Today was such a nice, mellow day I wanted to share it with you…
Got up, brushed teeth, left Chris snoring while I ran out and got coffee for us - crucial to a successful day! Got home, Chris still sleeping, started on my ‘to do’ list…
Opened the garage, ran the last bit of ice out of the hose, emptied the car washing concentrate into the bucket, washed the LL and truck. Did you know my car is actually WHITE?!
Cleaned inside of my car, semi-permanently mounted the satellite radio antenna in a less annoying spot, tried to find the Windex, (it was magically handed to me just before I blew a gasket), finished the cars and put everything away.
Swept the driveway and part of the garage.
Grabbed the loppers and took care of the hydrangea and thinned out some of the raspberry stalks from last year. Found a tennis ball and Nerf ball in the process.
Picked up the large branches strewn all over the yard from the last wind storm. Re-set the braces I had to put under my favorite tree, again, after the last wind storm. (I’ve never cried over the loss of a plant/tree/shrub/bush but if this thing doesn’t make it, I just may.)
Threw some stuff in the Crockpot resembling chili for dinner tonite. Stirred it up, stole 2 servings of it for the smaller Crockpot (for my veggie daughter) and put some meat in the big crock for my carnivore boys.
Searched Google Maps for a better bar in Kent than the Ram for my annual hockey nite. Found 5. Hopped on the motorcycle and checked them out. Was unpleasantly greeted by an amazing amount of gravel and sand on the road but enjoyed the free exfoliation. Passed on two candidate bars but I think Pappa’s on Washington will do just fine. Jen down there said she’d love to have me for my birthday. (hmmmm….what does that mean, exactly?!)
Got home, wiped down the bike.
Oh look…it’s 1:00 and my daughter has just gotten up. Asked if she wanted to go shop with me. Surprisingly she said yes.
Stopped by Starbucks on our way across town. (I know, I know…it was convenient and I needed a boost. Hush.)
1:30 we get to Target to exchange a Christmas gift, look for an iPod docking station for Aleah and, oh dear lord, look for new bras for her too. Patience…patience…breathe and relax!
2:30 at Costco. It was a fricken ZOO! In the automotive section I ask the guy for car wash detergent. He says “oh yeah” and leads me away – to the window washing fluid. I look at it, and then at him and say “no, the stuff you wash the WHOLE car with – not just the windshield.” “Oh. No…we only carry that stuff in the summer.” Off we go. Almost there…last aisle, weaving and bobbing in between the aimless shoppers. I happened to look left when WHAM! Someone crashes into my cart…head on collision! WTF? Turns out to be our good friends Carol and Andrew who have just barely begun their shopping adventure. Aleah and I catch up with them briefly, wish them well and continue to the checkout line. Oh great…the annual membership is due! Ouch! Someone please remind my why I pay a company just so I can spend more of my money there?
Filler up with Costco gas (which is still more expensive than Fred Meyer if you qualify for their 10 cent per gallon discount, by the way. At least in Federal Way…)
Get home, opened the door and was greeted by a WONDERFUL smell. The chili can’t be a total bust! The family unloads the car in the rain (glad I got that ride in earlier!) while I had a brief break.
Checked the chili and it tastes great! I’ll eventually recover from the blister on my lip. (One quick blow does NOT cool off a full tablespoon of hot food…ever…)
I need to grate some cheese for 2 other recipes as well as to top the chili and grab the nearly new block of cheddar. I have many gadgets in my pantry and go in search of the one I need now…the food processor. I find the base but not the critical cheese grater disc. Dammit! I ask the kids if they may’ve seen it. Nope. I look thru the pantry, junk drawers, pots and pans cupboard, silverware drawer and even in the oven, just in case. Nope. Well…I can’t make much progress if I don’t have grated cheese so I do it the old fashioned way. My forearm is still tight. I have a mountain of cheese on my cutting board and divide it up just right. I let the family know they can eat whenever they’re hungry, no formal dinner time, but the chili is HOT. Chris goes on to tell me it’s my best chili ever! **
Start a load of laundry and scrub 2 toilets.
Have a phone chat with mom.
Re-organize the pantry: ½ due to the fact I just went to Costco and ½ hoping I find the cheese grater disc. No such luck on the disc.
Swap out the laundry, start another load.
Periodically throughout the day I’m perplexed about why I am so sore after playing volleyball last Thursday night. Yes, I know I’m getting older. But I work out 5 days a week and am shocked how sore my quads are, never mind the bruises in places I’m sure the ball never hit. Thank goodness I have 5 more days to recover before our next game!
