December 26 - tidbits and tidings

Just a bunch of random thoughts for the day.  Enjoy.

• I hate when Josh leaves to visit his dad in Iowa.  It makes me sad.  I do love accompanying him to the airport, however.  We always share a meal together and usually pick up the tab for any traveling soldiers we spy.  Today, we saw no traveling soldiers... but I saw some neat randomness on the wall of TGI Fridays and it made me smile.

• I had my first Starbucks in four days today.  They didn't screw it up.  It was good. 

• I hate the smell of Lysol.

• I don't understand how someone can have and spend most of their adult live with a last name that ends in "s"  With ALL that "s" experience, and then make their last name POSSESSIVE when they send out a Christmas card.  For instance, My name is April Driggers.  My name ends in an "s."  Yet, I don't say "Merry Christmas from the Drigger's" now would I?  No, because that'd be absurd.  Is common sense with the proper usage really so difficult?  It makes my eye twitch.  

• My Young Living diffuser is awesomeness.  Josh thinks it's a volcano.  Drew doesn't think anything.  Benji seems to think they are trying to diffuse his brainwaves and constantly shuts it off.  It's an epic battle.  Some days he wins.  Most days I do.  We're trying.  That's what counts.  Right?

• I lost my voice yesterday.  Today I sound better but my throat still hurts like hell.

• Drew could eat his weight in my Paradise Bakery Copycat sugar cookies.  The recipe was posted on my Instagram account.  

• I have the urge to take down all of my Christmas decor NOW because I want to dust my house without having to move it all to dust... and then dust again in a few days when it comes down because of all the random bits of greenery that pops off.

• I want my tree flocked.  So you could scream MERRY FLOCKING CHRISTMAS!

• I miss the gym.

• I hate having boobs. HATE them.

• Next year for my birthday and Christmas, I want a boobectomy.

• My friend April is a badass and built her boys one of those Nerf gun storage walls.  She's awesome!

• I didn't shop today or Christmas Eve.  Not sure you could pay me to.  

• I do have a 40% off coupon to use at Michael's however, and I want some of their collage frames.

• I love having a fresh new calendar to start off my new year.  It's one of my most treasured gifts I receive each year from a dear friend and AMAZINGLY WICKEDLY CRAZY talented nature photographer, Bob Falcone.  You should get one, too.  If you ask nicely, he may even sign it for you too.

• I'm about to spend the next few days in major list making mode as I get ready to fine-tune and tweak my labor of love... more details to come.

• My kitchen is clean (except for the cabinet tops.  I hate cleaning that... it's like... so dusty... and then I get up there and feel like I have to start all over again cleaning.  Denial is good.  besides, I'm short... I can't reach up there even if I stand on the counters.  Vertically challenged and completely in denial.

• I need to wash my sheets.  The boys ate pretzels in my bed.  That can't be good.  I'll brush it all over to Andy's side.

• I had a great Christmas.  I love watching the boys open gifts.  Watching the way Benji is SO excited at just opening things.  Seriously, I think you could wrap individual markers and he would get excited to just open each.and.every.one!  Drew savors each gift... totally freaked out on the WWII DVD set we got him... I knew he'd have a geek-seizure over that one.  He did.  Major points for momma bear!  Josh takes his time opening as if tearing the paper at the seams makes the moment more significant or makes him seem less greedy.... but you get that little smile of approval and you know ya done good.  

• We got all three boys Kindle HDs.  The little ones got them so that I could have mine back.  I'm kinda sick of them on mine always running the battery down.  Pisses me off to be honest.  I can never use it at night and that's when i want to read and surf pinterest to find the exact recipe for whatever it is I"m searching for at the moment.... and how can I remember to look for it and be side tracked 725 times by awesome pins if I don't have my fully charged Kindle at the ready?  Impossible I say! Get yer own!

• I love the movie Brave. Ya can't watch it and not want to speak in some Scottish Irish dialect.  

• I'm not drinking enough water.  That's bad.  Starting back on tracking on myfitnesspal app so that I can hold myself accountable.  Going to adhere to this shitty diet of restriction... more like a paleo on crack for autoimmune diseases.  I have to get the gut in check.  I will say the throat issue has been MUCH less the last week or two... so I'm actually savoring the small victories while still having my eye on total healing.  

• I want to launch my Thirty-One supplies because it's such an awesome product that sells itself.  Just need the time.  Ha!  What's that?!

• I keep getting signed up for people's crap under my e-mail address.  Right now it's some clown named JERRY who is using MY e-mail address to refinance his house and search for the best insurance rates at the same time.  

• I'm happy.  No explanation necessary.... but in this current moment.... even with the chaos around me.... I choose to be and am ... happy.

• I want a hedgehog. 

