Sunday Night Chit Chat: The Return Of Summer

Hey Humble Readers...

I think I am finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel that is this wretched cold.  I'm not going to count my chickens before they're hatched, though, because this cold has faked me out already.  I was sure I was over it last weekend, only for it to come back and pummel me again.  Still have a cough and some sinus congestion, but my ears have finally popped, for which I am incredibly thankful. 

We again spent most of the weekend with my Beloved's family in a small town to the south of us.  Happily, the rain that has been plaguing us for the majority of this summer took a break, and we actually had some great weather for the last couple of days.  It means that the wee-lings spent a good amount of time in the wading pool, beating the heat.  I got a couple of funny sunburn spots on the backs of my shoulders, where I couldn't reach with the sunscreen.  You can actually see my finger marks on one side.  :/

Hmmmm... wonder how this tastes?

Ginny & Thor

Pippin & Pepper

Today, after the wee-lings were done in the pool (read: their lips were blue), they started having fun with sidewalk chalk (a first for Ginny and Pip).  My BIL & SIL have a long driveway and the wee-lings and their cousin, Thor, had fun getting covered in chalk dust, and scribbling all over the place and needing to be reminded not to eat the chalk.  Pippin also had a lot of fun with Pepper, the black dog in the picture above.  He hasn't had a lot of interaction with dogs, and Pepper is VERY playful. 

Loki, chillin' in the shade

Thor's little brother (let's call him Loki :) ) is a happy little man.  He's seven months old now, and I confess that I did feel a little tug of baby lust.  It kind of caught me off guard as I haven't felt that in a while, and I am 100% happy with our family as it is, and with our decision to end the building phase of our family.  I held him for only a minute, but it was enough for those feelings of baby-longing to rear their head again.  Wasn't expecting that, as I honestly thought I was past it.

Anyway, on to tonight's chit-chat.  Here's what I'm ...

Reading...  Finally finished my re-read of The Help.  I just love that book.  What astounds me is that Stockett had to slog her manuscript to more than 50 publishers before it got picked up, but Stephanie Meyer got a contract right away based on the Twilight manuscript.  **sigh**  Now I'm reading Fried Green Tomatoes At The Whistle Stop Café by Fannie Flagg.  I've read it before, more than ten years ago, and I do adore the movie.  I just love Flagg's storytelling.  If you haven't read anything of hers, I highly recommend you check her out. 

Watching...  Nothing in particular at the moment.  I've gotten addicted to a BBC crime drama called Broadchurch.  I recorded tonight's episode and will watch it later in the week.

Listening to...  The whir of the fans in our living and dining rooms.  Traffic going by on the street outside. 

Cooking/Baking... Because we've been with family all weekend, I actually haven't had to do any cooking (I did pulled pork for a meal for all of us last weekend).  Tomorrow night I'm trying a new recipe for an Italian inspired skillet chicken.  I'm going to serve it with risotto and a garden salad.  I'm also going to bake some lemon bars in the morning. 

Happy I accomplished this week...  Went through the wee-lings' bookshelves and purged any books that were too trashed for continued use, went to church today (something that I haven't managed in the last few weeks), and got back to using my daily to-do lists.  Oh, and I FINALLY surpassed my third weight-loss goal, and now weigh less than my Beloved.  Next goal is to be 75lb down by my birthday in the middle of next month. 

Looking forward to for next week... The reason I'm cooking fancy stuff tomorrow, and baking in the middle of a mini heat wave, is that my mom is coming!  Because we don't have a guest room or a pull out couch, my mom never stays (except for when the wee-lings were born) with us.  She is coming in the afternoon tomorrow and after dinner, she will drive back up to my sister's place just outside Big City To The North.  The big deal about this visit is that she's bringing her new beau.  I haven't met him yet, and I confess I'm a bit anxious about this. 

Thankful for... Family.  My Beloved so rarely gets to see his big sister, and I'm glad that we got to spend so much time with all of them over the past couple of weekends. 

****Bonus Question**** Can you walk in high heels?  Do you wear them often?  Heck no!  Can you imagine a hobbit in heels???  The last time I wore heels was on our wedding day, and I got rid of them after the first ten minutes of our pictures (after the ceremony).  Switched to some platform flip flops that were the same height as my heels.  Sooo much more comfortable.  I am a sandals and flats kind of hobbit. 

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This is posted as a part of Carla's Sunday Night Chit Chat.  Click over and check out what the others are chatting about tonight!

Hobbit-ish Potpurri: The Crud That Won't Die

Hey Humble Readers...

Geez... I was feeling fine over the weekend, but here I am again with a scratchy throat, plugged ears, and aching sinuses.  It's like the crud just started all over again.  Summer colds suck, big time.

Anyway, let's see.  What's been happening around here...

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Weight loss has totally plateaued.  Part of the problem is that with the crud I haven't felt like getting up early for my walks, and when I do, I can only manage a part of my usual distance.  Another part of the problem is that I've been eating things I shouldn't just because they make me "feel better" (only in the moment, then I feel even worse after).  I'm trying not to get discouraged.  I will get over this stupid cold, and I will be able to get back on track soon. 

