First Day of

Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of my life, and I’m working on making it a healthier life, come hell or high water. This afternoon I used my favorite cooking utensil, the crock pot.  

I found this recipe on Facebook

Crockpot Balsamic Chicken - 

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons dried minced onion (I used onion powder)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts


Directions:
Combine the first four dry spices in a small bowl and spread over chicken on both sides. Set aside. Pour olive oil and garlic on the bottom of the crock pot. Place chicken on top. Pour balsamic vinegar over the chicken. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours. .

It was delicious, and we had it with some green peas and mashed potatoes. Tomorrow’s lunch will be 4 oz of chicken, about 7 oz of salad, topped with a tablespoon of homemade Balsamic Bleu Cheese vinaigrette dressing, and a side of brown rice & quinoa. I’m DEFINITELY adding this recipe to my repertoire, since it is delicious, in addition to low fat, low sodium, and good for me! 

I’ve also made protein shakes with some fruit pureed into them for breakfasts, and stored them in baggies in the freezer, so I can take them out the night before to thaw enough to drink on the way to work.

Short term goal is 5 lbs by the 19^th, and a total of 10 lbs by my birthday on October 5^th. If I can meet a goal of 10 lbs a month, then by the time I take my next trip out of town, for DoTS in December, I will have exceeded my doctor’s goal for me. Maintaining that pace, by Opening Weekend of Scarborough, I will be within 25 lbs of my high school graduation weight, which would be fabulous.

My current pant size is somewhere between a 24 & a 26, depending on the pants and the maker. Shirts I’m doing a 3xl or a 22/24. By my birthday, I’d love to be down to a 24 or less in pants (because, let’s face it, my ass is a bigger problem than my upper body). By DoTS, I’d like to be down to a 2x or an 18/20 shirt as well.

Happy Jar for the day: I’m blessed with an awesome chosen family and household, even at the times that they drive me up a wall.

New Meds... oh yay.

The initial report from the doctor is in, I officially have high blood pressure. It’s not terribly high, but regularly high enough to cause some concern and land me on lisinopril. I’ll have my first dose tomorrow morning (after I get to work, since it’s known to cause drowsiness, light-headedness, etc., so I’d rather be where I’m not going to be driving before I take it). I also have instructions to exercise more and lose 10% of my body weight. When I’m in the doc’s office next week for a follow up, we’re going to discuss this situation further, because, well, I’m home for somewhere between 3 & 4 hours on weeknights before I need to go to bed, and somewhere in there must be my dinner.  I’ve learned from the past, that late evening exercise and restful sleep are NOT friends in my world. Once it cools off, I can walk a lap or two around the exterior of our building at lunch, but for now, while it’s Hotter Than Satan’s AssHole out there, it is NOT an option. I’m looking into gym facility options that are either near work, or somewhere between home and work that’s easily accessible one direction or the other. There’s a facility associated with a hospital that’s open to the public, and includes an Arthritis Aqua-cise program, which should also be beneficial for the Fibromyalgia as well. My short term goal (by the time I go to the doc’s again on the 19^th) is about 4 lbs, so I’ve gotten some salad mix, and will be working on eating more balanced, healthier stuff, regardless of what the rest of the house is eating.

Happy Jar for the day was making someone I adore laugh til she almost wet herself, when she’d had a bit of a rough 24 hours or so!

