Writer's Block & Not Much Else

There really hasn't been anything that has caught my interest to blog about lately. My apologies dear blog readers.

Animals~The animal kingdom in the house has settled down a bit. The cats still don't like the dog, but they do enjoy watching the dog get into trouble. They're like little nags watching and waiting with a "this is going to be good when Mom sees this" look on their face when they see things they know Lou will get into trouble for doing. Other than that the cats stay upstairs if the dog is in the house and the dog is restricted to the downstairs so he doesn't get in to things he shouldn't...like expensive cat food. .oO(I guess the cat food isn't terribly expensive, but we started buying them Science Diet when we had a steady income and they refuse to eat much of anything else now...Science Diet is around $30 for a bag that should last a month, Meow Mix is probably around $15 for a bag the same size...nope the furbabies aren't spoiled {insert HUGE eyeroll} at all.)

No children for us!~It has been brought to my attention, via the animal kingdom unrest, that I am nowhere near being ready to mother anything but animals. If I raise my voice at Lou he obeys and then runs off b/c I have "scared" him. If Dave yells too loudly at Lou, he gets scared and pees a little. If Dave yells at Zeke he runs to his food bowl and eats. As a result we have determined our children would have some issues...no kids for us at this point. Furbabies are good for now.

Sickness~Dave was sick last weekend with what he calls "the sickness." I worked every day last wknd so I had little time to do anything but work and try to tend to the sick patient. Meanwhile, I was taking Airborn, Echinacea, and my vitamins daily all in an attempt to avoid "the sickness." Today I awoke to a severely sore throat due to some sinus drainage and am hoping I didn't catch "the sickness." So I'm drinking hot tea and still taking my vitamins in an attempt to curtail any ensuing sickness.

Voting~I happened to realize that we need to vote next week. Then I realized I hadn't received my voter registration card in the mail and I began to worry. A few minutes later as I was watching tv I saw a commercial for a website where I can check the status of my voter registration and find my polling location~www.alabamavotes.gov~in case you were wondering. So I log onto the website, it says no voter located under that name. Panic ensues as I try to figure out what I need to do, my opinion must be heard! {Sidenote: Alabama is the only state in which I have lived that did not offer me the option of changing my voter registration when I received my Driver's License. Alabama, I'm thinking you could save some headaches and time if you offered this option. So I had to mail in a paper application, which I put in an envelope instead of folding in half since I had to put my ss# on it.} I wonder, did they not receive my application...I mailed it over a month ago. .oO(I know I'm a Yankee-a female one at that, but I still have rights here yanno? - That was for Dave who teases me about not being able to vote here.) What do I do now? Then I realized it was time to get ready for work and this problem would have to be put on hold momentarily. Well, my problem was solved yesterday when the mail arrived. I finally received my voter registration card in the mail!

In other voter related news, my mother has already voted. She went and picked up an absentee ballot, filled it out, and turned it back in. She successfully avoided election day headaches. .oO(Wonder if she received one of those cool "I voted today" stickers?) Oh to live in Ohio again....wait a minute, maybe not they had snow flurries earlier this week. Yuck!

Hold Still I Have a Flashlight!

So...like I'm not having enough trouble sleeping with the door to our room open so the noisy cats can get in and out. Last night I am finally almost asleep (at 12:30 am) when my dearest husband says "hold still I have a flashlight!" .oO(Ugh, I was holding still...I was almost asleep!!) He repeats "hold still I have a flashlight." I hear him reach around his nightstand and sit up this time. I definitely don't move b/c he has a Surefire flashlight. They're the kind Marines and other soldiers use when kicking in doors or whatever wherever they happen to be and they are blindingly bright. So since I have my sleep mask on (I've been using one lately to make it "darker" in my head so I can sleep better) and I know he has this crazy bright flashlight I definitely don't move for a second or two. Then when I realize he hasn't turned the flashlight on I pull up the sleep mask and ask "are you good now?" He says "yeah, I wasn't sure whether I was really talking or if I was still dreaming." I reply "you definitely told me to hold still you have a flashlight." He lays back down and is sound asleep in minutes. Meanwhile I try to settle back down and sleep. I'm successful until about 3-4am when I wake up b/c fat Zeke (I say that in the most loving way) is sleeping between my feet and I can't move. He won't budge b/c there is a dog in the house. .oO(Guess I didn't need to worry about holding still.) So today I am my typically grumpy Wizzel self after another restless night of sleep. (Wizzel is my husband's nickname for me...in case you didn't know.)

