleven into my annual weight loss efforts and came up with eleven things I can do to improve my health.

1. Be asleep before 11:00 each evening, even on the weekends. Not just in bed, but asleep. I get up at 6 a.m. so I need to be asleep by 11 to get enough rest.

2. Plan eleven meals each week As in on purpose, on paper - and bowls of oatmeal for breakfast don't count! Dinners, lunches, and breakfast that's more than just a bowl of cereal. There are 21 meal times in a week.

3. Move on purpose for eleven minutes each day. This is mostly for during the work days when I sit at a desk all day and really do need to move more than I do.

4. Spend eleven minutes just being quiet. By myself. Letting my thoughts run free.

5. Try eleven new foods this year. Seasonal fruits and vegetables are a good source!

6. Spend eleven minutes outside each day. This can be combined with #4 but would be better combined with activity.

7. Read eleven weight-loss-related articles each month. WW online is a good place to start!

8. Adapt the FlyLady's 15-minute attack plan to an 11-minute attack plan to keep my environment clean and organized. Less clutter and disorganization (and dust) will help my sanity and my sinuses. This can be at home or work. After all, I spend 9 hours at the office each day.

9. Send eleven notes of encouragement to others each month. When you are thinking of others, you find that things often improve for yourself.

10. Drink no more than equivalent of eleven (12 oz.) Diet Cokes (or other soda) each week. This will be a challenge but I know that they offer absolutely no nutritional value or health benefit. This will actually save me money, too!

11. Post to my Blog eleven times a month. I find when I get my thoughts out of my head and onto paper (or screen) that it frees my mind of worries and such so it can work on other things - like building my commitment to improving my health and letting my body do it's job.

So there it is. Eleven things for 2011 directly related to improving my health and weight loss efforts.

Cruise transfer info

2010-07-05T03:39:00.000-04:00

We arranged transportation from the hotel to the Port of Dover through
the Disney Cruise Line, and since we are also staying at one of their
pre-arranged hotels, we are able to check in for the cruise right here.

We have to have our luggage ready and tagged for pick up by 9:00 AM
and then just meet the motorcoach at 11:15 for an 11:30 departure for
the next part of our adventure.

Currency Conversion, or How much does that cost?

2010-06-28T18:32:00.001-04:00

While we're traveling, we'll have plenty of opportunity to practice currency conversion skills as we'll be using six different currencies. The U.S. Dollar, the Great Britain Pound, the Norwegian Kroner, the Danish Krone, the Euro, the Ruble, and the Swedish Krona. To make conversion easier, and at a glance, GoCurrency (www.gocurrency.com) has a feature that lets you create a pocket-sized converter. We found that copying the conversion chart to a word document and then printing it out on an index card was an easy way to have an idea of how much that cheeseburger from McDonald's is really going to cost.

As of June 28th, these are the conversions for each currency.

England

GBP	USD	GBP	USD	GBP	USD
1 =	1.51012	10 =	15.1012	55 =	83.0565
2 =	3.02024	15 =	22.6518	60 =	90.6071
3 =	4.53035	20 =	30.2024	65 =	98.1577
4 =	6.04047	25 =	37.7529	70 =	105.708
5 =	7.55059	30 =	45.3035	75 =	113.259
6 =	9.06071	35 =	52.8541	80 =	120.809
7 =	10.5708	40 =	60.4047	85 =	128.36
8 =	12.0809	45 =	67.9553	90 =	135.911
9 =	13.5911	50 =	75.5059	95 =	143.461

Oslo

NOK	USD	NOK	USD	NOK	USD
1 =	0.155802	10 =	1.55802	55 =	8.56911
2 =	0.311604	15 =	2.33703	60 =	9.34812
3 =	0.467406	20 =	3.11604	65 =	10.1271
4 =	0.623208	25 =	3.89505	70 =	10.9061
5 =	0.77901	30 =	4.67406	75 =	11.6852
6 =	0.934812	35 =	5.45307	80 =	12.4642
7 =	1.09061	40 =	6.23208	85 =	13.2432
8 =	1.24642	45 =	7.01109	90 =	14.0222
9 =	1.40222	50 =	7.7901	95 =	14.8012

Copenhagen

DKK	USD	DKK	USD	DKK	USD
1 =	0.165503	10 =	1.65503	55 =	9.10264
2 =	0.331005	15 =	2.48254	60 =	9.93016
3 =	0.496508	20 =	3.31005	65 =	10.7577
4 =	0.662011	25 =	4.13757	70 =	11.5852
5 =	0.827513	30 =	4.96508	75 =	12.4127
6 =	0.993016	35 =	5.79259	80 =	13.2402
7 =	1.15852	40 =	6.62011	85 =	14.0677
8 =	1.32402	45 =	7.44762	90 =	14.8952
9 =	1.48952	50 =	8.27513	95 =	15.7227

Germany and Helsinki

EUR	USD	EUR	USD	EUR	USD
1 =	1.23244	10 =	12.3244	55 =	67.7841
2 =	2.46488	15 =	18.4866	60 =	73.9463
3 =	3.69731	20 =	24.6488	65 =	80.1085
4 =	4.92975	25 =	30.8109	70 =	86.2706
5 =	6.16219	30 =	36.9731	75 =	92.4328
6 =	7.39463	35 =	43.1353	80 =	98.595
7 =	8.62706	40 =	49.2975	85 =	104.757
8 =	9.8595	45 =	55.4597	90 =	110.919
9 =	11.0919	50 =	61.6219	95 =	117.082