• I went to the grocery store because I was planning to make my meatballs with chili sauce and grape jelly.  I'm a snob, I want Heinz Chili Sauce.  There is no substitute. They were out... I grabbed a bottle of store brand chili sauce (lesser quality I'm certain).  Yet a few short steps away, I walk by the meat counter and there is a WHOLE ENTIRE SHELF OF Chili Sauce bottles just smiling at me.  They were so happy to be near me... I think they all secretly wanted to go with me.....They were near their chili meat cuts.  I grab one and promptly replace it with the knock off brand in my basket.  I took that lesser condiment but really didn't want to purchase because it was NOT Heinz.  So, now my inner turmoil begins... I'm conflicted because I really don't want to just LEAVE it where it doesn't go but again, I don't want to have to walk all over the damn store yet again (my list was just .. well, it was COMPLETELY DISJOINTED and I'd been all over the store and back 2 times already.  I was DONE!) So... shamefully, I did... I left that shit right there next to the others right where it didn't belong and it ate at me the ENTIRE REST OF MY GROCERY TRIP.  I mean... this kind of guilt drives me absolutely insane!  :(  I can't hand lit.  When I go back to Kroger I will likely go back to see if it's still there and I could move it back to where it goes or I could apologize.  Yeah... I'm that girl with the conscience the size of the elephant in the room... but I'll also b the first one to tell you about it.

November Blog Challenge

Today's topic:  There are 30 days in November, so share 30 facts about yourself.
#NovemberBlogathon

1) I'm ultra low maintenance.  I don't understand the "why's" of extreme high maintenance.  I just don't get it.  I don't mean to say I don't take pride in my appearance, but I really don't care what anyone thinks of me so I feel no need to impress anyone.  Plus, the idea of sitting on my butt so often having my hair, nails, eyebrows, eyelashes, botox, this and that done just wears me out.  I can understand a treat now and then, but seriously, I haven't had a haircut... wow... yeah, see, I don't even remember the last time I had a haircut.  Baseball caps and ponytails are my signature!

2) I'm a Scouter... meaning I'm active in Cub Scouts and have a Boy Scout, too (though I'm not active in his Troop any longer).  Male egos really are something to laugh at.  I don't play politics either.  THe program should be about,for and because of the boys... any other reason and you really need to find a new hobby.

3) Boston Terriers are my thing.  I love rescue pups and have adopted two who turned out to be fantastic dogs, but I just love, love LOVE Boston terriers.

Photo Credit

4) I absolutely love to cook and would love to go to culinary school just to learn more than I do about food.

5) When I do laundry, if there are holes in anything, I trash it.  The men in my home often wonder where their socks have all disappeared to.  {looking around... I have NO idea... hmmmm...}

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6) I want to cut my hair but I hate the idea of it being short and having to fix it every.single.day.  Plus, I hate my hair in my face.  I have no idea how women can stand this crap.  I mean, the style is adorable and I love the curls... the color from light to dark is called "ombre" and it's super trendy.  However, it would drive me NUTSO having to look through those bangs so it's totally not worth it OR the amount of Aqua Net that would be required to render it immobile.

Photo from Pinterest

7) Sushi is not my thing.  I tried California rolls on my birthday about 15 years ago and... if we're being honest here -- my mouth is just too small to eat the whole thing in one bite.  I was told you don't take bites of sushi, but that you just EAT the whole thing at once.  No can do!  I felt like I was going to gag because my mouth was so full.  That wasn't an enjoyable experience.  I dug around a bit to find some sushi etiquette that states the same thing I was told.  Unless I've got a flip top head or a mouth like Steven Tyler, this girl is out on the sea weed and fish.

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8) I have Crohn's Disease.  I was only diagnosed in the last couple of years.  Thus, I'm still learning how to revamp my diet, lifestyle, world in order to do all I need to do and be healthy.  

9) I'm addicted to Pinterest.  Moreso than Facebook.  I would leave Facebook altogether if I had to pick between the two.  Click here to follow me!

10) I'm a 4.0 student who rarely had to study for much of anything... and really struggle with the feeling that I should be using my brain for more than meal planning, carpooling and party planning.

11) I have three boys who are all in very different stages of life.  I have a high school freshman who is a total jock.  I have a 4th grader who is a total nerd.  I have a preschooler who is a total pain in the butt.

12) I just started selling Thirty-One gifts because I absolutely love all of mine so much and know that they sell themselves.

Shop here

13) Saying that I was sick of the government over-regulating absolutely ever facet of our lives (from what kind of lightbulb we can have to how many miles per gallon our vehicles can get) really beats me down.  I'm neither Republican nor Democrat but I know that our country has NEVER been more divided than it has become and I think that the big cheese needs to own it as any leader should.  We need NO more Clintons OR Bushes in the White House.

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14) A Paleo-ish lifestyle is one that I'm learning to adopt.... I say "ish" because I will still continue to eat dairy to some degree (yogurt is my friend).

15) I love magazines... I love flipping through their glossy pages and tearing out new recipes and ideas but I just don't have time for them any longer and ended every single one of my subscriptions.  I don't like online magazines, however.  There's something about holding it in your hand that just suits me better.

16) If I had no responsibilities, I could stay in my jammies reading books all.day.long!  I love to read.