Animal Kingdom

The animal kingdom in our house has been recently disturbed. The cats are angry and hiding in our bedroom all day. They come downstairs long enough to use the litter box and glare at the newcomer in the house. Then it is back upstairs. That means that they are sleeping with us too, which isn't too bad except for the fact that Zeke doesn't share the bed very well and he baths at 3am, loudly. The newcomer is a border collie we have names "Lou," short for Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller. If you aren't aware of who "Chesty" Puller is then I suggest you click the link and start reading. He is a legend in the Marine Corps. Anyhow, Lou came to be part of the family on Sunday when he was being attacked in a neighbor's yard by another neighbor's pit bulls. Dave heard the calamity and went to investigate. .oO(Meanwhile I'm still sound asleep in bed.) He apparently comes back with Lou, a 6 month old puppy. He is very well-behaved, but I'm not really a big dog person. I don't like worrying about when the dog was last outside to go potty, if he is chewing on something I don't want him to chew, if he is up on the in-law's leather furniture, etc. Plus, the aforementioned cat issue. The cats are feeling harassed and are showing their anger via cat glares.


~The Standoff on the Bivins' Stairs~

We'll call this next section "Weekend Updates"...

My Ticket to "The Gun Show"
They kept my ticket this time...I'm sorta irritated b/c I was going to take a pic of my ticket stub. Oh well, this trip to the big gun show wasn't really that entertaining. The funniest thing I heard was "ooooohhhhh, concealment purses, let's go look at these." The purses we bad 80's leather purses. The kind your grandma still carries..."bless her heart."

The uniform of the day gave you the option of wearing overalls or anything cammie colored-it could be actual cammies or just the colors in cammies.

I also saw what I will describe as paper clip confederate soldiers. They looked like they were made out of a continuous paper clip unwound. Then the paper clip wire was molded into a figure, some carried guns, some carried a flag with an "x" I assume to represent the confederate flag. It could be yours for only $10. I can just picture someone buying these goofy paper clip soldiers to stage a reenactment in their basement. Creepy!

One last cute thing I saw was a notice to customers at one gentleman's table. I think this rule should apply to all businesses. I think it might make people a little less grumpy when dealing with clerks. The notice read "Prices subject to change according to customer's attitude." I could cut someone a deal on a product or I could price gouge if they were rude...like talking on a cell phone while trying to check out. Seriously, put the phone down! It won't kill you...or the other person...to say hold on one second while I check out. .oO(Sorry, HUGE pet peeve. Also, you best not complain if I don't offer you much customer service while you chat on your phone the whole time you shop. I'm not going to be rude and interrupt your terribly important conversation...I'm assuming it is important b/c you're talking whilst you shop.)

Work at the ATL...Ann Taylor Loft
I am LOVING it. I love the people I work with so far. I get to "shop" the whole time I'm there by helping "clients" not customers (LOL) find the perfect additions to their "wardrobe." Yay! The time flies when I am there. Plus, like I mentioned in an earlier blog...I really love the discount.

More Signs
I simply can't help myself. I had to share more funny signs with "y'all." Ok first up we have "Okra Sale"...I'm guessing this is similar to a shoe sale, but okra instead. My only problem is I can't spot a good deal on okra. I don't know what its regular selling price is and I don't know the degree to which it is "on sale." Plus, the only thing I've heard of is fried okra. Not a huge demand on it in the Bivins' house so I guess the okra sale is one I'm going to skip.

Next up we have "free blood pressure." When I chuckled in the car and Dave inquired about the reason for my chuckle I told him there was a sign for free blood pressure. His reply "no thanks, I'm good. I think I have enough." Now typically blood pressure isn't something you want in a terribly large amount. I wasn't aware you could get it at any store either, especially for free. I'm going to suggest they add the word "screenings" to the sign lest someone be confused.

.oO(Dave also said that we had signs like this in the North...he thinks I am picking on Southerners by pointing out these signs. I'm really not picking on them. There are silly signs in the North too, but I'm not in the North to see those signs...I'm in the South!)

Finally Blogging About the List

Ok, finally had time to finish the blog about the list of things to blog about. (Say that 5 times fast and get someone to understand you, lol.)

1. Signing Issues ~ Mostly the spelling on signs...grrr!
I'm seriously annoyed by typos and the incorrect use of words, especially when it's on something "important" that people are going to read....all the time. I have seen a variety of signs that have made me slap my head and scream "UGH!" recently. My first, most annoying sign is someone's political sign. The person is running for a local city counsel position and their sign proudly proclaims "No Clicks." No clicks, huh? What about booms? Or splats? Or thumps? Did you mean to say cliques? You wouldn't get my vote...if you can't check a sign and know there are two different clicks vs. cliques...you shouldn't be on city counsel. .oO(Those political signs aren't cheap...I'd be making darn sure that they were correct before they were made.) Another sign I have seen proudly proclaims "Hay 4 Sell." I understand the use of a number instead of the word "for" to save space...but your hay is for sale not sell. You are selling it, thus making it for sale. I know there is another one I wanted to tell you all about, but I've forgotten it. Thank goodness.

