What Would Jen Do

Archive for March, 2008

It’s been busy around here, still. Since the weather has been so nice, it’s been the perfect time to get a lot of the outside things done around here. Or rather, have someone practically walk into your back yard unannounced and do it for you.

phase one

phase two    

finished

set up

new bushes

the dogs love running around over there, because for about 5 years, and voo’s whole life, that area has been off limits.    and of course now that it’s usable, it’s pretty much too hot to go out there and enjoy it.

I’ve settled into a fairly decent new weekday routine.   Everyone knows I hate change and that it takes me forever to adapt to anything new.   I get home hours later now that I work out at the gym and not at home, and a few things had to change.   Some things had to give and *GASP* i’m not cleaning as much midweek anymore.   Sometimes it kills me a little bit on the inside and leaves me feeling very manic about the entire situation.   But unless I have PMS, I’ll get over it.

I’ve pretty much stopped drinking soda, that was my second to last real vice in life.  I can’t remember the last time I had a diet coke.    I’m pretty sure I’m not going to be able to cut the morning coffee out because i still have a nasty caffeine addiction, I’m just trying to lessen the pain and drink caffeine only in the mornings.    So when i have indulged in a soda it’s been sprite zero.   But now that i can’t stop thinking about it, i might have to go ahead and have a diet coke today.

Last night we went out for a friends birthday to a bar that features a mechanical bull.   It’s very fun to watch your friends get spun around and thrown off, but not as much fun to watch drunk girls in tube tops, frat boys with something to prove, and tiny cowboys who take it way too seriously.  ok, maybe that was a little fun.   and seriously, what is up with the tube tops?

By the time we left there was a line to get in.    I have never been to a club that had a line outside.   I’m sure that when we left, 2 people were very grateful that they could now get in.

We’re way too old and set in our ways to do the bar scene anymore.   It was too loud, we didn’t feel like shouting to talk to anyone and by 10:30 I was checking the time and wondering if it was too early to leave.   The one real good thing about nights like that is getting to see people you sometimes haven’t seen in a year.

this is for P Hizzle

click the word ‘this’, up there, because it’s a link.

pay close attention to the stain.

Happy St. Pats Day

I got a bonus at work, so for the first time in my life i splurged on myself. a real one. not the $7 lip gloss vs. the $2. I had to hurry up and buy it and then run out of the store. I tend to talk myself out of spending money.

look, my table setting matches my purse!

I’m going to try two new recipes this week. Stuffed bell peppers and lemon bars. I’m not fully confident that I can cook either one of those things. It was just time to add something new into the dinner rotation. And as per the lemon bars, I made the mistake of letting Icey taste the ones a lady makes at work and then he demanded I get the recipe from her. So i could make them for him.

I went to the gym 4 days last week and i’m not ANY thinner!!!! This doesn’t seem fair. I did try out the eucalyptus steam room and it was pretty nice. And I’ve gotten much much better on the elliptical. Next I’ll try to conquer the stair climber, but those are almost always full, at least the ones near the TVs. I’ve started watching Law and Order while I work out.

i finally got my bed, lots more drama but the point is i got the bed. i choose not to discuss the rest. also, it weighs 300 lbs.

I am not very concerned with making it look pretty, I was hot and tired and cranky. And the mattress is so poofy and thick right now that the comforter barely fits, it’s barely hanging over the other side. and the comforter and shams were a Christmas present from Icey’s mom!!!

look at our old ghetto AC units!

and the pretty new ones.

also the hole and retaining wall are completely gone now!

before and after

it’s been a busy week at our house. I love it when things get done, even if Ipersonally don’t do them, it just makes me feel good to see things finished. like I can cross that off my list and i love my lists and the crossing off of things.

I also think I mastered the art of making spaghetti. once i figure out how to dry it properly, i’ll be taking orders.

obviously i need a pasta hanger drying thing. the ravioli was no bueno. tasted good but the dough was too thick. The filling was my own personal and secret recipe.

I did not have a very fun day yesterday all. I was supposed to get my new bed and confirmed with the delivery people that morning that they would be here, and then an hour before they’re scheduled to show up, they call and tell me two of the delivery guys got the flu. (yeah sure) so no bed. i asked if they could deliver wednesday and she said probably not. sonofabitch. i was so pissed. Apparently we are getting it friday, but when i said i needed a late delivery he made that noise people make when, yeah thats not gonna happen but i won’t say no I’ll just lead you on for a while.

maybe this wouldn’t have been a problem had i not removed the old bed from the bedroom and disassembled the frame and assembled the new frame all by myself! and then had to reverse the entire process when i found out, oh my god, no new bed. oh, and had i not taken the entire day off.

today we got new AC units for the house and we took the babies to day care. DAY CARE! it wasn’t for very long, it was about 5 hours max, and sometimes they spend that long being groomed. they didn’t seem to care when we dropped them off and also didn’t seem to care too much when we picked them up. at least now i’m not overly concerned about putting them in day care.

So I made Cat come to the gym with me and show me how things work and then after about half an hour of that, we left.  no working out!!!  I went back the next day and hopped on the treadmill and……….iPod dead.  TRAGEDY.  i sucked it up and did some time on the treadmill and then thought the stair climber looked fun and I was wrong.  Then I thought the elliptical would fun, but note to self, do not try to elliptical after doing the treadmill and stair climber.   20 minutes and i was out of there.  I did much better the next day.

spending that extra time at the gym is going to take some getting used to.  my house is a mess, I have to plan dinner the night before and i think my dogs are pretty sure i’m not coming home everyday, since i’m home so late.