OLS Week 2 - Asparagus Omlet with Red Potato Homefries

I'm not sure why, but this year I'm having a little bit of trouble getting excited about local eating. Last year I couldn't get enough of the farmer's market. Finding new veggies to try and experimenting with recipes was so much fun. But this year it all seems like so much...well, work. Maybe it's that last year I was just doing my best, trying out the "local thing" but not making a big deal about my non-local choices. Now I'm feeling pressured, by my own environmentally-conscious leanings as well as the cost of everything, to be more strict about my food and the places it comes from.

Now that the market options are becoming more varied--I was starting to get sick of all the greens, and lettuce is no longer my friend--things are starting to look up a little. This morning at the market, I found something to get excited about. Locally grown tomatoes! With all the scary news about salmonella, I can rest assured that these first tomatoes of the season won't make me sick. Now what to do with them? I'm sure I'll come up with something. In the mean time, brunch today is my second One Local Summer meal for the season. You might remember a similar meal I whipped up last year around this time. Since I don't know of any local rice or pasta, and my budget is making me hesitant to pay about $4 per pound for local chicken, I'm sticking to mostly vegetarian meals these days, especially when it comes to OLS. This is not easy.

I got lucky at the market and thought to pick up a dozen eggs from The Hen's Nest stand, so an OLS omelet and homefries it is:

Asparagus Omelet and Red New Potato Homefries
Makes 1 serving

Ingredients:

1 tsp olive oil, divided
3 spears asparagus, cut into 1-2 inch pieces
1 small spring onion, chopped, green and white parts separated
1 TBSP garlic scape, chopped and separated
2 red new potatoes, diced
1 TBSP shredded cheese
fresh dill and parsley
salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

In a small, microwave-safe dish, microwave the potatoes for 1-2 minutes until fork-tender. In a small non-stick skillet, heat 1/2 tsp oil over medium heat. Add 1/2 the white parts of the spring onion and 1/2 TBSP of the garlic scape. Cook for a few seconds, until aromatic, and then add the potatoes. Sauté until browned. Place on a plate and cover to keep warm.

Wipe out the skillet and add the remaining 1/2 tsp oil. Place over medium heat and add the remaining garlic scape and whites of the spring onion, as well as the asparagus. Sauté until the asparagus is bright green and tender. Set aside.

Wipe out the skillet again and spray with non-stick cooking spray. In a small bowl, whip two eggs until slightly frothy. Heat the skillet for a few seconds and then add the egg. Sprinkle with chopped dill and parsley and cook until no longer runny, scraping the sides every few minutes to allow the liquid egg to reach the bottom of the pan.

Slide the omelet onto the plate. Place the asparagus mixture on one side of the omelet. Sprinkle with shredded cheese and a bit more chopped dill and parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste.

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OLS Breakdown: Eggs, asparagus, spring onion, new potatoes and raw milk sharp cheddar cheese from the local farmer's market. Garlic scape from the CSA. Parsley and dill from my back yard. Oil, salt and pepper from my pantry (not local, but on hand). I also served this with a side of local strawberries. They won't be around much longer...*sigh*

Measuring in Gallons

Is it just me, or is everyone else measuring everything in gallons of gas these days?

That latte? That'll set you back 1 gallon of gas.
The free-range, natural chicken I considered buying for a millisecond? A whopping 2 gallons of gas. Per. Pound.
Those shoes? Better start saving, because they're a full tank.
And a pound of strawberries? At about a half-gallon, they seem like a steal.

Get used to it, I tell myself. Europeans have been paying this much for gas for years. While this is the reality, it doesn't make it any easier to swallow. But it could be worse; I could be a truck driver in Spain. Or an Ethiopian. Or a citizen of some other poor, developing country. Maybe now that gas prices are starting to strain our purses we Americans will collectively start making more conservation-minded choices.

Or maybe we'll continue to do what we've always done: Thank God for our freedom to live however we choose, and as well as we can afford, without considering the consequences of our actions on our communities, our country or our world. Isn't that what being an American is all about?

I know I sound all judgmental and cynical, but all the doom and gloom, all the natural disasters and economic hardship, are making me wonder if we really can make a difference. I mean, for every person who is conscious of their own impact on the collective financial, environmental, medical and mental health of the world, it seems there are a dozen more who, for whatever reason, can't see beyond their own noses.

And sometimes, I'm not sure which group I fall into. I'm trying to make a difference, be more other-centered, do my part. I just don't know if it's making a difference. And if I forget to unplug my electronics today, have I negated all the efforts I made yesterday? How might my life measure out in gallons of gas? Would it turn out that I'm just as much to blame for the state of the world as the person down the street driving that Hummer? I'm not sure I want to know.

Dude

I cannot believe what I just read.

Tim Russert. Dead.

Un. Be. Liev. Able.

I'm so sad.

Beat-up Pickup

A little writing experiment. If you want to see the original picture prompt, visit The Feeless Free Writer's Free Your Ride #1.

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It was almost dusk when we found it, a beat up, left-for-dead truck under under a rotting tree. We weren't supposed to climb over that barbed-wire fence, but before I could stop him, Chris was on the other side. "Come on!" he said. "Just hold the post and don't slip."

By the time I'd reached the truck, with several snags in my skirt that I knew I wouldn't be able to hide from Granny, he was already in the cab. "The door won't open. It's rusted shut. Climb in through the window," he told me. He was always telling me what to do. I pulled myself up and through the opening, smearing the front of my sweater with rust.

Chris scooted over to make room for me. As I slide onto the seat beside him, shoulders first, I started to cry. "Granny told me not to get dirty and now I've gone and done it."

