Changes in my house

The original part of our home was built in 1914. A section was added to the rear of the house some time in the 60's by someone who thought they were a very talented carpenter. The house has settled some over the years, but mostly it is the terrible handiwork that has resulted in a condition that makes updates to this home extremely frustrating. Nothing is square. When we ripped out the hand-made kitchen cabinets. some of them were literally triangular - narrow at the top, much wider at the bottom. We also had to get very creative putting the new windows in the front of the house when we discovered the windows were not square. It was a technique my hubby revived recently when putting a new window in our back bedroom. It goes like this:



The words in the bubbles are a much more cleaned up version than what was really coming out of that room as this work was in progress. :-)

Sugar Baby

It would be a major understatement to say I have a sweet tooth. I am one of those people who can eat three cupcakes in one sitting without a second thought. And cheesecake . . . well, we won't even go there.

I didn't always have this problem. Growing up, my mom did not keep a lot of sweets in the house. We had decadent desserts for holidays - cherry cheesecake, chocolate pie, sweet potato pie, and my grandmother's carrot cake that could make you weep with joy and thanksgiving. Special occasional treats at home included chocolate pudding made on the stove top, allowed to cool, and topped with cool whip from the tub - none of that squirty canned stuff. In the summers, I snacked on blackberries picked down the street, not bags of preservative and processed sugar-filled cookies and candy.

Then, I got pregnant. And all bets were off. Somewhere around the 5th or 6th month of gestation, my hormone-saturated brain told my taste buds and tummy that no meal was complete without dessert. I became a champion. I could finish an entire Applebees maple nut blondie with cream sauce (after an enormous meal, mind you) before you could blink. Cheesecake in multiple flavors became the piece de resistance of every meal. 52+ pounds later, I was fat and happy. This was my first baby, after all, and I was delusional. I figured my tastebuds, and my HIPS, would go back to normal just as soon as I popped that child out.

Not so, my friends, not so. It took some work, but I did get the weight off. However, the sweet tooth was here to stay. My daughter is over seven years old, and I've reached my day of reckoning. As I mentioned in an earlier post, all my sugar consumption was making me feel like crud. I needed to take drastic measures, so I completely cut out the processed sugar for a week. I expected to go into shock and withdrawal, curled up in a fetal position while begging for a snack cake, a whopper egg, let me lick the frosting spoon, anything!

Surprisingly, it wasn't like that at all. Within a day or two I realized that I no longer craved an afternoon nap. I'm sleeping better. I've added a little more daily activity (still not enough, but I'm getting there! Baby steps!), and I FEEL better. And, best of all, I've changed my habits. I made a chocolate cake the other day covered in fudge sauce and I didn't eat any of it! I can have a small treat now with no guilt, and it feels great! Since my body isn't in a constant state of sugar pollution, it handles those little amounts with ease.

I am very happy about this change in my life, and I'm working hard to keep it up.

Updates

My, goodness, it has been busy around here! I've not had time to blog much, but you can rest assured I've not been sitting around idly twiddling my thumbs. Some of the things keeping me busy are:

1) I've been having rehearsals for the musical . . . a LOT. I've also been trying to memorize all my lines, and I'm not quite as far along with that as I would like. However, the musical numbers are getting really good, and really fun! It has helped immensely with my self-confidence to have taken on this challenge and discovered that I STILL GOT IT! LOL

2) Speaking of challenges, the romantic scenes in this show are getting slightly less awkward. I still haven't kissed my co-star, but I don't think there's any way to avoid it this weekend. At one of our last rehearsals, it was just the two of us and the director working on the big 'show-stopper' song. It is a fun song, and there is a lot of movement while trying to still sing well. There's something about depending on a person to physically support you while you're singing (and upside-down, in two situations) that helps you to bond a little. Now, don't think he has it completely easy - he does have to hold me up, after all, and I get to step on him. :-) Anyway, we have embraced the silliness of a lot of these scenes, and we're just having fun with them.