Moved, mostly

I hate moving, more than just about anything I have to do. I think it goes back to my childhood, when, courtesy of the US Army, I was moved 5 times from the time I was born until I was 3 years old. Until I was 25, the longest I lived in one place was 5½ years. To the best of my recollection, all of the army moves were done by professionals, right down to the packing, and several pieces of my furniture bear multiple identification stickers from those moves. I hate packing, and I kind of don't really like unpacking, but I do a little better at the unpacking than at the packing. Saturday, courtesy of some of the most awesome friends, and my 2 youngest nephews, all of the furniture, and 97% of the boxes got moved. Most of what was left is hanging clothes, and miscellaneous stuff, only about half to ¾ of which will get moved, the rest is just plain crapola, and will go in the garbage.
The cats have done very well, especially Trinity & Tegan, who were born in the house we just moved out of. I think the best part for them is that they don't get locked up in the bedroom at night, so if they want to go out on a perimeter inspection in the night, they can, at least as much of the perimeter as the walls will allow. There's only been one accident, and it was on the linoleum floor, so easy enough to clean up. They are still very much sleep with Mom cats, at least 3 of them are. Mollie, however, has decided to proclaim her independence, and she's not going to sleep in the bedroom unless it pleases her to do so, thankyouverymuch, a point she made last night by staying out in the living room on the ottoman.
We have less space overall than we had access to in the old place, but their confinement has gone from about 120sqft (our bedroom, which is where they HAD to spend their nights, and where they remained confined anytime I was gone overnight) to 790sqft, although part of that is closed off until I can get to sorting all those boxes and such. We now live in a 2 bedroom duplex with NO DOGS in our space. The bedrooms are a little bigger than the one we had, and they are also more square, while the previous one was Longer than it was wide. I chose the larger (by about a foot's width) of the 2 rooms simply because it IS larger, but I discovered on Saturday night that I chose even MORE wisely because the window in that room faces the back of the property, which is essentially an open field, whereas the other bedroom's window faces the parking lot on that end of the building (I am in the downstairs unit of a 2 story building), and while the security light is AWESOME to have lighting the parking lot, it also lights up that bedroom pretty well too.
I am quite pleased with the fact that I have finally pared down (9 years after Mom died) everything I own to that which I will actually USE, or I truly LOVE. Now if I can just find those organizational faeries to come get everything unpacked and organized, it will be fabulous! I am not pushing myself to get it all done at once. Last night I picked up a load of stuff (mostly clothes and my small garbage cans) from the old place on my way home from work. My goal for last night was to get the kitchen cleaned up (dirty dishes from the chili I cooked on Saturday to feed my moving crew, plus what hadn't gotten washed on Sunday & Monday), unload at least 1 moving container in the kitchen, and get all the clothes sorted. I managed to accomplish that PLUS clean out a drawer in my dresser that was holding random stuff instead of the clothes it could/should have! I also got the window security locks installed on all the windows except the one I can't get to in the spare bedroom (aka storage bedroom) because of all the boxes. Tonite I have several loads of laundry to get done (thank heavens for the inexpensive Laundromat a mile from home with 25-cent washers & reasonably priced dryers AND free wi-fi (since my home internet is STILL not working, tyvm AT&T for telling me lie after lie throughout the process of getting moved. If you'd been honest in the first place, I would already have everything I need & not be hatin' on you today) that I can use to get my internet fix, and get caught up on some of my FB apps that have suffered the last 5 days since I unplugged on Friday before the move… I figure that by the time I finish the laundry, I'll be ready to get home, hang what needs to dry in the bathroom, put the rest away, and empty another tote in the kitchen before I am ready for bed. At this rate, the kitchen will be put together by the weekend, but not a whole lot else. I just HAVE to finish it before Scarby starts, though I'd like to be able to say it's finished before NTIF, which still gives me 4 weeks to get it all done (aside from the monster in the spare bedroom, which will be reasonably done by the beginning of Scarby, if for no other reason than I'll need to be able to get all my garb organized & easy to choose from & pack for each weekend).

2012, It’s Good to Meet You

2011 was not my worst year, nor was it my best year, and I can't say I'm sad it is over with.
I don't make resolutions, or at least I don't call what I do resolutions. I acknowledge that I totally suck at follow-through. Yeah, I'm really good at making plans and setting goals, but I'm not really very good at actually following through on everything necessary to meet them. A lot of what I'd like to get accomplished hasn't been lately, largely because I really don't like my current living situation. The good news is, that in the next 2 months, it will change, and I'll be back in full control of my little world, instead of sharing a house with someone I don't particularly like. I will be able to have my home the way that I want it, and I won't have to worry about someone else's clothes in the laundry when I need to wash mine, or try to work out a tv watching schedule.
I've gotten my groceries for the week, and am doing my best not to eat a lot of junk or processed, foods. I've bought frozen veggies instead of canned, I made my turkey spaghetti sauce from scratch with a can each of tomato sauce & tomato paste and added my own spices instead of buying a jar of Ragu. Since I have tomorrow off, I'm cooking up a batch of brown rice, and a batch of quinoa that I can then freeze into individual portions to reheat easily. I also plan to clean out the refrigerator of the leftovers that haven't been eaten. My goal for January is to have all of my groceries for the week by Sunday, so I can spend the afternoon getting the pre-prep done, cooking up my starches for the week, getting sauces ready, portioning my meats, so that I can do quick prep each evening, and have more time to read, write, or play with the cats before we head to bed.
I borrowed a couple of books from a friend, because I spend entirely too much time on the computer, and I need to get back to one of my first loves, Reading. The books are The Chronicles of Faerie, which is a collection of 3 stories, and the finale to the series, The Book of Dreams, by O.R. Melling. I've started the first, but frankly, haven't gotten very far because I haven't yet conquered my addiction to the internet, and managed to tear myself away from the computer until it's time for bed. My 2^nd goal for January is to spend an hour a day reading, just because I love to read, and not because I have to read that contract, or that business email.
I need to get more organized, which is really not possible in my current living situation, because I just don't have space to spread stuff out and organize it, but I am determined that when I move, I manage not to move so much CRAP that I've wagged around for too long, so as I pack over the next few weeks, I'll start weeding out the crap and trying to organize as I pack. Goal #3 for January is to get my closet sorted and packed, starting with the Christmas stuff.
I'm not going to try to fool myself into believing that I can accomplish a bunch of huge goals, but baby steps I can manage.

