A Sensible Dinner - Pearlieq's Journal

[Lesli54]

Good morning, Pearlieq!

"After nap" munchies, I don't have the slightest clue what you are refering to.

At least you made it through the day without going overboard. Hey, I have noticed that you haven't had too many late night meals, which is really good and goes a long way towards that control that you are wanting.

I hope you get all of your last minute details wrapped up quickly so that you can have a short breather before you leave. Have a wonderful, wonderful day!

 

[Lesli54]

Good morning, Pearlieq!

Great job on downsizing your Chinese takeout. I never can understand the wait at the DMV and I know ours is not near as busy as yours.

I hope you have a good flight and enjoy your vacation!

 

[pearlieq]

7/26/06

7:00am

--1/2 egg & cheese pita
--piece of an almond croissant

Well, we were up with the dawn and had a smooth trip to the airport. We got through security and got some breakfast. I stopped at this restaurant called Pegasus and got a breakfast pita. It was amazing!!! The pita bread was perfectly fresh & chewy. I was getting kind of full after half and DH was still hungry after his sandwich, so I gave it to him to finish.

9:30am

--1 small packet dried fruit
--1 packet cheese crackers

In flight snacks. The flight was smooth and dull, as usual. We caught a little turbulence with the storms, but nothing too bad.

11:30am

--1/2 of a South Beach bar

I was starving! I'm also never, never using Alamo again! Both this time and last they were very short on cars and left us waiting in the sweltering Vegas heat while they brought more up. Then we came to find that the mini SUV we ordered was too high off the ground for my mom to get in. I had to troop back in and get them to reassign me to another car type, only to find there was about a 20-person wait for those cars. I was about near tears at that point--the whole thing was just so frustrating and unpleasant!

Mercifully the car attendant knew we had already waited for the SUV and took pity on mom in her chair and bumped us to the head of the line for the new car. Finally we could get on our way and have some fun!

**gotta go! more later**

12:15pm

--1/2 of a small creamed salmon amuse bouche
--2 smallish pieces french bread w/butter
--1 grilled chicken & boursin panini w/fingerling chips & green salad

Lunch at the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Everyone was so nice to us and they got us a beautiful table overlooking the fountains at Bellagio. As it turns out, they don't run the fountain show until the afternoon, but we got a lucky break--they were testing and cleaning the fountains so we got to see the whole routine, plus all the scuba divers down below working. It was really neat!

2:30pm

--1 individual raspberry cheesecake

We were going to go get crepes for dessert, but we got sidetracked by the patisserie. Oh darn. I had the lovely cheesecake, DH had a wonderful sugar free coconut mousse, and my mom had this incredible raspberry cake! Afterwards we walked around a bit more and even happened to stumble into some can-can dancers in the casino. Soon enough though we were all tired and ready to get back to our hotel.

When we got to the Luxor, the check in line wasn't too bad, and I felt kind of guilty when the attendant saw mom's wheelchair and ushered us straight to the front. There was really no reason we couldn't have waited in the line, but it was a nice gesture. We got set up with rooms right next door to each other.

We're on the 9th floor, but don't really have much of a view. I can see the back of Excalibur, the highway, and the mountains off in the distance. The room itself is quite nice, though. It's VERY big--it has 2 queen beds on one wall and an entertainment center flanked by two large armoires on the other wall. There's at least a good 5 feet of clearance between the bed and the armoires. The bathroom has a large shower and a deep soaking tub. Heaven!

Once we were settled, DH went to play poker, and I fell fast asleep!

10:00pm

--1/2 turkey dinner
--several forkfuls of DH's lasagna

After naps and showers, we got around and made our way to Caesar's to see Elton John. I was very happy with our seats. We were about halfway up the rear orchestra, and all the way to the right. I was a little concerned because Elton sits on the left, but we were high up enough to have a great vantage point. He really puts on a good show. He cracks jokes and makes a point to get up and wave to each section of the auditorium.

