Exceedingly Mundane

I was just browsing through some of the posts at the Cooking Light message boards. That’s really my number one place to surf for recipes and cooking ideas. I have gotten a lot of good recipes from this website, their magazines, and cookbooks. Anyway, there are a couple of ongoing discussions there about two new books about “eating as the french do” and “the Fat Fallacy”, both of which talk about eating much smaller portions, really savoring what you eat, etc.

Good ideas, and ones I have been wanting to adopt for quite a while. Next month, it will be 3 years since Tim and I started our healthy eating lifestyle change. We’ve done pretty good overall. Up and down, up and down, but fairly steady overall. Holidays are bad, as we tend to eat a lot more. Winter is bad for me because I have a natural desire to cook comfort foods (chilis, stews, soups, cobbler, etc) and homemade bread. Winter is also bad for us because we are really limited in how often we can walk because of the weather. I don’t like to get sick, and so I often don’t want to walk if it’s really cold or misty or windy.

So… (click more to read the rest)

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Well, darn, I am so disappointed that Lost is a rerun tonight. In fact, I am even more irritated to read that there aren’t going to be any new Lost episodes till the middle of April. What are JJ Abrams and crew trying to do, torture us? 🙂

I think Gail told me, and also I read earlier today while surfing, that the next new episode is April 13 and is a Locke-centric episode. It’s titled “Deux Ex Machina”, according to TV Tome Episode List . Translated, that means “God from the machine” and is also a chapter in the book “Watership Down” that Sawyer was reading, which he stole from Boone’s suitcase (according to this site). I’m further disappointed to see only 3 more new episodes listed after that.

April 20 – “Do No Harm” – Jack-centric episode
April 27 – “Greater Good” – Sayid-centric episode
May 4 – “Born to Run” – Kate-centric episode

Well, maybe there is going to be more before the season finale, since it’s rumored that Claire’s baby is going to be born in the season ender. Or maybe it will happen during Kate’s show? Darn. All I know is that I want to see more of this show, not less!

I think I’m starting to get a bit of spring fever, and in a bit of a spring cleaning mode. Of course, today is not a great day for that. I prefer to do spring cleaning stuff on days that are sunny and warm, and I can open the windows and smell the fresh clean air. Today is cloudy, grey and supposed to rain later. Not to mention it’s in the low 50’s, which ain’t really like spring!

Anyway, I spent about 30 minutes this morning vacuuming my mattress and under the bed! I think I got about 1 to 1 1/2 inches of dust and gunk in the canister of my vacuum (most of that was up under the headboard, near the wall, and I must have banged my head 4 or 5 times trying to reach up under there). ICK! I took the sheets and mattress cover off and washed them this morning, and got all industrious and decided to try vacuuming the mattress. I saw This show on Oprah and I shudder every time I think about it. Yuck, tiny microscopic bed bugs crawling around in my mattress while I’m sleeping on it. Anyway, I hope it worked. I think I about blew out the motor on the vacuum cleaner 🙂 trying to get them out!

A good TV viewing night, all around. We watched the guys perform last night on AI, and I have to say, they are head and shoulders above the girls. I will really be glad to let the guys go head to head with the girls so more of these girls can go home. The guys are just so much better this season, it’s really hard now to get rid of any of them. There are still a lot of girls that need to go bye-bye.

Right now, my top two in each group are: Bo and Anwar for the guys, and Carrie and Nadia for the girls. We shall see.

I don’t seem to do very well on predictions. I’m going to have to go to the Hambones forum and revise my guess on Amazing Race. I don’t know how much longer the brothers will make it. Although I thought the same thing about Ron and Kelly last week, and they pulled it together and came in second this leg. I want to state on the record, that so far, through 2 episodes, I am not disliking Rob and Amber at all, like I thought that I would. I was fully prepared to root against them, and figured they would annoy me. Not so. I am rather quite enjoying them run the Amazing Race and I like that they seem happy together, seem to work well together, are making smart choices, and are overall just running a really good race. I may have to revise my guess and pick them! Not that they need the money, but so far, that’s my only beef with them.

We also watched House tonight, on Fox after Idol. Really good show. Medical mystery kind of stuff. I really enjoy it, in that we have finally found a show where Tim doesn’t have everything figured out in the first 10 minutes! With the medical aspect, he’s as clueless as I am! 🙂 Which makes it a total joy to watch!

