Had to get these out

Some random thoughts and complaints.  I just had to get these out...they're festering in me.

I'm sort of thinking of going to lunch early...I had a doughnut a little bit ago and it just made me more hungry.

I seriously wish I had one of those super-cool jobs where people get paid to sit around and read all those extraneous books submitted to publishers.  I'm pretty sure I would seriously ROCK at that job!  Plus...you can do it at home.  So that means you can stay in your jam-jams and read all day....with wine (of course after a reasonable time...like 10 or so).  Oh yeah...I'd make that job my bitch!  Unfortunately, from what I can tell, publishing houses like to hire people who have a degree in English or journalism or something like that.  That's the pits :(

I'm definitely contemplating becoming a stay-at-home-mom when Aria starts going to kindergarten.  Her going to school really stresses me out.  How will I make sure that she gets to school at the right time?  And what about after school?  How will I make sure that she's picked up from school at the right time?  With my current work schedule and my commute, I would be dropping her off at school at 650 and picking her up at 445.  School times are more like 8-3 or something like that.  How will I ever make that work if I'm working full time?  I just don't know what to do about that and thinking about it makes me sad and worried.

Because of all of this cancer stuff we've been enduring since it's start in September, our finances have seriously taken a hit.  Our savings account is nearly depleted and in a month, we'll be living paycheck-to-paycheck again.  The thought of being a family of three living that way really freaks me out.  I mean, it sucked when were young...and we had no obligations then. I can't even imagine how horrible it will be now.  I don't even want to think how hard this would be if we hadn't had that savings built up.

Still thinking about going to lunch early.  My tummy is rumbling already.

I REALLY enjoy painting classes.  I want to buy some canvases and some new acrylic paints (because my kid used all mine) and sit at home and paint all day long.

We desperately need a new mattress.  My back and shoulders hurt so bad from that broken, raggedy thing! Somebody we'll be able to buy one of those super nice Sleep Number beds.  Oh, I can feel the luxury already.

Thanksgiving (for us) is Saturday, and my house is a mess.  And I'm not talking like one of those people who apologizes for their house being a mess, only for you to walk in and see it immaculate...maybe the worst thing you see is one lone coffee mug sitting in the otherwise empty kitchen sink waiting to be rinsed out.  I'm talking full-on mess.  Both kitchen sinks are full, and the dishwasher is full (just waiting to be emptied but I just can't bring myself to do it).  Every surface of my kitchen counter has something on it. Either some bit of trash, a pot/pan that didn't fit in the sink (because they're full, duh!), and a bunch of other stuff that either needs to find a home or just get thrown out.  The dining room table is full of things that don't even belong on a table, but they get put there as we walk in the door and then nobody puts them away.  The living room has blankets and pillows all over the floor that don't belong there at all (or on the couches either, for that matter), at least 6 plastic cups that need to be thrown out, several dishes that never made it to the kitchen, Dave's shoes and who knows how many socks, and of course Aria's stuff.  And not just her regular stuff, but also that stuff that I didn't know where to put after we cleaned up last time, so I just left it there in a pile on the floor.  And I need to clean it ALL before Saturday morning....and I work full time and don't get home until 5 (on a good day).  I'm so bad at keeping house!

HOW do people manage a full time job, a commute, a daycare time constraint, and STILL manage to get to the gym?  On the perfect day where I have no errands to run and everything runs smoothly: I leave my house at 650 every day (give or take), drop Aria off at daycare by (hopefully) 715, get to work by 730, leave work around 410, pick up Aria around 430, get home just before 5, cook dinner and serve at 6/630.  On a TYPICAL day:  leave home at 655, drop Aria off by 720, get to work around 735, leave work at 415, stop at Kroger for one thing and leave with 7 things by 445, get to Aria by 5, get home about 545 because the traffic is so bad after 5, cook dinner and serve around 7. Somebody please tell me where there's time for going to the gym in there??  I want to go the gym. Maybe I can find a way to convince somebody to put a Golds Gym in Grovetown so I won't have to commute the gym.

I can't seem to find a comfortable temperature today.  I'm either too hot or too cold.

OK fine, the truth is I just want to go to lunch early so that I can sit down and read (with some food).

