What have I done?

Today, I wore a gray jumper/dress to work over a white blouse. Save for the length, which was a little on the slutty side for office-wear despite what John thought this morning, I looked like a nun. Especially when I added my black cardigan. My nun similarities didn’t bother me, however. You can’t dress flashy every day, right? I really try to be conscious of outfit color schemes throughout the week. Where was I headed with this? Oh right, nuns. Actually, that was just to describe my outfit to you. Here’s where I’m really headed.

After seeing myself in the work bathroom mirror I noticed that my blouse was causing an unsightly lump under my dress. The next time I went to the bathroom, I tucked my blouse into my pantyhose and then I realized, it’s official: I am becoming my mother. I love my mom so this news isn’t really disappointing but I thought it wasn’t supposed to happen until you had kids and you started parenting like your parents. My mom is a total shirt-pantyhose tucker and now, apparently, so am I. That’s just ONE small step from tucking my shirt into my underwear, which I am vowing here NEVER TO DO.

I suppose I’ve known for quite some time this was coming. Certain comments by me elicit comments from John of the “that was so your mom” nature. They always give me pause to realize, yeah that’s something she would do. My oft-used nickname is Mom Jr. Thanks, honey. How thoughtful of you. Again, I don’t know why this irritates me because there are plenty of other people I could be like besides my mom that would be way worse. I’m going to have to ask my brother-in-law if my sister has mom characteristics as well. I’m certain that she does but I’d like to see to what extent they have infiltrated her general everyday living.

In other news…..could this work week be any longer? Pretty sure time is now moving in reverse and before I know it, Monday will be back again.

Dismantled

I feel like I’ve been reading Dismantled by Jennifer McMahon for forever! But really, it’s only been about a week. My sister recommended this one to me as something “different.” Not having much else on my to be read pile, I found it at the library and jumped in. This is going to be a rough plot summary because there are a lot of elements and I don’t want to give anything away. Dismantled is about some renegade artists who form a group in college called the Compassionate Dismantlers. They perform pranks and rage against the man, and all that jazz. Something horrible happens when they’ve just graduated due to their pranks and schemes and the story begins as we see them again 10 years later. It mostly follows Henry and Tess (two of the Dismantlers), their daughter Emma and her imaginary friend, Danner. In an attempt to get her parents back together during their separation, Emma and her friend contact the old Dismantlers, who have since been disbanded, and things start to get pretty creepy from there. See what I mean about a crappy plot summary? But really, you’ll see why if you end up reading it. I liked Dismantled because it dealt with themes I don’t normally see in fiction, well, the fiction I read anyway. And like my sister said, it was definitely different. I suppose I would classify it as somewhat of a psychological thriller. I absolutely had to see where the book ultimately ended up and it kept you guessing up until the end, which I liked. If you’re looking for a departure from the norm, pick up Dismantled.

Fall Recipe

For Sunday dinner tonight I made Apple and Brie Stuffed Pork Chops from Crank up the Oven. I am not the biggest pork fan but I tire of beef, chicken, turkey and fish, thus, the pork chops. I am in a very autumnal mood these days and to me, anything with apples says fall, right? They turned out pretty tasty but I will say, the recipe suggests baking at 350 for 25 minutes. Your chops will not be done after only 25 minutes. I think I ended up baking mine for at least 40-45 minutes. Anyway, if you're a brie lover like me, you'll love the melty goodness in these chops for sure.

Yesterday, John and I went to the Country Applefest (am I sensing a theme here?) in nearby Lebanon. It was a dreary, drizzly day but the promise of apple fritters was too strong to keep us away. The fritters were tasty, the crafts were crafty and other than that, it was a pretty boring festival. Next weekend we're going to a Cider Festival. Stay Tuned! We love a good festival.

Accidental Zumba Affront

I think I may have offended some people in zumba. At class on Thursday, there were two girls who were clearly new because they didn't know any of the songs. During the last song, Guantanamera (sp?) which is a line dance of the latin persuasion, I noticed that the instructor's mom was WAY off. She stands in the back corner and she's never off because she comes to every class and therefore knows all of the songs. Somehow, she had gotten about four beats ahead of the routine. When we were turned around, I pointed to her and said to the instructor, "What is your mom doing?" She laughed and made a joking comment about how she had maybe been drinking. However, right at the time I pointed at her mom, the two new girls turned around and it looked as if I was pointing at them because they were in front of her mom. Oh no! They too were WAY off but that's to be expected since they had never done that song before. I then became very concerned that they thought I was pointing and laughing at them. Oops! I was doing nothing of the sort.