17) I love Batman.  George Cloony was the worst Batman ever.  Christian Bale's voice drove me nuts, however good he took on the persona, his voice was just stupid!

18) I would move back to Colorado in a heartbeat just to be near the mountains and have a view of Pike's Peak every morning like I used to.  

19) I hate driving a minivan.  I want a big ass extended length Expedition.

20) I'm not afraid of snakes, spiders or mice.  If you get me near something that flies, buzzes and stings I will LOSE MY SHIT and run around screaming like a girl with my arms flailing.  It's not pretty.

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21) Seinfeld was my favorite TV show ever.  I use references to that TV show on a daily basis.  

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22) I wish our country was as concerned about recycling and protecting the environment than they are.  People throw things away and then it's just gone to them... out of sight, out of mind.  But we just BURY our trash... ??? How is that a healthy way to protect our environment?  I just don't get why that's okay in any way, shape or form.

23) Starbucks... It took me a while to become an addict.  I mean... I'm 41 and just in the last year started drinking coffee.  However, I can't drink "coffee" coffee.  I drink iced coffee with more crap in it than should be allowed.  Iced coffee flavored sugar milk is more like it.  But, it's good.  I like it. Yay, I'm a grown up.

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24) I don't watch television.  I hate reality TV and the idea of just sitting down and wasting time WATCHING something where I give someone complete control over my imagination kills me.  I prefer to read, write or create so that I have total control over the complete creative process.

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25) I wish I knew how to build things... like with wood... using power tools.  I would feel like the ultimate badass if I did.  Until then, I'm a badass in training.

26) I have empty frames on the wall without pictures...and have...for a couple of years.  It's sad.  I need to print off photos but that means that I have to take the TIME to do it.  Apparently, it's not high on my priority list.  

27) I have little fingers.  Not as in the length of my fingers, but the size of my fingers.  My ring size is 4.75.  I can never find costume jewelry to fit me.

28) I would love to understand the step-by-step process to study my family's genealogy and wish I knew more about my lineage. 

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29) I like to sing.  Like.. A LOT!  Music is a very important part of my life.  I like a little bit of all genres.  I can pass on most rap, classical (it really puts me to sleep), and jazz, but I like just about anything else.  

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30) I have created an entire personal monthly calendar / schedule which could basically be a home keeping binder for busy moms to use.  This would help keep their entire life on track... household chores, exercise, nutrition, obligations, etc.  I'm tweaking my prototype a little at a time but hope to market next summer.

So, that's the 30 facts about me.  Join in the blog hop!  I'd love to read about you!

I put on my big girl panties and dealt with it!

We continue marching on with July's challenge at Paula's Place.   Today's topic:  List seven random facts about yourself.  Link up here.

Hmmmm... let’s see.

1) I don't drink coffee.  I'm not a coffee drinker.  I appreciate the smell.  I think it smells delicious.  However, lets' face it -- it's bitter.  I don't like... "bitter".  I don't like bitter people, I don't like bitter weather, I don't like bitter beer.  Bitter = bad.  I do, however, like coffee-flavored-sugar-milk.  What's that you ask?  Well, that would be a coffee with about ten creamers and eleven sugars.  At that point -- and only at that point -- is it palatable.  

In fact, not too terribly long ago, I reallllly needed a quick jolt of caffeine and so I chose the Dunkin Donuts drive through.  This caused panic and anxiety.  I actually posted on Facebook pleading from my "grown up" friends to inquire how I'm supposed to even ask for a damn drink because since I don't drink coffee... I don't speak coffee either.  I but I gots me a coffee!

I did it, however.  I put on my big girl panties and dealt with it!  I got some iced coffee thing with Splenda.  It was okay... needed more Splenda.  

2)  I like animals more than most people.

3) I hate my toenails unpainted.  They must always be painted.  I can't however, stand to have them any weird color like green, black, orange... they must be red, maroon, coral or pink.  That's it. 

4) Along the same lines, I HATE HATE HATE having my fingernails painted... and I will never have fake nails.  I can't stand that crap.

5) I made my first best friend, Shannon, when I was five years old by spilling a snowcone all over her.  That was 35 years ago... we're still friends today!  :)  HI SHANNON!  (This photo is a couple years old... but the friendship behind it is still going strong!)

6)  I can type over 100 words a minute.  It's true.  Now, if I could just use this for a purpose while staying at home.... THAT would be awesome.  I could do like a typing marathon!  Iron Man Typing contest!  I could start a type-a-thon where we raise money for shelter animals!  I could start:  Typing For A Cause.  You know..where you type stuff...for a cause.  What would we type?  We would type letters.  We might even spell something!    

7)  I made homemade focaccia bread last night...and even had some... and it was YUM-O!  I love to bake.  I bought a new book on bread baking.  I'm going to try to make a new type of bread each week until I've perfected it.  I love baking from scratch but my kneading skills are quite rusty.  Plus, I need a good place to put bread to rise.  My house is quite drafty it seems.  What's a girl to do?