November 19 So lazy............

Today is my Friday. I work M-Th and today at work, about a half hour before I was off, I got that "HELL, YEAH! IT'S FRIDAY!" feeling, only on a Thursday. And that, my friends, is a great feeling.

I arrived at work today on an empty gas tank - ok, not empty, I had four miles left - but it was clear I needed to acquire some gas before I went home, since I live ten miles from work. So, I headed down to the Safeway so I could use my gas points.

I hate pumping gas. And I really hate it when the stupid pump isn't working. It would not accept my Safeway card. So, I had to go INSIDE (I know!) and ask the lady to help me. She had me type in my phone number but nothing came up. I used my old phone number and my ex-husband's information came up. I should have just used his gas points, because he stole my Fred Meyer points for FOUR years after we divorced before I realized it. But, my halo was burnin' so I didn't. I did, however, finally have to succumb to pre-paying since even the station attendant couldn't make the pump work. I decided to be conservative and had her put $40 on the pump. It stopped at $37.31. So, I had to go BACK inside and get my change. SIGH. I really hate getting gas in my car. I wish my husband would just fill it up once a week so I didn't have to deal with it (adjusts pearls).

Anyway, the beautiful thing was, I didn't really have any other errands to do so I knew I could just go home and relax. What a feeling! I stopped by Starbucks, of course, so I could relax while enjoying a holiday beverage.

When I got home, I saw two kids' cars in the driveway. Oh. So much for my solitude, sipping my peppermint beverage and munching on a marshmallow krispy bar while checking my social media. I mean, I LOVE my kids but I was not expecting them to be home. One zipped out the door minutes after I arrived and the other one took off not 30 minutes later, so I actually DID have my solitude and my treats and my social media, even if it was slightly delayed.

And that's pretty much all I did the rest of the night. I sat on my ample ass and scrolled through Facebook, and did some online shopping, and checked my email.

You know what I got up for? To make food and video tape my husband flipping a plastic cup off his ass. Not kidding. I'm telling you, Thursday nights around here are riveting.

I'm so tired I could go to bed right now and it's 7:22 p.m. It's also freezing in my house and I actually got a heater and put it on the chair next to me. Which is only making me sleepy. Or sleepier.

Meanwhile, Mountain Man biked three miles home in the 45 degree weather, and immediately set to making things out of leather and sticks and stuff. He's been a busy bee all night, going back and forth to the garage. He gets shit DONE. And, yeah, I always manage to get done what needs to be done, but he makes me look like a sloth. I could be doing any number of things today instead of wasting my life on social media. Like: cleaning the house, baking for our Friendsgiving this weekend, organizing my office, making jewelry, scrapbooking, doing laundry, organizing cabinets, brushing the dog,

I think I thrive on crisis mode, because instead of doing a little bit every day to get ready to have people over, I just go bat-shit crazy the day of the event and get myself worked into a sweaty frenzy cleaning, prepping and shouting orders at the kids. I make mental notes of things needing to be done, details I want to attend to. You know what's been on my mind all week? The fact that I want to tie raffia around the decorative holiday tea towels in the bathroom and kitchen. I have a thousand things to do and the one detail my brain holds all week is tying raffia bows on towels. I'm sick, I tell ya. I need an intervention.

I think I'll beg the husband to make me a milkshake and go to bed early.

November 13 and Mt. Vernon..........

Today we visited Mt. Vernon, George Washington's plantation/home. It was a beautiful day, which was perfect because much of the tour involves walking from place to place and it's a sprawling plantation!

Here we are with George, Martha and their grandkids! 

The house is amazing. 

It's a real, working plantation, with oxen! 

George and Martha are entombed here. 

This is the slave memorial. George freed his slaves upon the death of his wife, Martha. 

The Potomac river - and a big bird in the tree! 

The old tomb. 

Colonial folk

They have a real, working blacksmith on the plantation!

The plantation has flowers, fruits and vegetables. 

So much charm!

After Mt. Vernon, we went to explore Old Town, Alexandria. First, we stopped at Starbucks, which had a buy one, get one for a friend holiday drink promotion. Alex was his own best friend. 

Then, we did a little thrift shopping, where Alex somehow managed to channel both Macklemore and Adele at the same time. Hello. 

The buildings are just so artistic - old architecture, sometimes painted "new" colors. 

The famous fountain - I forgot to ask what it was called. 

Thanks, Alex, for capturing US in a picture! :) 

We drove through the National Mall at night and the Capitol building looked like a Lego structure with all the scaffolding surrounding it. 