He slid his tan arm over my shoulders and said, "Don't worry. She likes to yell, but she won't hit ya." His voice was softer and I lay my head on his shoulder and sniffled until the tears stopped. Chris pulled his arm away and opened the glove box, rifling through the abandoned papers, so I sat up and wiped my eyes.

"What's in there?" I asked, my fears of Granny fading.

He removed something solid and black from the very back corner and I leaned in to see what it was. Chris turned the gun over and over in his hands, but he didn't say a word.

"Put that back," I said, starting to climb out of the truck. I was shaking. I knew what it was and I didn't want to be near it, not again. "Put it back and let's go." My voice cracked and I knew he would hear me crying again, but I didn't care. I climbed over the fence and ran across the field to Granny's house, where there were no guns, and no Mama either.

PDA Envy

I'm normally not one to get all excited about the latest gadget or newfangled electronic device. I don't have a Wii (not even the Wii Fit). It took me quite some time to finally buy my first iPod. And I could care less about the new iPhone, even if it is several hundred dollars cheaper this time around.

That's why I'm so surprised by my Smartphone obsession. I want a Pearl or a Curve so badly I can barely stand it. There's something about that little tiny keyboard, the sleek look and all their various features. I've convinced myself that I can't live without one. I'm certain that if I could only hold one of these darlings in my hand my whole life would come together. No more missed meetings or accidental double-bookings. I'd always know when that deadline was, and I'd have publications begging me to squeeze their articles in.

If only I had a Blackberry.

The obsession started over the Christmas holiday, when my friend the dietitian pulled out her Pearl. I swooned. I oooed and ahhhed and begged to touch it, hold it. Still, when it came time to get a new phone, I opted for the (Moto)RED™ Razr because it was cheaper and I felt good about the cause. Now, I'd like to undo that decision. The PDA envy has only gotten stronger. Everywhere I turn, there they are: at breakfast with a friend, in the hands of every manager in my company, even a co-worker just got one. Filled with lust, I stare at them and wish I had one to call my own.

There's no reason for me to get a new phone now, I remind myself. The Razr's just a few months old. It works just fine. And besides, I can't get a discount until January. Sprint will make me pay at least $400 to hold one now. So I wallow in my PDA envy and wait.

This Week's CSA Share and an Aspargus Recipe to Try

Things are starting to pick up at the CSA. While asparagus is no longer (at least at this farm), other treats are ripe and ready. Here's what I brought home from the CSA tonight:

• A small bunch of tiny little scallions
• 0.8 lbs. of snow peas
• 0.4 lbs. of snap peas
• A large head of red leaf lettuce
• And yet more oregano (does anyone have any suggestions what to do with all this oregano, other than drying with is my only idea at this point)

Once my veggies were put away, I made a nice big salad, along with a herb-alicious meal I created to use up the asparagus and spring onion in my refrigerator. I also finally tried out the garlic scapes from last week, which tasted like a mixture of garlic and chives. If I hadn't served this sauté over pasta and topped it with grated parmesan cheese, it would have been my local meal for the week. Guess I'll have to come up with something more local later this week. In the meantime, give this recipe a try and tell me what you think.

Asparagus with Pesto Over Pasta
Makes 2 servings

Ingredients:

1/2 TBSP olive oil
1 spring onion, chopped
1 garlic scape, finely diced (or substitute 1 small clove garlic, minced)
20-25 stalks asparagus, tough ends removed, cut into 1- to 2-inch pieces
1/4 pesto (I used some parsley pesto that I'd made and frozen last season; use your favorite brand or make your own)
4 oz. whole wheat pasta, cooked and kept warm
Fresh herbs for garnish (I used parsley because my pesto was made with parsley, but you can use whatever herbs go well with your pesto of choice.)

Instructions:

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic scape to the oil and sauté until fragrant. Reduce to medium heat and add the asparagus, cooking just until it's bright green and tender. Cover in the pesto and stir until just heated through. Serve over the pasta and top with a few sprigs of fresh herbs.

AC is My Friend

Today is the first Monday in a really long time that I'm actually happy to be back at work after the weekend. It was so hot that I actually couldn't wait for Monday to roll around so that I could spend the day in my frigid office. Normally I'd shiver and complain about how cold it is in the morning, sitting under that AC vent blasting cold air down on me. But today I'm happy to have to wear a sweater to ward off the goosebumps. Bring on the chills!

I don't have central AC in my house - yet. It's my plan to have it installed by next year, and I'm saving up for it, but for now I have to make do with one ancient, really big window unit on the first floor, which I finally uncovered and turned on this weekend. Needless to say, I slept on the couch all weekend.

In fact, in order to avoid suffocation, I spent most of my time from Friday through this morning on the first floor. The temperature upstairs just wasn't suitable for living (unless you're one lazy cat who enjoys stretching out on the hardwood floors and taking a nap). Any trip up those steps required a really important reason, because half way to the second floor I'd start sweating, and by the time I'd gone to the bathroom or located the file folder I was looking for, I'd be dripping with perspiration. It was like walking into a sauna every time I ventured upstairs.

Because I try to be energy conscious, as well as frugal, I kept the temperature at about 78 on the first floor. This actually felt like I was living in a refrigerator in comparison to the temperature outside and upstairs, so it wasn't that bad. And I even turned it down a bit on Saturday, and spent my afternoon taking advantage of the free AC of the public library where I worked on The Book Proposal. I got a lot of work done this weekend, mostly because, in the heat, I didn't have the energy or desire to do much other than read, eat and type.