2. ATTP Test ~Joke!! Huge joke!
In order to be "highly qualified" in Alabama I had to take a test to prove that I have basic reading, writing, and math skills. I went to take the test Saturday. I am annoyed by people who can't follow directions! First of all, our answer sheets were on our desks when we arrived. People, whom I am assuming have never taken a standardized test before...or who just think they know everything, started filling out their info on the answer sheet. A standardized test is supposed to be given in a "standard" manner. If you fill out the answer sheet early...it isn't standard.

I get annoyed with people who feel the need to talk in between sections of the test. The directions clearly stated "remain quietly in your seats." I'm further annoyed by test administrators who don't emphasize this issue. It goes back to that "standard" thing.

All that being said, this test was really easy. If I didn't pass I shouldn't be allowed to talk, let alone teach...EVER. I'd give out more details, but I signed my life away on all of my test booklets stating that I wouldn't talk about the content of the test, etc...etc...and if I do my scores could be voided. That means I'd have to sit through the test again...and they'd probably prosecute me for "violating their intellectual rights."

3. Bathroom at UAB Humanities Building ~Interesting mirror quote thingy.
I took my ATTP test in this building. When I went into the bathroom (before the test started b/c is clearly stated online in the info about the test that there are no breaks and it is roughly a 3 hr test) I discovered the neatest thing. I'll do my best to describe it. When you walk in the sinks are on the right side and there is a large mirror on your left side. above the sinks there are all these phrases printed across the wall backwards. I started trying to read some of them...they said things like my hair is too frizzy, I need a facelift, my complexion is uneven, etc. I thought...hmmmm. I turned around and much to my delight looked in the mirror and began reading more of the phrases. Only this time they were legible b/c they were put on the opposite wall to read correctly when you are looking in the mirror. It's supposed to make you think about all those things you think about when you look in the mirror. It was cool, I don't think my description did it justice.

4. Buddy the Terrible ~ He's a cat with a really, really, really big head.
Buddy is a cat that has been hanging around the in-laws house. He gets into fights and comes back to the house all beat up and pitiful looking. He did this about 2 weeks ago and this time around it was his ear...it looks like something had tried to nearly take his ear off. It was at this point that Buddy became the basement dwelling cat while we decided if he needed to see a vet or what we were going to do with him. He is a sweet orange tabby cat, with a large head (think lion without a mane type head and neck), and a meow that sounds like a nasaly/froggy "maaaahhh." Pitiful, but sweet. So, Buddy is in the basement just chilling and resting. We take him to the vet to update his shots and sign him up to be neutered (hoping this will keep him from getting into so many fights). He returns from the vet with the following report: he's got some sort of kitty STD, he had some sort of infection making his eyes all gooey that they gave him an anti-inflammatory shot, and they updated the rest of his vaccinations. He goes back into the basement...money has been spent on this cat and he has an appointment the following week for surgery. He can't be let out b/c he has to have stuff put on his eyes in addition to the shot and we want to make sure he doesn't run off. Well, a day or so later Buddy is feeling fine. We know this b/c the entire house stinks like ammonia. Buddy has sprayed everything he can find in the basment and the house reeks, thus earning himself the nickname "Buddy the Terrible." He's still sweet, but he STINKS! We manage to get an industrial strength fan and use it in combination with lots of open windows and candles to get the stink to a more bearable smell. The household kindly endures this dreadful smell for another week 'til Buddy goes off for surgery. Buddy goes to surgery on a Friday morning. We get a phone call from the vet that afternoon telling us that we can pick him up...normally they keep them overnight, but Buddy is somehow a special case and we go retrieve him. His version of meow is now an octave higher and after another overnight stay in the basement he has gone back to being an outside dwelling cat. The reign of "Buddy the Terrible" is over and we are all glad.

5. Storage~ Ugh! Boxes are my enemy now and forever!
The majority of my stuff is in storage. Any time I want something I must first locate what box I think it might be in and proceed to dig through it. If the desired item is not in the box I must try to figure out what box it might be in and continue digging. Not fun, at all.

6. Job ~ Actual jobs and prospective jobs.
I now have two part-time jobs. I work part-time at Bath & Bodyworks, just like in DC only fewer hours so far. I will soon be starting part-time work at Ann Taylor Loft as well. I'm excited about this because I can buy the clothes I want at a nicely discounted price. Yay! I probably won't actually "make" money there, but at least I'll have nice clothes should a teaching job occur.

Speaking of teaching jobs I found out a christian school in the area was in need of an English teacher. I dropped off my resume last week and met the principal. He said he would look over my resume and get back to me. I'm still waiting to hear about a potential interview. If this teaching job doesn't happen then I guess I will have an answer about what it is Dave and I should plan on doing in the near future. Stay tuned dear blogreaders for updates as they occur ;)

I Smell Pumpkin!!

