I find dreams interesting, especially recurring dreams. I've never "studied" the meanings of dreams or anything. I know there are people who do that, and maybe it would tell me something about myself, who knows?
In my dream, I'm driving a car and the brakes go out. I'm usually driving down hill and trying unsuccessfully to stop the car. Sometimes it's a car, sometimes a truck, sometimes I'm in the city with a lot of other cars, sometimes in the country on a quiet road. That part varies, but the failing brakes is always the same. I press my foot as hard as I can on the brake and nothing happens. The vehicle gains speed and I try to find a place to crash where I'll do the least amount of damage. I've never actually crashed in my dreams. Sometimes I'm able to tell myself in the dream that it's only a dream. Other times I wake up in a panic and it feels very real.
I had this dream again last night. I was driving in a big parking lot, trying to find a parking space. Some kind of construction was going on and there were several large trucks driving through the parking lot. In some sections of the lot big ditches ran across, cutting off parking spots. In others, I had to steer around huge piles of gravel. I wasn't going very fast, but I couldn't stop the car to park. I'd see a space ahead and try to steer into it, but the car just wouldn't stop. Then I finally thought, "Maybe if I pump the brakes, the car will stop." And it did. For the first time ever in my recurring dream, I was able to stop the car!
I'm not really sure what this dream means, if anything. It seems to say something about being out of control. Maybe being able to stop the car means something, too. I'm not really sure, but I thought it was very interesting.
July 2015
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Let the Sunshine In!
OK, so maybe it wasn't actually Sunshine, but at least it's brighter in my kitchen. I just discovered that removing the screens from my kitchen windows lets a lot more light in! I don't know why I didn't think of this before today. For some strange reason, I decided to clean the screens this morning. My screens are on the insides of the windows (which I hate and if I was building my house over again would not choose) and when I took them off, the whole room lit up! Then I actually washed the windows, and it lit up even more! Now, if I only had a retractable roof on the back porch...
Sunday, January 25, 2009
25 Random Things
I got this off my friend Jen's Facebook page and thought it was interesting. I'm not quite up for the whole world reading 25 random things about me, so I'll post it here instead. These are the first 25 things about myself that popped into my head.
1. I'm trying to write a novel. I've been working on it for over 2 years and I'm maybe 1/2 way through the first draft. It's hard work, I don't know what I'm doing, but I love it!
2. I check my bank balance and transactions religiously every morning.
3. I hate running and I don't have an athletic muscle in my body.
4. I walk for exercise, but not as often as I'd like to.
5. My favorite color is blue, followed closely by green.
6. I love to read, especially English Literature.
7. I earn extra money by cleaning houses. Over the summer I cleaned for a woman who is a rental agent, but her business has been very slow lately. On Tuesday, I'm going to start cleaning once a week for a friend who is blind.
8. I'm going to the Philippines this summer with Kylie and my friends the Hooyers!
9. I wish I could lose 10 pounds, but I don't have enough will power to stop eating junk or to exercise as much as I need to.
10. I married an illegal alien.
11. I teach the Sunbeam class (3 & 4 year-olds) at church and I love it!
12. I love filing our income taxes. I use Turbo Tax. We always get a huge refund.
13. I have sensitive skin and can't use scented laundry detergent or fabric softener.
14. One of my pet-peeves is people reading over my shoulder when I'm writing.
15. My dad and I did all the electrical wiring in my house.
16. I had the same boyfriend my last three years of high school and first year of college. I thought I was going to marry him, but I didn't.
17. I took AP Calculus, AP European History and AP Spanish in high school. I didn't pass any of the AP tests, so I didn't earn any college credit.
18. I wanted to be a teacher when I grew up, until I had my own kids.
19. All four of my children were born by c-section.
20. I had major surgery two months after my first child was born to repair a fistula that had formed between my bladder and uterus, caused by the doctor cutting my bladder during the emergency c-section delivery.
21. I had a catheter for the entire two months before the surgery and I had to take medication that made my urine blue.
22. I still love to lick the beaters when I make a cake.
23. I really like to make (and eat) soup: minestrone, butternut squash, chicken noodle, and chili are some I make regularly.