The heat was so bad that I was dreading getting ready this morning in my (upstairs) bathroom, so much so that I actually dragged my butt out of bed (couch) at 4:15AM and went to the gym before work. At least I could blow dry my hair in an air-conditioned locker room that way. This might be the best motivator to get me to the gym yet.

This is What the Price of Gas is Driving Me To

A few days ago, I drove by a gas station down the road from me that closed a little over a year ago. At the time, they made the price sign read $3.49 for a gallon of regular gas. I assume this was an attempt to keep people from accidentally driving in for gas, only to find the pumps turned off and the store darkened. But now it has the exact opposite effect.

Who would have thought that $3.49 would be considered a steal just a year later?

I find myself waiting just a little longer than comfortable to put gas in my car in hopes that the price might suddenly drop. No such luck. Today I watched my last two bars disappear from my fuel gage with several miles left for me to get to a gas station where I knew I would pay less than $4 per gallon. I held my breath as I passed each exit leading to the one I would take. My heart pounded with fear that I'd run out of fumes and end up on the side of the highway waiting for my free gallon of roadside-assistance gas.

When I made it to the station, I waited in line for 10 minutes for a pump to open. It appears I'm not the only one who scopes out where the cheapest gas resides (if you can even use the words cheap and gas in the same sentence anymore). I paid $3.91 per gallon for regular grade gas, and it cost me $43.90 to fill my Honda Civic's tiny little tank. That's the most I've ever paid to fill a car. Even when I drove a poorly tuned, 6-cylinder Chrysler Cirrus with a much larger gas tank, I never shelled over more than $35 to fill up. No wonder SUVs and trucks aren't selling.

I got out the calculator yesterday and figured out how much it was costing me to commute to work everyday. I drive 80 miles a day, round-trip, at an average of 35 miles per gallon (yes, I love my little Civic), I spend about $9 per day on gas alone. Not even taking into account the wear and tear on my vehicle, it costs me $45 per week to commute. That may not seem like a lot to those of you who drive less fuel-efficient vehicles, or who are paying more than $4 per gallon for gas, but for frugal, Civic-driving me, that seems like a fortune.

And it doesn't look like there's any end to the rise in prices in sight. With every penny that a barrel of oil goes up, there's more speculating and investing, pushing the price even higher. The summer vacation season is here, and demand is likely to go up. So how's a girl to get by?

I've got a few ideas, a few of which I'm not sure they'll fly with my boss, and a few of which I'm not sure I could live with.

1. Work from home two or three days a week.
2. Work four 10-hour days.
3. Request that my company consider a gas-subsidy of some sort for those of us who commute more than a certain number of miles a day.
4. Start selling my plasma.
5. Live off of Ramen noodles until the price of gas drops below $3.50 again.
6. Get a part-time job (one near my current job so that I don't have to drive any extra miles).

How is the price of gas affecting you?

Bringing Home the CSA Booty

I picked up week number two's share from the CSA last night after work. This is what I came home with:

• 1 quart of super-sweet strawberries (I couldn't resist trying them on the way home)
• .37 lbs. asparagus
• .01 lbs. oregano
• 1 small head lettuce
• sugar snap peas (I can't remember the weight, but it was about 2 cups)
• garlic scapes (again, I can't remember the weight, but it was a large handful of the curly shoots)

Overall, it didn't seem like a lot, but it's still early in the season, so I can't judge yet whether it will be worth it for me to get a full share next year. I'll have to see how the harvests are later in the year. On top of everything I got at the farmer's market on Sunday, though, I was a little worried I wouldn't be able to eat everything before it went bad. I have so much lettuce that I'll probably be eating salads for lunch and dinner everyday.

To head off any produce spoilage, I decided to take an hour once I got home and prep some veggies for the freezer. After some quick steaming, chilling, and vacuum sealing, I now have a package of snap peas and three small packages of spring sweet peas frozen for later use. Next to go in the freezer is the rhubarb. I think I'll make some rhubarb sauce again, maybe with strawberries if I can't eat them all by the weekend. I also have swiss chard that will probably end up being frozen. And since I have no idea what to do with the garlic scapes, I'll have to do some internet research and find some recipes and some way to store/preserve them.

Expect to see a lot of new recipes over the coming weeks as I figure out how to prepare some of these new-to-me foods. I suppose this is as good a place as any to record my cooking experiences, and at least this way I get to share what I learn.

OLS Week 1 - Baby Spinach and Strawberry Salad

Today is the first day of One Local Summer. I got up early and headed to the Farmer's Market to find some fresh local ingredients for my first OLS meal. The options were pretty good considering how early in the season we are. I got two bunches of aparagus, several stalks of rhubarb, two quarts of strawberries, a half-pound of baby spinach, a pound of spring peas, a bunch of radishes, some red spring onions, cilantro, swiss chard and a few more herb plants for my garden (cinnamon basil, purple basil and rosemary). It was difficult for me to decide what to make, particularly because I had to make sure I didn't add any non-local ingredients.

Here's what I created:

Baby Spinach and Strawberry Salad
Makes 2 dinner-sized or 4 side-sized servings.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup strawberries, halved
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 Tbsp. fresh mint leaves

6 cups baby spinach
1 large radish, chopped
1 small spring onion, chopped, whites and greens separated
3/4 cup strawberries, quartered or cut in eighths
fresh mint leaves, for garnish

Instructions:

For the dressing, mix the first four ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

In a large bowl, toss the spinach, radishes and onion to mix. Evenly split the salad into the number of servings you'd like. Top each salad with equal amounts of strawberries and add a few mint leaves. Drizzle with about 1-2 Tbsp. dressing immediately before serving.