Technologically Dependent

I've gotten fairly lazy about posting, and really, I need to focus more on making sure that I do post more regularly, if for no other reason than keeping myself on some sort of schedule in the chaos that my world has become of late. I really didn't have a clue about WHAT I might need/want to write about specifically, and then I read a friend & sorority sister's post this evening, about a stranger who challenged her to leave her phone behind & devote her attention to her children while she was in the store, instead of being tied to the technology. Now, personally, I would wonder about the motives of such a person… I mean, a random stranger telling me to leave my phone in the car while I am in the store? Really? Dude, I don't know you, and perhaps I'm too cynical, having lived in the city for too long, and having had my car broken into in my own driveway, when the only thing in it was a pool cue, so I'm absolutely not going to let you see me leave a cell phone in the car while I'm in the store.
At any rate, I admit that I'm pretty tied to my technology as well. Since I have no satellite box in my bedroom, and only a limited supply of tv series DVDs, I've gotten a little better about not watching tv in bed anymore, and certainly about leaving it on all night long, but I still like to have the one in the living room on when I'm in there. The necessary change in my phone service/provider means that I no longer have a smartphone or even a dumb one with a qwerty keyboard and a decent sized screen. What I have now is a very basic one, and while I can check email & facebook on it, it's a hassle, and my aging eyes don't like trying to read messages on a 1.5x2 inch screen and it's much harder to text without the qwerty. I do keep it with me, virtually all the time, simply because I am looking for work, trying to get some state assistance, and trying to get my school enrollment handled, and I REALLY can't afford to miss calls that relate to any of those things. Of course, I don't have children that I'm sacrificing time with to spend with my technology. I just almost can't stand not to read the text as soon as it comes in, or check the voicemail. My computer is a near constant companion, when I am home, anyway, simply because I do spend a good deal of time doing job searches, and trying to research income generating opportunities. That being said, I also spend probably more time than I really should on Facebook, MySpace, the Wench Board, and various other fun (as opposed to research and news) sites. Baby steps, I suppose.
Recently, a child near and dear to me was diagnosed (we were already fairly certain, based on our research, but it has now been confirmed) with Asperger's Syndrome. In an effort to learn to communicate more effectively with her, and help her learn to cope with the world that she ultimately will have to cope with, several books have been purchased, and we are all going to take turns getting through them. The first one was written for kids, by a boy with AS. It spoke in simple terms (almost too simple for teens, but I understand that details are sometimes too much information), and it gave me some more insight into my dealings with her. She has come a long way in the past, oh, about 2 years or so, but I know that there is still much to be done. Tonight, I put my phone in my pocket and ignored it for a little while. (Baby steps, remember?) She asked her mother earlier in the week about us eating dinner at the table in the dining room, rather than in the living room watching tv and balancing our plates on our laps. For all the meals I can remember sharing with her, she eats fairly quickly, and often leaves the room when she's done, not to return until we are all finished. So tonight we sat down, all of us who were eating, and had a nice meal at the table, without the distraction of the TV, or the cats, or our phones. It was nice. Quiet, to be sure, because, well, there wasn't a lot to talk about that we hadn't already discussed during the day. Hopefully, as we all get school & work going, at least during the week, dinner will be more lively, with a little more conversation. I remember when I was a child, and we ate dinner at the table, actually, we ate all of our meals at home at the table. When I got a little older, and the living/dining area was more of an open area, we watched tv from the table, but we were at the table. When I live alone, I ate in front of the tv. ALWAYS. I think we've lost the art of appreciating our food, because we ARE so geared to multi-tasking that we don't consider eating a task all on its own, and have a need to be doing something while we eat, whether it be watching tv, reading the newspaper or a book, working a crossword, studying, or whatever. Dining should be an enjoyable event all in itself, and I think that as a society, we would do well to remember that, AND to put it into practice.
My goal for this next week is to eat 3 actual meals each day… probably not perfectly balanced, but not just snack along the day, skipping breakfast or lunch in favor of a snack, but something with some nutritional value, and to actually ENJOY what I'm eating, without the distraction of the television or computer.