The music and videos were beautiful as always. I think my mom really liked it. Unfortunately my stomach had been feeling a little iffy that afternoon and it bothered me during the show, so I missed a bit. They actually pipe the show all through the theater, though, so I didn't have to totally miss out.

Once the show was over, we hauled over to the Augustus Cafe. We got a really nice table overlooking the lobby, so the people watching was fun. There was this one gentleman in a suit who walked around and around the fountian in the lobby carrying a little notebook. We couldn't figure out what he was doing, but everytime we looked up, there he was!

The food was great, and soon we were all full and tired, so we hauled all the way back, by way of the gift shop, and retrieved the car to go home. I was out like a light that night!

 

[Lesli54]

Good afternoon, Pearlieq!

Glad to see that you arrived safe and sound. Way to go on getting rid of breakfast when you realized you were full!

Ok, so your car nightmares proved to be a slight glich and much frustration when you actually got to Vegas..........but I am sure the rest of the trip will be fine.

Looking forward to hearing more! ENJOY and have a great time!

 

[Lesli54]

Good morning, Pearlieq!

Just stopping by to see if you are having fun on your vacation. Don't do too much gambling, well, unless you are going to win.

Hopefully, you aren't dying in the heat, I guess it is supposed to be pretty hot this weekend back here.

Take care!

 

[pearlieq]

7/27/06

6:00am

--1/2 South Beach bar

I woke up starving! A little snack helped, but I was up for good afterwards. Still on Chicago time, I guess. I mostly just flipped channels until everyone else was ready to go.

9:30am

--eggs benedict
--1 watermelon wedge
--1 1/2 pancakes w/sf syrup

Breakfast at Mr. Lucky's at the Hard Rock Hotel. They really do have a nice cafe. The food is always so tasty!

Traveling with mom in a wheelchair sure has opened my eyes to a differnet perspective. I can't believe how strangely people behave, and I'm sure I've done it myself. My mom most notices when people don't look at her or address DH and I instead of her. I notice all of the indulgent smiles directed her way or how fast people jump out of the way and apologize if they get within 2 feet of us. Plus I find myself checking every doorway for automatic doors. The Hard Rock didn't have them and I'm thinking that's got to be very irritating. If you're on your own you can't just walk out--you have to wait for someone to come open the door. I can't believe they can get away with that in this day & age. It's quite undignified.

11:00am

--1 chocolate caramel
--1 vanilla cream

After breakfast we headed up to the Ethel M chocolate factory in Henderson. They have lovely cactus gardens, which we toured. It was a bit of challenge to push through, but my mom enjoyed it, so that's what counts.

After the gardens we went into the M&M shop and through the factory tour. There wasn't too much to see in the factory, but there were free samples, so I was happy! I got some souveniers for the neighbor kids and my mom got some things to take home.

After the factory, we headed up to the Rio to see the vendor expo for the World Series of Poker. DH was really excited about getting up there and getting some of the merchandise. There was also quite a bit of swag to be had, some of it quite nice. I got a picture and autograph from Grey Raymer, who won the tournament a few years back. DH got his picture with a couple of pros and authors and was in poker heaven.

Of course, my mom loves collecting stuff, so she kept wanting to charge around the whole room. She insisted I pull her up to one booth, which turned out to be hawking the "naugty calendar" for a poker website. We had fun teasing her about that one. After a couple of hours, we realized we'd better leave if we were going to catch our afternoon show.

3:00pm

--1 na strawberry daquiri

We made it over to Harrah's and we even got comp certificates for the Mac King Comedy Magic Show. With the certificate the show is "free" if you buy a drink for $9. Still, the show is worth it even at full price. Mac is such a funny guy and very talented magician. He does a lot of really cool gags.

What's neat to see is that he's really a pro. He brought a woman up on stage for a card trick. He had her pick a card and told her to write her name on it so we'd know it's hers. Well, the lady wrote her name on the back of the card! That, of course, totally derailed the trick and might have flustered some performers, but he went along with it and made it side-splittingly funny! We had a great time.

