10 Foods You Should Never Eat

I got this in the mail yesterday. On the front of the envelope was the title, "10 Foods You Should Never Eat". Are you kidding me? Well, okay... whatever about the Campbells Soup. Yucky. But, the Haagen-Dazs? The Starbucks? What is the world coming to? I will definitely NOT be ordering the magazine/book that gives me more information on this topic. I say that ignorance is BLISS.

I'm heading out the door to get some ice cream for myself and for the kids. And you better believe it's going to be Haagen-Dazs vanilla. No doubt about that.Stay cool!

It's okay...

It's totally okay that:

• I no longer have a salary-earning job.
• I cut out a million recipes from different magazines, but have only tried maybe one-fourth of them.
• I love to drink coffee any time of day.
• I spend at least one hour on my computer daily.
• I sometimes like to eat breakfast food for dinner.
• I drive a big ol' SUV and spend too much on gas. {Hey, I've got 5 children now!}
• I haven't finished earning the degree I want, yet...
• My siblings say that scrapbooking is such a "MOM" thing to do... WHATEVAH!
• I enjoy watching the same shows that my teenage girls watch.
• My collection of shoes is pretty much limited to flip-flops in every design possible.
• I used all of my 401k savings to buy the house I'm living in now.
• I don't look like a supermodel.
• I don't have a son; honestly, I've never wanted to have a little boy {don't hate me!}
• I usually dream of food... most often, cupcakes.

5 things...

5 things that put me in a good mood:

1. anything chocolate
2. a clean house
3. extra money in the checking account
4. a shopping day
5. an awesome morning cup of coffee to start the day out right!

What things put you in a good mood?

those {everyday} luxuries

{thanks for the blog challenge from the 2Peas message board}

What everyday luxuries could I *NOT* live without.

Really made me think. What could I not live without? I could probably live without any or all these on my list, but I'd definitely rather not live without any of them. Jeez. How spoiled are people nowadays? Pretty spoiled, and pampered, I suppose. I mean, our ancestors from way, way back didn't have a choice to have or have not. They just dealt with whatever came their way.

We are so lucky to live in 2006. Because I would hate life without:

1. My computer + the internet. Man, could you imagine? No email, no online shopping, no message boards, no blogs. First thing in the morning, I turn the pc on and hop on the internet with a cuppa joe and the Today Show (more on that) playing in the background. My homepage is the Weather Channel, so that I know what weather to expect and I can plan out my day. Then it's off to check my email, upload my most recent digital pics, surf for any great sales at Pottery Barn, Urban Outfitters, Old Navy, etc.; and of course, get some inspiration for my current scrapbooking pages wherever I can find it.
2. My cell phone. Remember the days when we'd have to pull over into a gas station or shopping center to use a pay-phone to call home? And you could just forget it if you didn't have change for the call. Totally SUCKED. Life with a cell phone sure is a heckuva lot easier, I say.
3. My iPod. No more shuffling around with CDs or radio stations, I get to listen to only the music I love. And no stinkin' commercials. YES.
4. Air conditioning. I would not survive life in Southern California without my A/C. My family, my dog and I would ROAST. Especially on a day like yesterday when the temp reached 105 degrees. Serious heat, there.
5. Satellite TV + tivo. I gots to have my DIY, Food Network, HGTV, E!, my morning crew on the Today Show, and of course, my daily soap- General Hospital.

I'm sure there are lots of great things out there, but these so TOTALLY rock for me. I'm glad I don't have to do without. Imagining it is bad enough.

world traveler

My oldest daughter, Julia, is coming home from her trip to Rome today. Tonight, I should say. Her flight will be rolling in to LAX just a few minutes shy of midnight. I wonder if she'll be the same as when she left... Will she have a new appreciation for the great big world we live in? Will this be the beginning of a life-long love for international travel? Will she choose to do a portion of her college studies abroad? Will she be more mature? Will she be changed by going to a region so rich in history?

I really want her to make a scrapbook about her trip when she gets home... I hope she'll be willing to do it. {Let's hope she took a gazillion pictures, like I asked her to.} I so want to take in all she has seen, touched, smelled, eaten, etc while in Italy. I know I'll go there on my own someday, but until then, I'll live the experience through her.

Can't wait to see her tonight. Seems like she's been gone for so long.

it's all in a hard day's work...

Would you call being a stay-at-home mom to 3-year-old triplets and to a pair of teenagers REAL WORK? The equivalent of an "acutal" job? ... shoot ... I would. And I do. My husband and I talked a little bit about this about a week ago. And at the end of the conversation, I made it pretty clear to him that I didn't consider my job (SAHM) any less strenuous than his (Military). Not by a long shot. Honestly, it takes so much out of me, that if I have things to do (bills to pay, errands to run, chores to do) it all has to be done in the early part of the day. Because once evening hits, I'm pretty much SPENT. Seriously. Not too long ago I was such a night person. Nowadays, I can barely hang on long enough to watch the 11:00 news. Not much Dave Letterman for me these days. Bummer.

That being said, the one thing that is my greatest pleasure after the work of the day is done, after kids have gone to bed, is catching up on my current read. Right now, it's "Blue Smoke" by Nora Roberts. I've never read one of her books before, but I'm really liking her style. I'm all caught up with my Book Club reads, so I picked up this little paperback while I was visiting my mom just a week or so ago. Mom hadn't read it yet, so I sorta swiped it from her since I didn't have anything of my own to read. Great book.

I'd love to hear if you have any good reads of your own to share. I've read a bunch of books in the last few years, but I'd love to read more. Nothnig beats ending the day with a juicy book, sometimes paired with a lovely glass of wine, too!

.mea culpa.

Mea Culpa. I was reminded of this expression today while watching "Real Simple" television on PBS this afternoon. It's basically an admission of guilt. Seems appropriate for me to start out my blog today with those words. My blog has gone to all h-e-blank-blank... What used to be such an enjoyable part of my day has just gotten lost somewhere. How do I make it a part of my almost daily routine again? Put in into my Palm Pilot as a daily task? Make Blogger my Home Page? Type in a few words while I watch General Hospital each afternoon? Any suggestions? Hmmm... I guess I'll just take it as it comes and I hope to get on track again.

This morning I spent some time on marthastewart.com . Lots of "good things" to look at there. I printed out a few projects I'd like to try during the summer, mostly home decorating ideas. If I'm successful at any of them, I'll post a pic or two here. We'll see...

My oldest daughter is in Rome as I type away... She's in an amazing place right now, taking in such beautiful scenery, learning about the history of civilization, religion, culture, etc. It's funny how the USA just celebrated its 230th birthday, while Rome has been around for ages. Wow. It's amazing just thinking about it. I hate to admit it, but I really am envious of her being there. It's the one place I have to visit before I die, and at 18 years old, she's already there. :: sigh :: That's okay, I feel she is truly blessed for this opportunity. And someday it will be me. Meanwhile, I cook in this 100+ degree weather in the Inland Southern California area. Jeez. Wish I were anywhere else, actually.