24. I sat three seats away from Minnie Driver at the world premiere of the movie "Take" in New York City.
25. I'm really good a remembering phone numbers.
Now it's your turn!
1. I'm trying to write a novel. I've been working on it for over 2 years and I'm maybe 1/2 way through the first draft. It's hard work, I don't know what I'm doing, but I love it!
2. I check my bank balance and transactions religiously every morning.
3. I hate running and I don't have an athletic muscle in my body.
4. I walk for exercise, but not as often as I'd like to.
5. My favorite color is blue, followed closely by green.
6. I love to read, especially English Literature.
7. I earn extra money by cleaning houses. Over the summer I cleaned for a woman who is a rental agent, but her business has been very slow lately. On Tuesday, I'm going to start cleaning once a week for a friend who is blind.
8. I'm going to the Philippines this summer with Kylie and my friends the Hooyers!
9. I wish I could lose 10 pounds, but I don't have enough will power to stop eating junk or to exercise as much as I need to.
10. I married an illegal alien.
11. I teach the Sunbeam class (3 & 4 year-olds) at church and I love it!
12. I love filing our income taxes. I use Turbo Tax. We always get a huge refund.
13. I have sensitive skin and can't use scented laundry detergent or fabric softener.
14. One of my pet-peeves is people reading over my shoulder when I'm writing.
15. My dad and I did all the electrical wiring in my house.
16. I had the same boyfriend my last three years of high school and first year of college. I thought I was going to marry him, but I didn't.
17. I took AP Calculus, AP European History and AP Spanish in high school. I didn't pass any of the AP tests, so I didn't earn any college credit.
18. I wanted to be a teacher when I grew up, until I had my own kids.
19. All four of my children were born by c-section.
20. I had major surgery two months after my first child was born to repair a fistula that had formed between my bladder and uterus, caused by the doctor cutting my bladder during the emergency c-section delivery.
21. I had a catheter for the entire two months before the surgery and I had to take medication that made my urine blue.
22. I still love to lick the beaters when I make a cake.
23. I really like to make (and eat) soup: minestrone, butternut squash, chicken noodle, and chili are some I make regularly.
24. I sat three seats away from Minnie Driver at the world premiere of the movie "Take" in New York City.
25. I'm really good a remembering phone numbers.
Now it's your turn!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Happy Birthday, Kylie!
We now have two teenagers in the family. Kylie turned 13 on Monday! The day Kylie was born, we woke up early in the morning to catch the ferry and it started snowing. It snowed all the way to the hospital and I was worried that we wouldn't get safely up the huge hills in downtown Seattle. I remember laying in the hospital bed after she was born, holding her in my arms and watching the snow falling outside. Maybe that's why she's always loved the snow and will do crazy things like sleep out in an igloo.
To celebrate Kylie's big day, since it was a holiday and even Brad had the day off, we decided to go to Snoqualmie Pass for sledding. As if we hadn't seen enough snow lately! It's different when you can leave it up on the mountain, though.
(Kylie, Krysta, and Aubrey) we decided to head in for lunch and then try another area. We drove over to the Sno-Park at Hyak and were pleasantly surprised to see it wasn't very crowded. They were just grooming the slope when we arrived, so the snow was great!
To celebrate Kylie's big day, since it was a holiday and even Brad had the day off, we decided to go to Snoqualmie Pass for sledding. As if we hadn't seen enough snow lately! It's different when you can leave it up on the mountain, though.
We met up with three other families at a friend's cabin. Last year we were able to sled right at our friend's cabin, but this year there wasn't quite as much snow and it was very icy. We tried a few runs on their sledding hill, but it wasn't living up to our expectations. After this spectacular crash,
(Kylie, Krysta, and Aubrey) we decided to head in for lunch and then try another area. We drove over to the Sno-Park at Hyak and were pleasantly surprised to see it wasn't very crowded. They were just grooming the slope when we arrived, so the snow was great! 