Witty Title Here

I wish I could tell you that this was going to be an exciting or witty post, but, in all fairness, it's probably not.
Today would have been my kid brother's 41^st birthday, had he made better choices 22 years ago AND survived the military action that was going on at the time, since he was a United States Marine. This fact is not particularly relevant to anything else I have to say today, it's just a little tidbit I thought I'd toss out there. 

In the last couple of weeks since my last post, I've been working on getting paperwork together for a couple of things.

1. SNAP (AKA Food stamps)—I've been approved, pending paperwork processing, which, really, I've turned in already, and am now just waiting to get notified that the money has been put onto my card. I can only purchase non-taxable food items, which is fine with me. Since I have been a responsible person and not had any children that I cannot afford to support, I am limited to 3 months of assistance every 3 years unless I am working at least 30 hours a week, earning minimum wage or more. The problem I have with this plan is that if I had a job, even at minimum wage, I would not so desperately need the assistance! The past twenty-odd years that I have been working and paying taxes which support this very program that will provide seemingly unlimited assistance to women who prefer to keep having children that they cannot feed mean nothing when I am the one needing assistance, apparently.
2. Workforce Investment Act—I have been approved to get into the program, and I had to apply for a Pell Grant, even though there is funding available from the state to pay for my schooling. I was denied the Pell, because, well, I have a Bachelor's Degree, which, after spending $25K of loan money, plus 4 years worth of Pell Grant, is not actually worth the paper upon which it is printed. I've left a couple of messages for the coordinator of the program at the Workforce Center, and expect to hear back from her tomorrow.

I have resigned myself to living with a catbox on a table at the end of the bed, since it will save my mattress, as well as wear and tear on the sheets and mattress protector. My body is adjusting to sleeping on plastic tablecloths between the mattress & mattress pad (yes, I'll take all the defense I can get against cat pee on my 2 year old, $900 mattress!).
I've been working on my faire calendar, and hoping that I'll have managed to come up with some money to spend, at least for admission, at said faires. First up is Middlefaire, which will likely be the first weekend of October. It's sort of become a tradition for some of us who have birthdays that first week to celebrate at Middlefaire that weekend. The following weekend I'm hoping to be able to make it down to TRF for their opening weekend with friends that are planning to go then. It seems that as long as I'm living here at Castle Wford, sharing responsibility for HoBBiTcaTs & WaveorgoNaked,Sphynx either I can be gone, or the roomies can be gone, but we can't all be gone a full weekend at the same time. I'm planning to make Dickens on The Strand again this year, which makes missing the 3 day weekend at TRF easier to bear, cuz I really don't need to be gone two weekends in a row, and the roomies will be in Corpus for Thanksgiving, so I'm staying closer to home. I hear that there are a couple of Pirate invasions planned at a local garden area, but don't have dates on those yet.
I'm also brainstorming ideas to make this space a little more interesting (thus drawing more readers and hopefully ultimately some advertising revenue), as well as helping to give me a goal to meet each week… maybe a photo of the day, recipe, quote, or something, I just haven't figured out what I really want to do, other than aimless rambling. Any ideas would be most appreciated!
 

2010 Reading list

So as I was completing the meme in my last post, when I came across the "What is the best book you read?" question, it occurred to me that I couldn't recall a single book that I had read.  Oh, I am sure that I DID read a few, but somehow amongst all the drama and bullshit stuff that went on last year, my memory has failed me when I needed to answer such a question.