Blogreaders I must apologize for not blogging about my list just yet. Maybe I will have time tomorrow. Ijust HAD to blog about the newest recipe in my stash. My dear friend Anna e-mailed me a recipe of sorts last week and I had time to try it out. It was a hit! So I thought I would share it with all of you...although I'm adding some of my notations about the journey from ingredients to cupcakes.

This was the e-mail from Anna:

1 can pumpkin (10 oz)
4 eggs
1 c vegetable oil
1 2/3 c sugar
2 c flour
2 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
2 t cinnamon
{It should be noted that if you use self-rising flour that you do not need to add the baking powder, the baking soda, or the salt. Luckily, my father-in-law read the recipe and saved me from the disaster.}

Put in a 9 x 13 greased pan and bake for 20-35 minutes. {15-20 minutes if cupcakes.} ~Edit: Bake @ 350~ You may want to cut the recipe in half as it makes a lot. It would make great cupcakes, especially if you added a cream cheese frosting.

This is the "recipe" exactly as I received it from Anna. Anna should know that I need specific directions when cooking due to my inexperience and lack of creativity in the kitchen. I even managed to mess up...I forgot to add the oil at first. The cupcakes were in the oven and I happened to see the unused measuring cup on the counter. Hmmm...why did I have that out? The vegetable oil!! {I go out to back porch where mother-in-law is quietly reading..."what will happen to my cupcakes if I didn't add the oil?" How much oil? "Ugh, a cup of vegetable oil?" They're going to be really, really dry.} So I took them out and scraped the mix out of those cute little paper cupcake liners (threw the liners in the trash) added vegetable oil, mixed the batter, and tried again. Second attempt was a success! I would not half the recipe if making cupcakes unless you only want a few. It made about 24 cupcakes.

Anna's Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe:

3-4 oz cream cheese
1/2 T butter
Equal parts milk and powdered sugar {Ugh, Anna...HELP!}

Cream cheese icing tends to be heavy so you can lighten in up by using some whipping cream. Just buy the regular whipping cream at the store and whip it up a couple of times and you will notice a difference.



I am recipe challenged, among other things so I hunted around and found a more specific cream cheese recipe. There were just waaaayyy too many ways for me to screw this one up.

4 oz cream cheese
2 c powdered sugar
1/4 c butter
1-3 t milk
*I added 1/2 t vanilla as well so sweeten the taste a bit more.

I did mix in some whipping cream and made my frosting too runny so I had to add some powdered sugar to thicken it back up. Overall, this recipe was a huge success despite my challenges. I took the cupcakes to the floorset at Bath and Bodyworks and everyone loved them. You can see pictures of my efforts below. THANKS ANNA!


Mixed Up and Ready for the Oven - Round 1


Looking Yummy!


Packed Up and Ready to Eat!

List of Things to Blog About More Later

1. Signing Issues ~ Mostly the spelling on signs...grrr!

2. ATTP Test ~Joke!! Huge joke!

3. Bathroom at UAB Humanities Building ~Interesting mirror quote thingy.

4. Buddy the Terrible ~ He's a cat with a really, really, really big head.

5. Storage~ Ugh! Boxes are my enemy now and forever!

6. Job ~ Actual jobs and prospective jobs.

Sorry for the list, but if I didn't make one I'd forget by tomorrow all that I want to share.

One Sick Kitty

I love my furbabies. I'm so glad I don't have human children just yet. I'm just not feeling it so far. On Saturday we had a lovely birthday celebration dinner for my mother-in-law's 60th birthday. It was wonderful. We had steak, baked potatoes, and salad. Yummy. Well, when Dave helped clean off the table he took the spoon out of the sour cream and chased Zeus with the sour cream covered spoon. He dabbed some on Zeus' nose. Zeus licked it off and made a face. Dave dabbed more sour cream on Zeus' nose and I wiped it off with a tissue. No problems...til about an hour later when dave spots a pile of kitty puke. Ewwww! Then I notice another pile, and another pile, and yup some more too. I locate the Zeus and the poor lil guy is sick. He is banished to the screened in porch for awhile so we can ensure that his lil tummy is empty and I proceed to clean up the piles. Icky!!! Apparently, cats should not eat sour cream and husbands should not be allowed to torture their cats. On the upside, Zeus is feeling much better now.

Blog Facelift & Other Ramblings

I finally took the time to figure out exactly what I needed to do to update and revamp the background of my blog. I've been blogging for over a year now on this site and this is the very first time its had a facelift. I'm excited.

I love fall! ~ I love that the leaves change colors~or at least they do in OH and I'm told they change here in AL as well. They didn't really change much in NC. One day they were on the trees, the next day they were brown and on the ground. Yucky! I love that school is in session~although I loved that fact a little more when I was teaching. I love that I get to wear my sweatshirts and sweaters!!! Wooohooo! I finally made the dreaded trip to storage to locate my "winter" clothes...also known as anything other than sleeveless shirts, shorts, and capris. Then the funny weatherman decided today would be warm again. Grrrrr. Oh well, I guess I'll be prepared for the next time it cools back down.