St. Petersburg

RUB	USD	RUB	USD	RUB	USD
1 =	0.0323008	10 =	0.323008	55 =	1.77654
2 =	0.0646016	15 =	0.484512	60 =	1.93805
3 =	0.0969024	20 =	0.646016	65 =	2.09955
4 =	0.129203	25 =	0.80752	70 =	2.26105
5 =	0.161504	30 =	0.969024	75 =	2.42256
6 =	0.193805	35 =	1.13053	80 =	2.58406
7 =	0.226105	40 =	1.29203	85 =	2.74557
8 =	0.258406	45 =	1.45354	90 =	2.90707
9 =	0.290707	50 =	1.61504	95 =	3.06857

Stockholm

SEK	USD	SEK	USD	SEK	USD
1 =	0.129301	10 =	1.29301	55 =	7.11155
2 =	0.258602	15 =	1.93951	60 =	7.75805
3 =	0.387903	20 =	2.58602	65 =	8.40456
4 =	0.517203	25 =	3.23252	70 =	9.05106
5 =	0.646504	30 =	3.87903	75 =	9.69757
6 =	0.775805	35 =	4.52553	80 =	10.3441
7 =	0.905106	40 =	5.17203	85 =	10.9906
8 =	1.03441	45 =	5.81854	90 =	11.6371
9 =	1.16371	50 =	6.46504	95 =	12.2836

2010-05-29T16:03:00.001-04:00

Day 25 saw me bringing in cookies from the Cake Shop for the office.

Day 26's gift was buying lunch for our regular lunch buddy who was running late.

Rewards for Charities

2010-05-26T13:34:00.001-04:00

For many years I have participated in online reward programs, earning points or beenz (remember them?) and cashing them in for coupons or gift cards or cash. I've completed hundreds of online surveys, also for rewards. Today I went through each of the reward programs that I participate in to see if I had enough points accumulated to make a donation to a charitable organization or two instead of saving them up for yet another gift card to the Cracker Barrel. So Day 24 saw me reducing my point balances for my gift of the day. For what it's worth, Habitat for Humanity (via mycokerewards) was the biggest beneficiary today. Guess we'll have to wait awhile before we get those Universal tickets.

Days 21 - 23

2010-05-25T12:04:00.000-04:00

Giving Day 21: Sunday. We are regular contributors to the local congregation where we worship, so I hesitate to count our contribution as my Day 21 gift. We passed out three more graduation cards with cash, but I've counted that sort of activity before. DS had a piano recital and we took a fruit tray for the reception afterwards. Does that count? I look at the activities of the day and realize that while none of them seem out of the ordinary, maybe I've been more of a giver all along than I gave myself credit for.

Giving Day 22: One of our coworkers is a remote worker. Her birthday is this week. Our boss got a card for her but didn't have a stamp. I gave her a stamp and took the card to the mailbox. Just because you don't come into the office every day doesn't make you less a part of the office team; so we wanted to be sure to get her card to her.

Giving Day 23: My DH's office has just completed a round of inspections and accreditation activities. As a thank you to all the folks who worked hard to make it successful, we took them out for lunch today. On our dime. Our Day 23 gift.

Day 19 and 20...

2010-05-22T13:00:00.005-04:00

I debated about whether to count an extra graduation card / cash gift for Day 19 since the young man who was the recipient was not on my original planned-for list of graduates. And when I got to the end of the day with absolutely nothing else that I could think of that was deserving of "gift" title, I will settle for that.

Day 20 was easier - a donation of goods from our clearing out closets and such to the local Goodwill store.

A change of plans

2010-05-20T18:45:00.000-04:00

Our local grocery store often has brown bags of food that you can purchase for donation to the local food bank. For Day 18's gift, I thought that, while I was at the store getting eggs for a last minute recipe, that I would just empty out what's left in my grocery budget for the week and spend it on that. But when I got to the store, I couldn't find them. I got the eggs and at check out, asked about the bags. Turns out they only have them around the holidays - Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter.

I was stymied for what to do for today's gift. I had been the recipient of two gifts today - the shorts in the previous blog entry and birthday cookies from one of my coworkers. I'm celebrating my birthday all month. But no idea for what to do. Coming home from the grocery store, I thought about my visit with my friend on Day 8 at Hospice House. She has gone home from there for a while, but still been on my mind. And that made it clear to me that today's gift could be a donation to Hospice House in her honor. I went online to see how I could donate and they have a really easy donation page - and they have the option to use PayPal. I had money in my PayPal account from various online surveys that I've done, so click, click, click and my donation was made.

I love how easy it is to give!

One man's trash...

2010-05-20T13:28:00.001-04:00

Or in this case, one family's trash is another family's treasure!

My children and I took taekwondo lessons for several years, each of us achieving our black belt plus degrees, but then things got to where they didn't want to continue with lessons and my schedule filled up so I wasn't able to go regularly. So our TKD gear has been in a pile in our front hallway for many months now. We don't use our front hallway often, so it became a good storage area.

My husband has wanted me to go through and find a better place to store the gear so that our front hallway is open again. I decided I would do just that for Day 17's giving. Most of the gear went right into the trashbag because the children have outgrown it so even if they began lessons again, they would need new gear. Mine was wearing out, and last summer I had tried to return to training but once school started, it just didn't fit, so I know I won't be training again any time soon. But while I was sorting through the gear, I found a couple of items that can be passed along to others because it wasn't used-up nor compromised in any way for its performance.