3) We are finally remodeling the 3rd bedroom in our home. You can bet there will be pictures soon. See, our entire house is one big giant remodeling work in progress. My husband had the bright idea to purchase a "fixer-upper" as an investment, and live in it while we worked on it. I thought he needed to be committed when he picked this one BUT 5 1/2 years later, things are coming along pretty nicely and I'm actually pretty darn proud of all his hard work.
This particular bedroom is bare bones. We've used it as a music room and storage up to this point. We are tiling it, and he has been working on repairing some drywall issues. It currently has a raggedy old sliding glass door that opens onto the deck, and this will be replaced by French doors. We also got the new window in a few days ago. I'll soon need to pick a paint color, which I am quite excited about. This room will eventually be our master bedroom. For now, we're holding off on moving our things in just in case a certain family member requires some lodging. I'm just saying.

4) The girl child is out of school now. They were off yesterday and today because it is time for parent-teacher conferences. Hers is this afternoon - keep your fingers crossed. She is then out all of next week for Spring Break. Fortunately, her dad will also be off 3 of those days so maybe we'll get some good family time in.

Alrighty, this post is getting entirely too long. I'm going to get ready for my day!

Happy Easter!

I hope everyone is having a happy Easter. :-) We did our egg hunting yesterday, and it's a good thing since it is gray and raining today! Yesterday we went to a neighborhood hunt involving over 400 eggs and lots of little children dressed in bright spring colors. Oh, and CANDY! Every egg had candy in it, and Haleigh was on a sugar high all day. I am proud to say that with the exception of 3 jelly beans and half of a cookie, I abstained from the sugary stuff most of the day!

Today we are just having a family day at home. The Easter bunny visited and left an oh-so-girly silver basket with blue beaded flowers and a cuddly soft brown bunny with floppy ears. Oh, and CANDY, lol! Maybe he should have left a toothbrush. :-)

Pucker up!

Soooo . . . you remember that musical I told you about? Did I mention that it involves lots of romantic angst? My co-star and I are completely smitten with each other, only to find ourselves on opposite sides of the Union. He is the superintendent of all us factory workers, and I am the head of the Union's Grievance Committe. This causes terrible turmoil. It also causes lots of love scenes. Translation: I have to kiss a total stranger.

Now, my stranger happens to be a very talented, very professional guy who has lots of theatre experience under his belt and tackles these scenes like the pro he is. I, however, collapse into fits of school-girl giggles when things get mushy. Granted, we've only rehearsed the Big Intense Love Scene a few times. It goes like this . . . my Pop just left us alone in the house for the evening. Sid is trying desperately to make a move, and I'm dodging all advances with small talk. Since this is a musical, naturally he spontaneously bursts into a beautiful ballad called - you guessed it - "Small Talk." He is wooing me with lines like "I don't want to talk small talk, I've got better things for your lips to do", and I'm piping in with silly little things like "What do you think they charge for ham now?" He's kissing my hand, wrapping his arms around me, nuzzling my neck, etc., and I just keep ducking away at just the right moment. Inevitably, though, we kiss at the end of the song.

Only, we haven't actually rehearsed the kiss yet. I can't help it. It is WEIRD to be affectionate with someone other than your husband, even when your husband has given you his blessing.

I realize that I'm not the first person to have to deal with this, and probably not the first to find it awkward. I suppose I will just have to put on my big-girl panties. The one thing I am sure of is that I want to do a good job, so I have to just give it my all. We have rehearsal again tomorrow, so I'll let you know how it goes.

I don't usually do reviews, but . . .

for THIS one, I will make an exception. I watched August Rush last night, and I absolutely loved it. Yes, there are parts of it that are a little unrealistic (well, most of it), but it works! This movie touched me in a way that no movie has in a long time. I like it because it because it's not just about the music . . . there is a connection between all of us, and all of nature, and only some people choose to listen. The little boy in the movie hears music in everything around him . . . car horns, construction workers, grass blowing in a field. He is an orphan, and he feels that his parents gave him the music, and they can hear it, too. He believes if he can learn how to play it, they will hear him and know he is theirs. It is so beautiful to watch! I hope you like it as much as me. :-)