The day's only half over :(  I'm skipping my regular play date today so that I can go home and clean instead.  And I have a child who will need constant attention because her iPad (yes, she has an iPad, shut up) got taken away yesterday for not listening.

I'm less than excited to go home today.

Quick!

Dave had labs drawn yesterday.  His counts all look great!  His nurse was very happy with it.  His WBCs are over 11, so that's great.  His hemoglobin is a little low for him (not low in the grand scheme, just low for him).  He's getting winded quickly and the nurse says thats just chemo.

He has still has a little rash from the etoposide, though we're not sure if all of it is rash or in-grown hairs.  Hydrocortisone didn't help at all.

He's been working hard all week long.  He's taking this weekend off for rest and family time as we are doing our Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday.  Next week is a treatment week, with a day off in between.

Not much new to report on.

Mom and I are doing a Corks and Canvas painting class tonight....painting without a toddler is SO much more fun!



M:  Aria, go to the bathroom.
*several minutes before a flush*
A:  Mommy, do you know what just happened in the bathroom?
M: Um, no...I was out here in the kitchen.  What happened?
A:  WELLLL, I was trying to put the toilet paper back (I'm a bad mom/wife and tend to forgot to put the toilet paper roll on the holder), and it just....it just fell in me pee.
M:  The whole roll, honey?
A:  Yeah mommy, the whole roll.  Its just in the potty....sitting in my pee.
M:  Oh goodie.

Fab Friday Five

So I spent a great deal of my Pinterest time this week looking at travel pins because, well, I want need a vacation.  Anywhere will be fine with me, but obviously the farther away, the better! But first...I've had some people ask me about my twice baked potato casserole and mac and cheese that I mentioned making for Thanksgiving in last Friday's "Fab Friday Five".  So I've decided to graciously include those recipes here!  (so today's post may be five, or more than five, or whatever I want...because it's mine, dammit!)

Golden Baked Macaroni and Cheese (recipe >> here)

So I have this problem with my mac and cheese every year.  I never like it, but the family does.  They always want me to make the same one I made the year before...or as Dave has said "Remember that mac and cheese you made a few years ago?".  The thing is...because I never like them...I never remember which recipe I used.  So when I hear "remember that one you made a few years ago?" my go-to answer is "no".  What I DO remember about the one Dave was asking about was that it was southern-style...so it called for a BUTT-TON of eggs (that's an actual measurement).  I absolutely REFUSE to make mac and cheese ever again that has eggs in it.  I'm looking for a nice, creamy, golden, buttery, crusty, cheesy bit of heaven....not something that has a scrambled egg custard holding it together.  BLECH!  So as per usual, this is another new recipe...and it looks easy and perfect. And it's sans-eggs.  Yes.  I'm sure it'll do!

(recipe >> here)

Seriously folks...this sucker is mashed potatoes at their finest!  Everybody knows this dilemma...you're eating twice-baked potatoes for dinner and, low and behold, your whole potato is gone and there aren't any more to be had.  And all your can think to yourself is "I wish I had some more!"  Well fear no more....these potatoes take that away!  It's potatoes boiled and then mashed, then mixed with cream cheese, sour cream, and cheese until super creamy.  Then you put it into a 9x13, sprinkle with more cheese and real crumbled bacon and then you bake it! MMM!  I'm excited about it already!

And now for the travel!! (none...absolutely none of these pictures are my own)

 

Oh Italy...how I love you so....

 

Maldives...I'll get to you someday, beautiful!

Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)

Mirror Lake, Yosemite National Park

Glacier National Park, Montana

I don't want to go out west and see the grand canyon or any of the orange sand and rocks.  But I DO want to see the mountains, the glaciers, the trees...and everything green and beautiful about it. The peace and tranquility draw me in.  Just looking at the pictures makes me feel calmer.  

(And of course I want to dig up some dinosaur bones!)

This quote from one of my very favorite movies.  What will your verse be?  I'm not real big on poetry (it's beautiful, but I still cannot grasp the analytic concepts my English Lit teacher in 11th grade tried to teach me about symbolism and the meaning the behind the words and all that jazz), but I just love the concept of life being a grandiose entity that is made of millions of little bits and all each of us contributes is a small bit of greatness and it is in our power to decide what the bit will be and how great it will be.  I just think it's beautiful.  Whatever is going on in your life right now...there's something so much bigger that you are a part of, and you don't even know.