What I've been doing....

oh... man, it didn't work...

grr....

I had a beautiful Easter post that I thought - oh... I can pre-schedule it to post.

Nope...

No post... *pout*

Guess I'll have to work on that a bit more...

In the mean time, enjoy a picture... lol

The Space Needle is celebrating 50 years!  Still looks great!

done... so very done...

This was only the beginning... this was the snow that was falling on Sunday or Monday... I suspect Monday because Sunday was pretty dry and starting to warm.

Tuesday... it snowed all day...

Wednesday... it snowed all day...

Thursday - it was freezing rain into ice overnight and then it snowed all day and I stayed in a hotel that my job put me up at... thank goodness for toiletries and spare clothes in the emergency kits they had us make up in October... Oh, and by 4 pm, we were on mandatory 12 hour shifts due to the major power outages that the ice storm gifted us with.

Friday... walked to work early, frustrated that I didn't get to start early because apparently my supervisor didn't understand what I wanted to do... found a ride home that night... 12 hours.

saturday... 12 hour shift...

sunday... 12 hour shift...

monday... 12 hour shift... this was day 4 of 630 to 630... I'd been getting up at 4 all last week and boy... i was so tired. almost killed a co-worker five times in the last five days... lol

tuesday... 12 hour shift but 730 start... early release got me off at 7...

wednesday ... 12 hour shift...

thursday... 12 hour shift BUT ... early release got me off at lunch and so I only worked 5 hours and was paid for 8...

friday - return of 8 hour shift!!! yay!!!!

all i really have to say is thank god for overtime... they paid me as much as my last bonus check on this paycheck and will still be paying me for a few more hours...

done with snow, let me tell you... sick to death of it..

2012 goals ...

**Gratuitous Cupcake Shrine picture because all posts need a photo of some sort... LOL**

It is that time of year again... time to set some goals to try and stick to and accomplish this year. I think I'm going to be able to do it and look forward to seeing the final outcome at the end of the year.

‎2012 goal 1: The principle seems quite honestly to be a "yeah, duh" moment but I struggle with it most of the time. EAT WHAT YOU HAVE... Which will involve menu planning and grocery shopping on Sundays. Sub goal "A" is to only spend $35 or less on groceries a week.

‎2012 goal 2: Revisiting again the goal of not putting any money into the vendng machines at work. That would be a minimum $10 into my spending money fund for vacations... (and works with my completion of goal one... if I didn't buy it while I was out shopping for the week then I don't need it , most likely... lol)

‎2012 goal 3: Me time... working on keeping goal 1 and 2 should help significantly with improving my diet and helping me lose weight. Making sure to take time for me will include exercise time, time to be creative with food or crafts ... reading time... writing time... and the all important monthly pedicures and massage... lol

‎2012 goal 4: Make at least 1 recipe a week from "the" cookbook of choice. I have a huge collection of cookbooks because I cannot resist them but rarely actually cook from them. and "the" cookbook of choice is.... 100 Recipes Every Woman Should Know....

‎2012 goal 5 : Last goal to work on... REGRET NOTHING! Spend the time I want to spend with people or travel or doing what I want to do... Wisely spend money on things I want to spend it on... Learn something every day - on occasion this will be learning from a mistake made the day before and not repeating it... all in all though... at the end of the year, I want to be happy with my choices and decisions and not have any regrets that I didn't cherish the precious moments or memories or didn't get to do something...


Week one wrap up... Wow... already the end of the first week of the year. Time flies. lol.

Well... I ended the week with $3 left of my grocery money and avoided the machines and things at work. I have decided that I am going to save the money in my savings accounts and then at the end of the year, figure out what to do with all that money that I should have in my account. so one account for grocery money left over and the other for the $10 a week from not spending money at work. balances: $3 and $10

Photo's and recipes from goal 4 will be on my other blog - On the Menu as well as posted to facebook.

Remembering those we miss...

Remembering those that were second mothers...

Her birthday was today and that is probably why I've been thinking about her a bit more this week. Well, and also my recent trip to Disneyland was punctuated by thoughts of her as my parents and I would remember times spent waiting in line and talking about different memories of our family trips together with them.

I think some of my favorite memories of Janet were on those trips. camping trips... Disneyland... Trips halfway across the country to visit friends.

It was often the most fun being the only girl out of the 6 of us because that meant that there were often spaces where people enjoyed having a girl for a while. lol... that meant with one family, I was the only one special enough to play with the vintage Barbie ... and oh, what a Barbie that was... it was so nice to play with her when the boys were off doing who knows what...

and it meant with another family that when I tired of always being princess leia or "julie - the A-team chick" or daisy or whatever token female appeared in the show we were playing ... or simply that I didn't want to climb the apple tree up into the shelf in the back shed... I got to go in and make cookies or brownies. I have amazingly awesome memories of baking with Janet on one of those anniversary weekends or overnighters when I was tired of hanging with the boys...

My heart aches that she did not get to have baking sessions with her granddaughters or chances to cuddle with her grandson when he tires of being the only boy at things. :) And I just know that she would have been loving those chances.

In all this extra wisdom that comes with getting older, I regret that I did not fully realize what opportunities were there to say thank you to her for her impact in my life... She helped to foster along that love of baking and maintaining interest in playing piano. I should have realized that you have to say thank you to people when you have the chance, one of my uncles passed away when I was in high school. I just never imagined that we would lose her and that time would steal away opportunities due to distance... college and such.

So I'll say it now.

Thank you Janet for those memories I have...

I appreciate the way you always allowed me to come inside and bake with you...

and for when you'd put my hair up and I'd look suspiciously like the dog for a while ... until you realized that the ponytail should be lower and would fix it... but that was okay... you didn't have a little girl and the only ponytails you usually made were on the top of Muffin's head...

And for making me remember you when I see mice and most things Disney or old vacation photos.

Oh the memories of old vacation photos.

Well, would you look at that ... :) ... You, Johnstons always put such a united front out on the first day at the park... matching shirts and sweatshirts. :) I remember those trips every time I'm looking around and seeing a batch of matching shirts in line with me...

Your family is perfectly lovely and I know that you would adore all your granddaughters and your grandson... (Steve, Emily, Dave and Talia - you've all done a fantastic job with that side of things, those kids are all wonderful and I can't wait until we can get together this year!)

So again... in memory... and thank you for those that shared her with me...

99 things....

Here are the rules:

Bold the things you’ve done and post this list on your blog then leave me a comment and tell me you did this I can go see. I bet this has gone around the blog world already, so if you've done it, let me know.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyworld
8. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Written something that was published
11. Bungee jumped or parachuted
12. Walked across the Golden Gate Bridge
13. Been in a fist fight
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Seen the Rings of Saturn with a telescope
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when not ill
24. Built a tree house or snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Fired a gun
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Visited the Leaning Tower of Pisa
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal
44. Visited Africa
45. Cried yourself to sleep
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Visited the Eiffel Tower
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Pretended you cooked something from scratch when you didn't
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie or commercial
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold something door to door
62. Gone whale or dolphin watching
64. Donated blood, marrow, etc
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Held onto a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten frog legs or caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Time Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been let go from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Done something illegal
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Sang a solo
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Climbed a mountain
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had surgery
89. Directly saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Seen a loved one die
94. Given birth to a baby
95. Visited the Alamo
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Sent a text message while driving
99. Been stung by a bee

ow...

my toe!

poor little pinky toe.

You are so pretty with your wrap around bruise and fat looking image.

I'm sorry that you're apparently broken and vow to ice you frequently all weekend as well as not put too much pressure on you.

:0(