The Frantz Sisters 10 Years Ago
{Katie, Wendy, & Maggie}

Friday Nights With the Girls ~ I sort of had Friday Nights With the Girls in NC. My deployment buddies and I would gather together to laugh, eat, watch a movie, and do anything to keep our minds off the fact that the men in our lives were an ocean away, literally. Sometimes it was all of us and other times it was "Friday Night Date." My dear friend Anna and I would meet up after naptime (teachers are exhausted by Friday night) and we would go to the commisary (the grocery store on base) and buy our measley weeks worth of groceries (aka frozen dinners) and then we would either make something for dinner or order chinese food or pizza, drink some Duplin County Wine (best wine EVER), and watch a movie with her dog Max (an adorable Corgi). I have missed those girls so much! Anna especially since she was my go to girl for everything. Well, twice now I have attended Friday Night with the Girls at Chrissi Sharp's house. It is so much fun!! I laughed the whole time I was there. There are kids in and out of the house (because the moms all bring their kids and they play together) while the ladies all talk, laugh, and share. I came home refreshed, in a great mood, and it reminded me how much I love my husband. He's such a good man even if he does give me headaches sometimes.


Deployment Buddies Painting Steph's House
{Steph, Anna, Max, Jenny, Wendy}

I Miss My Sisters~ The past few weeks I have really been missing my sisters. We are grown up and busy living our lives and we manage to call each other, e-mail, leave messages on facebook, etc...but it just isn't the same as having them around nearby ready to spend time together being silly. Katie celebrated her 21st birthday in Sept. and I wasn't there. Maggie celebrated her 20th birthday this week and again, I wasn't there. Katie has been studying for her LSAT's and is taking it today. I'm not there :( I'm missing out on all these fun and important things. I really hoping that Katie does well on her LSAT and that when she aplies to Samford they accept her and maybe even give her some scholarship money so she has no choice but to move here or be in tons of grad school debt. The plan is that if I can get Katie to move to AL, then Mom and Maggie will soon follow. I'm really hoping that they move closer...because this missing out on fun times with the sisters (and Mom too) is just no fun!


The Sisters in the Leaves~More Than 10 Years Ago
{Wendy, Katie, Maggie}
This is back when I was actually taller than my sisters, lol. Poor Maggie is almost hidden behind the leaves.

The Past Few Days

Many things have happened in the past few days that I have felt like blogging about, but haven't yet. So here is another list of occurrences, wonderings, and ramblings.

#1 Not Sleeping Well
For some reason I am not sleeping well. I lay down in bed at night and it takes me awhile to fall asleep. Then when I do fall asleep it isn't a very restful sleep. I don't usually sleep through the whole night anyhow because I wake up at least once to go potty. The past few nights though have been very restless nights of sleep. Dave says I'm apparently making noises straight out of movies like "The Grudge" or "The Ring", I wouldn't know what they sound like though since I haven't seen either of those movies. I've been noisy enough I awakened him the first two nights. I asked him why he didn't wake me up and he said I was sounding demonic....apparently Marines don't like to mess with demons. The third night I startled him from his sleep and he said he almost hit me when I scared him awake. (He does that now...if he falls asleep on the couch I started leaving him sleep on the couch b/c depending on what he's dreaming about or what kind of sleep it is he sometimes rears back when I wake him. So now he just gets to sleep where he falls.) So hoping this restless sleep stops and I get some quality rest soon. If I turn up with a black eye it isn't that my husband is abusive, I'll just have startled a Marine awake.

#2 Rudely Awakened
I woke up this morning to Zeus going "mrrrrrrrrhhhhhhhhhhfffff" (that sounds like a sort of humming hmph) and I open my eyes to see Zeus with both paws on the bed and we are eye to eye. I should mention that I sleep on my side facing the edge of the bed and I was right on the edge this morning. Unable to decipher the "mrrrrrrhhhhhfffff" I closed my eyes and was ready to go back to sleep. Then Zeus decided to hop on the table next to the bed, which isn't very sturdy, and he tips it so that the remainder of my cup of water onto the floor as he jumps into the window. So apparently "mrrrrhhhhhffff" translates into "mom move over so I can hop on the bed and get into the windo so I don't have to knock your water over." Since I didn't cooperate my punishment was mopping up water from the hardwood floor. Thanks Zeus. Once he got into the window he began "calling" at birds. Did I mention this all occurred at 6am? I have absolutely no reason to be up that early since I am essentially unemployed. Being the nocturnal sleep loving creature that I am I try to sleep as late as possible...even if it is restless. Kids are great, aren't they?

