Meal Plan

I have been trying to stay focused on planning my weekly meal plan. I feel very accomplished since I cooked a lot today. I hope that that helps with my week. So if we get ice/snow and I am home it wont matter but if it is a full work week then I am great.

Sunday- Pork chops, mac and cheese and collard greens ----mucho left over

Monday- Shrimp stir fry and rice----veggies are all prepped

Tuesday- Spaghetti with broccoli----sauce is done!

Wednesday- Chicken and yellow rice with mixed veggies

Thursday- Leftovers!

Friday- every man for himself and that includes toddlers :)

So what's cookin' at your house?

the simple life

is blueberries for breakfast.

long hot baths.

hearing his laughter.

taking shots into basketball hoops.

waking up to calls of my name

(both given and chosen).

picking up messes.

giving hugs.

slow motion Saturdays,

replace hectic weekdays.

love offered

and received.

the simplicity

the grandiose.

the day

unfolds

exactly as the

dream

was dreamt.

10 Powerful Quotes

1. I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.

MLK

2.Every charitable act is a stepping stone toward heaven.

Henry Ward Beecher

3.I have friends in overalls whose friendship I would not swap for the favor of the kings of the world.

Thomas A. Edison

4.You're happiest while you're making the greatest contribution.

RFK

5. Every artist was first an amateur.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

6.If you are going through hell, keep going.

Winston Churchill

7.You must be the change you wish to see in the world.

Mahatma Gandhi

8.Hold a true friend with both your hands.

Nigerian Proverb

9.If you judge people, you have no time to love them.

Mother Teresa

10.I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was.

Muhammad Ali

Happy FRIDAY!

Yes, I am shouting it!
Yes, I am glad!

3 day weekend, baby! Hanging out with the family, baby! Celebrating Dr. King, baby!

Can you tell how happy I am. Next week is short, the kids have half-days and I hope to tackle the mountain of grading that I have to do. All I do is win, win, win!

I need a hype man

Someone needs to get the world ready for ME! Get 'em pumped and ready. Cause I need folks around me with some energy. Some umph. Ready to get the party started. After all we only do this once. Why sit back and be silent?

I am looking forward to the weekend. Looking forward to hanging out with the people that have some blood in their veins. Looking forward to laughter and smiles. And the extra day won't hurt either.

10 for Tuesday! This is what is floating around in my head.

1. Yikes, yikes, yikes one of my friends is about to turn 30! The Dirty 30! Is she ready? Can she handle the grown and sexy-ness of the 3-0? Only time will tell :P No worries, to quote Jay "30 is the new 20."

2. One more day until I get my new hot water heater. I am so close I can taste it. It has been a long haul to get to this moment. I doubt I will ever take hot water for granted again.

3. My resolutions. I am trying to work on my resolutions. They really are work too.

4. Someone wants what I have. ANd what is cool about it is I don't have to make some grand scheme to keep it, it ain't going no where. I have had it on lock since '92. Take that. Take that!

5. Trying a new recipe tonight. Hope the orange beef is tasty.

6. Loving N's new school. I dropped in early today and he was having a ball. The teachers were being so nice and his friends were enjoying him. So thrilled.

7. I haven't used my sewing machine in '11. Gotta remedy that but my mind has not been in the game. Ugh.

8. I need a vacation. Work is well being too much like work.

9. I would love to drive a Chevy Volt. Not because I actually like them but the name is cool. Volt, so electric.

10. Repairs: boots to get the heels fixed, watches (yes Plural) that need new batteries and I could go on but why :O

Why I just may never leave the Burbs

Ok, I have never pretended to be a fan of city life. Yes, I appreciate the cuisine, happening night-life and abundant culture but and you knew there was a but coming...city life is maddening! What could be a simple task turns into a huge production. The mission: ear drops for my sick niece and a few edibles for my Momma. And calling it a mission is pretty darn accurate. First hurdle is parking. Yes, I could run in CVS and cover both goals BUT there is no parking at that store. Nope and if you circle the huge city block 3 times you still aren't guaranteed an illegal place to park your ride. Nope, you really aren't. So. I figure I will go to Target after all there is a parking garage. Well I think paying 1.50 for an 1 hour is pretty ridiculous but hey, I did so happily. Finding a parking space in this parking garage was a task in itself. But alas I was at Target. Could I be mistaken? Is it Black Friday, is Target giving stuff away? Nope, the lines and lines of people are there to do their regular weekly shopping. UGH and double ugh. This store must be ready for this swarm of people as I had no issues finding a basket, making my way through the bursting at the seams store was much more challenging. Food, check! Ear drops? Houston we have a problem. They did NOT have what I needed. I still have to go to CVS...you have got to be kidding me. There were glimpses of goodness. I found a line that was only 3 deep and I did remember my reusable bags- there is a fee in the District to get a bag from a store. The insanity continues with that one.

On to CVS. I parked pretty much a block away and hiked to the store in the frigid temps. Hoping I would not get a ticket as I refused to read and figure out how to pay the meter thingy. I did not have to check any bags with the armed police officer at the door. Good things I left my stuff in my car :P I found what I needed and after waiting behind a homeless man with a exceptionally large and overflowing cart and a woman who was disputing the cost of her film developing, I was on my way.

I feel like I went to war! It is no use fighting it, I am a Hostage of Surburbia and I like it!