5:30pm

--1 veggie burger w/mozzarella on a wheat bun
--zucchini fries w/ranch
--part of a nsa gelato

Dinner at the Burger Bar. Such a great, great, great restaurant! I keep wanting to try other things, but can never bear to part with my beloved veggie burger. It's just so tasty. The zucchini fries are out of this world!!!

After dinner we got gelato and tried to figure out what to do for the evening. DH wanted to go play poker, and my mom had heard about the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay and wanted to check it out, so we headed that way.

The Shark Reef was quite a physical challenge. Not only was it all the way on the far side of Mandalay Bay (over a mile away), but the first half of the exhibit was set up with a whole bunch of ramps. The viewing area was right in the middle of the ramp, so I'd have to try to hold my mom up while she looked at the animals and listened to the audio tour. I found myself getting very tired, hot, dehydrated, and crabby while we were in there. I feel guilty about it now (naturally...) but it just wasn't a great experience for me. On the upside, though, I think mom liked it and that's really what this trip is mostly about.

9:00pm

--1 small tangerine tea smoothie

We stopped at Starbucks on the way back to the Luxor. The rest and drink did me a world of good--I was in much better spirits. I really need to watch out for myself. While I want everything to be perfect and hassle-free for my mom, I need to be more assertive about my own needs. No need to sacrifice myself on the altar of her good time. Plus, my mom isn't a very empathic person in the first place, and I think I just make it worse when I'm complicit in not acknowledging my needs.

We played checkers while we had our drinks then did a little shopping on the way back to our room. Again, I slept pretty hard. I remember DH coming in at some ungodly hour, but other than that I was out.

 

[pearlieq]

7/28/06

9:00am

--sliced pineapple and melon
--1/2 cheddar/bacon/broccoli omelet
--1/2 slice bacon
--2 pieces of toast with butter & jam
--2 or 3 bites hash browns.

We got up this morning and headed to Bellagio. Breakfast at the cafe was lovely--it's a beautiful room and we got a spot overlooking the pool. My omelet was icky but the toast was superb.

I woke up kind of tired and cranky today. If I'm being strictly honest I'm getting a bit of mom-fatigue. I tend to like moving quickly and unencumbered and my mother is the very antithesis of that. I'm kind of glad that we're going home tomorrow. While we've had fun and I'm glad we did this, I'm ready to be done.

Prime example of why I'm getting mom-fatigue. This morning at the Bellagio I really had to go to the washroom. Mom was just checking out at the gift shop, and of course as soon as I mentioned I had to go, she had to go too and wanted me to wait for her (can I mention that I haven't gone to the washroom by myself in 3 days...) So then I have to come back in and hold it while I wait for her to get her change, wait for her to meticulously arrange her change in her wallet, then have her sit there and look at me expectantly like I'm going to carry her package even though I'm already pushing her around, then make our way to the washroom, wait for her to fuss with her chair, work herself up, and shuffle into the washroom. I could have been done and back before she'd left the shop! I know some of it is not her fault, but it's just wearing me down a bit.

I do care about my mom and want to help her (within reason), but I feel like she'd go way too far if you'd let her. I think she'd happily just suck the life right out of me if I didn't stop her. She treated me like an indentured servant when I was a kid, and I don't think she'd have any problem going right back there. Plus, I'm still so sensitive about going back to anything like how it was when I was a kid that I'm super sensitive to any demands she puts on me. So then I have to fight to balance her needs and my needs and of course the incredibly guilt that comes with anything involving my mother.

I do think, despite all the issue that are coming up, we're doing pretty well on this trip. We're managing, which is I suppose the best we can ask.

1:45pm

--1/2 order of orange popcorn chicken
--1 chicken caesar wrap
--1 side of fruit
--few bites mom's and DH's entrees

After the Bellagio we headed up to the Venetian. We volunteered to watch and rate a TV show for a research firm. The show was a dud, but it was still fun to do and we got $10 for our efforts. Afterwards we wandered around a bit. I hate to say it, but I was pretty cranky. I'm very tired and still having a bit of mom-fatigue. We decided lunch was a good idea.