#3 Stupid Zeke
So, I had just showered and put on my clothes and when I opened the bathroom door my mother-in-law hollers up the steps. Be careful where you step, one of the cats got sick. I'm on my way to clean it up. I wander around the corner and sure enough, kitty vomit. Icky. she comes up to clean it up and picks it up with a handful of paper towels and we are kind of looking at it to see what the problem might be. She says, well it looks like grass. I take a closer look and realize...it's a plastic plant leaf! Zeke is the only one who eats any kind of plant life so it had to be him. Apparently the fake ivy plant was just too irresistable and he managed to choke down one of the leaves. Unfortunately for him, he had to choke it back up too. What am I going to do with these kids?

#4 Shopping for Nail Polish at the Galleria
The past two times Ihave gone to my favorite store, Trade Secrets, to get my favorite brand of nail polish (the only brand I will use actually you should really check it out), O.P.I., I have been "assisted" by very annoying, flamboyant males. I should mention that it really isn't the flamboyant part that annoys me. It is the hovering over me as I peruse the wonderful color selection. The first guy showed me one of his favorite new colors~that he was currently wearing on his nails. Disturbed? Yes I was. The second guy wouldn't shut up and just let me pick a color! I practically ran from the store once I made my purchase. If I hadn't needed my Nail Envy (a nail strengthener that is waaaaaaayyyy better than the Sally Hansen Hard as Nails) so terribly bad I wouldn't have purchased anything. I'm hoping that the next time I won't be assaulted in such a way. It really ruins the shopping experience when the sales guy is hovering!!!

Hmmm...here's to hoping that I get more sleep, my cats stop being stupid, and guys stop trying to sell me nail polish.

I'm Learning to Smock!

I was kindly invited to join some ladies every Wednesday afternoon for two hours as they gather together to talk and sew. Yesterday was my first day venturing to the sewing gathering. I had a lot of fun. I should probably mention at this point that my sewing skills are rather rudimentary. Ive never really sewn much without the watchful eye of my mother or my Nana around. I've tried many times to complete counted cross stitch, it always looks so nice, but it never fails that somewhere in the middle I mess it up so terribly that I give up trying to fix it and put it in a drawer not to be seen again. So it was with much trepidation that I arrived at the sewing gathering. Maja, the lady who invited me, is extremely talented in smocking. She gave me a sample piece to practice some basic stitches while the other ladies worked on their projects. I took a picture of my sample piece last night. I can't believe I'm smocking! Now if I can just learn to actually make something...which I'm told is the next step.

My Personal Diet Plan Designed By My Sister

My sister Katie has lost a lot of weight since high school and she has muscles where I didn't know muscles could exist...like that flabby part of your upper arm that flaps every time you wave~hers doesn't flap. The weight loss and muscle building is due to her diligence in eating only healthy foods and running like a machine every day. It makes me tired just thinking about her exercise schedule. I have been wanting to "slim down" since my weight is on a constant yo-yo of heavy, then thin, then heavy, then thin, then heavy... So I asked Katie to send my a plan. She kindly sent me a plan...and I laughed. I love my sister dearly, but she has a lot of willpower. Here is the plan she sent me (I've added my commentary in bold print and I've fixed her grammar and capitalization or lack thereof).

Ok so eating schedule....
Breakfast
snack
Lunch
snack
Dinner
(Hmmm...so I can really have snacks each day, wow I've been
trying to limit snacks.)


Try and do 500 calorie meals and 250 calorie snacks and remember that 
all calories are not created equal. (I knew there was a catch to
those snacks.)


Give up sugar, sweets, and pop....it'll be rough...and no more pop tarts...
Try replacing cereal with oatmeal (Uh, no sugar? I'm addicted to
sugar! I can't simply do without sugar completely!)


I would suggest a power bar or a slim fast for breakfast....or drink a glass of
milk with a bowl oatmeal. (But I don't like oatmeal.)  Long story
short it adds protein which sustains hunger unlike carbs that give you
a burst of energy and then leave you feeling hungry in an hour. Replace
2% with skim and white with wheat.  (But skim milk is gross.)

Do low fat dressings but beware a lot of low fat products replace fat with
sugar...yikes. No more fast food...it's just bad. (I don't like to cook all
the time.)  Opt for subway.. pitas etc.   Start studying the calorie content
of your favorite foods and fast food restaurants...then google how long it
would take to walk/run that off....a slice of Goodfellas (pizza, yummy!)
would take an hour and forty minutes to run off at 7mph.  You better
believe that keeps my drunk self in check. Avoid drinking your calories.
You should prob consume around 2400 a day. On a diet keep it at 2000.
1lb of weight loss equals 3000 calories.  
(There are so many rules....and who knew it took so long
to burn off calories.)


Walk or do some sort of cardio 4 times a week. Buy some free weights...
5 lbs to start and then I'll send you some exercise stuff.  (I don't like
sweating.  End of story.)