I wasn't about to be one of the people who stands in the middle of the sledding run trying to take pictures only to be knocked off their feet by an out-of-control sledder, so these are taken from the top of the slope. We did our share of knocking people over, too. When my friend Gretchen finally convinced me to go down with her, we took out a few kids. Ooops! We were laughing and yelling "Watch out!" the whole way down. I haven't seen the video yet, but I hear it's pretty funny. 
As usual, Ben and Anabelle hooked up and disappeared together. They said they were going to be playing over in the trees, but when John and I went to look for them, we found them behind a maintenance shed jumping on a frozen pond. "We only jumped on it eight times, and it didn't crack!" they said when we told them it was too dangerous. From then on we made them stay at the top of the sledding hill. They found a way to hide in a "cave" and pretend they were kangaroos hibernating. Don't ask!
On their last run, all the kids linked arms, hooked their tubes together and piled on! After they took off, the ranger came over and told us trains aren't allowed. Oh well, they had a blast!
It was a full day and everyone had a great time. This is Ben five minutes after we left, sound asleep!
Kylie is always up for an adventure and she keeps things active and exciting in our family. Our personalities are very different and I'm constantly learning from her. She's very determined and will stick with a task until it's done, and done well. She loves to work hard and play hard. She's the one who wants to stay at the Sno-Park until it closes at 4:30 when everyone else is ready to leave at 3:00. She's an amazing young woman and I'm so glad she's my daughter.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Blue Skies are Here Again!
The sun finally showed itself today! I was starting to get a little worried that we wouldn't see it until July. Brad and I worked out in the yard this morning, before the sun broke out from behind its grey blanket, and I started feeling hopeful that winter wouldn't last forever when I saw this:
These beautiful buds were hiding underneath the dead leaves and old stocks. It always amazes me how early the plants start sending out new growth.
After about an hour and a half in the yard, my nose, toes and fingers were frozen. I was ready to go inside, when the sky cleared. I was so excited to see blue again! I ran inside to take a shower and told the kids, "We're going to the park!"
We ended up going to the Fish Park in Poulsbo. I'd never been there, but heard it was a great place for exploring. A beautiful boardwalk winds through the upper portion of the park,
and a trail with outposts over the river/bay runs along the bottom half. Kylie found a perfect spot to whittle on a walking stick.
After we were done exploring at the park, I wasn't quite ready to go inside, so we stopped by Sluy's Bakery for a treat and took them to the Poulsbo waterfront. We sat in the sun and enjoyed the warmth and the sweets.
These beautiful buds were hiding underneath the dead leaves and old stocks. It always amazes me how early the plants start sending out new growth.After about an hour and a half in the yard, my nose, toes and fingers were frozen. I was ready to go inside, when the sky cleared. I was so excited to see blue again! I ran inside to take a shower and told the kids, "We're going to the park!"
We ended up going to the Fish Park in Poulsbo. I'd never been there, but heard it was a great place for exploring. A beautiful boardwalk winds through the upper portion of the park,
and a trail with outposts over the river/bay runs along the bottom half. Kylie found a perfect spot to whittle on a walking stick.
After we were done exploring at the park, I wasn't quite ready to go inside, so we stopped by Sluy's Bakery for a treat and took them to the Poulsbo waterfront. We sat in the sun and enjoyed the warmth and the sweets.
It was a great afternoon. I'm learning to take advantage of the sun while I can!
Friday, January 16, 2009
Fun at the Dentist
We had our bi-annual dental checkups the other day. Jillian was positive she had four cavities (she's my little hypochondriac) but she doesn't--Ben does. I've struggled with Ben's oral hygiene his whole life, but we had some major breakthroughs at this appointment.
It used to take two of us to brush his teeth, one to hold him down and the other to pry his mouth open and force the brush inside. For the longest time he refused to use toothpaste. I have a drawer full of different flavors, trying to find one he would tolerate...bubble-fruit, bubble-mint, fruity-mint, minty-fruit, regular mint, strawberry, orange, you get the idea. We finally found one he liked, Flouridex, the prescription sensitivity toothpaste our dentist prescribed for my sensitive teeth. At something like $25 a tube, I had a really hard time using it for Ben! Then Crest came out with a cinnamon flavor and he tolerates that now, but he spits about every two seconds while I'm brushing his teeth.