The Supreme Court

A very blurry Washington memorial!

Jefferson Memorial

After our long day of walking, touring and shopping, we went to a Vietnamese restaurant for Pho. I had a vermicilli bowl and it was delicious! We stopped at Lena's afterward, a newly-opened restaurant, for drinks and dessert. The gelato was so good! Our last full day on vacation was packed full of adventures. It's been an educational week with all the history we've explored. Tomorrow, brunch with Alex and Tim, maybe a little more shopping, then off to Baltimore to return the rental car and board our plane to Seattle. 

November 10 and random thoughts.......

Today I was kind of bored. I knew it wouldn't be as fun as the last couple of days because Jeff would be in his conference all day and I'd be on my own to entertain myself, but I didn't know that a good many of the popular tourist activities in this town require good weather and are more geared to summer tourism.

The wifi in the hotel was down so I decided to go someplace where I could get breakfast and connect to free wifi. Starbucks! There were three downtown near the university. I also found a Dunkin Donuts nearby and I've been wanting to go there since we saw them in York.  I figured I'd grab a doughnut, head over to Starbucks to get a coffee, and hang out there a while using the wifi.  But there was no parking to be found near the college. No worries, I figured I could find the same set up near a suburban mall.

Not exactly. I found a nearby mall, but it was nearly abandoned and some of the anchor stores were shuttered. Perhaps I arrived too early (10 a.m.?) but there didn't appear to be breakfast options at this particular mall. I was about to give up when I spotted a Barnes and Noble. Hallelujah! They had a cafe AND free wifi - jackpot! I found a prime table right next to an outlet (because I need constant power for my lame computer). I had a peppermint mocha frappucino - so delicious - and perfect for my sore throat this morning. I also had an almond croissant to fill my belly and set to "work." I did do a tiny bit of real work on my computer but mostly I scrolled Facebook and watched people come and go. The internet worked great at first but then it got really slow so I spent a lot of time just looking around waiting for things to load. I finally got bored and decided to go to Ross across the street.

I knew I couldn't buy much because my suitcase was already bursting when I arrived here. But I found this one cute top so of course I had to buy it. It's super thin and will roll up and tuck right in! No problem! But then I found this buttery soft blanket. It was so rainy and cold out today, I envisioned myself wrapped in this blanket next to the hotel room window, reading a novel and watching rivulets of rain rush down the windowpane. So, of course, I bought it. I have no idea where it will fit on the trip home but that's what husbands are for - to make room in THEIR luggage for your expenditures when you're bored in a small town. Ha.

I finally got hungry for lunch so I left Ross and headed back to Barnes and Noble. I didn't see many restaurant options around the area, and I wasn't feeling adventurous driving a rental car in the rain. I ordered a pizza - the description said it was "handcrafted and hand-stretched dough" topped with fresh ingredients. The picture looked great, too! Unfortunately, it was a glorified frozen pizza. The cheap kind. With three dime-sized pieces of pepperoni, a few crumbles of sausage and watery sauce. And it wasn't even very warm. I was so hungry I ate part of it, but threw the rest away. In another one of my poor food decisions, I also ordered a large vanilla cupcake. Oh, and an iced mocha. So, I cut the cupcake in half - certainly I did not need the whole thing after eating the pizza! But, guess what? I ate the whole thing! I immediately regretted it and I had a stomach ache for two hours after. Bad, bad decisions.

I headed back to the hotel at 3:30 because it was already starting to get dark. I'm such a baby when it comes to 1. driving in an unfamiliar town, 2. driving in the dark in an unfamiliar town, 3. driving. I just want someone else to drive me places.

Soon, Jeff returned from his conference. He informed me he would be attending a dinner but that I was not invited. I'm kidding - he actually asked if I could come to the dinner and was told NO so he said we would just go get dinner on our own and he'd skip it. But, being the benevolent soul I am, I told him to go ahead and network and I'd get room service or venture down to the restaurant by myself. I also secretly thought mean things about the company for excluding spouses. Jeff went on his way and I went to dinner on my own where I enjoyed two adult beverages, crab cakes, salad and ice cream from the Penn State creamery. Who knew they had their own creamery?

I got back to the room and the wifi was out again. It took a half-hour to shut down my computer and start it back up again and get connected to the wifi. In the meantime, my cell phone carrier sent me a text informing me I had used 40mb of my roaming data and would be limited to 50. Great. I still have two more days in this wifi wasteland. So, I attempted to connect my phone to wifi with limited success. Why can't wifi just be free and everywhere, all the time?