That's where the trash part comes in. We have a family that we often hand things down to, and one of their sons is a beginning in TKD lessons. They are about to purchase his gear, so we gave them the pieces that are "optional" gear that can be re-used. The family was happy to get these items because it's that much less they'll have to spend!

So my gift for Day 17 was cleaning out the front hallway, something my husband really wanted! And the bonus was being able to take part of that and give it a second life with a family that can use it.

And speaking of treasure, a coworker emailed me today that she had two bags of shorts for me to have for my sons if they could use them. Turns out they are just the right size for where my guys are. She said she didn't know why she hadn't thought of me for handing things down to before now. Somehow I think my participation in the 29-days-of-giving (which she doesn't know about) set some karma into the universe. What's great is that I was thinking that I needed to get the boys some new shorts for the summer. And now I don't have to!

Pizza for Dinner

2010-05-19T09:39:00.001-04:00

We have had a long-standing tradition in our family that Tuesday is pizza night. We used to go to Pizza Hut because they had the kids-eat-free from the buffet on Tuesday nights. Then we switched to Papa Johns because we always had good coupons and loved their pizza, but they were a bit out of the way and we weren't in their delivery zone. Sometimes we would go to the Leaning Tower Pizzaria for a change of pace. But for the last several months, we've been getting "2 For Tuesday" pizza from Dominoes. It's right on the way home, so my husband picks up our order on his way to get the kids from school in the afternoon while I'm still at work. In fact, we've been getting Dominoes so regularly that when we were out of town for a few weeks, the manager asked what happened to us when my husband stopped in again. They know his order from their phone-order system and we have the price down to the penny.

Because I've been actively trying to lose weight for the last few months, I don't always eat pizza on Tuesday nights, but when I do, I've saved up enough Weight Watcher points for the day to have a slice of cheese and a slice of pepperoni. There are usually three slices left so if I don't eat any, we usually end up throwing them away. Yeah, my kids are weird in that they won't eat cold pizza and they don't like it reheated.

So late yesterday afternoon, my phone rings at work and it's my younger son. He has called to ask if I wanted any pizza and told me there were just two pieces left, one cheese and one pepperoni. I figured if he was calling, it was because he wanted another slice, not just to find out what my dinner plans were. Because never have they called about pizza.

My Day 16 gift was to skip the pizza so that he could have it. It was something he really wanted but he was going to skip it because in his mind, they were my pizza slices... and as such, they were mine to give!

Day 15: Congratulations on your Graduation

2010-05-18T14:33:00.001-04:00

We know several young people who are graduating from high school this year. It's been our tradition to give graduating seniors a monetary gift. Usually I'm such a slacker that I end up just slipping them a $20 when I see them sometime before they go to college, no note, no card, nothing but some cool cash in the hand. They are always appreciative and while I always tell them no need to write a thank you note (since I didn't make the effort to put it in a card), I generally get a nicely written note of thanks.

As part of my 29 days of giving, Day 15 found me with a box of blank half-fold cards and access to a wonderful color printer that will "flip on the short side" to print on both the front and back of the paper. Following the instructions, I was able to design a Congratulations on your Graduation card for each of the students we know. So with that, I wrote out the checks for those who we don't see regularly and was able to put them in the mail. My 15th day of giving: Graduation cards and money. And the knowledge that I didn't take the easy way out. And I'm not late!

Gift cards, donations, and coupons

2010-05-17T13:49:00.001-04:00

The weekend yielded three days of giving, and each day was something different.

Day 12. A few years ago, we were blessed to meet a wonderful woman at our son's school who has truly been someone who made a difference in him having a successful middle school experience. As it turns out, we know her husband as well and often run into them at the local warehouse store. Our son has only a few more weeks at this school, so we wanted to do something for her ... we know that without her taking a particular interest in him, his experience at the school would've been different, and not in a good way. My Day 12 giving is a gift card to the warehouse store.

Day 13. As we were driving into town for our weekend errands, the Shriners were out in force collecting donations for the Shriner's Children's Hospitals. Thankfully we've never needed their services, but we know how important they are for families that do. I dug into my purse and made a donation from my car window.

Day 14. I'm frugal to some degree, and if there's a coupon to be had for something, I usually know about it. On Sundays, we go to a local Mexican restaurant for lunch. Sometimes they have coupons in the MiniMint, but the only one we can use is for the free cup of queso. They have another one that is $5 off $25, but we never spend that much for our lunch. On Day 14, we saw some folks we know from church who were having a family dinner. Mom, Dad, both their grown sons, their spouses, their children, and a friend. We chatted with them for a few minutes and then after we went back to the table, I realized that they just might be able to take advantage of the coupon. So I gave it to them. After we were done, they were leaving at the same time as us, and as it turned out, one of the sons was able to use it not just for his family but because he was picking up the check for the friend (who is a college student). He told me afterwards thanks for the coupon because it pretty much covered the lunch for her that they were going to get for her. So it was a gift that gave a bit more!

Two weeks in, two weeks to go.

Day 11's Gift

2010-05-13T16:33:00.001-04:00

A couple of years ago, my office was hiring someone to work for a short period of time on a grant we had received. And while our office is part of a larger organization, we are a small unit and don't have much in the way of space, equipment, or furniture. So we scavenged the hallways for stuff that other groups were replacing or just getting rid of to put together enough to furnish the closet that we were turning into an "office."

Fast forward to a few months ago and we were yet again in the position of hiring someone to work with us on a grant, and unfortunately for her, the space was just as crammed and ill-furnished as our first hire was. And the furniture is a little worse-for-wear.