Whenever we went to the dentist, he wouldn't let them do anything besides look at this teeth. He hates the sound and feel of the polisher. He can't handle the bulky bite-wing x-ray things, they make him gag. He doesn't like any of the fluoride flavors. He covers his eyes (and his whole face) when the dentist shines the light on him.
A few weeks ago, he had a toothache. We went in to see what was going on, and yep, he had a cavity. I won't even describe how horrible it was to have it filled.
But Wednesday, he watched while I was having my teeth cleaned, and the hygienist said something to him that made a huge impression. While she was polishing my teeth, she started having a conversation with Ben, asking him how often he brushes his teeth, does he floss, all the normal questions. I felt like a horrible mom when he said he only brushes once a day (if she only knew what progress that was!) and she said,
"Well, you know, it's really important to brush at least twice a day because do you know what's on your teeth? Little bugs. It's normal for them to be there, but they poop and pee on your teeth and you have to get that off."
I glanced over at Ben out of the corner of my eye and he looked like he was going to throw up! I wanted to throw up! She continued to talk about how they poop and pee on your teeth and how brushing and flossing cleans it off. Ben sat there with a serious look on his face, but didn't say anything. Then another hygienist came and took him for his appointment.
He still had a hard time, but he let the hygienist polish a little and give him fluoride. His biggest accomplishment was letting her take bite-wing x-rays. And they found out he has four more cavities. We have a wonderful dentist, and after the horrible time Ben had with his last filling, he let Ben borrow a face mask he uses when giving nitrous oxide so that Ben can get used to it. He's going to need it for his next appointment.
Yesterday morning, the first thing Ben said when he woke up was, "Can I brush my teeth?"
It used to take two of us to brush his teeth, one to hold him down and the other to pry his mouth open and force the brush inside. For the longest time he refused to use toothpaste. I have a drawer full of different flavors, trying to find one he would tolerate...bubble-fruit, bubble-mint, fruity-mint, minty-fruit, regular mint, strawberry, orange, you get the idea. We finally found one he liked, Flouridex, the prescription sensitivity toothpaste our dentist prescribed for my sensitive teeth. At something like $25 a tube, I had a really hard time using it for Ben! Then Crest came out with a cinnamon flavor and he tolerates that now, but he spits about every two seconds while I'm brushing his teeth.
Whenever we went to the dentist, he wouldn't let them do anything besides look at this teeth. He hates the sound and feel of the polisher. He can't handle the bulky bite-wing x-ray things, they make him gag. He doesn't like any of the fluoride flavors. He covers his eyes (and his whole face) when the dentist shines the light on him.
A few weeks ago, he had a toothache. We went in to see what was going on, and yep, he had a cavity. I won't even describe how horrible it was to have it filled.
But Wednesday, he watched while I was having my teeth cleaned, and the hygienist said something to him that made a huge impression. While she was polishing my teeth, she started having a conversation with Ben, asking him how often he brushes his teeth, does he floss, all the normal questions. I felt like a horrible mom when he said he only brushes once a day (if she only knew what progress that was!) and she said,
"Well, you know, it's really important to brush at least twice a day because do you know what's on your teeth? Little bugs. It's normal for them to be there, but they poop and pee on your teeth and you have to get that off."
I glanced over at Ben out of the corner of my eye and he looked like he was going to throw up! I wanted to throw up! She continued to talk about how they poop and pee on your teeth and how brushing and flossing cleans it off. Ben sat there with a serious look on his face, but didn't say anything. Then another hygienist came and took him for his appointment.
He still had a hard time, but he let the hygienist polish a little and give him fluoride. His biggest accomplishment was letting her take bite-wing x-rays. And they found out he has four more cavities. We have a wonderful dentist, and after the horrible time Ben had with his last filling, he let Ben borrow a face mask he uses when giving nitrous oxide so that Ben can get used to it. He's going to need it for his next appointment.
Yesterday morning, the first thing Ben said when he woke up was, "Can I brush my teeth?"
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
What do you Google?