We went over to New York, New York to eat at their coffee shop, America. It's a really great restaurant in Vegas (the DC isn't nearly as good) and they have a very cool 3-D mural of the US that spans the restaurant. The orange chicken was delicious and my wrap was fine. Mom's entree was really good--I got a few pieces of it when she was done. She ordered dessert, but I really didn't need any so I passed.

After lunch it was straight back to the Luxor. DH went to go play poker, I dropped mom off at her room, and came back to my room to nap. Unfortunately, the TV is broken in our room. I left a note for housekeeping and they didn't do anything about it, and when I got back to the room it was making a bizarre thumping noise. I called down and they said they'd send someone up. An hour later and no sign of anyone--meanwhile no nap and an hour worth of thumping. I called again and they said that engineering was really busy and they'd try to get someone up soon. They offered to switch my rooms, but who wants to pack up everything after two days and change rooms? Finally they asked if I'd unplugged the TV. I tried it and at least it stopped the gol-darned thumping!!! Now I'm supposed to call them again when we leave and allegedly someone would fix it. I'm pretty ticked, but at least now I can nap!!

5:00pm

--1 small chocolate bar

I had one of the dark chocolate raspberry cream bars I picked up at Ethel M's. Yum! I had the nap-munchies again, even though I really didn't get much sleep.

10:00pm

--Mirage buffet

We made our way over to the Mirage and looked around a bit before picking up our tickets and heading to the show. Luckily the gift shop was pretty uncrowded so mom got to go through all of it. I know what you mean about navigating stores, Lesli! There's so many tight corners and obstacles, though I will say we've done pretty well. There haven't been too many places we couldn't get to.

We got ourselves seated in the theater, which was very, very comfortable, and passed the time before the show began. The show, of course, was amazing!!! It's just as breathtaking the second time as the first.

After the show we went over to the buffet, because I had heard it was good. We were told they'd be closing soon, but were still allowed in. I took mom around to the stations, which was quite the challenge, while DH sat at the table and got frustrated because we were running out of time to get something to eat before the stations closed. I can understand his frustration, but what was I supposed to do? I got mom and her food back to the table and DH and I ran through to get food. Unfortunately, he wasn't really crazy about the offerings, but I found enough to eat. I felt a little guilty (surprise, surprise) for having rushed mom through the buffet, but I think she got enough to eat in the end.

After the meal, we were all good and tired, so we went back to the hotel and straight to bed.

 

[Lesli54]

Good morning, Pearlieq!

Glad to see that you are surviving Las Vegas - heat, food, and mom.

Having a wheelchair around really does give you a different perspective. I agree, people do look at you strange, avoid you, or they choose to wait on you instead of the person in front of you which I find to be very rude. Nice gesture, but I don't think that it is so nice towards others. In an emergency, I can understand it, but otherwise? People in chairs don't have the plague and are not go to spasm out on the spot (usually), so just treat them like you would someone else.

Then of course there are the mechanics. Most places are really not "wheelchair" accessible. They are "handicap" accessible which allows them to get by, but it doesn't mean they have room for a wheelchair, which is very sad. We have seen a brand new McD's whose outside door would barely fit the wheelchair and then the inside door was so offset that you would have to lift and turn the wheelchair quite a few times to try to even get in. Oh and Texas Roadhouse has all of the tables so crowded together that you couldn't get a wheelchair in there and still have room for the staff to get around. Biaggi's is great though, very spacious, accessible from the parking lot to the bathrooms.

Department stores are a joke. Sure you can get in the door, up the elevators, and down the main aisles, but that is about all. Try to get in amongst the racks of clothes, islands of bedding or housewares. Next to impossible. Of course a salesperson will be more than happy to help you.......but first you have to find one and then you better know exactly what you need in the back corner, which you haven't seen yet because you can't get back there. I shouldn't have gotten started, but I understand your frustration.