The slim fast for breakfast and sometimes lunch works for me very well,
but it's basically all about a limited calorie intake. Its around 200
calories and it suppresses hunger cause it's loaded with protein plus
it has all my vitamins so I dont have to take supplements. Just
make sure you get all your vitamins...your body will cooperate with
weight loss more nicely if you get 7 hours of sleep a night, are less
stressed and are getting all your vitamins.  
(Yeah, and in a perfect world I would be a
size 10~or smaller~naturally.)

Weight loss is about diet as much as exercise ...without both you will
get like a d-...hahaha.  (Thanks for the failing grade before I've
even begun. I know an F is actually failing, but a D- after
college just isn't acceptable.)

I know it's rough...I spend an hour every day in Ping (the fitness
center on campus) and sometimes I'm grumpy or I think my
spandex pants (You wear spandex? No one should wear
spandex, bean pole or not.) might split down the back or I
wonder if  that skinny, blonde chick is just running next to me
to feel better about herself...keep running...so to speak.  (I 
know I have blogged about my treadmill difficulties
...if not I'll fix that.)  It's hard and you may get
discouraged..keep going...email me.


Tell me what foods you like i.e. pizza ...french fries...broccoli...idk
and I will send you substitutes...alternatives...etc


:):):)

That is the end of my dear Katie's e-mail.  I like ice cream, chocolate,
hot fudge, whip cream, and sprinkles.  I don't think she'll approve of
that or that she will consider it part of my diet and exercise plan.  I
admire her tenacity, but I think I'll take her advice in doses and see
what I can do with it now that I am living in the land of all foods are
better fried, aka "the south."

Things I Have Learned From Living With the In-Laws

We have been living with the in-laws for about three months now. I have learned several things in that 3 month span about my cats, animals/insects native to AL, and household amenities.

#1 I never, ever, ever, ever, ever want a shower with doors. I'll take the curtain that flaps in the wind any day. I have taken to cleaning the bathroom (and other places) around the house since I get bored easily and my closet OCDness creeps out and I simply "must clean now." It is a nightmare to try and clean shower doors. The glass is always scummy looking, the tracks they roll on are always mildew looking, and you have to work around the doors as you clean the rest of the tub. If you stand in the shower to clean, then you are trapped with the stinky smelling cleaner and a small air supply. Talk about being woozy and coughing! It's also fun to get in and out of the shower without hitting your head on the top of the door track. I don't have as much trouble as Dave and my father-in-law do since they are taller...but I have managed to whack my head on the track at least once.

#2 I never, ever, ever, ever, ever want all hardwood floors. I grew up in a carpeted house. As a result I absloutely hate walking on hardwood or tiled floors with my bare or sock covered feet and picking up all kinds of loose dirt, fur, whatever on the bottoms of my feet. Another thing I didn't realize is how hard they are to clean. I sent two hours sweeping, vacumming, and mopping the hardwood floors in the downstairs. I was completely exhausted by the time I was done. I took a shower and fell asleep on the couch. And guess what? The next day there was all the loose dirt or whatever right back on the floors. I tried.

#3 We're going to need a house with one of the following: a screened in porch, sliding glass doors, or floor to ceiling windows. The cats are LOVING life at the in-laws house. They have a ton of room to run around and chase each other. The cats spend hours staring out the windows trying to "catch" the bugs and birds on the outside. Which is why we need either the sliding glass door with lots of room for them to watch or the floor to ceiling windows. I'm not so sure about the big windows though b/c window treatments for them are outrageously expensive. And Zeke is loving hanging out on the screened in porch. Now that it is cooler we have been leaving the doors open and Zeke can wander out on the back porch whenever he wants. He can be outside without being outside (if that makes any sense.)

#4 No navy blue carpet, ever. I first learned this in college with our big area rug that was blue. It shows everything! No dirt can escape unseen on navy blue carpet. The carpeted stairs are my current nemesis. I can't keep them fur/lint free for very long. Almost as soon as I finish goin step by step with my vacumm cleaner (and cleaning the attachment brush after every step) they are covered in fur again! So, I want carpet...just not navy blue carpet.

#5 There are scorpions in Alabama! I happened to see Zeke and Zeus staring at this bug on the floor and kind of batting it around. I thought, hmmmm this bug looks strangely familiar and I don't think they should be playing with it, but I can't remember why. I called Dave over and he says "uh, babe, that's a scorpion." "Oh my gosh, kill it! Kill it!" was my reply as I scrambled to get the cats away from it. The cats were fine, no stings and no bites. Dave then tells me that the scorpions around here are small and if you were stung it would probably only swell a little like a bee sting and it wouldn't be bad. .oO(Uh, I think I'll go to the ER or DR if I get stung...I'm not taking my chances...but plan A is to simply not get stung.) A day or so later I found Zeus playing with another scorpion and I managed to work up the courage to step on it so that he would stop playing with it. ICK!