Another one I got from Brooke...
She says you can click on your Google pull-down tab to see what you've Googled most recently. When I tried it, it just gave me an alphabetical listing of my Google-ings. So I had to go a little more in depth and found Google Web History, which I think is a pretty cool tool, especially now that my kids are getting older and I need to monitor a lot more closely what they're searching for on the internet. Google Web History will list what's been searched for by day and time, which websites have been visited and how often. Big Mother is watching!
Anyway, the idea is to list the last ten things Googled on your computer. Here's what my Web History had to say...
1. Washington State Ferry (Brad checking the ferry schedule this morning)
2. 5 dollar dinners (new blog I found about frugal cooking)
3. Seattle Times: Gaza (glad someone in our house is keeping up on current events, that would be Nate, not me!)
4. bainbridge island adu (ADU stands for accessory dwelling unit, Brad was checking on rules for building an ADU)
5. off the wall holidays (OK, this one was me...when I was bored the other night...)
6. what day is it (me again, now I feel really dumb!)
7. MS 2007 office compatibility update (trying to figure out why I couldn't read .docx attachments)
8. sunset magazine (me, looking for an article a friend told me about, didn't find it)
9. tennessee 1888 (me, doing some research for my story)
10. caesar salad recipe (unfortunately, not me! caesar salad sound really yummy right now, though. I think this might have been Kylie...maybe she's planning to surprise me!)
She says you can click on your Google pull-down tab to see what you've Googled most recently. When I tried it, it just gave me an alphabetical listing of my Google-ings. So I had to go a little more in depth and found Google Web History, which I think is a pretty cool tool, especially now that my kids are getting older and I need to monitor a lot more closely what they're searching for on the internet. Google Web History will list what's been searched for by day and time, which websites have been visited and how often. Big Mother is watching!
Anyway, the idea is to list the last ten things Googled on your computer. Here's what my Web History had to say...
1. Washington State Ferry (Brad checking the ferry schedule this morning)
2. 5 dollar dinners (new blog I found about frugal cooking)
3. Seattle Times: Gaza (glad someone in our house is keeping up on current events, that would be Nate, not me!)
4. bainbridge island adu (ADU stands for accessory dwelling unit, Brad was checking on rules for building an ADU)
5. off the wall holidays (OK, this one was me...when I was bored the other night...)
6. what day is it (me again, now I feel really dumb!)
7. MS 2007 office compatibility update (trying to figure out why I couldn't read .docx attachments)
8. sunset magazine (me, looking for an article a friend told me about, didn't find it)
9. tennessee 1888 (me, doing some research for my story)
10. caesar salad recipe (unfortunately, not me! caesar salad sound really yummy right now, though. I think this might have been Kylie...maybe she's planning to surprise me!)
This Week's Deals
Albertson's had a big sale this week, buy $30 of participating products and receive $15 off your next shopping order. From How to Shop and Save I learned that you can split up your items into separate $30 orders and use the $15 coupons right away. There were also two coupons in the weekly ad that let you double 3 manufacturer's coupons, up to $1.00 each. I've never done this before and was a little nervous about it, but the checker was very friendly and said if the cash register let him do it, he had no problem with it. This is the first time I've been in Albertson's where they've had everything that was on my list; sometimes when there are good sales, things run out quickly. Wait, that's not true, they didn't have the 5 lb. bags of potatoes that were on sale for $.25/lb (limit 2), but they let me substitute a 15 lb. bag and get 10 lbs. of them for the sale price. Here's a list of my awesome deals:
First group:
3 (8lb.) bags of Iams dog food
Total: $31.58
manufacturer's coupons used: $1.00
Total savings: $9.97, plus $15 to use on next order
Second group:
1 Mr. Clean magic eraser
1 Dayquil sinus
1 Nyquil cold & flu
1 Pantene shampoo
1 Pantene conditioner
1 Pantene gel
2 Crest toothpaste
1 Oral B toothbrush
Total: $9.32
manufacturer's coupons: $5.25
store coupons: $17.75
Total savings: $32.99, plus $15 to use on next order
third group:
2 dozen eggs
2 lbs. butter
1 Cheerios snack mix
2 Betty Crocker fruit snacks
12 cans Progresso soup
1 (15 lb.) bag potatoes
Total: $14.35
manufacturer's coupons: $5.10
store coupons: $24.32
Total savings: $49.35, plus $15 to use on next order
Grand total spent: $55.25
Grand total saved: $92.31, plus $15 to use next time!