On a brighter note

Spring is in the air! The sun is peeking through the clouds this morning, and I've just had another yummy English muffin and snacked on some fresh strawberries. It's finally starting to get exciting again to browse the produce section. I had to stop myself from literally jumping with joy when I walked in the grocery store the other day and saw grapes for $1 per pound!!! They've been around $4 per pound for a while now, and I really love grapes. The cantaloupes are also starting to look better, so I picked up one of those. My husband can eat an entire cantaloupe in one sitting, but he is usually kind enough to share. :-)
It's funny, I didn't like cantaloupe at all when I was younger. I loved honeydew, but my palate never quite accepted the heavy sweetness of cantaloupe. Now, I can't get enough, but I still don't like combinations that include it, because it ovewhelms anything it touches.
Things are starting to bloom around here, too. Forgotten crocuses are popping up in unusual places all over town, and my Japanese plum tree is covered in pink flowers. Soon the tulips will be arriving in all their glory, and it will be time for the Tulip Festival again.
I suppose I should get away from the computer now and be productive. :-) Haleigh has a birthday party today, I have rehearsal, and the hubby has a pile of homework. Time to get started!

Oh, Atlanta

I've just seen the news about the tornado that ripped through downtown Atlanta. So far there are no injuries or deaths reported, and for that I am very happy. It was surreal to see the footage of the Omni Hotel and CNN center. I stayed there a little while back for a conference, in one of the rooms that faced the Olympic Centennial Park - the side that was basically ripped off by the wind. I shopped and had lunch in the glass-domed atrium, which appeared to be hit hard. BUT, what no one has mentioned yet is the fact that the neighbor of this building is the AQUARIUM! It is right next door, also bordering the park. I haven't heard a word about any damage there. I suppose I will keep watching CNN until I can make sure all the animals are ok.

Friday Funk

I've been out of sorts for a while now. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I've just been in a little bit of a funk. The insomnia issue didn't help matters, and I've just had a lack of motivation that is disturbing. It's not that I'm depressed, and I really have no reason to feel this way. I've "de-stressed" myself quite a bit, my husband enjoys his job, my child is doing well in school, I have two dogs and a kitty who valiantly offer themselves up for petting to help me produce more happy endorphins, and I'm FINALLY getting to do a musical. I even got the LEAD in that musical, which made me feel FANTASTIC! I live in a beautiful place and I enjoy getting out and enjoying the area. On average, things are pretty darn pleasant.

But somewhere in the back of my brain is this nagging little thing that just makes me feel "blah" sometimes. Part of it is the fact that my body has just done a nosedive on me. Things just change as you get older. Ugh. I said older. I am by no means a big person, and a lot of people mistakenly assume that since my overall size is not large, I must be in shape. Not so! There are parts of me that put Droopy to shame, LOL! It dawned on me that this could very well be related to the "funk" I'm in. I think that it is time for me to take better care of myself. It's hard to be mentally healthy if you're suffering physically.

So, yesterday I went to the grocery store and filled my cart with lots of colorful fruits and veggies, along with some whole grains and healthy snacks. Oh, and the Marshmallow Mateys for my hubby . . . but that's a whole other story. I started my day with a whole grain English muffin and all natural marion-blackberry jam. I had a snack of pears (in juice, not syrup!) with low-fat cottage cheese. I've not eaten a single thing with processed sugar, and I gotta tell ya . . . I can already tell a difference. This is the first day in a long time that I haven't desperately longed for a mid-afternoon nap.

So, this is the new change I'm embracing. When I started this blog, lots of things were changing in my life. I'm excited to see where this one is going to take me.

Things, Part 6

Things I LOVE: fond childhood memories . . . . those little orange juice cartons at Burger King . . . . the occasional rainy day with no big plans . . . . carousels! (especially like the one above where Haleigh's riding a mermaid horse and I'm riding a walrus!!!)

Things I do NOT love: SPAM comments on my blog!!! Seriously??? Must they invade every aspect of our internet experience???

We were able to get this picture because little miss tiger was in temporary housing that had a nice warm spot near the glass. Usually there are monkeys swinging around this particular location, but they had been relocated over with the anoas to make room for the lady. Why? Because this guy didn't play nice.