A notice came out that another group was getting rid of "surplus" furniture. Usually "surplus" means the leg is bent, the drawer sticks, the wheels won't roll, or something else entirely is wrong - either functionally or aesthetically - with the item. But I went to look anyway, and lo, and behold, there was an intact computer desk on wheels that worked, with a sliding drawer that slides, and shelves that actually have all the supports for them. The only thing "wrong" with it was the dust that was accumulating from it having been in an unoccupied space for several months.

I knew it was so much better than what our coworker has in her space. And that it would not only fit in her space, but it would provide a better working surface for her. So Day 11's gift is the gift of a new used computer desk. While it wasn't originally mine to "give," it was mine to "find" and then give to her. She is thriilled with it.

Give life. Donate blood.

2010-05-12T13:43:00.001-04:00

So the previously reported Day 10 giving of chocolate was really on Day 9. I won't go back and edit it to change it, but just wanted to mention that.

The real Day 10 giving is the donation of blood. I usually give blood when the bloodmobile comes to my workplace every 10-12 weeks, but then the blood donation center is right across from work. So instead of making a convenient donation of when they are at my workplace, I made a purposeful decision to go across the street to donate blood. It takes about 45 minutes from the time you go in until you're done.

Chocolate hugs

2010-05-11T15:06:00.001-04:00

Giving Day 10. My office has had a long-standing tradition of a candy dish. There's no particular rule about it in terms of who fills it or with what, but generally it has chocolate, and it is usually generously filled, particularly after a chocolate-holiday like Valentine's Day and Easter. But for the last three weeks, the dish has sat on the credenza in a state of utter emptiness.

So this morning, I decided my gift would be to bring in some chocolate for the office. Our local grocery store had Dove chocolates on sale. We all like the good chocolate. And while most of us prefer the milk chocolate, there are a few who prefer the dark, so I bought a bag of each. My coworkers are happy to have chocolate again. And interestingly enough, the wrapper for the piece I just had says inside: A hug is a great gift -- one size fits all.

Of peppermints and Hospice

2010-05-10T16:55:00.001-04:00

Giving Day 7: I've always carried peppermints in my purse. I mostly like to have one when I'm driving or when I need to sit quietly, and I much prefer having a piece of candy to chewing gum. As such, most Sundays and Wednesdays, I enjoy having a peppermint during the Bible class lessons or sermons. There is an older couple that usually sit behind us, and through the years, I've been his peppermint-supplier. But then one day, I ran out, and our local warehouse store didn't carry them any more. That was several months ago. I've looked for them elsewhere but never found the ones I want until the afternoon of Day 7 when I spied a large bag at Walmart.

I was in Walmart that day looking for a Mother's Day card and thinking that buying the card on Mother's Day and mailing it the day after would absolutely not count towards my giving project. I was thinking I might pick up a bag of chocolate for the office to use for Day 8, but I still didn't have anything for Day 7. But when I saw the bag full of red-and-white round discs, I knew what I had to do! After getting the peppermints home, I found a quart-sized baggie and filled to to the very top where it would barely zip closed and then put the baggie with my church bag for the evening. When we arrived at services, the couple wasn't there, but they did come in just as things were getting started. I was so excited to give him the surprise bag of peppermints! His wife took them from me as I handed them back so she could dole them out to him. Later on during services, I heard the familiar muffled crackling of the wrapper. All was well!

Giving Day 8: When I began college, I met a wonderful couple who served as the Campus Ministers at the church I attended. They were there to help guide us as we were on our own for the first time and keep us focused on what's important - our faith. They provided me with support, love, kindness, a place to study or just to get away from roommates. As the years went on and their work shifted to other areas (both continued in areas of support and assistance to others), I would see them from time to time. They came to my wedding. I would see them around town at various places and always stop to say hi. We always picked up right where we left off.

In recent years, she began an arduous battle with cancer. Much of it was during a time that I didn't see them; her battle kept them from their usual places which meant I didn't run into them. Time went on. We became friends on Facebook, and about a year and a half ago, we got together on purpose for lunch. She was doing well at the time, but then the cancer came back. And this time there isn't much left to do but manage the pain. I got word that she is at the local hospice house, but my contact wasn't sure if she was still there or not.

So this morning as I was driving to work, I felt compelled to find out. My workplace is only a few blocks away, so I thought I would get into the office and call to find out. But as I was driving, my car turned down the road to the house rather than to the office. And I am so glad it did. She was awake and alert and seemed glad to see me and for the visit. Her husband was out getting coffee at the time, so I sat with her until after he came back. It was so good to see both of them. My gift today was the visit and I hope a bit of encouragement and a lot of love. Some people have an effect on you that lasts a lifetime. For me, she's one of those people. A blessing. My thoughts and prayers will continue with them.

And a great big shout-out to Hospice! My charity of choice.

Stamp Out Hunger

2010-05-08T14:39:00.001-04:00

I was trying to decide what I might do for today's on-purpose giving
while I was clearing off the dining room table from the week's mail
and school papers. And there in the midst of it all was a postcard
saying that today, May 8th, is Stamp Out Hunger day. That means that
the mail carrier will pick up non-perishable foods for the local food
bank.

Several months ago I had cleared our pantry and have made every effort
to not buy things that would just be wasted. So when I checked the
pantry today, the items I picked for donation were all things that we
would actually be using. So this wasn't just a convenient way to clear
out the pantry, it was a wonderful way to fulfill Day 6 of giving.

