Saturday, September 11, 2010

Saturday Something

It's almost 10pm.....I can hear the crickets outside, Lucy (the neighbor's dog) has stopped by for her treat, Shadow is playing with a plastic ring and I am ending my day.
I didn't make it to the exercise class. I decided last night as I was getting ready for bed that I would not set an alarm for Saturday mornings unless I was scheduled to work. Saturday would/will be my day to sleep until I am ready to get up. Shadow woke me around 5:30. I got up to feed her, open the door and curled up on the couch. I woke up again around 7 and went from the couch back to my bed and I slept until 9:30.
I piddled around once I was up. I made breakfast (oats and brown sugar), watched some HGTV and finally got myself ready. I went to St. Mary's to watch Carson in his 3 on 3 tournament. Unfortunately his "team" didn't do that well but it looked like they had fun. From their I went to Dierbergs to pick up a few things. I couldn't buy a lot as money is tight but I literally had NOTHING for breakfast or snacks. Let me tell you....being gluten free can be tough but things are starting to become more accessible, being gluten and soy free is even harder but being gluten, soy and corn free is almost impossible. I stood staring at a half a wall of "natural chips" and could not have ANY of them. If they were gluten free, they had corn. In addition to the challenge of finding food is the cost of it. I have been itching to bake and have found a couple of receipes that I would like to try. They call for almond flour. A small bag of almond flour is $10.99. Are you kidding me????? I can't afford to be gluten, soy, corn and dairy free. I bought some watermelon spears (which I later found out were past their prime), a package of rice cakes, a box of cereal, 2 Lara bars and almond milk and spent $30. That wasn't even close to half what I have written down on my grocery list. At this rate I am going to be super skinny, not from the diet but from the fact that I can't afford the diet.
It was a quiet afternoon/evening at the Y. I worked 5.5 hours and did one transaction. The rest of my time was spent either cleaning or doing word search puzzles. But I was being paid to be there so I am not complaining. I am thankful for the blessing of this second job.
So, now I am going to get ready for bed and read a bit. I am very thankful for the quietness of my life right now.
Blessings

Friday, September 10, 2010

Funday Friday

Happy Friday!!!!
As Laura nee Meinhardt said on her Facebook wall---this has been the longest shortest week ever!!!
I opened the front door this morning to find a grey sky, rain and cool air. I started the day with a bowl of oatmeal and brown sugar....organic of course. It was a busy day at work, which was fine with me as it makes the day go by fast. Even though I was good at breakfast it was all downhill from there.
Lunch consisted of four toasted ravioli and a large salad with grilled chicken from Bella Milano. For those of you not familiar with the Bella salad let me just tell you it is NOT free anything. It is not gluten free, dairy free, soy. BUT it is big on flavor. It's lettuce, cheese (not sure if it's mozzarella, provolone or what), prosciutto and their house dressing. The toasted ravioli are breaded in who knows what. It was not on my approved list but it was GOOD. My lips are now tingling and red as a result.
From the insurance office it was to the Y for my three hour shift. I hadn't worked in over a week so I felt like I was starting at ground zero but the knowledge came back quickly. During my three hours, I had cinnamon twists from Taco Bell. Bad, I know.
I am home now and have brown rice in the cooker and I will add chicken to steam as well. One day of badness is about all my lips and I can tolerate.
There were some events that happened today that made appreciate my simple life. I am thankful that life is not complicated, that I can make a decision when it needs to be made and that when I am home it is peaceful and serene.
Tomorrow will be busy but not overwhelming. I have an exercise class at 9AM, Carson has a 3-on-3 tournament and I work at 2:30. Sunday is church and Delaney's horse show.
Shadow is at the screen door....her normal spot now....and I am again curled up with a blanket on the couch. Life is good.........

Thursday, September 9, 2010

It's Not Official But......

It's not official but fall is here. How do I know? Last night there was the smell of wood smoke in the air. Tonight is the first official NFL game of the season---Minnesota vs New Orleans. I am hoping the Saints win as I cannot stand Bret Favre the drama queen. I heard my first flock of geese fly over the apartment. The air is cool and it is a night like this that I miss hot cocoa with marshmallows. Yes, I can substitute hot tea with honey but it's just not the same thing.

This week has been SO long and I can't wait for it to end. Monday was Labor Day which meant no work that day but I've made up for it every other day. Tuesday I was at work by 8:15AM and worked until 5:30pm. Becky brought us lunch from Wang Gang and I had a steak from Lotta Watta Creek that night. I was good with the steak and baked potatoe but I caved and ate the cheese on my salad (I did take off the croutons). I returned library books and came home to mop the kitchen floor. Shadow was not at all happy that she had been alone all day and most of the evening. Yesterday, I was supposed to meet a friend at 8AM so that she could pick up two of my baskets that she purchased and give me the money for them. I ran into construction on the way to the office and was ten minutes late. She had already left as she had an 8:20 appointment. So I was at work at 8:10 and worked until 5:30pm. It was a busy day of people making payments, reinstating policies and me trying to work my way through the piles on my desk. After work, Rachel came over and gave me a mani/pedi. It was nice relaxation break. Her son is back in London after serving in Afghanistan so she is a happy momma right now. After she left, my stomach started hurting. Not an "oww" kind of hurt but a "I need to throw up" feeling. I didn't sleep well last night and then today at work I still didn't feel well. I ate a Laura bar and a Low Carb bowl from Hardee's....that's it. I'm just not hungry.
It's a quiet night at home....I could be unpacking boxes, cleaning, or so many other things but I'm not. I am curled up in an afghan watching football, enjoying the cool evening air coming in through the screen door and watching Shadow stare into the darkness of the night. It's good to be home and it's been awhile since I have been able to say that.

Go Saints!!!!