* This salad would also be great with local feta or goat cheese and/or local walnuts. Unfortunately, I didn't have either of those. It was delicious just the same.

I can't wait to experiment this week with all my other market finds!

I'm Back

I'm back from my mini vacation, during which my body succumbed to the cold I've probably been fighting off for most of the month. It reminded me of when I was in college and would work my butt off all semester, only to go home for Spring Break or Winter Break and come down with strep throat or bronchitis within hours of setting foot in my mom's house.

The good news is, while I sound croaky at best, I'm feeling much better. I had a relaxing time in my hometown, which is not something I can usually say about my visits there. Aside from spending some time with my mom and my dad, I didn't make many plans; I just enjoyed whatever came up. I went boating on the St. Lawrence River with friends. I went to bed early and slept in most nights. I practiced yoga and I took a walk. I answered A LOT of questions about my house, my life and my writing. I enjoyed the beauty of spring in my little hometown. I ran into a cousin I hadn't seen in ages. I ate lunch and played Keno with three of my favorite aunts. I had a business meeting with a good friend to set goals for a book proposal we're working on.

It was honestly one of the best trips "home" I've had in a long time. I needed it.

New D.I.S. Post

If you're interested in hearing me go on even more about my exhaustion, and come up with a potential plan of action, you can check out my new post at Damsels in Success.

If not, I completely understand. I'm getting tired of hearing myself talk about how tired I am, too.

Getting By

I'm tired. I'm busy--but doing nothing, it seems. I'm not sleeping well, my mind is on overdrive, and my body is wearing down.

I mentioned last week that I was in a slump, and it's not really getting much better.

I'm taking a break over the long weekend and will hopefully come back to my life refreshed, renewed, refocused, remotivated and relaxed.

In the meantime, any advice you have would be helpful. What do you do when you get into a funk?

Weekend Recap

While I didn't get nearly as much rest as I had hoped or nearly as much done as I'd planned, I spent my weekend:

• Gabbing with the girls and learning how to scrapbook. Did you know there are machines out there that cut letters in fancy fonts??? And other machines that can make those letters sticky so you don't have to try and get tiny corners with the glue stick? I also discovered that there are people out there who make scrapbook pages that could be considered art. I'm talking creative, artistic, made-with-passion, A.R.T.
• Catching up with an old friend. There are a lot of people I miss from past seasons in my life and this person is one of them. I'm glad we got to talk over breakfast about everything from God to babies to visions for a better city and how to make them happen. Hanging out with people like this always makes me hungry to do more.
• At Ikea. My entire afternoon on Saturday was spent browsing and mentally decorating while I meandered through Ikea's showrooms. I got a new area rug and runner/throw rug for my living room, along with a couple of odds and ends. I would have come home with a new chair, too, if I had thought I could fit it into my tiny car and haul it into my house alone...Looks like My Love will have to go with me next time.
• Redecorating. Sort of. All I really did was put down the new rugs, move my hand-me-down love seats a few inches and shift a table and a plant, but the difference really is amazing. Next step: hang that mirror I bought a few weeks ago and those framed photos I've been meaning to put up since I moved in. Almost a year and a half ago.
  
• Clearing the clutter. With the new living room arrangement, I couldn't stand the clutter I'd let build up over the last few weeks of frenzy and laziness. So I cleared, filed, shredded and put away much of the stuff that's been hanging around my coffee table and other surfaces. This also let to a bedroom purge. Since I painted my office, I've had boxes of stuff in my bedroom that I needed to sort through and/or get rid of. I cleared out a lot of it, made a Freecycle pile and put away what I plan to keep.
  
• Closet shifting. While I was at it, I moved my sweaters out of my main closet and hung my spring and summer stuff in their place. I also marked several handbags and a few pieces of clothing for that Freecycle pile. In the process, I realized that a few things I'd been avoiding because of weight gain fit me again!
• Cooking. I got my first fruits--asparagus--of the CSA on Saturday and made a trip to the Farmer's Market on Sunday. The pickings are still a little slim, but I found plenty of salad greens and made a great salad. I steamed some asparagus and made black beans and rice, and jerk turkey burgers for dinner. It was delish and I'm looking forward to eating leftovers this week.
• Practicing for the reading. The essay I'm reading is about self-image and weight and I'm starting to get nervous about reading it in front of a bunch of strangers and semi-strangers. But in the process of reading it essay out loud for practice, I think I made some edits that create a much stronger piece than before. I'll let you know how it goes.
  
• Hanging out with My Love. He had to work most of the weekend, but we got to spend a few hours together Sunday night.

I also did the usual laundry and cleaning routine. I did not mow my lawn or buy seedlings to plant because I knew I wouldn't have time to get to them this week. Is it just me or does it seem that just when you think you've caught up, there's a long list of things that need to be done again?

What did you do this weekend?

TGIF - Seriously People

I'm so glad the weekend is here. I'll be doing lots of fun (and routine) things this weekend, including a girls' night tonight with sushi and scrapbooking and maybe even a movie.

Even more exciting than that is the first CSA pick-up of the season: an asparagus-only harvest! I'm so excited to get some fresh asparagus. I think I can honestly say this is my favorite vegetable and I wait all winter for the first asparagus of the season. (That stuff you get year-round at the grocery store? Not so good.)

The big farmer's market here opened on May 4th, so I'll be making a trip there on Sunday to visit my farmer friends and see what's ready for harvesting. I'm expecting to get some fresh salad greens, more asparagus (I think I'll freeze some), and herb seedlings. I'm planning to expand my herb garden to include rosemary, lavender and cilantro, along with whatever looks good and I think I'll use. Look for awesome recipes and fun food stuff again this year. With lots of produce from the Cromwell Valley CSA and my commitment to One Local Summer, I'm sure food will be a major source of content around here over the next few months. And I might just try another month of La Vida Local if I'm feeling up to the challenge.