A birthday gift card

2010-05-07T09:55:00.000-04:00

My niece is turning 15 this weekend. It's been hard enough for me to think of her as a teenager, but to know that she's turning 15 just solidifies that she is well and truly on her way to being a young woman. She's been taller than me since some holiday early last year, and I know she's smarter than me about loads of book-stuff. She's inquisitive and kind. And she's having a birthday!

Slacker-aunt that I am, I didn't get a card mailed to her. And I didn't send her a check that she'd have to get her parents to take her to cash, and I don't like sending cash in the mail, and I didn't get to the store to get her anything. But thanks to the wonders of e-commerce and a broadband connection to the internet along with some extra funds in my paypal account, I am sending a gift card to WalMart to be delivered directly to her in the next five to seven business days. This girl loves shopping at WalMart and always has a wish-list, so it's perfect for her.

So happy birthday, dear niece of mine! I'm glad you'll be the recipient of Day 5 of of my 29 days of giving.

Money in the Boot

2010-05-06T12:36:00.001-04:00

Day 4 - May 6th.

My uncle died with muscular dystrophy when he was twelve years old. That was back in the early 1960s, before I was born, and before as much was known about this debilitating disease. I remember the picture of him hanging in my grandparents home, and now it hangs in my parents' home. My mother was quite a bit older than her half-brother and she had wonderful stories to tell about him growing up, and then not-so-wonderful memories of his body failing him as a youngster.

Because of this family connection, the Muscular Dystrophy Association (www.mda.org) was an organization that my family supported financially through the years. I remember watching the MDA Telethon every Labor Day weekend as a child and even making my own pledge from money I'd been saving.

This morning after dropping my children off at school, the local fire department was out collecting money for the MDA. My gift today was a monetary contribution to the MDA, dropped into the firefighter's boot.

The Gift of Doing

2010-05-05T13:36:00.001-04:00

Today is my third day of 29 Gifts giving. I knew last night what I wanted to give today. But first a little background.

My husband takes great care of me, our children, our house, our yard, all the things both big and small that make our family comfortable. When we married over 18 years ago, we made an agreement that while I would take care of the family paperwork, bill-paying, etc., he would clean the bathrooms. That seemed like a fair exchange as I don't mind the paperwork and do mind bathroom cleaning, and he minds bill-paying, but doesn't mind cleaning the bathroom. Over the course of time, the bathroom cleaning became all sweeping, mopping, and vacuuming. In addition, he takes care of the yard, the car maintenance, and the garbage. And he doesn't complain. He doesn't procrastinate. He just gets in there and takes care of what needs to be done. I asked him about that recently and he said that he just does it because it needs to be done. He doesn't enjoy it, but he knows when he has something that has to be done, it's best to just get in there and do it.

Today is garbage day. Which means when he comes home from work, he'll have to drag the recycle bins and garbage can from the street back to the house. He leaves for work so early in the morning that the sun hasn't even come up. When I was thinking about today's gift, I thought that I would surprise him by bringing the bins back to the garage. So when I heard the recycle truck go by, I did just that! I haven't told him, and I won't ask him about it when I get home from work myself. I wonder if he'll even mention that the bins were already collected.

The best part is that even if he doesn't, I know it made his afternoon a little easier. And that giving doesn't have to be tangible things. That sometimes the best gift can be having something done for you, especially if it's something you do because you have to.

29 Gifts - The Beginning

2010-05-04T16:56:00.000-04:00

A few months ago, I read an article about the book 29 Gifts: How a Month of Giving Can Change Your Life, by Cami Walker ( http://www.29gifts.org/ ). Our local library's summary reads:

"This is the powerful story of the author's struggle with multiple sclerosis and how a healer's unusual prescription of mindful altruism--to "give away 29 gifts in 29 days"--ignited her energy, her happiness, and invited more abundance into her life."

I was intrigued by the concept of making a conscious effort to give for 29 days in a row. To make a concerted effort to give something, anything, to someone else. I read the book and felt compelled to participate. One of the premises is that if you skip a day, you should start over. And that you should chronicle what you give. My initial read of the book was in late December - a perfect time for giving, or so I thought. But five days in and I missed a day. And then another day. Followed by another.

But my thoughts about doing this didn't leave me. And I again feel compelled to try again. My birthday was on Sunday. I treat my birthday much the same as many people treat New Year's Day - as a beginning, a time to restart.

So I'm giving this a go again. (Sorry for the pun.) I began yesterday, May 3rd. I may not post every day about what I find to give, but I am committed to making a record of it even if I collapse several days into a single entry.

May 3rd. A co-worker has been out for a few weeks awaiting back surgery (which she had today). Between the days out ahead of surgery and the days she'll miss for recovery, her paid-leave has been exhausted. Our workplace allows us to donate sick-leave to other employees in circumstances such as hers. My gift for Monday, May 3rd, was the gift of a day.

May 4th. Regarding my aforementioned birthday, I received some unexpected gifts from friends. I have been truly celebrated and profusely expressed my thanks in person. My gift today are the hand-written thank you notes which more than just say thank you for the gifts, but specifically tell them what they mean to me and my family. I think it's important to not only tell people that, but to hear it about yourself. So maybe my gift is a "warm fuzzy feeling" to them. I hope so.

If you get a chance to read the book or visit the website, please do. And if you're moved to participate in the 29 Gifts, let me know; I'd love to read about your journey.

Do you really have to block the aisle while talking on your cell phone?