Does everyone have a ‘junk’ drawer in their kitchen, or just me? Mine has evolved into multiple junk drawers so I made a half-assed attempt to at least consolidate them. After I empty one drawer and manage to somehow hold 27 utensils & gadgets in one hand I throw in the towel. I know I don’t have the patience for this task. But I do have one beautifully organized drawer!
I emptied the closet in the office which has been home to all kinds of junk and tried to consolidate. Ran across 3 separate ‘crafty’ projects in various states of completion. Oh great! Now I have more to do. Hurry, shut the closet and pretend I never saw it! But can’t help but be reminded of my aspirations: Aloha Northwest clothing, selling stuff for huge profits on e-bay, completing my dining room valance, some blanket thingy I was helping Devin with and oh, the bridesmaid’s dress that I can’t part with but will NEVER wear again. What is the deal?!
I think I’m tired. And it’s only 8:15. Am now listening to an awesome CD my friend Shannon made me which includes such timeless favorites as Buffalo Stance and Lost in Love, followed by Buffalo Stance and then I’m All out of Love. Then, surprisingly, Buffalo Stance followed by Your Every Woman in the World to Me…I think you get the theme here and yes, there’s definitely an inside joke. I’ll leave you with the knowledge that some of us have actually paid money to go see Air Supply later this month. And Buffalo Stance?! Well, I’ll leave you pondering that part of the joke for now. (Do YOU know what that song is all about? I was recently enlightened…thanks, Mike!)
Meanwhile, I’m drooling over some recipes my friend Tina sent. If I could find my cheese grater disc I might just go try to make some cookies. But no…
Added Aleah’s remaining 14 choir dates to our family calendar.
Reviewed my Flex Plan account statement as well as the Corvette insurance renewal policy (which “has changed drastically for this renewal. Please read all 27 pages to get the details”).
Thought about paying bills but opted not to based on all the money I spent today. Started a 2010 Income Tax folder instead. Gawd, I hope we don’t owe again this year!
Made contact with a pitching coach so I don’t make a complete ass of myself when I begin my new role as Federal Way National Little League’s first EVER Juniors softball coach next month. (the league is expanding its softball program this season to include a Juniors’ division (13-14 year old girls). Yahoo!!!!)
Wrote 2 very belated Christmas cards.
Updated my wish list and the Joint Honey Do list. Jeeze, we need to win the lottery~!!
Checked to see if Depeche Mode or Erasure are on tour any time soon. (yes, part of me is stuck in the 80’s. No, neither of them is currently on tour. But Erasure MAY be coming late this year!)
Thought about watching my Fushigi “anti gravity ball” instructional DVD so I could learn how to do it, but read all the cautionary statements, such as “don’t let it hit you in the head. It is heavy and could hurt you” and “don’t let it sit in the sun because it will be hot and could cause a burn” and decided that if a toy has that many ridiculous cautions it will definitely test my patience. I’ll go crash repeatedly on my unicycle instead…
9:44 Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m tired. I need to go watch a DVD my friend Stacia lent me called Loose Change. She gives me the impression it’s very heartwarming and will make me feel safe and secure. Just the thing to watch before a good night’s sleep!
9:45 no wait. Aleah just asked if I could drive her to her friend’s house for a sleepover. Now, when I was 21 I remember just getting the party started at 10:00pm but a Saturday sleepover for 13 year old girls? Really?! “Sure, I’ll take you over there but your ‘non-birthday’ party starts at 3 tomorrow so you can’t sleep all day.” “Ya, I know. We plan to go to sleep around 2 so that will give us 12 hours to sleep and an hour for me to get home...” Ahhhh, those were the good old days! Sleeping in past noon!!
Tomorrow Devin has a soccer game at 9, then we’ll race to our friend’s to watch the ‘hawks kick some bootie, eat the other 2 recipes I made today, get home to welcome our daughter’s friends over for her ‘non-birthday’ party and listen all night to 7 girls do what 7 girls do when they get together…laugh, whisper, laugh, whisper, roll eyes, eat junk food…good stuff!!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this little insight into my day and that yours was equally laid back!
**Chris says it’s the best ever Chile recipe (crap, I made it up on the fly…quick, try to remember what I put in it…)
1 28 oz can El Pato tomato sauce
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, not drained
2 12 oz cans kidney, drained
1 12 oz can red, drained
1 12 oz can black, drained
1 diced yellow onion
1 seeded & diced green bell
1# ground beef, separated
2 bay leaf
2 t chili powder
Cook in crock pot on high for 3 hours, test for your desired level of doneness. Continue cooking if you want/need. Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream. Planned to serve over rice but ran out. Over Fritos would’ve been tasty too.
