What a workout...

Well, we never did make it to Sam's Club.  We went to my parents' first, and I shoveled for over an hour.  Stud had come with me, but one of my parents' shovels was broken, so I sent him back to our house to get our shovel.  By the time he came back, I was almost finished.  He took care of the back driveway while I did the sidewalk in front of my parents' and both of their neighbors.  The snow was still coming down pretty hard, so by the time we finished, it needed to be done again.  I'm contemplating going back later.  Or, I'll just go in the morning.  We'll see. 

I made another goofy ass video for Suz.  Man, I wish I knew how to dub over my annoying voice!!

Check this out.  As I was shoveling, a couple of my parents' neighbors went by on cross country skis!

Only in Chicago!  We're cool like that!

After we shoveled at my parents' driveway, we were going to head to Sam's Club.  But then, instead, we went to Bestest Friend's house, and shoveled there, too.  I figured it would be a nice surprise for her when she got home from her LONG day of hell at work.  (Just to refresh your memory, she's also a CPS teacher!)  Luckily her driveway is much smaller than my parents' and Stud helped, so it only took us about 35 minutes.  THEN we were going to go to Sam's Club, but as we were getting in the car, Magnum called to say he was on his way to the house to shovel.  I decided to go back to the house so the three of us could shovel together, and just knock it out.  It was nice to have some help, and we finished in about a half hour. 

By then, I was wiped.  So, needless to say, I never made it to Sam's Club.  Guess I'm going to have to dig around the freezer and pantry and see what I can scrape together for dinner.  For once I'm not feeling guilty about not making it to the gym, since I shoveled for over 2 hours today.  I know I'll be feeling that later in my back.  Maybe after dinner I'll fill the tub and take a long, hot soak.

Oh, and just as I started shoveling at home, Bestest Friend called.  I had been talking to her on the phone while I drove from her house to mine, but didn't tell her we shoveled.  I was laughing to myself as she told me how she was going to leave earlier than usual (most nights she stays at school until 6 or 6:30!) because she didn't want to drive in the storm, and besides, she had to shovel when she got home, and she was already tired from her long day.  Tee hee!!  About 2 minutes after we hung up, my phone rang.  "DID YOU SHOVEL AT MY HOUSE?!"  I swear she sounded on the verge of tears!  She's so cute.  I hope she's already sitting with her feet up, relaxing.

Ok, NOW I'm off to make dinner!

Email of the (other) Day

My dad sent this to me about a month and a half ago.  I saved it to share with you guys, and obviously never did.  I was just cleaning out some email folders and found it again.  They made me giggle...

We're having a first real snow storm here today.  We're supposed to get 8-12 inches.  There were already school closings announced last night.  About an hour ago, I received an automated call from Stud's college, saying that the school would be closing at 2:00.  About 15 minutes later, he walked in the door.  He had his first class at 9am, but his second class was obviously cancelled.  He's not happy, since the second class is one that he really loves.  Actually, the first class is the one he likes the least.  Poor thing.

Since I have the unexpected pleasure of having my son home early, I think I'm going to make him hate me by dragging him to Sam's Club.  I missed my Saturday trip, and the cupboards are a little bare. 

A far cry from the last pictures I posted of this island, right?  I ate that last apple for breakfast, by the way, so there's basically just a basket of Cuties, and a bulb of garlic! 

On the way home, we'll probably stop at my parents' and shovel a bit.  When Magnum left this morning for his parents' house, he asked me to wait until he came home, so he could help me.  That may or may not be because I was teasing him last night about this snow.  He was more or less pitching a fit about the impending snow storm, since that means more work for him.  The last time it snowed, he ended up plowing his parents' driveway, of course, and then the neighbors on both sides of them, as well as across the street.  His dad has a honking big snow blower, so once he had it running, he just kept going.

Anyway, he was bitching like an old man last night while we were watching the news in bed, and said something really supportive, like, "Quit your whinin'!  At least you have a snow blower.  I'll be doing my parents' driveway by hand!"  Yeah, I'm thoughtful like that. 

But, I'm going to make Stud do it, instead, so his old father doesn't have to do it.  I haven't gone there yet because the snow is still coming down hard.  It's supposed to continue until about 9 pm, so it doesn't make sense to do it too early, since it'll just keep snowing.  I'm wondering if we should even do it after Sam's Club, since it's only about 1pm.  Guess I'll play it by ear.  We'll probably still stop there to say hello. 