After class as we were all gathering our things I said hello to one of them to prove I am nice and not mean like my nemesis. She was friendly back to me so hopefully she knows I'm not a horrible person. I would only make fun of a crappy zumba-er if they deserved it. But, I still feel badly about it. Oh well, life goes on.....onto the next amaretto and coke, which is how I'm celebrating my Friday night.

Issues.....literally

I have this problem. In recent months there have been a number of deals on magazine subscriptions that have just been too good to pass up. When I see an annual subscription for $5.00, I, apparently, go for it, giving no thought to what the magazine actually is. My logic for this is infallible. One issue of a lot of magazines is nearly $5.00 anyway so why not get 12 for basically the price of a couple, right? Winner winner chicken dinner! And I love a good deal. Here's my problem: because of all of these subscriptions, I'm piled in periodicals! A myriad of magazines comes my way each month. So many, in fact, that I often forget I've subscribed to some of them. That's pretty sad. At present, I receive:

-Lucky
-Allure
-Real Simple
-Marie Claire
-Good Housekeeping
-Woman's Day
-Diet and Nutrition (this one was free!)
-Redbook (I don't like it but it was only a dollar!)

Eight is a bit excessive, no? I really only like a few of them but since I receive them, I feel like I should read them. This is cutting into my book reading time, which is upsetting. I'm pretty proud of myself that most recently, I turned down the $5.00 In Style subscription. I love In Style and I used to have a subscription but it's so darn thick that it takes forever to get through! No mas. I'm not sure what to do about this. My gut tells me to cancel half of them, specifically the ones I don't like, but they were so cheap that it seems like bargain blasphemy to do so. What's a girl to do?

:(

I saw the saddest thing today. I was getting on 75 to come home at the end of the day. On the on ramp there was a male hitchhiker. That wasn't the sad part. Traffic was a bit backed up so I was waiting my turn and saw that he had a sign but didn't have a chance to read it because I noticed something moving on the ground next to the man. I looked closer and realized it was a doggie! He was a big guy. Black and brown with short hair but I'm not sure of the breed. Here's the kicker: the poor little guy was wearing a back pack! A doggie back pack!! And it was raining and he was just sitting next to his hitchhiking owner waiting to be picked up.

I was past them before I thought of eschewing all hitchhiking rules and picking them up. A cute doggie trumps a potential axe murdering hitchhiker, right? Then I was sad the whole way home for this pitiful pair. Where were they headed? Were they really homeless but the guy is a good owner and didn't want to leave his best buddy behind? I should have turned around and gotten them as far as Dayton. It was raining, for crying out loud. I bet his doggie backpack was getting wet and heavy. Now I'm sad about it all over again.

Pillow Cover Tutorial

As you may know, throw pillows can be expensive. Because I'm already over budget on my living room makeover, I was hoping to save money somewhere. So, I covered two existing pillows with a yard of fabric. Cost: $6.00

I started with one yard of home decorator fabric and 2 - 19" pillows. It's from JoAnn's. I had a coupon.

1) Cut two rectangles, 18"x44". Dog tail and foot not necessary for project.



2) Turn up the short ends an inch, iron, and sew under. This leaves a nice edge when overlapping in the back. This cover is more like a sham, in nature.


3) Once your ends are sewn, fold them in so that they overlap, right sides together. Your square, before sewing the side seams, should measure one inch less than the size of the pillow. In my case, the square was 18"x18". Don't worry. You'll be able to shove your pillow in, no problem and it will seem fluffier, which is nice when your pillows start to flatten.


4) Stitch down each of the side seams.

5) Before turning cover right side out, snip the corners at a diagonal. This allows for a crisper corner but be careful not to cut your seams.



6) Once right side out, shove that pillow on in there taking care to pull the pillow corners into the cover corners as far as possible. Your pillow may require some punching and fluffing into shape. This is great for taking out aggressions.

Ta-da! Before, brick red microsuede pillow. After, printed pillow to match the new accent color in my living room makeover. You'll be done in no time!