At least your mom can get out of the chair to get to the restroom. Imagine the extra frustration you would have if you had to find a bathroom that actually fits a wheelchair comfortably so that you can work around helping someone to the restroom. That is a whole other issue and really makes you look around at some of these bathrooms. You feel sad for the people who have to struggle with too small of a space.

Enough ranting. I am just glad that you are having a good time despite the fatigue. You are so smart to have made this trip with your mom a short one.

OH.....I forgot. Congrats on passing dessert. I think you are really navigating the meals fairly well.

Have a good flight home.

 

[pearlieq]

7/29/06

8:30am

--1 egg mcmuffin

We have breakfast plans at 10:00, but I'm starving now and don't really want to spend the next several hours with hunger pangs. I imagine this 300 calories will save me untold more at breakfast when I can walk down there without being a raving, starving crazy person.

We're doing our final packing this morning. I think we're just going to do breakfast and some shopping before heading to the airport. As usual, I'm having my mixed end of vacation feelings. Part of me is ready to be home, but part of me wants to stay more.

Plus, as always, there's my layers and layers of mom-related guilt. Did she have a good time? Did I rush her too much or treat her disrespectfully? Was she very hurt when I was cranky? Am I wrong to think that sometimes she goes too far? Am I a horrible person to be conflicted about the idea that some of her problems are her "fault"? Guilt, guilt, guilt, guilt, guilt.

I definitely agree with you, Lesli. This is about the perfect length for a trip. Long enough to have fun, but not so long that things really start to deteriorate. I think we timed this right.

10:20am

--Luxor breakfast buffet

I actually didn't eat too much. I only took one plate and only finished about 1/2 to 2/3 of what was on it, plus a glass of milk. I've noticed in the last couple days that I've been getting full sooner than I remember, which is fine by me.

After breakfast DH went up to play a bit more poker and mom and I went shopping around the hotel. Noon came up quickly and it was time to head to the airport!

2:00pm

--1 light mango smoothie

I was hot and exhausted when I got this! The airport was kind of an ordeal. They didn't have skycaps, so I had to try to figure out how to maneuver mom and all of our bags through the check-in while DH returned the rental car. I wound up having to "park" mom near the desks with the luggage while I got in line. Then we tried to get through the airport, but there was something wrong with the wheelchair--one of the wheels kept grinding like the brake was on. It was so hard to push! I thought I was going to die going up the last set of ramps toward the gate. Once we got to the gate I realized the handbrake had been engaged to lock the right wheel. We didn't even know it could do that! I'm glad it wasn't something seriously wrong, but still!

6:30pm

--1 pkt ritz cracker sandwiches
--1 pkt oreo thin crisps
--1 sm pkt dried fruit

Snack box on the plane. I wasn't really hungry--mostly bored, but I don't think there is a person alive who passes up the snack box on the plane.

The flight was quite smooth and I even slept for about 90 minutes (yay!). Once we got back into Chicago there was the normal hassle of getting off the plane, juggling the luggage, getting everyone to the washroom, and getting to the car, but we got there, minus a small detour on the wrong road. It's so great to be home!!!

10:00pm

--1/2 salad w/ranch
--2 sm pieces brown bread w/butter
--1 grilled chicken breast
--steamed veggies w/oil or butter

DH and mom were hungry, so we stopped at Outback on the way home for dinner. My meal was OK, but I took half of the chicken home for later. We were all really, really tired by then.

After our meal we made the rest of the trip home. DH and I got mom and all of her things settled at home. I could tell she was really tired and in pain. I hope she gets some good rest.

DH and I were home a few minutes later. Something seemed amiss at home because the cats were right there to greet us. Then I noticed their food bowl was bare and they were very hungry! I fed them and went looking for other clues to what was going on. Our neighbor only brought in one day worth of mail--the rest was still in the box. The fountain looked full and the litterbox looked like it had been scooped either the day before or early that morning. So I don't know if the kitty sitter just forgot to come by today or came very early or what. Either that or they just wolfed down all of their food and wanted more. I'd feel so awful if they had gone hungry. I think we're going to buy automatic feeders so this can't happen again. We saw a good looking one in the Skymall catalog.