Ok, time to find my boots, and get out into that beautiful winter wonderland!

See what happens...

...when I'm not participating in NaBloPoMo!?  I haven't been here in four days.  If you want to know part of the reason why, you can just go here.  I don't want to repeat it all here. 

Pssst...there may or may not be a photo over there...

Suz said I looked "amazeballs" so I figured it was ok to share it with the rest of you. =)

Is it STILL February!?

Thursday, February 28, 2013
When do you feel your sexiest?

About an hour and 45 minutes into my 2 hour workout, when I have sweat pouring down my face, my clothes are stuck to my body cuz they're soaking wet, and my muscles are screaming for mercy.

Wow, this answer would have been TOTALLY different a few months ago.  I pretty much never feel sexy.  But lately, with all the changes going on with my body, the above really IS the best answer right now.

Confession time - Sometimes, I can't keep my hands off myself.  I find myself feeling myself up a lot lately! :P  It's amazing to feel muscles in places where there was nothing but blubber before.  Now, don't get me wrong, there's still a substantial layer of "fluff" covering these muscles, but I can feel them now.   I can feel bones now.  I forgot what that was like, it's been so long.  My rings spin 'round and 'round my fingers now.  Soon, I'll be afraid of them falling off.  (The last time I lost a substantial amount of weight, for my sister's wedding, my wedding rings used to fall off constantly!  I finally had to stop wearing them, and got a plain gold band to wear every day.)  My shoes are all too big, which is pretty hilarious!  And, don't get me started on my bras!  I have mine on the last (tightest) hooks, and the straps are as tight as they'll go.  Thankfully, I have a drawer full of really pretty Victoria's Secret bras from the last time I was thinner, although most are too "sexy" for every day, so usually I stick to my too-big collection.  It does make me giggle sometimes, though, to know that under my plain ol' every day shirt is a rockin' bra! 

Now, as great as this all sounds, there is a downside to this weight loss.  One I KNEW would be coming.  My face is always the first place I lose weight (along with my hands, feet and boobs).  And now, without all the padding, my face is looking old!  Every little line and wrinkle shows!!  People have always told me how young I look for my age, and how I haven't changed a bit over the years, blah, blah, blah.  Yeah, well, I always said it was because the fat in my face kept it looking smooth!  Now, not so much. =(  But, I guess that's the trade off, huh?  Hopefully, soon, people will be too busy checking out my booty to notice my wrinkles, right?  Haha!

One a different note, my mom, sister and I got a few things accomplished for my dad's party.  My sister and I decided on centerpieces, and my mother and I went and finalized the menu.  Woo hoo!!  Now, my sister and I have to put the centerpieces together, which shouldn't be too bad.  I also have to make the labels for the favors and put those together.

This is what will be served at the party:

Sausage and Peppers
Chicken Vesuvio
Baked Ham with Pineapple
Stuffed Peppers (stuffed with rice and ricotta cheese, with a white sauce)
Roasted Potatoes
Broccoli (sauteed in olive oil with garlic, covered in breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese)
Green Beans Almondine
Tossed Green Salad

There will be platters of bruschetta on each table for everyone to munch on until my dad arrives.  And, of course, there will be the killer sweet table I told you about the other day.  How does this menu sound to you?  Well, besides excessive.  We Italians ONLY know how to do excessive, sorry. ;-)

Well, the giant pot of 4-bean chili simmering on the stove smells too good to ignore any longer.  Guess I'll call Stud up for dinner!  Enjoy your evening!

2/27/13

Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Mae West described sex as "emotion in motion." Unpack this idea in a post.

I had never heard this before, but I like it!  She's got a point there.  Good job, Mae!
.
I don't know what the hell "unpack this idea" means, so I'm just going to leave it at that.

I went to visit a friend today at one of my favorite schools from last year.  She called me over the weekend to ask if she could borrow my Dr. Seuss books this week to use as part of her celebration, as his birthday is Saturday.  I miss doing that with the babies.  But, NOT enough to go back. ;-)

Anyway, when I was getting dressed to go, I was reminded of something I meant to share a few weeks ago.  It's actually really silly, and I debated whether or not to even mention it.  But, by now, you all know I'm a goofball, so I figured, what the hell!