I have always loved to read. There was a time, when I was in first or second grade, and we lived overseas, that I failed to get off the bus at the base officer's club for dance class after school because I was so engrossed in my book that I paid no attention to where I was until we had already passed the stop and I had no choice except to ride the rest of the way home. Fortunately, Mom had not yet gotten into the car to come pick me up from my lesson.
When I was in college, my reading was largely limited to the required texts for my History major and English minor, which was PLENTY of reading, for sure!  When I graduated, I'd had my fill of heavy reading, and for several years, the only things I read were Harlequin romances. They are easy to read, they always have a happy ending, and pretty much they are very predictable. If I got interrupted in the middle of a book, I didn't have to figure out what was going on, when I picked it back up again.
Over the last few years, I started picking up some other things, Harry Potter, some historical things, books about places I'd visited and found fascinating.  Somehow, in the last couple of years, I got really bad about buying books and not reading them.  Rarely do I go into a bookstore and come out with only one book. I try to find them on sale, and I can get lost for hours in a Half Price Books, wandering through the stacks!
My goal for this year, that I'm positive I can accomplish is to read or finish reading all of the books I've already got on my bookshelves that are unfinished, or unstarted.
Here is my list:

1. Kabul Beauty School - Rodriguez, Deborah  
   
2. Decoding the Celts - Hamilton, Claire & Eddy, Steve 
   
3. The Dairy Queen - Rushby, Allison  
   
4. **A Belizian Rainforest - Horwich, Robert H & Lyon, Jonathan  
   
5. The Elegant Gathering of White Snows - Radish, Kris  
   
6. Looking for Alaska - Jenkins, Peter  
   
7. Gift of Power - Lame Deer & Erodes 
   
8. **102 Minutes - Dwyer, Jim & Flynn, Keith 
   
9. Shaman, Healer, Sage - Villoldo, Alberto  
   
10. Ireland's Pirate Queen - Chambers, Anne  
    
11. Magical Thinking - Burroughs, Augustin  
    
12. Watching the Tree - Yen Mah, Adeline  
    
13. She's come Undon - Lamb, Wally  
    
14. it's a Chick Thing - Beanland, Ame Mahler & Terry, Emily Miles  
    
15. The Book of Celtic Verse - Matthews, John  
    
16. **Border Healing Woman - Babb & Little Dog  
    
17. Galveston Rose - Powell, Mary  
    
18. The Mermaid Chair - Kidd, Sue Monk  
    
19. The Gathering - Enright, Anne  
    
20. Celtic Myths & Legends


21. Driving with Dead People - Holloway,Monica 
    
22. Annie Freeman's Fabulous Travelling Funeral - Radish, Kris  
    
23. How the Scots Invented the Modern World - Herman, Arthur


24. The Other Boleyn Girl - Gregory, Phillippa


25. How the Irish Saved Civilization - Cahill, Thomas


26. The Way of the Pirate - Downie


27. She Captains - Druett, Joan


28. Harry Potter & Philosophy - Baggett

 So, that's a total of 28 books, 3 of which I've already started, but, frankly will need to start over again because it's been a year or more since I picked them up. I figure if I can get through a book every two weeks, I'll finish in about a year.  Several of them are smaller, and actually I can probably finish in a matter of days, we'll see.

What is on your reading list?

 

Keep In Mind: "No one is in control of your happiness but you, therefore you have the power to change anything about yourself or your life that you want to change" Barbara De Angelis