2010-04-25T14:36:00.000-04:00

Cell phones have been a part of our society for a number of years now, and it's quite common to see people doing all sorts of mundane activities while carrying on a conversation. I am generally not bothered by people using their cell phones in public places, but yesterday I had one too many encounters with a cell-phone user.

I was doing our weekly shopping at our local super-store. They have recently made changes to ensure that the aisles are wide enough for two carts to pass and not have displays set up that you have to manuever around. I had less than 20 items on my list and I knew which aisles I needed to go on... a total of six aisles. And wouldn't you know it? On all six aisles, there was at least one individual standing in the middle, blocking the way, talking on her cell phone (yes, they happened to all be women). Is it really necessary to be using your phone while selecting the type of soup you want? Or the flavor of juice? What about which frozen pizza? I can see if you've called to confirm that your spouse wants the supreme and not the four-cheese, but come on... even if you're checking your list, you don't have to stand in the middle of the aisle, not moving, blocking the way for everyone else.

Move along people!

A quote from Queen Latifah

2010-04-12T22:10:00.000-04:00

"As long as God puts breath in your body, you have the opportunity to
do something great, something special, and something new every day." ~
Queen Latifah

I heard her say this on today's episode of The Martha Stewart Show,
and it struck a chord with me. How many opportunities do we miss
because we're not looking for them? Or because we don't recognize
them for what they are?

Something great, something special doesn't have to be something that
everyone else sees... You get to decide what it is!

So take a deep breath and go find your something great!

A Corner at a Time

2010-04-10T12:34:00.000-04:00

I like the idea of spring cleaning. It's the implementation that I have trouble with, yet every now and then, I have time, energy, and supplies on hand to do a mini-spring-clean. This morning was one of those times, and the target of my attention was the corner of the room where our desk is.

A couple of years ago, we had cleaned out and organized everything inside the desk, and that's been well-maintained, so it was only the top of the desk and behind and underneath that needed attention. Dust had accumulated pretty thickly on the wood in the knee-hole, and the baseboards both behind and to the side of the desk were breeding dust-bunnies as well.

The desk sits at a window which often affords the entertainment of squirrels and birds at play between our house and the neighbor's. We have a beautiful azalea bush full of blossoms this spring. But the window is also near a bathroom, and the moisture from there creates an ick-factor on the window edges. Ay yi yi. I should look at that more often. The blinds were full of dust as was the window ledge that we use as a shelf for the desk.

I found my Nintendo DS and believe it or not, both of my games were still in their cases beneath it. They hadn't been swiped by the children! I am charging it up now so I can see how things are going in my Animal Crossing town. I'm certain there is a lot of spring cleaning to do there, as well.

So I cleared the desk off, filed papers in either their appropriate folder, the recycle bag, or the shredder, dusted everything and placed things back neatly and in order. I scrubbed the baseboards and the windowsill. I dusted the walls all the way up to the ceiling. It's amazing how even walls collect dust!

And now I'm posting this to my blog. I have plenty of room on the desktop, I can see the beautiful azaleas out the window, and just enjoying this corner that's spring-clean!

The Sights, Sounds, and Smells of Spring

2010-04-03T18:06:00.000-04:00

I believe Spring has finally arrived in our part of the U.S. Azaleas are in full bloom, vehicles are covered in a fine film of pollen, and the sky is that beautiful shade of blue you only see after the dreary days of winter.

Mornings are filled with the sounds of birds calling, interrupted occasionally by the whoosh of hot air balloons floating over the house. Afternoons are filled with the roar of the lawn mowers and the nursery songs blaring from the ice cream truck.

Evenings are filled with the aroma of dinner - some wafting through open windows and others drifting over from the backyard grills. The smells of chicken and steak, hamburgers and hot dogs.

Ah, Spring!

The Hammock

2010-04-01T19:06:00.001-04:00

All week I have been eyeing the hammock in the back yard of the villa we've been at. It's in the middle of a lightly wooded area near the edge of the marsh with enough of a clearing that you can feel secluded but not isolated. I've not seen anyone using it this week which really surprised me. Our guide said there are 18 hammocks available, yet this one - and the one a little bit away - have not seen use - at least not when I've been watching from our balcony.

So today I wandered over to try it out. I've not done much hammocking in my life, if there is even such a word. But I've seen lots of episodes of Gilligan's Island and America's Funniest (Home) Videos to know that there is a trick to getting on and off a hammock and that for an inexperienced hammock-user, it's probably best to not have an audience.

Fortunately this hammock is secured with heavy chains and ropes and attached to wooden posts, so structurally the thing wasn't going anywhere. It was also positioned low enough to the ground for a shorter person such as myself to be able to just lower herself into it as if sitting on a chair. Easy as pie and no mishap!

There is something so calming and soothing about swinging in a hammock, looking straight up into the sky (just make sure to check the position of the sun before deciding which end to put your head or you might have to readjust). The pine trees surrounding my hammock were so very tall and full of pinecones. Thankfully the wind wasn't blowing, so I wasn't concerned about a stray pinecone falling on me. I could watch the birds flying over, darting here and there. I could listen to the squirrels scampering across the clearing.

Each of my children came and joined me on the hammock. It was nice to lay beside each other, with my head at one end and theirs at the other, to talk about whatever came to mind. To just be quiet together. To enjoy each other's company without distraction.

And later today, as the sun was beginning its late afternoon descent, the hammock was vacant. I took a magazine, intending to read in the quiet, cool place. But somehow the gentle swaying of the hammock rocked me to sleep.