With all this fun stuff, my mood's sure to improve after this blah week. Some laughs with the girls and fresh food in the kitchen are sure to beat the doldrums I've been stuck in.

Hope you have a weekend of fun planned, too!

200th Post

It appears that this is my 200th post here at Writing: My Life. Where has the time gone? I didn't plan a party or anything. Maybe for post 300...

In lieu of a party, please except this round-up of tidbits. It's been a busy week and I haven't been feeling all that "with-it" the last few days.

• P is offering up wonderful prompts for your free-writing pleasure. And it's completely free. As she says, go there and write your pants off.
• If you've been visiting my photo-a-day blog, you'll notice there are very few photos. Taking a picture each day and actually getting it posted is a bit more difficult than I thought. As usual, I think I've taken on a bit more than I can handle right now. Go figure.
• There's still time to sign up for One Local Summer if you're interested. All you have to do is commit to cooking one meal each week from only local ingredients (other than oil, salt and pepper and spices). The deadline to officially join in is May 25th.
• Have you visited Damsels in Success yet? If not, head over and check it out. Read my first article while you're there and see what other women have to say. Get involved in the conversations going on. It's a great community of women supporting each other along the path to success - whatever that may mean individually.
• Monday (May 19th) is Open Mic Night for the Baltimore Chapter of Maryland Writers' Association. I'll be reading something (although I haven't decided just what yet). If you're in the area and are interested in checking it out -- or reading something of your own -- we'll be at Ukazoo Books in Towson at 7PM.
• Jen is preparing for her quickly approaching trip to Rwanda. The 'zine is done, and if you want to get a freshly printed copy, there are a few on sale at Etsy. All sales proceeds will, of course, go to Odette, her daughter Grace, and last-minute trip expenses for Jen's "Girl Power Rwanda Trip."
• I'm reading The Omnivore's Dilemma and I highly recommend it. I'm learning so much about why our food system works the way it does. And why almost everything you pick up in the supermarket lists high fructose corn syrup as an ingredient. Did you know that corn is in almost everything we eat???
  
• The sun is finally shining around here, although I believe it's supposed to rain tomorrow, so it didn't last long. I think this foul weather is affecting my mood. I've got a case of the blahs, but I'm trying to plow through them.
• Also, for some reason my DSL is running reeeaaalllly slow these days (thanks for nothing yet again, Verizon), so I can't even open two web pages simultaneously without things timing out on me. Would it be completely inappropriate to scream out loud right now?
  

Hope you're having a brighter week than I am. Happy 200th post!

BlogHers Act Donation Challenge Results

Thank you to everyone who took the time to leave a comment last week. The comments have been tallied and the donations have been made.

I received 44 comments through yesterday (I decided to count all the comments made) and rounded that up to 50 for good measure. I donated $25 to the Afghan women's project, which received the most votes, and $25 to the AIDS/HIV awareness project in South Africa, which tied for the second most votes with the Nepal clinic -- perfect since I'd planned to donate $25 to the clinic in honor of my mother for Mother's Day.

Once again, thanks for the comments and for helping me decide where to give.

Blogher Acts Donation Challenge

***This is a sticky post and will remain at the top of my blog until my Blogher Acts donation challenge ends on May 9th. Please scroll down for new posts.***

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What with my computer issues and a lack of blog-reading time overall, I somehow missed an important campaign going on over at Blogher. The Bloghers Act pledge to raise money and awareness about maternal health around the world has led to a Mother's Day fund-raising challenge. Since I have a mother, I know several mothers, and I hope to be a mother myself one day, maternal health is an issue that directly affects me. Unfortunately, there are women around the world who don't have the options, opportunities and services available to them to ensure their own maternal health, while as a middle-class American, I'm likely to get exactly what I need.

After reading about the different maternal health projects that Blogher is supporting, I decide I definitely wanted to be part of this giving extravaganza. I figured out a few places where I could cut back on spending and set aside a little cash for a good cause. Then I thought, why not get others involved in the process? And a mini donation challenge was born!

Here's how you can help me help mothers around the world:

1. Stop by and comment (on this post or the current day's post) every day between May 5th and May 9th.


2. Send all of your friends over to comment, too.


3. In at least one of your comments, suggest which cause you'd like me to support.

For every comment I receive between May 5th and May 9th, I'll donate $0.10 to one of the Blogher-supported organizations (for a maximum donation of $100). (**UPDATE: I'll donate $1 for each unique commenter during the week.) That means I'll need your help to average 200 comments from unique bloggers per day. That's quite the feat for someone who averages about 15 visitors, and even less commenters, per day. (Note: While you're welcome to comment as many times per day as you'd like, only one comment per unique visitor will be counted toward the total. The goal here is to raise awareness and get as many people involved as possible.)

In addition to helping me raise the funds, I'm going to let you help me decide which organization to donate to. In at least one of your comments, vote to provide noon meals to girls in Burkina Faso, empower women to end HIV/AIDS stigma in South Africa, ensure health care for displaced Darfurians, support a mother and child health clinic in Nepal, or help Afghan women safely deliver healthy babies. They're all worthy causes, so I'll let you choose where the funds go.

Are you in? If so, mark your calendars, set your reminders, start spreading the word. Do whatever you need to do to make sure those comments are flooding in when May 5th rolls around. Let's give mothers around the world the gift of health on Mother's Day.