I have a pair of boots that I bought myself several years ago.  They're black, high-heeled, and pretty cute.  I don't know why the hell I even bought them, other than to replace what used to be my favorite boots ever.  I used to call them my "salsa boots," since I wore them out almost every weekend when my friends and I would go dancing.

Anyway, those finally bit the dust, after MANY years of loyal service, and so I bought this new pair.  However, I never ended up wearing them.  First, I bought these back when I was really suffering from my plantar fasciitis.  There was NO way I could wear heels. 

Second, and the biggest problem, was that I .....couldn't zipper them.  There, I said it.  I couldn't zipper the damn things!  I could only get the zipper up about an inch, just enough to keep the boots on my feet.  I figured no one would ever know, since my pants would cover the boots anyway.  But, it still bugged me that they didn't really fit, thanks to my pudgy calves.  Over the holidays, I finally wore the boots a few times, and was able to zip them about half-way up, which was exciting!  Plus, the fact that I was wearing HEELS was pretty damn exciting, as well.  It's amazing what dropping some LBs will do to ease your aches and pains. ;-)

Yeah, well, a few weeks ago, when I worked at the bar for the party my brother threw for his employees, I wore those boots.  (And, yeah, STUPID choice of footwear, when you're on your feet, slinging drinks and serving food, for HOURS!  But, I digress...)  But, this time, when I put them on, and tugged at the zipper, THEY ZIPPED ALL THE WAY UP! 

So, yeah, that's the little tidbit of exciting news I've been meaning to share with you.  I know, I'm a dork.  But you love me anyway!!

2/26/13

Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Do you think sex education should come from the parents, the school, or a mix of both?

Hmmm, this is a good one.  Ideally, I think it should come from parents.  I also know that, sadly, some parents can't or won't handle this stuff with their kids, whether it's because they are uncomfortable with it, or they just don't know how to handle it.  Hell, some really just don't have the information themselves!  So, in cases like that, I prefer the kids get something from school, instead of getting NO information.

As I sit here typing, there is a storm raging outside my kitchen window.  I LOVE it!!  We're supposed to get several inches of snow today.  Luckily, Stud didn't have class today (some kind of faculty meeting day) so at least he won't be driving around in this mess.  I just hope Magnum isn't outside right now, at his parents', trying to shovel.  There's no point in doing anything right now, since it's still coming down like crazy.

My sister and I were on the phone for a while today, trying to take care of some stuff for my daddy's party, which is a week from Sunday.  Man, that snuck up on us!  We still have to figure out what the hell we're doing for centerpieces and decorations.  We also want to put together some photos of my dad, probably in some kind of slide show, that we can play at the party. 

The sweet table is all taken care of, though, thanks to our awesome family.  (Italians can NOT have a party without a sweet table!)  My brother's girlfriend is going to be bringing her chocolate fountain, along with all the yummies to dip in it.  You may remember she did that for my niece's 18th birthday party. 

A couple of weeks ago, one of our cousins (on my dad's side) called to ask if she could basically take care of the sweet table as her gift to my dad.  Now, let me tell you, this particular cousin is the Cookie Queen in our family.  I could do an entire post about her mad skills, so suffice it to say, we were thrilled!  She's making about 5 or 6 different kinds of cookies.  She probably already started baking because the things she makes are very labor intensive.  Many of them are traditional Italian sweets, and all of them are definitely labors of love!  I've been stressing since she called because I'm terrified that I'm not going to be able to resist nibbling at least one of each of whatever she makes!  The things she makes are ONLY made by her, so we don't get to enjoy them very often.  She does NOT share recipes.  They are all his mother's, who also did NOT share recipes.  Well, except with her daughter!  If you asked my aunt for a recipe, she would just say, "Oh, you like those?  Oh, ok, I'll make you some!"  Next thing you know, you'd have several dozen treats at your door.  So, yeah, we're pretty damn excited that this will be her gift. =)

Yesterday, another cousin (this one on my mom's side) called to say she'd like to take care of the cake for the party.  What the hell?!  As it stands right now, we'll be enjoying a half yellow cake with cannoli filling/half chocolate cake with strawberry and/or banana filling, all frosted in whipped cream.  Well, I hope just the guests will be enjoying it, and that I'll be able to have some willpower.  Although, damn I love me some cannoli-filled cake! =(

While we were on the phone (for over an hour!) my sister sent me some pictures.  One is of my oldest niece in the outfit she'll probably be wearing to the party.  I think she looks pretty cute.  Then again, I may be a bit biased.  That's her puppy, Charlie, in her arms.  (And ignore the pile of towels waiting to be folded on my sister's couch!)