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We had a long weekend last weekend, and spent most of it with my Beloved's family.  His oldest brother and older sister are in from Little Town Far Away, and so there was a lot of food, card games, and laughing.  I have to say, my Beloved's family is so strange to me.  They get together and there's absolutely no drama.  They like each other.  All of them.  Crazy, right?

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My favourite plus size clothing store (not that I have a whole lot of choice here in the Shire) had a one day sale on bras on Saturday.  Because I swear half of the weight I've lost is from my boobs, I was in desperate need of new bras again.  I'm down a full band and cup size, two band sizes on the sports bra I bought.  I managed to get four bras (a couple of them are really rather sexy too!) for $100!  That's amazing for me.

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My mom is supposed to be passing through the Shire on Sunday, so I may get to meet her new beau.  That's just so weird to say.  In other family drama news, Mom and the Douchewaffle (formerly known as Dad) have a court date at the end of September to finally settle this whole divorce mess.  Thank Heaven!

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I have a small conundrum with my addiction to the television.  The third season of Game of Thrones is going to be aired (on a Canadian network) starting at the end of the month.  Problem:  I have yet to watch season 2 because I'm #16 on the wait list at the library.  Thankfully, they have 3 copies, so the list is going quicker than I originally anticipated.  I may record season three just so that I have it, and don't have to wait for the library to get season 3 (sometime next spring).  That's just a lot of space on my pvr.  Hmmm...

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I'm planning on painting the bathroom and the hallway in a couple of weeks.  I've been trying to psych myself up for this for a while now, but it's time.  We've lived with a shmegly green bathroom for more than five years.  I need to make a change in there. 

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I've been reading a fair bit lately.  I read Perks of Being a Wallflower (awesome!) and The Honest Toddler (not so great... was really funny at first, but got old quick).  Now I'm rereading The Help, with Fried Green Tomatoes At The Whistle Stop Café and Mistress of My Fate on deck. 

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Toothache warning... sweetness ahead!  Playing in the wading pool at my Beloved's brother's house yesterday. 

Hobbit-ish Potpurri: Odds & Sods

Hey Humble Readers...

Thunderstorms appear to be weather du jour.  We've had some major downpours over the last few days, and honestly I'm loving it.  After the heat wave we had before we went on vacation and the desert heat in K-town last week, I was so ready for some cooler temps.  Ginny has been enthralled by the heavy cloud bursts and the thunder.

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AF has shown up, and I confess she's kicking my ass.  All those women in my life who told me that cramps get better or at least easier to deal with after you have kids are lying sacks of dragon poop.  I'm in a lot of pain here, and tyl.enol isn't touching it.  Ugh.

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In other cycle-related news... last week I experienced the epitome of irony.  I had what I can only describe as the most incredible, copious EWCM.  Seriously, I have never EVER experienced anything like it.  I was always one of those women who had to do internal checks for CM in order to catch the scant amount of the good stuff I would get.  This was immense, and it lasted for two days.  Now, when our family building days are over I get enough to sink a battleship. 

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While we were in K-town, I saw a couple of movies, and they were polar opposites.  First, I went to see "Magic Mike" with my Mom and my sister.  While it was entertaining, and certainly drool-worthy, it had the crappiest script I've ever seen in a movie.  Honestly, I think they were ad libbing most of it.  Channing Tatum is lovely to look at, but this movie certaily didn't do anything to prove his acting chops.  I suspect that it will be up for a dozen Razzie awards next winter. 

The second movie I went to see was an incredible contrast. My Beloved and I had a date night while in K-town, our first since Pippin was born.  "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" was incredibly sweet, moving, and so beautifully acted by some of the best actors of the age.   Anytime you can combine Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy, and Penelope Wilton (yes... Cousin Matthew's mother from Downton Abbey!) you get sheer genius.  If you haven't seen this movie, please do yourself a favour and go see it.

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We're planning on taking the wee-lings to a street performers festival this weekend.  Seeing as it's basically free, I'm hoping that it will be entertaining for all of us.  I want to expose Ginny to as many different fun, cultural, and educational experiences as I can.  With our budgetary constraints, anytime I can find something free, I have to give it a shot.

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If you are a praying type person, please send out some prayers for my Beloved.  He's getting frustrated with his job search.  He's in a tough spot right now.  While he's been applying for a ton of different positions, so far there have only been a couple of nibbles that would be a step backward for him or would require us to move which isn't an option at this point. 

He's sort of in a limbo area in terms of his qualifications.  He's worked for years as an accountant and a controller.  He's got far more experience than your run of the mill bookkeeper, and yet he doesn't have the accounting designations (like a CGA) to back it up.  A lot of job listings have said that relevant experience will be considered in lieu of having a designation, but he's just not getting the calls.  The obvious solution is to get him designated (there's a few courses he needs to take), but that costs money that we don't have.  He's feeling very discouraged.