It seems they tried to introduce the lady to the gentleman, and he didn't feel very receptive. He just wanted her gone, even if he had to take her out himself. They shot him with bean bags until he retreated and they could get her out safely. I was very curious about the use of bean bags, and I listened to the handler explaining to someone else that they couldn't sedate either of them with a dart. When their adrenaline is so high, the dart might not even work. If it does, it might work in one tiger faster than the other, leaving that tiger vulnerable to attack without the ability to defend itself.

What I want to know is . . . who came up with the idea of bean bags? Was it an accidental discovery, or did they do testing to see if it would work?

"Hey, Bob, go over there and piss that tiger off. I'm going to throw some bean bags at him to see if it stops him when he attacks you. Okey-dokey, Bob? Bob? Hey, Bob, where ya going?"

Sign o' the times

The other day I used the word "catalog" in a conversation with my daughter. Now, she's heard the word before but it grabbed her attention this time. You see, she's my little budding linguist - she likes words and their meanings. I could see her rolling this one around in her brain, and apparently she decided to figure out if it was two words combined into one. She asked me if "cata" was a word, because "log" is a word- you know, you "log" onto Disney.com or "log" out of nickjr.com.

I thought it was funny that this was the first definition for "log" that came to her mind, so I asked if she could think of any other meanings. She thought for a minute and said "umm, science log?"

I had to remind her that a log can also be found in nature. Apparently I need to get this kid out in the woods more.

What???

I just looked at the weather channel . . . and it's predicting SNOW next weekend. What??? I've been wearing short-sleeved shirts for a little while now, with a sweater thrown on if it's chilly at night. Now we're going to get snow?? I've learned that the weather prediction changes by the hour around here, so I'm not going to hold my breath about this one. I just can't believe it's even in the forecast!

Of Cabbages and Kings

"The time has come" the Walrus said
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes, and ships, and sealing wax -
Of cabbages, and kings - And why the sea is boiling hot, and whether pigs have wings."

THESE guys are the belugas' neighbors at the zoo. They won my heart and became my new favorite. I have never really seen a walrus up close. The last time we visited the zoo, there was only one big male walrus named ET, and he was sick so he was not out. I was pretty disappointed, but I didn't really know what I was missing. They have recently added two female walruses, and it is HILARIOUS to watch them swimming around. They are so graceful to be such enormous funny-looking things. I found myself imagining them in Wonderland with Alice and a carpenter friend, trying to convince all the little oysters to come on a stroll with them.

Shhh, don't tell anybody

We let Haleigh skip school today. Since her dad's days off are Tuesday and Wednesday it was one of the only ways to plan a family outing, so off we headed to the zoo! Haleigh's favorite? The beluga whales. She made great friends with this one:

She called him over to her, and I am not kidding you - it looked like he swam right up to her and said "hi". Maybe she has her grandmother's magic ability to communicate with these creatures.

We had to make a visit to the belugas again on the way out, and I honestly didn't think she would move from this spot.

Act One, Scene One

Last night we had one of our first "real" rehearsals for The Pajama Game. We've mostly been working on learning the music up to this point, but last Sunday we began blocking a big picnic scene. Blocking is when the director places everyone on the stage, and we learn how all the movement will happen as the lines are said - entrances, exits, reactions, scenes within the scene, etc. - and in the case of a musical it includes choreography, as well. It was so exciting to see everyone getting into character, and I started to remember why I like musicals so much to begin with. They are fun!!!!! I can only imagine how the energy level will go up as we memorize our lines get and more comfortable with our roles.

Last night was also pretty exciting because I finally got a leading man! We've not had a "Sid" in the cast yet and I was starting to get worried. The person originally considered for the role wasn't able to coordinate with his work schedule. The director kept telling me not to worry, but I had started threatening to make a cardboard cut-out love interest! I'm very happy that I will not have to dance and sing with a puppet! LOL

I also hope

he gets to see some of these guys!

By now

my husband is hanging out around here - the summit of Mt. Ellinor. I hope the clouds have broken for him to see the spectacular view down over Lake Cushman and out to see the mountain peaks all around you, including Rainier and Baker. He may be on his way back down now, and I hope the weather has held up for him and he stays safe. I will admit . . . I'm a bit anxious to see him home in one piece! :-)