Magazines

2010-03-30T09:27:00.000-04:00

Every now and then I take the pile of unread magazines I have and sort them out to see what I haven't read. I subscribe to a lot of magazines but most are the results of reward programs such as MyCokeRewards or e-rewards so we aren't paying for them directly.

I knew it was time to see what I have when the stack got about 18-inches high. I put each magazine in its own pile; some have only one issue, some have three or more, some have each month's issue while others are missing a month somewhere between the January and April issues.

I get a variety of magazines. Martha Stewart Living, Body & Soul (which I recently heard will have a new name), Everyday Food. Conde Nast Traveler and Travel & Leisure. Teen Vogue. Health. Reader's Digest. Runners World. Money. Forbes. Family Fun. Interestingly, I don't have any unread issues of Entertainment Weekly! I read those within two days of receiving them.

So now I have to decide to I want to start with the most recent issues of each magazine and just recycle the rest (or leave somewhere that has even older magazine for customers / patients) or do I want to skim through and rip out the things I might want to look at later.

Guess I'd better get to reading.

Ode to Extra Fruit Sensations

2010-03-17T15:58:00.001-04:00

Oh Extra Fruit Sensations, how you enhance my day!

Your Berry Pearadise gum makes my tastebuds tingle.

How invigorating is your flavor.

Your purpleness makes me smile.

Not so crazy about the Sweet Watermelon.

NCAA Tournament Basketball Picks

2010-03-16T08:35:00.001-04:00

My favorite part about the NCAA Basketball Tournament is filling out the form. You know, where you start with 65 teams and bring it down to one.

I'm picking Kansas and Kentucky in the finals, with Kentucky winning.

Final four: Kansas vs. Syracuse, Kentucky vs. Duke.

At eight, I have Kansas vs. Ohio State, Syracuse vs, Pittsburgh, Kentucky vs. West Virginia, and Duke vs. Villanova.

Sweet Sixteen: Kansas vs. Maryland, Tennessee vs. Ohio State, Syracuse vs. Vanderbilt, Pittsburgh vs. Kansas State, Kentucky vs. Wisconsin, New Mexico vs. West Virginia, Duke vs. Purdue, and Baylor vs. Villanova.

From the beginning (my winning picks are in bold):
Kansas vs. Lehigh
UNLV vs Northern Iowa
Michigan State vs. New Mexico State
Maryland vs. Houston
Tennessee vs. San Diego State
Georgestown vs Ohio
Oklahomas St. vs Georgia Tech
Ohio State vs. UC Santa Barbara
Syracuse vs Vermont
Gonzaga vs Florida State
Butler vs UTEP
Vanderbilt vs. Murray St.
Xavier vs. Minnesota
Pittsburgh vs. Oakland
BYU vs Florida
Kansas St. vs. North Texas

Ark-PB vs. Winthrop

Kentucky vs. E. Tenn. State
Texas vs. Wake Forest
Temple vs. Cornell
Wisconsin vs. Wofford
Marquette vs. Washington
New Mexico vs. Montana
Clemson vs. Missouri
West Virginia vs. Morgan St.
Duke vs. Winthrop
California vs. Louisville
Texas A&M vs. Utah State
Purdue vs. Siena
Notre Dame vs. Old Dominion
Baylor vs. Sam Houston St.
Richmond vs. Saint Mary's
Villanova vs. Robert Morris

Now let's see how I do. Starting March 18th and going through April 5th.

Feel free to comment and tell me who you pick!

A letter about the letter - or You'll get your Census next week

2010-03-14T16:27:00.000-04:00

Last week, I received an official envelope in the mail with 2010 Census printed in bold letters. The 2010 Census was here! I set it aside so I could complete it along with my usual weekly paperwork.

I showed the envelope to my son and we talked about how important it is to participate in the census. He will be doing several activities at school revolving around the census, so I wanted him to know that our family will be doing our part.

I carefully opened the envelope, slipped out the paper, and began to read. To my dismay, I found that it wasn't the census after all; it was a letter telling me to watch the mail for the Census that would be arriving some time in the next week.

Groan! I know that it's important to get the word out that the census is coming and I get that it's important to get as much participation as possible, but did they really have to send me a letter to tell me to look for another letter / envelope?

It's like at work sometimes when we have a meeting coming up. We'll have a pre-meeting, or as my middle schooler likes to say, "a meeting about the meeting."

In this case, we got a letter about the letter.

Wonder how much that cost?

The Magical World of the DVR

2010-03-13T10:52:00.000-05:00

We have just entered the magical world of the DVR. After months of debating the utility of adding DVR to our cablevision, we now have the ability to record television programs at literally the push of a button. No more looking for a blank videotape; no more making sure the time on the VCR is set correctly; no more having to find yet another remote control.

No more checking the time to not miss our favorite shows because we didn't want to have the hassle of setting the VCR. No more hurrying through household tasks or rushing around during the commercials to get things done. No more wondering what the characters just said because someone talked over the dialogue.

But now we have so many shows to record! So many movies or programs we didn't even know we wanted to watch because they weren't convenient. Now we wonder how we'll ever watch everything we're recording. Because the hours available to watch television didn't increase just because we have the ability to watch at our convenience.

I think we're going to find that we watch the same amount of television and that we watch the same programs we were watching before. Only now we'll have a bit more freedom as to when we watch them, and how long it takes to watch since we can fast-forward through the commercials.