First group:
3 (8lb.) bags of Iams dog food
Total: $31.58
manufacturer's coupons used: $1.00
Total savings: $9.97, plus $15 to use on next order
Second group:
1 Mr. Clean magic eraser
1 Dayquil sinus
1 Nyquil cold & flu
1 Pantene shampoo
1 Pantene conditioner
1 Pantene gel
2 Crest toothpaste
1 Oral B toothbrush
Total: $9.32
manufacturer's coupons: $5.25
store coupons: $17.75
Total savings: $32.99, plus $15 to use on next order
third group:
2 dozen eggs
2 lbs. butter
1 Cheerios snack mix
2 Betty Crocker fruit snacks
12 cans Progresso soup
1 (15 lb.) bag potatoes
Total: $14.35
manufacturer's coupons: $5.10
store coupons: $24.32
Total savings: $49.35, plus $15 to use on next order
Grand total spent: $55.25
Grand total saved: $92.31, plus $15 to use next time!
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Designer Lunch Tote Giveaway
Check out these cute designer lunch totes! Wouldn't you feel so stylish carrying your lunch in one of these instead of a boring old brown paper or plastic grocery bag?
In my quest to save money on groceries, I came across www.$5dinners.com and this giveaway. You could win your choice of bags or a 50% off coupon to buy one from Spring LosAngeles. I never enter contests, but these are so cute, I thought I'd give it a try! Just click on designer lunch totes and follow the directions for your chance to win.
In my quest to save money on groceries, I came across www.$5dinners.com and this giveaway. You could win your choice of bags or a 50% off coupon to buy one from Spring LosAngeles. I never enter contests, but these are so cute, I thought I'd give it a try! Just click on designer lunch totes and follow the directions for your chance to win.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Bizarre Holidays
My friend Brooke frequently posts about off-the-wall holidays, so I thought I'd try to find some that she doesn't know about. In other words, it's Saturday night, Brad's gone at Nate's soccer game, Kylie's babysitting, Jillian's playing on the other computer, and Ben is in the bathtub. What else am I gonna do?
Did you know tomorrow (Jan 11) is "National Step in a Puddle and Splash Your Friend Day"? Don't forget to celebrate! We've got lots of puddles around here from all the rain we've gotten lately!
If you don't believe me, you can celebrate "International Skeptics Day" on January 13th.
If I'm still bored on the 14th, I just might participate in "National Dress Up Your Pet Day".
And I would celebrate "Women in Bluejeans Day" on the 15th, if I had a pair that I really liked!
But I'm really looking forward to "National Pie Day" on the 23rd. Now I just have to decide which kind to make...
Did you know tomorrow (Jan 11) is "National Step in a Puddle and Splash Your Friend Day"? Don't forget to celebrate! We've got lots of puddles around here from all the rain we've gotten lately!
If you don't believe me, you can celebrate "International Skeptics Day" on January 13th.
If I'm still bored on the 14th, I just might participate in "National Dress Up Your Pet Day".
And I would celebrate "Women in Bluejeans Day" on the 15th, if I had a pair that I really liked!
But I'm really looking forward to "National Pie Day" on the 23rd. Now I just have to decide which kind to make...
Friday, January 9, 2009
Pants
Can anyone please tell me why it is so hard to find a pair of pants that are comfortable, nice-looking, not too trendy, fit well, and will not send me into bankruptcy? Am I the only one who has this problem?
First of all, I have to find places that sell Tall sizes. I'm not really that tall, 5'8", but I have a short torso and long legs, and large-ish hips and thighs. I've thought for a long time that the top half of my body does not match the bottom half. The top is size small and the bottom half is size large. I digress; back to finding Tall sizes...since I HATE shopping, this is not easy for me.