The best news: while I was eating dinner, a high school friend of mine saw a post on Facebook showing I was near Penn State and she messaged me that she lives 3 hours away and now we're trying to connect sometime in the next two days! How cool would that be? I have not seen her for 30 years. We were best friends our senior year of high school - and also the only two new seniors at our Catholic high school. We were inseparable the whole year and then we graduated; I moved to Washington and she went off to college and we never saw each other again. We were out of touch for years before we reconnected a few years ago on Facebook. I hope our reunion works out because it would be a highlight of this trip to see her again!

Tomorrow I think I will venture to a nearby town that is said to have some nice antique stores. Mountain Man is really pushing the antique stores, which I do not understand because we are flying home so what can we buy really? His response? Powderhorns. Of course. He also thinks if I just drive randomly in any direction I will run into Amish people and become best friends with them. I don't think he understands this at all. He had me listen to Weird Al's "Amish Paradise" this morning. I seriously think that's his only reference to the Amish way of life.

Also? I have only encountered ONE public restroom with seat covers. I don't know how this is relevant here, but I believe I did title this one "random thoughts." No seat covers in the Baltimore airport, at Gettysburg, Antietam, in any restaurant we've encountered. Why? Is there a shortage of paper? Do people just not use them in this part of the country? Come to think of it, there WERE seat covers at Barnes and Noble, but only in one stall. I do not understand this.

So, my day can be summed up this way: too many carbs, not enough walking. Also, tomorrow I need to venture farther afield. And I hope it stops raining.

What I really want for Mother's day..........

I've seen all sorts of posts about the best things to get your mom for mother's day recently. A lot of them appear to be written by moms of young children because they go along the lines of "no, I don't want to take the family to the beach because it's too much work for me" and while I totally appreciate that, I took my family to the beach last Mother's day and it was awesome.

I'm not one for the fancy brunch with mimosas. I'd much rather be served Starbucks in bed (forget about eggs and bacon, bring me sour cream walnut coffee cake from Tully's). I don't really want to go out to an expensive dinner, either. Feast night works great for me - nothing like grazing over an assortment of treats!

I could care less about gadgets and appliances. I already have some awesome purses. I pretty much buy whatever clothes and shoes I want throughout the year, and I have a closet full. But I love gifts from the heart - a sketch, a painting, a scrapbook, a song, a poem. I know moms are supposed to say that, but I actually DO love handmade gifts, or a gift of talent and time.

But a mom can dream, right? So, here's a list of things that I (and probably any mom) would LOVE for Mother's day:
1. For someone to do the dishes just because they are piled high in the sink. And by "do" them, I mean take initiative and load and unload the dishwasher without being asked and/or without rolling eyes or groaning when being asked.
2. For someone to vacuum at least a couple of times a week instead of twice a month, and not only when the dog hair tumbleweeds are the size of grapefruit.
3. For someone to do the grocery shopping. Forever.
4. For someone besides myself and my husband to cook a meal. If, for any other reason, to prove to us that our kids can and will survive outside the household and be able to make a meal with more than one course.
5. For someone to bring me Starbucks every day. My ass will protest, but yum!
6. For someone to take out the garbage before it's tumbling over.
7. For fresh chocolate chip cookies every day, pizza once a week, and for them to not have any calories.
8. For someone to bring me fresh Gerber daisies weekly.
9. For someone to cook dinner. Forever.
10. For a fancy vacation once a year and several less-fancy vacations the rest of the year.

And while some of those things are do-able, and some are just plain crazy, I have to say I'm pretty darn happy with things just the way they are.

I love my home - it's messy and chaotic but it's full of things we love and people I treasure. I love it when all four kids are home and everyone is just doing their thing, but we're all in the same room and it's just average and normal. Because, to me, it's everything.

I love it when my kids are hanging out and we're all crafting, or creating, or the kids are having a jam session and I hear music and voices and laughter. That's the best sound.

I love how ridiculous my family is at times. The silly videos, pictures, funny things said,  forever recorded on social media. Not necessarily for others' entertainment but so we can look back and laugh at ourselves in the future.

I love road trips with my kids. The car is always trashed. We never get anywhere on time. But we have tons of time to talk and watch the world go by. Or not talk and watch the world go by. Either way, it's ok.

So, when it comes to what I "want" for Mother's day, the answer is usually the same. A day spent with my kids, usually at a beach, hanging out, eating snacks and relaxing. No agenda. No big plans. No spa day with fluffy towels and "me time". Sure, that's fun, but maybe another day.