Since I was 12 years old and got my very first camera, I have loved, loved, loved pictures. That still holds true today. I love taking them, I love seeing them, I love putting them in scrapbooks and photo albums, I love looking at all of my digital prints on the computer. And now that we have the Hambones website, I LOVE to put them out there for everyone to see. 😀

I’m so glad people are emailing me pictures to share. Amanda sent some the other day of the Ethan & Abby, and Trent and Shanna sent some of Grayson & Ava Clair, etc. I put two new ones out last night of Grayson that are just adorable. And this morning, I was very happy to look in my inbox and find a bunch from David’s baptism this past Sunday in Indianola. Gail took several of the service and a bunch of great family pics in front of the fireplace. Thanks for sharing them with me Gail! 🙂 I just wish we could have been there…. sigh.

So, go check out all the new pictures when you have time!

Found this site the other day, sort of like a meme. One of those word association things. The shrink (or whoever) says a word and you say the first thing that pops into your mind. Oh my, this could be scary!

I say … and you think … ?

Usher:: Singer
Cherish:: Love
Mistreat:: Abuse
Forum:: Hambones
Systematic:: Routine
Warning:: Weather
Wash:: hands
I wish:: upon a star
Candles:: Yankee
Metallic:: Sound

Trent just sent me two of the cutest pictures of Grayson! He said that he likes to wear this hooded towel like a cape, to fly around… he has special binoculars for playing his spying game, and he wears socks on his hands when he wants to be a cat. These pictures show him with all of them on, the ultimate superhero! Grayson the Magnificent!

Go check it out in their album in the Photo Gallery on Hambones. Cute, Cute, Cute!

I did finish this one the other day, and I really enjoyed it. I didn’t quite like part of the end, but overall it was a good book, interesting characters, great exotic locales, and a good plot. I like a different kind of legal thriller from time to time, some of Grisham’s really seem to run together for me. Anyway, I still have 4 or 5 to go in our library of his, but I’m ready for a change, having read two of his lately (Street Lawyer was as good, maybe better).

I just went and wrote a little review on Hambones… click here to go read it.

I went to the library in Madison today. I love the library. I always have, since I was young. I can remember going to the Jackson library over in Broadmoor, on Northside Drive. I could stay in there for hours. I also remember spending tons of time in the library in Belhaven. Not just studying, but reading other books, looking at magazines, and just daydreaming. I had a spot picked out, a chair by the window that faced the street… I could (and often did) sit there for ages.

I digress. I went today when it was just starting to sprinkle and when I came out, it was raining cats, dogs and small children. I got soaked trying to get back to the car – and yes, that was with an umbrella! I spent a glorious hour or so in there, browing around, looking at books and checking the computer to see where books were, and when they were due back in. I put one on hold for when it comes back in, in about 2 weeks.

I got 3 new books to read. I got the next one in the Janet Evanovich numbered series, the Stephanie Plum books. I finished “One for the Money” a few weeks ago, and got the next one, “Two for the Dough”. I think I will read that one first. Very light, quick reading. A little off-color, but highly entertaining. Then, I think I will read “The Guardian” by Nicholas Sparks. I only have that one, and the one he wrote with his brother, left to read. I have read all of the others. I also checked out “Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas” by James Patterson, based on a review that Amanda entered on Hambones. I have never read anything by Patterson, but am willing to give it a try. Thanks Amanda!

From the Monday Madness Meme site

1. What’s on your refrigerator? (Please feel free to use a picture to answer.) Oh my, I’m classic middle-American, cover your fridge with junk, kind of person. Lots of magnets, holding up various photos, memorabilia, postcards, newspaper clippings, Christmas cards, pictures the kids colored, etc. Tim and I started buying magnets from places we have visited, so I have a ton on there of all the fun places we’ve been. And I have Christmas card photos on the side, where I pour my cereal every morning. Makes me smile all year long!

2. What color is your refrigerator? White

3. Is the freezer on the top, bottom or side? Top

4. How old is your fridge? Does it match your stove? Fridge will soon be 12 years old, like the house. I guess it matches, the stove is white with black accents.