~When I asked Dave if there was anything we could do to keep the scorpions from coming inside the house he pretended to think for a minute and replied "yeah, you can sprinkle pixie dust around the house and then they won't come in." Gee, thanks."~

I think that is the end of my list so far. I'm sure I've learned other things, but I can't quite remember what they might be at the moment. So I'm off to travel through another day of Alabama Living, it's never boring for this northern transplant.

I Don't Have to Be in Control

For about a month now I have been attending a Wednesday night Bible study, called "Twisted Sisters, at the fabulous church Mr. & Mrs. Bivins attend (the in-laws). I have had many amazing a-ha moments each Wednesday night. I sometimes get a headache with all the "Presbyterian lingo" that I am not accustomed to hearing as a member of Trinity Friends Church and then no church for a very, very, very long time. However, I always find something that makes me really think about exactly what I think, believe, and know about God. My mind and heart are sponges and I am soaking up the discussions!

We began our Bible study talking about "what is the Gospel" and "who is God" along with discussions about God's grace, which I hadn't really spent much time thinking about before. Tonight's lesson was the one that has made the most impact on me so far. It was entitled "what is wrong with us?" and reflected on the three words for sin in the Bible...which I hadn't heard before (or don't remember hearing) - Avah~twisted out of shape, Chatha~missing the mark, and Pasha~willfully rebel. We discussed what these kinds of sin look like in our lives, well others discussed and I soaked it up like a sponge. There were discussions about doing good works, but for the wrong reasons and how God isn't glorified if we're doing it for selfish reasons, a twisting out of shape. There were discussions about mothers and children and how mothers want to do well by their children, but some days it just isn't happening~a missing of the mark. There were also discussions about how we knowingly do things we know we shouldn't OR thinking we need to be in control instead of God~ willfully rebelling.

I am so guilty of willful rebellion lately. (I'm sure I'm guilty of each of the other types of sin too, but this one struck me the most.) I have been really questioning if we made the right decision to come to Alabama. It has been the toughest transition for us so far. I moved to DC and things happened as soon as I wanted them. I made the decision to not go to work right away there and instead spend time getting used to being a wife. As soon as I wanted a job *poof* I filled out the application and the job was in hand. We (Dave) received orders to Camp Lejeune. I filled out an online teaching application and *poof* before we even moved I had a job. The job was literally waiting on me to get there! We decided to move to Alabama and I began filling out teaching applications. Nothing. No word. One interview, but no job offer since I didn't have an Alabama teaching license yet. Alabama teaching licensure hoops to jump through. So I fill out retail applications. Waiting, more waiting. Finally a part-time job at Bath & Bodyworks again. Small twinkle of hope, but still not enough $ to support the two of us, plus the furbabies. All of these hurdles have been delaying our independence from the in-laws. We really want independence, we long for it (or at least I long for it...I can't really speak for Dave I guess.) Things aren't going the way I wanted them to go, I'm not in control...that's hard for me. I'm the one who always has things under control and I can't do this. Tonight I was reminded I'm not supposed to be the one in control, God is. If I let Him be in control, He will take care of me...he is taking care of me, just not the way I selfishly want him to do it.

Part of the realization that he is taking care of me and that we are where he wants us to be right now came when my smart cousin kindly reminded me to think of the blessings I do have right now. She reminded me of the Israelites wandering in the desert, they questioned but continued on their journey. I was reminded of that again tonight during Bible study. The analogy was presented of trust, trust in God that he will provide. He provided manna for the Israelites in the desert and they could only collect enough for the day b/c if kept overnight it would spoil and turn wormy...they had to trust that God would provide manna for them again the next day. So tonight I'm trusting that God will work it out and that I just need to let Him have control...

Side note: I LOVE the Community Presbyterian Church here. I have loved it from the moment I stepped foot into it over 3 years ago as the northern fiance of their Marine Dave. From that first visit God was at work on me (he was at work on me long before that...I guess I should say I was finally willing to listen). I had an a-ha moment that day as I realized that maybe what I had been taught about God and church wasn't the whole story. Each visit since then has reaffirmed that there is something special going on there. The people of that church really are a church family, for the good, the bad, and the ugly~they openly call themselves sinners (we all are) and don't make any excuses for it...they just get on their knees and repent. When Katie attended that church with us our first Sunday living in Alabama I think she felt it too. The following week she was driving home to Ohio and asked God for a sign about the direction of her life. He gave her a sign all right, a big one in the form of a broken down car and a rescue by a very humble, God worshiping couple.

Also, I love the people that go to this church. They have welcomed me with open arms and open hearts. I love them for it. The ladies threw us a gift card bridal/wedding shower since I couldn't be present for an actual shower. Each visit they are there to offer friendship, support, guidance, and love. I am so blessed to be attending this church, even if it is only on Wednesday nights right now.