2008/09 survey

What did you do in 2008 that you’ve never done before? Umm, went to Pennsylvania and Maryland Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don’t make resolutions Did anyone close to you give birth? My friends Emilee & Mark had baby Claire Did anyone close to you die? Yep, my great-aunt Eth, she was 98 What countries did you visit? Pennsyltucky, thought it was more of a drive thru, not a visit, and Mexico. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008? Better health, and I think I’m already on that path since I evicted my uterus in December What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? Too many to name, though December 16th is pretty significant, what with the uterine eviction and all What’s your biggest achievement of the year? My first public bellydance performance in August at Ya Halla Ya’ll with my class What was your biggest failure? Not being able to keep up my fitness goals because my health was such a mess Did you suffer illness or injury? Yep, kidney stones, PMS from HELL, multiple sinus infections, and allergies from hell What’s the best thing you bought? Prolly my pretty new red Ipod Whose behavior merited celebration? I have no idea Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Several people/entities, but nobody particularly close to me Where did most of your money go? Bills and FAIRE What did you get really, really excited about? Being asked by friends to represent them as a seller at faire, which resulted in some better friendships, and some new ones. What song will always remind you of 2008? Since I always listen to my Ipod, I have no idea. Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder? MUCH Happier. Richer or poorer? Emotionally/spiritually richer, monetarily about the same. Thinner or fatter? My weight has stayed fairly steady, but I’ve had to buy smaller clothes. What do you wish you’d done more of? Take more down time. What do you wish you’d done less of? Being bitchy, negative and whiney How did you spend Christmas? At home, in the quiet, but the next day I was at my sister’s with family Did you fall in love in 2008? Yeah, I kinda did. What was your favorite TV program? Extreme Makeover Home Edition Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? Nope, I learned a few years ago that hate is wasted energy. Instead, I try to forgive and move on, and just be careful who I’m close to What did you want and get? Traveling to new places What did you want and not get? Hmm, I think I did pretty well getting what I want, or at least getting on the path toward it What was your favorite film of this year? I can’t even remember what movies I saw, how sad is that?? What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I was at faire in MD with some wonderful friends, although by the time I was headed up there, I had a hard time leaving those I would have spent time with here. I was 40, but now I’m 41 What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying I have no idea How would you describe your personal fashion concept for 2008? Basic Wench What kept you sane? My friends, when they weren’t making me insane What celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Didn’t really fancy anybody famous What political issue stirred you the most? Presidential campaigning in general, I HATE election year. Who did you miss? Mom. Who was the best new person you met? I met lots of awesome new people, top o the list is prolly Tom, MFS &FB Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008 Patience really can pay off.

Hump Day

Well, it's Wednesday again, the middle of the week, and only 7 more days that I'll be able to reproduce, thank heavens! Last night, at a meeting, one of my sorority sisters, who has clearly not been paying attention over the last 3 years when I have said repeatedly "I like children, OTHER PEOPLE'S children, that I can play with and have fun with, then give back when I'm done!" looked at me, in all seriousness, and said "And you are really ok with, you know, not having any children?" I just looked at her, trying not to look too dumbfounded. I mean, not only have I repeatedly said that I don't want children of my own, that I don't have the patience, that the 10 days I spent with newborn Nicholas 2 years ago now was plenty of newborn for me, and just last night I said at least 3 times before she asked the question "by this time next week, I will be uterus-free!!!" Some people just don't listen! Good news that I got today is that The Rogues will be playing North Texas Irish Festival in March. This makes me very happy, especially in light of the fact that they got scratched from the location I was planning to see them in February, since the venue double booked it. I have no idea why the Scottish band is playing the Irish festival, but frankly, who the hell cares, it's live pipes a month earlier than I usually get them, so I'm good with it! My rotten little calico cat is wandering around the house wailing, for no apparent reason, anybody want a cat? I'm working on a list of things I need to get work on this next year, including

• 1. getting my storage room sorted out, so it can be used for its intended purpose: GARB CLOSET. When I moved into this house in the Spring, there were a BUNCH of boxes that I just couldn't sort out immediately, and they got put into the spare room. Sure there is garb in there, but it's not in the closet, its in totes. some of it will remain it totes, but other pieces I think would be better stored hanging.
• 2. I also need to do a little more writing. What I'm going to write, I don't know, but there are several things rolling around in my head, screaming to get out.
• 3. I've also got to get some other stuff organized so that maybe my house will be able to stay reasonably organized and not get to the point that it makes me want to scream in frustration.
• 4. I have sewing to get done before faire: wrap pants for the boys and a couple of shirts for them. I can't guarantee that I'll get the shirts done, they may be more trouble than I'm comfortable with, but the wrap pants should be easy enough, since I have a pair I can use for a pattern.

Friday night should be good, I'm taking my youngest (he's 18 now) nephew and my only niece out shopping for their Christmas gifts. I don't spend nearly enough time with them, and I truly enjoy the 2 of them, and their older brother, who has other plans for that evening already. Which reminds me, I need to check the website of the shopping center and see what all is there now.

Saturday is Drink Like a Pirate Day, and a bunch of us are getting together at TGI Friday's in Ft. Worth to celebrate. It's a great chance to hang with friends and a fabulous excuse to wear garb somewhere besides faire!

Off to bed, hopefully to sleep through the night, and get more than about 5 hours straight!