Once last year I tried going to the mall to search all the stores I've never been in. I made it into about two before I got a huge headache. I ended up going back to JCPenney, which I know carries Tall sizes, and found a pair of jeans that would do, but weren't quite exactly what I was looking for. They're a little too "low-riding" for me, but I've been wearing them for a while, making them work by always wearing a long, tucked-in t-shirt. I did find a great pair of brown corduroy pants at the Eddie Bauer Outlet on the sale rack a few months back, and they're just about perfect. Except they were sent over as "overstock" from the regular store, so there was only the one pair.
I went back to the Eddie Bauer Outlet last week and thought I found more of the great corduroy pants, so I bought two pairs, but it turns out they're a slightly different cut. It's amazing how much 1" lower in the waist can make! I feel like an aspiring plumber when I sit down in them. Back to wearing the long, tucked-in t-shirts, I guess.
I tried on-line shopping as well, thinking I would just order several pairs, try them on, and keep the ones I liked. I liked exactly zero of the six pairs I ordered.
Has anyone else out there who is a size 12 Tall found the perfect pair of pants? Please let me know where! And don't forget, I'm cheap! Let's just say my clothing budget is WAY under $100 a month.
First of all, I have to find places that sell Tall sizes. I'm not really that tall, 5'8", but I have a short torso and long legs, and large-ish hips and thighs. I've thought for a long time that the top half of my body does not match the bottom half. The top is size small and the bottom half is size large. I digress; back to finding Tall sizes...since I HATE shopping, this is not easy for me.
Once last year I tried going to the mall to search all the stores I've never been in. I made it into about two before I got a huge headache. I ended up going back to JCPenney, which I know carries Tall sizes, and found a pair of jeans that would do, but weren't quite exactly what I was looking for. They're a little too "low-riding" for me, but I've been wearing them for a while, making them work by always wearing a long, tucked-in t-shirt. I did find a great pair of brown corduroy pants at the Eddie Bauer Outlet on the sale rack a few months back, and they're just about perfect. Except they were sent over as "overstock" from the regular store, so there was only the one pair.
I went back to the Eddie Bauer Outlet last week and thought I found more of the great corduroy pants, so I bought two pairs, but it turns out they're a slightly different cut. It's amazing how much 1" lower in the waist can make! I feel like an aspiring plumber when I sit down in them. Back to wearing the long, tucked-in t-shirts, I guess.
I tried on-line shopping as well, thinking I would just order several pairs, try them on, and keep the ones I liked. I liked exactly zero of the six pairs I ordered.
Has anyone else out there who is a size 12 Tall found the perfect pair of pants? Please let me know where! And don't forget, I'm cheap! Let's just say my clothing budget is WAY under $100 a month.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Self-Acceptance
Ben asked me an interesting question the other day. Here's how our conversation went:
Ben: When we're resurrected, do we have to be perfect?
Me: Well, that's how it works, your body becomes perfect. Why?
Ben: What if you like yourself the way you are?
How do you answer that one? I hope he keeps that perspective as he gets older. It's taken me 36 1/2 years and I still don't always like myself the way I am.
Ben: When we're resurrected, do we have to be perfect?
Me: Well, that's how it works, your body becomes perfect. Why?
Ben: What if you like yourself the way you are?
How do you answer that one? I hope he keeps that perspective as he gets older. It's taken me 36 1/2 years and I still don't always like myself the way I am.
Best of Both Worlds
School starts two hours late today because of the snow, which means I got to sleep in AND the kids are going to school! Whoo Hoo! I admit, sleeping in was my favorite part of the break. I've gotten really lazy and can lay in bed until 9:00, so waking up at 6:30 again was daunting.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Snow Snow, GO AWAY!
We've almost completed our two weeks, plus two extra snow days, of Christmas Break. The 12" of snow we received over the said break has almost completely melted away. Visions of peace and quiet, clean floors and counters, and grocery shopping by myself are dancing in my head. And then I look out the window and what do I see? SNOW! And it's sticking! I will not be a happy mom if the kids don't get to go back to school tomorrow.
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