Off to bed!

 

[pearlieq]

7/30/06

10:00am

--1 LC peanut chicken entree
--1/2 cup peas
--1 cup milk

I slept in for quite a while this morning! DH is still upstairs snoozing away. Today's projects are to find a new kitchen sink, start laundry, and catch up a little on work. It's so nice to be home!

1:00pm

--2 scoops taco casserole
--sm handful baby carrots
--1 plum
--1 cup milk

As it turns out, neither DH nor I have much ambition today. We were hungry, so I wound up thowing this casserole together. I had some leftover rice from the Chinese before we left, so that got mixed together with cream of chicken soup, black beans, and the rest of my taco meat. Some salsa, cheese, and a few crushed tortilla chips on top and it came out pretty good.

I think we're going to skip sink shopping today--we're going to push the templating appointment to next week anyway. I just have too much going on for work this week.
********************************

Well, the rest of the day wasn't that stellar. It wasn't a total train wreck, just lots and lots of disordered eating. Mostly from boredom/lack of structure during the day.

Things I remember eating:

--seconds of taco casserole
--2 sm chocolate bars
--2 nsa pudding cups
--large handful raisin bran
--pizza & cheesy bread for dinner
--late snack of more taco casserole

I think that might be it. Way more, of course, than I needed!

 

[pearlieq]

7/31/06

No food yet this morning. I'm kind of groggy and moving slow. I've got some work things I must get done this morning, so it's going to be fairly busy.

10:30am

--1 sm bowl raisin bran
--the last scoop of taco casserole

Well, I think I've finally come around a bit. I'm less groggy at least. I've got some work to get done this afternoon, but I'm actually feeling pretty good.

In happy news, I called up Member Services and booked our room for our January trip. We're staying in a 1-bedroom at OKW. I'm so excited!

4:00pm

--1 chicken breast
--large handful baby carrots w/1 T rf ranch
--1 mini ww bagel w/1 T neufchatel cheese
--1 yogurt cup

Hungry again. So far it's been a productive day work-wise. I even got some dishes done and made some phone calls. Yay.

DH called with bad news. His mom's back in the ICU with congestive heart failure--she was short of breath this morning and her sister took her in. 2 doors down is his grandma, who just broke her hip after being released less than a week ago for some pulmonary emboli. I don't know if he/we are heading there or what. I just hope everything is OK. His mom has already had 2 or 3 heart attacks--I can't remember which.

6:00pm

--100 cal bag popcorn

A little something to take the edge off the munchies while I prepare dinner...

6:45pm

--1/3 turkey sausage
--1/2 box macaroni & cheese made w/light butter
--1/2 can green beans
--1/2 apple
--1 cup milk

Wow--quite the fractional dinner, eh? I honestly could have gotten away with less mac & cheese. It looked like a lot on the plate. Maybe I'll suck it up and go back to buying the overpriced smaller boxes of supermac & cheese. We'll see.

If anyone remembers the pit bull that found it's way to our house on July 3rd, we finally met his owners today! His name is Buster, and they live down the street and around the corner from us. It turns out they got him back on July 5th, so he wasn't gone too long. I'm so glad to know he's home and healthy! He was such a sweet boy.

9:45pm

--2 pieces cheese pizza
--1/2 order cheesy bread
--1/2 20oz bottle Coke

Huh. I don't feel nearly as bad about this as I think I "should". So far what I've got going for me was that I was honestly hungry when I had this, I was really craving it, enjoyed it thoroughly, and stayed pretty well in control (as evidenced by saving 1/2 of my Coke and 1/2 of my pizza).

Would a nutritionist recommend this. Probably not. But I'm not quite ready to crucify myself for it either.

12:15pm

--2 pieces cheese pizza
--the rest of my Coke
--1 nsa pudding cup

Now that WAS just completely unnecessary. DH stayed up late playing poker and I stayed up with him. After a while I got the munchies again. Not exactly how I planned to end my night!