Dear Monday

2010-03-08T07:59:00.002-05:00

Dear Monday,

Thank you for coming around only once a week. Your early morning wake-
up call always startles me back to the reality of work and routine. I
don't mind the work, and I thrive on routine, but there is always a
bit of shock to your morning arrival.

Please coordinate with Sunday night so it can be a little longer and
you can arrive a couple of hours later.

Love,
Not a Monday morning person

Crossing Magnolia

2010-03-07T16:35:00.000-05:00

I've lived in the same city since 1982, yet it's not the same as it was 28 years ago when I moved here. And I don't live in the same area of town as I did when I was a fresh-faced, carless university freshman. Back then, I walked everywhere I wanted to go, or took the bus, or rode my bike, or occasionally got a ride with someone. I lived in the same house for four years of undergrad and during that time, my "world" was limited to where I could go under my own power.

I got a car at the end of undergrad as I was interning far enough from my home and not on a convenient bus route. My world expanded and I could drive all over town. And I did. But even then, "all over town" took about 15 minutes to go from one side to the other, and even then, most of the places I needed or wanted to go were within a small radius.

Another few years later and my job location moved across town and with it, so did my choice of apartment locations. I soon lived a mile from the office and nearly everything I needed was within a mile's radius. I was dating the man I would soon marry and he lived "way out" - about four miles from where we worked.

When we married, it seemed we lived "way out" at first, but then more and more businesses built and located to our side of town. Grocery stores, movie theater, Sam's Club. When WalMart and Costco built on the corner of the main intersection right on our regular route, we were all set.

We realized a few years ago that we never seem to have a reason to go further than about five miles from our house. And that five-mile mark is known as Magnolia Boulevard. We very rarely have to cross Magnolia, and we're comfortable staying on our side of town, in our sector of our city. We have everything we need. Library, post office, car service centers. We do so much business online or by phone that we don't have to drive across Magnolia. It has become a dividing line, or even a barrier to our lives.

Recently, though, we had reason to cross Magnolia. Firstly, I had jury duty at the courthouse. Which was downtown. Across Magnolia. I wasn't sure I'd find the portal to the other side going or coming home. The following day, we took our children to renew their passports. Funny thing about children's passports - they require the children to be presented in person. And then at the end of the week, we had to go by the cable company to get a digital converter box and yep, the local cable company is located across Magnolia.

During our journey across Magnolia, we found ourselves driving by our old haunts from college. I was amazed at how much had changed since the last time I had been by the university. When we were walking downtown to take the children for their passports, we remarked how it felt like when we tour other cities on vacation. We saw some local sites that we want to visit on another day.

Maybe it's ok to cross Magnolia!

The Queen of Hearts

2010-03-06T18:24:00.000-05:00

Several months ago, I had a brief encounter with the Walt Disney version of the Queen of Hearts. I was on the fourth deck of the Disney Magic, looking down into the Atrium watching the holiday festivities, when Alice came by clearing the way for the Queen to pass. I turned to look and came eye-to-eye with the Queen, and as she passed, she swished her robes at me. At that moment, I knew I had met my inner-villian!

So of course I had to see the newly released Alice in Wonderland movie which documented Alice's return to Wonderland. Only in this story, the Queen of Hearts was known as the Red Queen, and she had a tiny body and an outrageously big head. But her spirit was the same; irrationally dealing with everything that didn't suit her with a loud "off with his head!"

I embrace the Queen and my likeness to her, for at times, I find my response to things to be equally absurd. While I don't shout "off with their heads" when things don't go the way I expect them to, I do find myself checking my reactions for QOHness.

Whenever I channel the QOH, my family calls me on it. They are thinking of getting a QOH playing card for me to wear around my neck as a warning sign to all who cross my path. I say that recognizing the absurdity within ourselves leads to self-improvement and self-control.

What I love about Friday

2010-03-05T07:21:00.001-05:00

1. It's the last day of work this week.
2. WhatAFriday club meeting
3. Date night at Costco
4. New episodes of Disney Channel shows
5. Knowing I don't have to get up at a certain time tomorrow.

What I love about Thursday

2010-03-04T08:13:00.000-05:00

1. It is one day closer to the weekend.
2. The Publix ad comes out.
3. Survivor!
4. The Office
5. Every other week is a payday!

What I love about Wednesday

2010-03-03T07:16:00.001-05:00

1. Listening to piano lessons
2. Bible class
3. Burritos for dinner
4. Leaving work by 5 o'clock
5. Reading the recap of The Biggest Loser on www.ew.com

What I love about Tuesday

2010-03-02T06:04:00.001-05:00

1. Watching The Biggest Loser
2. "Kids Eat Free" at many restaurants
3. The branch library is open after being closed on Monday
4. Weigh in day
5. Pizza night means no one has to cook

What I love about Monday

2010-03-01T07:15:00.000-05:00

1. Going to work because it means I have a job.
2. Reading the recap of The Amazing Race over at www.ew.com
3. 10-percent off at my favorite local Mexican restaurant
4. No crowds at Sam's Club
5. Turning the page in my calendar, although really, it would be nice to find a week-at-a-time calendar that put Sunday at the top of the page.

What I love about Sunday

2010-02-28T14:10:00.002-05:00

1. Dedicated time to worship God
2. Chips and salsa
3. Afternoon nap
4. The Amazing Race
5. Clipping coupons

What I love about Saturday

2010-02-27T13:47:00.002-05:00

What I love about Saturday:

1. Clean laundry
2. Clean house
3. Hunting and gathering for the family
4. Not having a schedule
5. The smell of something baking in the oven