---

***This is a sticky post and will remain at the top of my blog until my Blogher Acts donation challenge ends on May 9th. Please scroll down for new posts.***

Another Step

If you haven't noticed (and maybe you haven't because I can't say I've really been writing a whole lot about my writing these days), the writing thing is really taking off for me. While I may not be getting a pile of cash for all of my writing gigs, I'm finding more passion and enjoyment in it, which is success in my book.

On Wednesday, I was invited to join the forum of women professionals over at Damsels in Success. What this means is that there is yet another place where you can read what I have to say, in this case about work, life, business and balance. My first piece (originally published in at Weight of My World) was posted Wednesday. I'm excited to have yet another outlet for my writing and to join such an amazing group of women who are all chasing their dreams and pursuing their passions. Being surrounded by so many women doing what they love and loving what they do motivates me to keep reaching for my goals. And having a support group of people going through, or having been through, similar challenges, struggles and milestones makes those goals seem all that more achievable.

From the Damsels About page:

At Damsels, we agree with the popular notion that, in order to grow something, you have to give it attention. And we want to put the spotlight on YOU... Your fascinating stories, your valuable insights, your ambitious dreams. When you visit Damsels In Success, you should feel that you are in the company of women who listen and share. A Damsels woman is one who wants to hear others' perspective on the professional situations that women have all experienced or witnessed, and she is one who has her own enlightening and curious perspective to share. At the very least, participating in Damsels In Success should be a fun conversation. But we hope it is much more...

There are plenty of resources available at Damsels. You can network with others, search the job database, share your stories, or read about the experiences of others and join in on the conversations. If you're a working woman, whether in an office or at home, Damsels in Success has something for you.

And if nothing else, I hope you'll check out my posts each month. Thanks for reading! You make this writing thing REAL.

Thursday Thirteen #24

If all goes as planned, on Friday I will have completed 6 weeks of consistent exercise and healthy eating. What better time to take a few minutes to make note of the progress I'm making? Yes, I've had a few moments of weakness. Yes, I've skipped my yoga workouts on the weekends more than once. But I'm discovering that it's the big picture that matters, not the little peanut butter binge or the skipped gym trip.

Thirteen Ways I'm Recognizing Real Health and Fitness Progress

1. I'm not beating myself up over that ice cream cone I had last night.

2. I made healthy choices at Ruby Tuesdays and only ate a few of my fries.

3. I've been consistently doing cardio for more than a month and I'm actually looking forward to my workouts again.

4. The scale is being relatively kind.

5. I'm not getting down on myself because my weight loss has been slow.

6. In fact, I'm actually proud that I'm being moderate in my approaches to food and fitness this time around.

7. I actually stop eating when I'm not hungry anymore (most of the time).

8. I tried on two pairs of jeans I haven't worn since Christmas and they actually fit without having to hold my breath.

9. In general, I'm more energetic than I have been in some time.

10. I'm drinking less coffee and diet soda.

11. I'm using less artificial sweetener. In fact, I'm using less sweeteners in general.

12. I can eat chocolate without feeling guilty.

13. I'm speaking kindly to myself every day, no matter what my food and exercise choices.

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BlogHer Acts Donation Challenge Update

Well, we're more than half-way there, and I've tallied 27 comments so far. That means I need more than 70 comments to reach my goal of 100 comments this week (which will mean a $100 donation to a maternal health organization). Please leave a comment today and tomorrow (before midnight EDT) to be included in the final tally.

I've never wanted to spend $100 so badly before! Comment away!

Win a Bike ... and Other Things

I've been catching up on all my blog reading (it seems I'm always catching up but never quite on top of them) and I'm finding some gems out there. Thought I'd share them with you all.

~ Interested in getting more exercise? Courtesy of Lipton White Tea, you can enter to win a new bike over at johnisfit.com just by mentioning the contest on your own blog and you can get an extra entry by stumbling his original post, too. You can also win a Lipton-provided bike from InMyHeels just by commenting with a tip about how you stay young. Get a second entry from her by posting about the contest on your own blog (See how I cleverly did that??? Can you tell I want a free bike?)

~ There's an interesting post on universal health care over at BlogHer.

~ Crabby takes on Entitlement over at Cranky Fitness, my new favorite place to commiserate (OK, and get motivated) about exercise and healthy eating.

~ If you're looking for something to do with your economic stimulus check (I just purchased a computer), check out this list of charitable ideas from Britt at BlogHer.

~ Also at BlogHer, Mocha Momma's talkin' about race in an interview with Rita Arens.

~ If you've still got that wedding dress hanging around, or if you're single and bought one with hope and trepidation, Liz Rizzo collected some suggestions on what to do with the thing.

~ Kalyn has me drooling over her Shrimp and Avacado salad.

~ Having joined the CSA (did I officially tell you that?), I'm going to need something to do with all that local produce, so I joined in on One Local Summer at Farm to Philly. I'll be cooking one local meal a week and posting about it here. Interested? There's still time to join.

I think that's enough linky-business for now. Enjoy!

Update on Donation Challenge: Kicking it Up a Notch

OK, the comments are trickling in, and I really appreciate the support I'm getting so far. Unfortunately, I think I may have set my sights a bit high expecting 200 commenters a day. So....I'm going to up the ante a bit.

In addition to my $25 Mother's Day donation in my mother's name, for every unique commenter each day this week (May 5th through May 9th) I'll donate $1 (up to $100) toward the maternal health cause that receives the most votes. Spread the word, shout it from the rooftops, get those comments rolling. Only four days left to raise money for one of these great causes!