 

[toystoryduo]

Hi pearlieq~

Welcome back! It sounds like your trip to Vegas was good. I'm sorry to hear about the troubles with Alamo... We've made reservations with them for Sept. and Dec. I'm hoping that we don't have any problems. (We usually use National.)

Have a great week!

 

[pearlieq]

8/1/06 - Hello August!

9:00am

--leftover turkey sausage
--1 c. raisin bran w/a little milk (ran out!)

Another slow start today. It feels like I've been up forever and it's only 9:30. I've got something I've got to finish for work today, but there's a technical issue hanging me up, so I'm stuck in wait mode. Oh well. I know it will get taken care of.

3:40pm

--1 lc florentine chicken
--1 ww mini bagel w/1 T neufchatel and 2 t. jam
--1 apple

Has it really been all day since I've eaten? I'm trying to think back, but I swear I haven't eaten anything else. I guess I must still be full from midnight pizza!

There is something wrong with our yard. It's been hot here, and of course it's baking, but there are these random brown spots popping up in the front. It looks like crop circles. I haven't the foggiest idea what they are? I also think we have some crabgrass going in the front, so I guess I'll have to go get some spray for that too. Ugh! Lawns are so much work, especially for something that's supposed to be DH's job! If he gets a good raise next year I think I'm going to hire a lawn service for the summer!

Thanks for asking about MIL, Tracy. I haven't heard form DH, so I'm operating on the assumption that no news is good news! I told him we could go out there for the weekend, so we'll see what happens.

6:45pm

--1 barbecued chicken breast
--1 c whole wheat stuffing
--1/2 can peas
--1/2 can low carb fruit cocktail

8:00pm

--1 bowl light ice cream

I think I figured out what the crop cicles are. I think they're nitrogen burns from the fertilizer we put down last week. I tried soaking them down a little--hopefully that helps it dissolve a little.

I think we're in for a quiet night here.

 

[toystoryduo]

Good morning pearlieq~

Happy August! I hope that this a great month for you!

Any news on your DH's mom? We will be keeping his mom and your family in our thoughts and prayers.

Hope you have a good day today!

 

[pearlieq]

8/3/06

DH and I wound up doing something we hadn't done is a long time yesterday. We both played hooky from work and just kind of shut the world out and enjoyed goofing off for the day. It was great and I'm so glad we did it. It was a tradition that started in college but it's been ages since we've done it!

We had some AMAZING storms this morning! The kind that wake you up at 4:00am and have you praying the windows hold. Tons of wind, sheets of rain, thunder & lightning. What cracks me up is that even during our heatwave a few of my neighbors have been watering, watering, watering their lawns. Yes, they looked all lush and green, but today mine looks exactly like theirs--for free!

No big plans today. DH is going to a business dinner, so I got time to myself. Lane Bryant sent out a $15 off $15 coupon, so I might have to go to the mall and try to use that. I might check and see if one of my girlfriends can meet me there, but I think it's a longshot given her busy schedule lately.

Other than that, grocery shopping, laundry, and few things for work. I'm a wild lady!

9:30am

--1/2 cup leftover stuffing
--1 small nsa cookie

Well that's the breakfast of champions, eh?

1:00pm

--2 light hot dogs
--1/2 cup cottage cheese
--1 apple

Well, I made it through the grocery store. I wound up with a lot of treats, which is OK, I just didn't realize how much I had grabbed until I got to the checkout.

My neighbor has been sick for a few days and her kids seem to be getting a little stir-crazy, so I think I'm going to take them out later this afternoon. Unfortunately, my friend can't get together for dinner tonight. I think I might go to the library and then swing by my favorite Chinese restaurant.

 

[Lesli54]

Good morning, Pearlieq!

Glad to see that you survived the storms. I was wondering if our windows were going to hold as well, especially considering that DH has now removed the majority of the storm windows in preparation for the new windows. But, other than a branch littered yard, we survived.

Sorry to hear about your DH's family. I hope that things will get better soon.

Other than that, I think you did great on food yesterday! Keep up the good work.