5. How regularly do you clean the inside of your fridge Hmmm, this is a bad one for me. I hate to clean out the inside. I haven’t done an all-out, take everything out at one time cleaning, in years. I clean a shelf or section or drawer at a time if it looks dirty though. For some reason, the white plastic gallon milk jugs we buy tends to fleck off white plastic specks and they drive me nuts. I’m always wiping those out.

Yesterday Tim and I went to Lakewood Cemetery to check on Dodie’s grave. It was such a pretty day, all sunny and warm and hardly a cloud in the sky. There were a lot of people out at the cemetery, doing what we were doing. We put new, fresh flowers on Dodie’s grave. I had picked out some that I thought were really springy, yellow and purple ones. Click the (More)… button to see a picture of them. 🙂

After we finished putting out the flowers, we were walking back to the car and saw Fred drive up. He was on his way home from Gail’s house in Indianola and we knew he was thinking of stopping there. So it was really good to see him again and visit with him a bit at the cemetery.

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Didn’t get this one posted yesterday. I liked the questions, so here we go!

Sunday, March 6

Your Kitchen
“If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.” -Harry Vaughan

1) What is your favorite kitchen appliance? Hmm, probably my new Cuisinart stuff, great can opener and coffeemaker.

2) What kind of cookware do you have? A set of Reverware… looking at some Calphalon ones

3) What color are your countertops and cabinets? Cabinets are white, countertops are a beige speckled laminate. Wish they were tile or granite!

4) Name one kitchen appliance or gadget that you wish you had. Wish I had room for a nice food processor, or room for more gadgets and appliances!

5) Describe your dream kitchen. HUGE. Tons of cabinets. Big walk-in pantry off the kitchen. Wood cabinets. Under cabinet lighting. Appliance caddy in corner with door that lifts, to hide small appliances. Stainless steel appliances, smooth top stove, double oven, built in microwave, huge refrigerator. Lots of countertop space to work on, and lay out food for when we have lots of people over. Island to work on. Space above island for pot rack (must have high ceilings). Eating bar on one side, or on the other side of the island. Love to have brick somewhere, in vented area over stove, or in a keeping room off the kitchen. Want a place to put all my cookbooks, and a space for a computer nook, to put a laptop. Want windows looking out to backyard or a flower bed. Lots of light. Open to the family room or a keeping room so I can see TV and Tim while I’m cooking or washing dishes. Getting the idea that I know exactly what I want?! 🙂

Here’s another quiz to take to test your spelling and grammer, and overall command of the English language!

Commonly Confused Words Test

I took it and at then end I was presented with these results:

English Genius

You did so extremely well, even I can’t find a word to describe your excellence! You have the uncommon intelligence necessary to understand things that most people don’t. You have an extensive vocabulary, and you’re not afraid to use it properly! Way to go!

Forgot to mention that I finally got a new pedometer yesterday. Found one at Walmart that I sort of liked. It is a bit different from my other one that I loved (thank you Suzie!), but I think I will like this one too. I still have to set my stride on it, and as such, I have not worn it yet. I should have worn it today, since we did a ton of walking all day. Oh well, I know I got close or over my 10,000 steps today.

Anyway, it’s a Sportline brand from Walmart, and I like that when I flip the case down, I can see my steps. I had to turn my other one upside down to see it, or take it off. I think that helped with my cracked clip problem. Also, this one doesn’t have the same kind of clip-on clip. It has a clip more like a clothespin, if that makes sense, and Tim and I think with the little spring, hopefully it will hold up better. If not, I guess I will just have to keep buying them until I find one I like and that lasts!

Call me geeky, but I really like wearing one every day. It seems to be a visual reminder to me to get up, move around, keep walking and moving. It really does seem to help me, and hey, ain’t that what it’s all about?

P.S. For any of you that might be interested, it’s almost identical to This one. I found it at Walmart for less than half that price, and it’s labeled “Go Walking” by Sportline, but it looks identical, same color, sort of see-through, same buttons, same features. Whole lot cheaper though!

Another fun little quiz thingie to take, go to THIS website to take it for yourself and see your results! 🙂

Cor blimey, I taste like Tea. I am a subtle flavour, quiet and polite, gentle, almost ambient. My presence in crowds will often go unnoticed. Best not to spill me on your clothes though, I can leave a nasty stain. What Flavour Are You?