On Mother's day I want to celebrate with the ones who made me a mother. The first born, who fulfilled my lifelong dream of being a mom. The second born, who showed me it was possible to love another child, not "as much" but wholly and completely, just like the first time. The third born, who showed me how to relax and enjoy this fleeting thing called mothering, because he was my last baby. Then, the bonus daughter who showed me mother love wasn't limited by biology and completed our family.

How lucky am I?

I love these dorks! 

Happy Mother's Day! 

My Hannah

Today's Instagram picture post is all about my Hannah! She is such a beauty, and an old soul, and so talented and funny. She doesn't subscribe to all the drama, she's chill, and she's a really, really good kid. She recently played "mom" for me on a couple of trips out of town, and did a fabulous job, although I don't think she's ready to parent teens yet (haha!). She's sweet and kind and a friend to everyone. I love to hear her sing and play the piano. I love to hang out with her. I love her unique spirit. She's pretty awesome!

This picture was taken a couple of years ago - clearly in the car. We were probably on a road trip somewhere. I love taking road trips with Hannah. 

This picture was taken at the BlogHer convention that Hannah and I attended this summer. What a fun time, going on a trip with just the two of us, Plus, I love this picture! 

Hannah and her Papa (my dad) at Harrison's musical "Legally Blonde." Hannah is so devoted to her family!

Took this pic a few summers ago in the park. So dramatic! :)

Took this picture several years ago at Hannah's friend Elliott's going-away party (he was going to the Navy). I just LOVE Hannah's eyes in this one. So beautiful. 

Couple of years ago - we were out on a Hannah/mommy/Arlie date and got Starbucks. 

You can see me taking this one with my cell phone. It was Hannah's idea - so clever!

Snapped this one recently. Can't remember where - inside a restaurant? I loved the sunlight on her face. 

My little girl! She's always had the most gorgeous hair! 

Took this one less than a week ago at Olive Garden. Someone said we look alike in this one. :)

Starbucks happiness........

Today's Instagram post is a compilation of Arlie enjoying Starbucks. Some may say I am the Starbucks addict in the family, but I think this girl has me beat. Nothing makes her happier, as you can see. 

Because every basic white girl has to make duck lips while enjoying their caramel macchiato.

Ah, the sheer joy of a frappucino!

Peace, love and Starbucks! 

Favorite things.........

If Oprah can do it, why can't I? Below, in no particular order, are some of my favorite (consumer) things:

* Gerbera daisies. These flowers are amazing and beautiful and come in all sorts of colors. And every time I have them in my home, people ask if they are real! I just love them - maybe because they're so symmetrical and perfect and I'm kind of into symmetry, sometimes. Here is a pic of the latest ones I received, from my daughter and her boy friend:

 

*Loacker Quadritini wafers. But only the dark chocolate variety. They are SOOOO good, and it's no exaggeration to say I could eat a whole bag. I haven't, but I could!

*Little Debbie Swiss Cake Rolls. The junk food to end all junk food. When I was younger, I was in love with Hostess Ho-Ho's. When we moved to Utah during my 9th year of life, we could not find them anywhere. I did notice the Little Debbie variety of cake rolls, and I tried them, but didn't think they were superior to Ho-Ho's. My relatives in Ohio used to send me care packages of Hostess Ho-Ho's! But, eventually, supply and demand couldn't keep up and I resorted to consuming Little Debbies. Now, I can't even look at a Ho-Ho! I'm a Swiss Cake Roll 'ho! And, truth be told, I usually eat two packages at a time. Because the twin-pack of chocolatey goodness just isn't enough. I must have quadruplets. Needless to say, I don't purchase these often, especially since I discovered they're even better frozen! Oh, Lord help me!

*Magnabilities necklaces. These are so cool! You invest in one necklace (or two or three) and simply change the magnetic insert to change the entire look of the necklace! Such a fun, cool idea. The magnetic inserts are under five bucks so it's fun to collect a few each time I find a retailer who sells this particular piece. Plus, the magnetic inserts double as magnets on your bulletin board when not in use in your stylish necklace!

*Soma Intimates Cool Nights pajamas. I LOVE these super-soft, super comfortable pj sets! They're not cheap, but I usually only buy what's on clearance. I first discovered these when I wandered into a Soma store in the mall and felt the fabric. It can only be described as buttery-soft. These are the most comfortable pajamas I've ever worn, and, BONUS, they are designed to keep you cool at night, for those *ahem* times when your age defies you and you bloom with the flush of menopause. Sorry, I said menopause. Another huge plus, is the camisole tops provide just a teensy bit of support so if you're well-endowed, you can skip the nighttime bra and just wear the cami alone. Oh, and I'm not skinny like the model shown here, but the XL is perfect on me. Love, love, love these!