She also sent me a couple of "after" pictures of my other niece's bedroom.  I suppose they would be more interesting to you if I had "before" photos to go along with them, huh?  Well, I'm going to share them with you anyway, because my sister is uber talented and TOTALLY missed her calling as an interior decorator.  I've been trying to get her to pursue this as a career, but she just won't.  It's really annoying, quite frankly.  She has completely decorated/redecorated several of our family members' homes, as well as some friends' homes.  But, whatever, I can't make her become rich and famous, now can I?

Anyway, here are just a couple of shots of basically one corner of the room. 

She had this great idea to create a vanity out of a mirror and a decorative shelf a friend gave her.  She covered the top with decorative contact paper.  She also gave a facelift to some framed prints she had, so they would match.  You can see one there on the left.  I love the Princess decal on the wall, too!

Because my niece's bedroom is so tiny, my sister took out all the bulky furniture that used to be in there, and decided to put a big comfy chair in the room for my niece to lounge in while she does her homework, or reads, or whatever.  I love the funky little ottoman she found.  And, it opens for storage!

My sister found those wall decals at Menard's, and sort of used that as the jumping point for the decor.  My niece hasn't seen them yet, so I hope she likes them.  She did see the bedding and new curtains, though, and likes them. 

I hope she loves the new room, and appreciates her mother's hard work.  My sister's boyfriend has been teasing her since she finished the room this past weekend, and keeps calling the room her "new apartment."  He says she's not even going to let her daughter go in there, since it's all so pretty and cozy now.  She told him HE wasn't allowed in there, either! ;-)

I suppose I should go do something around here, since I won't be venturing out in this storm.  Maybe some laundry or something?  Don't be jealous of my glamorous life, now!  I did start a crockpot full of meatballs in tomato sauce before I sat down to post, and the kitchen is starting to smell yummy!  But, this blustery weather is kinda making me crave chili.  Maybe I'll make a pot of that, too.  Then I won't have to cook for a couple of days, right?  Yeah, right!  You've never seen Stud eat!  Gotta love a teenage boy's ability to pack it away. 

Oo, speaking of my Stud Muffin, I've been meaning to post this silly picture for a week now.  The other day he came home from class with this for his mommy.

It's probably hard to tell in this crappy picture from my phone, but it's a paper flower in a paper vase.  He's so silly!  I'm so glad he was able to take a couple of art classes this semester, so he can really stretch his creativity.

Ok, NOW I'm going to go do something.  See you tomorrow. =)

Monkey Monday

Monday, February 25, 2013
Do you think you would enjoy being a "sex symbol?"

Yes, I enjoy it very much, thank you!!

I got to spend the morning with my Monkey again!!  But, unfortunately, it's because something was wrong with my brother's car.  He called just as I was leaving for the gym to see if I could meet him at the mechanic.  From there we went to our parents' to pick them up and go to breakfast.  We went back to the place Bestest Friend and I went to yesterday.  None of them had been there before, either.  We were NOT disappointed!  Monkey kept us in stitches the whole time, of course.

The other day I met my brother and Monkey for breakfast near his house.  (Yeah, can you tell my brother LOVES to go out for breakfast!?  It's an almost everyday thing with him!)  Since I swapped out my hash browns for fresh fruit with my omelet, as usual, I had lots of fruit to share with her.  I introduced her to honeydew, which she LOVED!  She was doing the funniest thing, and I so wish I had taken a video!!  Every time I gave her a piece, I'd say something like, "Mmm, honeydew!" in a silly voice, which she then repeated, of course.  But, in addition to the silly voice she was using, she was making this hilarious, scrunched up face!  Man, I wish I had a picture, of better yet, video of it.  Then, at one point, every time she said "Honeydew!" for me, my brother would say, "Honey, don't!" and she repeated that, too.  She's just too cute.  This morning she, once again, ate all my honeydew, and loved every bite!

After we left the restaurant this morning, we went back to my parents' house.  Monkey was MORE than ready for a nap, so I didn't stay.  I'm thinking about going back there now, since her mommy is working late tonight, so my brother will be there for a while still.  Then again, I should probably think about making something for dinner, since Stud will be home from school in about an hour.  Decisions, decisions....Go play with Monkey, or make dinner?  Hmmmm.....This is gonna be tough.....