Oh Yeah Feel Free to Post Your Bitch Fest Friday Here... but first weigh in on the pants

This is what I looked like today. And Last Friday thru Sunday if you want the truth. I like to think in person the shirt looks a lot more nautical and a lot less psychedelic... but... I'm not pretending it's flattering.

Yes I know... horizontal stripes. $7. That's all I can say about that. And it's crazy soft. Oh and I do have a gorgeous coat... so... no one really sees it.

Here is my $15 makeover courtesy of my closet and a new pair of pants I found at Marshall's.

Here is the issue.. just like the pants above they are petites. Do we think they are too short? They did not have them in regular length...which would have been too long and required tailoring which kind of negates the whole affordability factor. Obviously I have to wear them with flats, that's fine. The other issue is the wide leg cut. I'm not typically a fan since it adds weight I don't have. And being short that is a factor. But at Marshall's beggars can't be choosers. In the end I think... does it look better than yoga pants? Cause they are only $15 and I actually will wear them around the house. So I'm thinking I should keep them.

I'm Going To Miss This

This coming home from school and putting on a crown before sitting down to do homework. This age that is both older but unselfconsciously true to itself. Knowledgeable but still magical.

Fashion Emergency

This Week The Plan

How did it get to be Wednesday already?!

Things have been going pretty well on all fronts these days. I have not been as overwhelmed with the childcare situation since putting the kibosh on the new baby. I only have a few days this month that have been difficult with 2 babies and 2 two year olds. It's manageable but it is incredibly exhausting and I have to put my PJs on as soon as they go home. The next two weeks are smooth sailing as one of the babies is on vacation. Although I just had to get Kid new glasses ($330!) and it would be nice if I could have paid that off in cash. Ah well. I am glad I haven't quit this completely as expenses do keep coming up that we wouldn't have been able to cover on Mr F's salary alone (like groceries). And I think that there was just an adjustment period to doing something so demanding and maybe I've finally crossed that hurdle. I think December was kind of like going through daycare boot camp... it was physically and emotionally overwhelming... but I've settled into it and my days are more predictable. I don't go to bed dreading the morning anymore. And that is a good thing. It also helps that it seems that Baby has finally adjusted to it too. She's not just lying on the couch checked out until they go home like she was for the first couple of months. Also a good thing.

On the job front (since I know some of you are waiting on that with baited breath)... there is no final word. This has been a long drawn out and tiring process. As Mr F said last night "They're not vetting me for the Supreme Court". They are taking their sweet old time and we do know it could be a couple of months before they move forward. So that is that. We have no reason to lose faith and everything has been positive but this process has been borderline emotionally abusive. There has been a whole lot of stop-go, stop-go, stop, go. Trying just to keep it off my radar as much as possible so I don't start baking. The good side of all this is that the likelihood of a sudden departure on Mr F's part seems unlikely. They are not rushing to fill this position and we may very well be able to stay until the end of the school year without too much solo flying even if he is offered the job. So I don't need to steel myself up for an immediate departure and that is also a good thing.

I'm working out. I'm back to marking off my workouts on my weigh-in calendar. I really find it motivating to see how much I'm doing and it keeps me from taking days off. I am not weighing myself for ONE MONTH. I just want to focus on upping my workouts to my maximum capacity for it's own sake and not for a weight reward. Right now I'm not seeing the results I think my effort should warrant on the scale and that can bring on a sabotage... I need to prevent that. Once I've settled into my new routine (I'm getting my step today... watch out I'm bringing it back) I'm going to weigh in and start making diet changes. Until then I'm focusing on one change at a time so I don't overwhelm myself. I sometimes forget that that is how I did it the first time. One step at a time not everything all at once. I'm making conscious food choices but my main goal is increasing my workouts as that is the habit I need to put back in place to reach and maintain my goal. I may not even need to *diet* to achieve them and I HATE HATE HATE to do anything that might make my kids aware that I am *dieting*. So I need to be very careful how, and how much, I alter my diet. Despite a sweet tooth I already eat a very healthy balanced diet and that is what I want to model not restrictive eating. So I'll readdress that in a month when I have a better picture of how I'm progressing. The reality is when I'm working out a lot my eating just naturally cleans up a bit as I feel better physically and emotionally.

Menu:

Sunday - Spaghetti, broccoli

Monday - Beef Stroganoff, egg noodles w/ butter & dill, green beans

Tuesday - pan seared pork chops, wild rice, cauliflower & carrots w/snap peas

Wednesday - Salmon Noodle Casserole w/ peas, salad, apple sauce (or if you're Baby... just applesauce)

Thursday - Quick Chicken & Dumplings (I posted this last week with a link... everyone loved it)

Friday - pizza, salad

Saturday - something involving avocados & chicken

That's Not Too Much To Ask... Right?

Today when I was buckling Baby into her carseat she asked for her pacie.

"Say please mommy, please mommy, please please please." I said busting a out a good beat.

"Peas mommy, peas mommy, peas peas peas." Baby repeated.

"Say Mom is the bomb, she's the bomb." I add.

"Mom es da bomb, see's da bomb." Baby repeated.

"Say Mom is hot, she's so hot." I say, fearing I've pressed my luck.

"Mom es hot, see's so hot." Baby dutifully continues.

"Okay." I say satisfied and toss her the pacie.

We both drove off perfectly happy.

Have I Ever Mentioned I'm Afraid Of Heights?

Well I am. This here is a swinging bridge a mile up on Grandfather Mountain. Mr F thought it would be fun for us all to waste an entire day driving there and back IN JANUARY. It's fucking cold up at the top of a mountain with no wind barrier. There is a reason the welcome center plays a 5 minute film called "Grandfather Mountain In May" (or something like that).

I attempted to cross that damn bridge 5 or 6 times. But when you can see, feel, and HEAR it swaying?!.. um... no. It's not going to happen. I even gave up got in the car and then ran back up the stairs to try it again just in case it would have given me some huge sense of accomplishment to master my fear. I got about 1/4 of the way across then said "Nope. I don't need to overcome this. Crossing will just mean I have to cross it again to get back."

We all have our limits. This was mine.

Crossing Our Ts And Dotting Our Is

While Mr F and I always kind of liked this whimsical blue fireplace the former owner had painted, we realize it will not work for everyone. It helped that he had a massive piece of artwork that rose up out of the blue like the most perfect pedestal. Even for me, liking the splash of fun the blue brings, working it into our home decor has been a challenge.

We painted our kitchen a mushroom brown and a spicy paprika color to coordinate the cherry cabinets with the linoleum floor tiles and the marble counters. You may recall that our kitchen used to be peach. Peach, people! It was like a clash-o-rama in there. Now it looks fantastic and purposeful.


(pardon the mess... and the flash which is messing with the muted colors... the brown does not actually look green...just trust me)

And yes I know the oriental makes all the difference in that kitchen! I love that it ties everything together and breaks up the linoleum a bit. It's hard to get a good feel for space but our kitchen is huge and that is a lot of linoleum ;) OH and I made those valances last week. I happened to have been hoarding maroon and cream finely striped fabric for nearly 15 years... sometimes hoarding pays.

The fireplace is now sporting the same paprika shade. Is it the color we would choose? No. But it blends well with the existing wall and trim color and the cherry mantel and the hardwood floors... and we had this paint on hand. Also red is my accent color in all our living spaces so it ties everything together. And it plays off the stain glass windows flanking it nicely.

Love it or not, I think it will be a lot easier for a prospective buyer to walk in and picture their own furniture. Unless all their furniture was made by Little Tykes... in which case we just made a big mistake.