*Helicopter hand toy. I know, WTF? But hear me out. I have sensory issues, I guess, because I totally love running my hand along things - my own fingernails, my phone case, twirling a pencil, etc. So, I once bought one of these funny plastic helicopter toys in some tourist trap store. It was one of those spur-of-the-moment purchases that was fun for about five seconds and then it was just another useless piece of plastic cluttering up my house. I absentmindedly stuck it in the pencil cup on my desk and soon found myself twirling it in my hand while on phone calls or trolling the internet. I don't actually make it fly. I just enjoyed twirling the textured base in my hand. But they ARE fun to play with as well. Ok, I did occasionally let it fly to the ceiling. One time, my daughter's friends started playing with it and they broke it! I actually purposefully bought a replacement. I have no idea where it is now, but I'd totally dig another one.

 

*Bookstores. I could spend hours in a bookstore just browsing. The overwhelming supply of things I COULD buy usually keeps me from actually purchasing anything, but I could browse forever. Plus, I'm a sucker for all the extras - like cards, cute paper, calendars, novelty jewelry, etc. 

*Hallmark Stores/gift shops. Again, I love to browse these cluttered caverns of unnecessary delights. My husband says they give him a rash, which is why I rarely submit him to the horrors of these stores. But, alone, I could look for days. 

*Starbucks. I love the predictability, the comfort of a cup of warm, sweet, mocha, the social aspect (even if I'm not meeting friends, it holds memories of the many, many times I DO meet friends there), and the fact that there's one on every corner. Here's one of my favorite pictures of my husband at Starbucks.

*Feast. This what my family calls a meal that consists of fun food, appetizers, and whatever is leftover, all displayed nicely. We traditionally do feast for Christmas eve, and other times as well. I LOVE FEAST! 

*Candles. I think candles give off a warmth and welcoming atmosphere like nothing else. Plus, they smell delicious! I especially like the candles from Bath and Body Works, but even the Glade candles you buy in the grocery store are yummy-smelling. The candle in this picture is a Glassybaby, the only one I own and was given to me as a gift. They are crazy expensive, but I really like the heavy feel of the glass and the lovely glow it gives off (Glassybaby are actually just candle holders that you put a tea light in). My friend, Tonya says "Candles make your guests feel welcome!" and it's true! I love to walk into a clean house with candles burning. It's like my nirvana.

*Live performances. It's crazy expensive and indulgent but I love any live performance, from a school talent show to musical theater.

*Concerts. Again, my paycheck prevents attending too many, but there's nothing like seeing a live performance of great music. Especially when I can share it with my kids!

*Lucky Charms. My hands-down favorite cereal! I've loved it since I was little and my mom used to pick out all the pink hearts from my bowl and eat them. Damn you, mom.

*Homemade chocolate chip cookies. I realize this only "sort of" falls under a consumer favorite, since you have to actually MAKE them, but you do need to purchase flour and sugar and the like. So, this one qualifies and is my favorite cookie ever. Especially when someone else makes them!

*Cell phones. Because not only am I a touch away from my beloved email, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Vine, Solitaire and other wonders of the world, but I can text my kids and sometimes they're keepers (the texts AND the kids).

*Fruity alcoholic drinks. I'm THAT girl. I can't shoot whiskey (apologies to Carrie Underwood). I love me a fruity, frosty drink with a slice of fruit, or, better, an umbrella or one of those cool little plastic swords in it. YAY!

*My Kindle Fire. It's not the latest and greatest version, but I love this little gadget. Not only does it hold hundreds of books for me to read, but I play Solitaire on it every night before I go to bed. Oh dear, I think I just sounded like an old lady.

*My minivan. Say what you want about the mom van - I absolutely LOVE my minivan and the one I had before. I've driven a minivan for eighteen years and I can't imagine a more comfortable road trip vehicle. It's like having an extra office on wheels. I keep everything in there. I feel lost when we drive another car. I could live in my minivan at a moment's notice. All you zombie apocalypse people, think of THAT next time you laugh at me for driving a mom-mobile.

*Hair products and contact lenses. Because when you wake up like this every morning, you thank the Lord Almighty himself for creating a beautiful world where we can all get a little help. (Full disclosure: this is what I looked like while typing this blog post. You're welcome.)

What are YOUR favorite things?