Losing My Identity

One of the things I'm most afraid of these days is identity theft. I have good credit, and frankly, I'd like to keep it that way. You'll understand, then, why I freaked out a bit when I received a statement on Friday from an insurance company I'm no longer with regarding a claim from a doctor I've never seen.

I immediately called the insurance company, who had very little information to give me other than that it seemed someone else may have used my insurance information. The representative I spoke with told me the claim was missing a great deal of information and gave me the number for the physician's office so that I could follow up with them. They were closed at 6PM on Friday, so I had nothing to do but research identity theft on the internet and worry all weekend long. I played through every possible scenario, tried to recall if I might have missed shredding one of the old cards and accidentally thrown one away, put a fraud alert on my credit files (just in case) and stressed out to the nth degree. It was like hypochondria for identity theft victims, because every resource I read that was supposed to help me figure out what to do next only made me worry more about how horrible the situation might be.

On Monday morning, before calling to file a police report, I decided to check with the insurance company to find out if they had a fraud department where I could place a fraud alert on the inactive insurance policy. It turns out that they did, so I called them up and explained the situation. This time, the representative looked at the claim and promptly told me that it appeared there had been an error on the insurance company's part. The claim had been mistakenly applied to my policy instead of the actual patient's policy. The representative submitted a request to clear the claim from my inactive policy and I wrote down the reference number that he gave me so that I can follow up in a couple of weeks to make sure everything has been taken care of.

Apparently, there isn't an identity thief out there with my insurance card after all. Thank God. Talk about a wake-up call, though. I'll certainly be very careful about what personal information leaves my house and how it exits. Now, if you need me I'll be shredding.

**Don't forget to comment for a cause. Thanks for your support!**

Bring on the Comments!

Today is the beginning of my BlogHer Acts Donation Challenge. I hope you'll all join in, spread the word on your own blogs and send visitors my way. The more comments I get, the more money I'll be donating to the maternal health cause of your choice. Leave a comment every day, and make sure you vote for your favorite BlogHer Acts maternal health cause. Mother's Day is just around the corner, and I'm excited to be able to donate toward a special cause that will help mothers around the world stay healthy and be the best mothers they can possibly be.

On top of the donation you help me raise, I'll also be donating a gift in my mother's name. When I asked Mom what she wanted or needed this Mother's Day she couldn't think of anything, so I asked how she would feel about me giving a donation to a maternal health cause in her name. After describing the options, my loving, giving Mom was more than willing to give up yet another gift card for Borders or some other possession she didn't really need. Thanks, Mom! In addition to the funds I donate based on the number of comments I receive, I'll be giving $25 to the Nepal clinic in the name of the woman who gave my sister and me life. She was blessed with the opportunity to receive proper health care before, during and after her pregnancies, and now, in her name, many other women and children will have that opportunity as well.

Bring on the comments! I can't wait to give others the Mother's Day gift of health.

Weekend Stuff

Yesterday was the Maryland Writers' Association Writers' Conference. I spent the day networking, learning how to market my books once I write them, getting motivated, learning new strategies for improving my plotting techniques and eating great food. It was a day well-spent.

This morning I got up early and planted some more flowers in my garden, which you can see at my picture-a-day blog. I also took a 3 hour nap. I'm not sure what's going on with that, but I'm exhausted today. Maybe all that social interaction yesterday drained me, or maybe I'm fighting off some illness, but man am I tired. I could honestly have slept all afternoon, but I knew I had freelancing to do and stuff to get done around the house. Plus, I had to prepare for the start of my donation challenge. Don't forget to stop by every day this week and help me raise money for a maternal health cause. And don't forget to vote for your favorite cause, too.

Hope you all had a good weekend!

Thursday Thirteen #23

Times are tight and I've recently committed to a donation of hefty proportions (relative to my personal budget, at least). This week's TT is all about saving the green for my Blogher Acts Maternal Health Donation.

Thirteen Ways I'll be Cutting Back on Spending in May

1. Stop buying sodas or bottles of water from the grocery store, vending machine or gas station. While I've given up soda most of the time, this gets tough on the weekends.

2. Take my lunch to work. Every. Day. No exceptions.

3. Buy only the essentials at the grocery store. No splurges on Larabars, kumquats or Kalamata olives in May.

4. Eat the food that's already in my house.

5. Avoid purchasing any new (or used) books on my long list of books I want. No matter how many coupons I receive from Barnes & Noble or Borders.

6. Make a list of necessaries for Wal-Mart and buy only what's on the list.

7. Limit Wal-Mart trips to twice during the month. (The less I'm there, the less temptation to buy, buy, buy.)

8. Avoid any stores that sell clothes, shoes or handbags.

9. Feed my cat only her "hard" food. (She normally gets 1 packet of rather expensive soft food each evening. Even Gizmo wants to support maternal health causes.)

10. Limit dates with My Love to things we can do for free: movies in, dinner at home, walks in the park, you get the picture.

11. Read the magazines I have instead of buying more each time I enter a book store, grocery store, or other store that sells magazines. (Clearly, I'm addicted.)

12. Take water in a reusable bottle with me to the gym instead of putting a $2 bottle "on my account" every time I go in.

13. Run all my weekend errands in one trip on one day, avoid driving at all on the other day and plan routes to any weekday meetings carefully to save gas (the biggest cash sucker out there).

How are you saving green during these tight economic times?

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Spreading My Creative Wings

I'm a little late getting around to this, but I thought I should let you know that I'm taking on a bit of a creative challenge--starting tomorrow.