 

[toystoryduo]

Hi pearlieq,

It sounds like you and your DH had a great time playing hooky from work! Sometimes, you just need to take a break and have fun!

How's your DH's mom doing? We're still keeping her in our prayers....

Hope you have a great weekend!

 

[Lesli54]

Good morning, Pearlieq!

I hope that you managed to get to the library last night. It sounds very relaxing, especially after kid sitting.

Here's hoping that your weekend is a good one and that you can keep control of the extras from shopping.

 

[pearlieq]

8/4/06

Well today was a disaster from start to finish. I'm not sure I had one proper meal during the day, just snack after snack!

I didn't even get out of my PJ's until 6:30pm--not good!

At least toward the end of the day I got it together and did my baking for the pet shelter bake sale this weekend. I had been too lazy to go to the grocery store, but I used my ingenuity and came up with Raisin Bran Bread, Peanut Butter Fudge, and Oat-Raisin scones, all from things I had in my pantry.

Here's to tomorrow being a better day!

Thanks so much, Tracy, for your thoughts and prayers for DH's family. His mom was released from the hospital yesterday. Unfortunately there isn't much they can do for her--there's too much scarring from her last bypass to operate. She's got a new medicine and is back in cardiac rehab. If she takes care of herself she should make a good recovery. If she doesn't, the doctor says she won't be with us much longer.

DH's grandmother didn't break her hip, as first reported. I guess she had some kind of spine problem that was bothering her, but the reason she wound up in the hospital was that she had collapsed. They were able to determine that it wasn't a heart attack, but congestive heart failure. She'll be in the hospital for a few more days.

 

[pearlieq]

8/5/06

Well, I was up with the dawn to go drop off the bake sale stuff. I'm back home now, but haven't gone for breakfast yet. I wonder how much longer DH will be asleep. Sometimes it's hard to tell whether to go ahead and fix myself something or try to wait until he wakes up.

9:20am

--1 sm bowl raisin bran

So after sitting here with painful hunger pangs for the last our, a glimmer of an idea occured to me. Why not go get a bowl of cereal??

It's crazy, but it just might work!

11:00am

--2 turkey burgers w/cheese
--large handful cherry tomatoes and baby carrots w/ranch
--3 or 4 strawberries

Wouldn't you know it, as soon as I got my cereal, DH started stirring. By the time we both got around and got our showers, I was hungry again. He made noises about going out for lunch, but I'm trying to tighten up our spending a bit to cover the countertops. Frugality is not something that automatically occurs to DH, so I have an uphill battle ahead of me.

3:30pm

--1/2 roll w/1 pkt butter
--1 bruschetta chicken sandwich
--2/3 of my fries

We caught an early matinee ($5!) of the new Will Farrell movie Talledega Nights. We both enjoyed it a lot--very funny, with spot-on casting and a Zoolander-esque absurdity.

After that, we went out and bought our sink. It's granite, with a large tub on the left, and a smaller work tub on the right. We just need to find a faucet now.

Once that was done, we checked out a new pub called Emmet's in Oswego. The food was good, but the service was quite slow and the prices were outrageous! I won't be in a rush to get back.

We spent a couple of hours at the library after we finished lunch. We had plans to see a free Reduced Shakespeare Company performance at a local park, but DH was pushing to go home instead. Maybe we'll make it back out later.

6:15pm

--a few sugar free cookies
--3/4 cup leftover fried rice

Hungry again! Murray's makes the wonderful sugar free cookies that are almost exactly like Thin Mints. They taste awesome!

8:40pm

--1/2 small spinach stuffed pizza
--2 Cokes

Well, the coke was a treat, but at least I successfully ordered the small pizza and stopped at half.

Alas, the Shakespeare show was a no-go. Just couldn't get DH motivated off the couch. Sometimes I forget that he has harder days than I do--he gets up fairly early, treks into the office, often goes around to different sites and sometimes even has to do physical work while installing, inspecting, and repairing equipment. His weekends truly are a break for him rather than more of the same for me.

This is probably the most decent day I've had in a while. I'll take it!