Prompted by some posts I bumped into about Project 365, a challenge to take and post one picture every day for a year, I've decided to give it a try. Initially, I'll be doing the challenge as a Project 31 for the month of May. With all my other responsibilities, I don't want to take on a challenge that will keep me from getting my work done, but I do want to start taking pictures again. And what a better way to get my feet wet again than to plug my nose and dive in with my clothes on, right? If I don't drown, I just might continue with my own Project 365.

This may seem out of the blue, and for many of my readers it probably is, but photography has always been something I've loved. I've been taking pictures for as long as I can remember, and for a while I was known as the girl who always had the camera. Part of this was a defense mechanism (if I'm behind the camera I'll never be in front of it) and part of it was the challenge of creating that perfect frame. While photography has slipped down my list of priorities, it's never been far from my mind, and I'd like to get back into it, to stretch my creative muscles and start getting into the habit of taking pictures again.

I've created a new blog solely for the purpose of posting these pictures and chronicling my foray back into the world of shutter speed, light saturation and aperture size. I'll be working with my point-and-shoot digital for now, but if it looks like I'll be taking more pictures in the future, I might have to go out and get myself one of these, which I've been eying for weeks now. Since I just purchased a new computer, I doubt I'll be getting a new camera in the near future, but a girl can dream, can't she?

Anyway, if you're interested in my photography challenge, check out the new site starting tomorrow. If not, well, that's why I decided to post them on a separate blog.

Small Efforts, Large Results?

I tend to be the all-or-nothing type. If I can't finish something, I don't like to start it. And if it I make a mistake or get derailed, I have this tendency to just give up. Thus, my new mantra:

Small efforts bring large results when repeated often enough. - Ralph Marston

It seems simple enough, and yet I'm having difficulty getting it through my thick skull. I've been getting a bit frustrated with my inability to get large chunks of any of the following completed in a timely manner:

• That novel I started
• A book proposal I'm working on
• Landscaping of my back yard
• Landscaping of my front yard
• Saving 6 months income for that day when I finally decide to kick Corporate America to the curb and go full-time freelance
  
• Reaching my goal weight
• Developing a consistent yoga practice
  
• Getting my articles published
• Reading a book each month
  
• Renovation of my home (this, of course, is also hindered by the money factor)
  

Considering the fact that I work a full-time job, am technically single and have to take care of all household chores by myself, I suppose it's not surprising that many of these things have been on my to-do (or to-finish) list for quite a while. While I'm slowly working toward completion, for this all-or-nothing, perfectionist type who hears stories about busy people like me who get it all done despite the challenges, it's tough to still see these tasks lingering. That's why I've taken on this new mantra.

Today, instead of focusing on what I haven't completed, what I can't get done in the small amount of time I have, I'm going to focus on what I have completed and what I can get done. With each small effort, I'll be that much closer to checking these items off my to-do list.

What small efforts are you making to get closer to your goals? Suggestions for being more productive are always welcome.

New Computer = New Posts

Coming soon...

In the meantime, here's a short list of things I did over the weekend while (mostly) not spending time on the computer or watching TV:

• Shopped around for a new computer
• Cleared out another small patch of my "garden" for future planting
• Did four loads of laundry
• Attended the CSA orientation, including a tour of the farm
• Made my favorite three-bean salad for the orientation potluck
• Picked up a few things at the grocery store and Walmart
  
• Got a new set of glasses at Marshall's to replace the ones I keep breaking
• Read a magazine
• Cuddled with the cat
  
• Purchased a new computer and proceeded to transfer everything from my old computer to the new (in fits and starts since the old one won't power on for long)
• Watched Nancy Drew for nostalgia's sake...not exactly the same as I remember
• Had dinner with My Love

All-in-all a good weekend.

Thursday Thirteen #22

I'm trying to spend a bit more time recognizing the blessings in my life. That's the inspiration for this week's list.

Thirteen Things That I'm Grateful For

1. Sunny days and warm spring air. They're making getting out of bed in the morning so much easier.

2. The ability to pay my bills, buy food, and fill my car with gas. Not everyone is as lucky.

3. A good mortgage broker who told me the whole story about my mortgage before I got it and helped me avoid the current foreclosure situation that so many are facing right now.

4. A strong body that keeps me moving toward my fitness goals.

5. My cuddly cat, who keeps me company when I'm lonely.

6. My Love, who can surprise me with the simple gift of his time and make me love him even more.

7. My mother, who has given so much of herself, not just for her children (biological and not-so-much), but also for so many others.

8. All of my family and friends, who continue to be a web of support and encouragement every day.

9. The ability to do what I love every day and make money for it (see #2).

10. Opportunities. So many opportunities.

11. A love for learning, something that keeps me reading, debating, caring and searching.

12. Everyday blessings, like bright pink blossoms on my azalea bushes, waking up to the chirping of birds instead of the beeping of my alarm clock, and a smile from a friendly stranger.

13. My dreams and goals; they keep me moving toward my best self.


What are you grateful for this week?

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Can I Do It Again?

It came to my attention this morning that this week is National TV Turnoff week yet again. If you'll recall, I've attempted to participate for the last two years, so I couldn't let it go by this year without giving it the good old college try. Since most shows are repeats right now and the only show I'm really interested in seeing this week is the new episode of Lost, I should be good to go. I'm expecting to get a lot done this week.

The productivity of not turning on the television should be enough of a motivator for me to leave it off most of the time anyway, but it doesn't usually last. In all honesty, there's generally not much on it that I want to watch anyway. Why is it then, I wonder, that it's usually on, and I'm often watching it? Is it my need for background noise, or a secret desire to do anything but work, even watch Deal or No Deal? I have a total of five channels on a good day, and yet still I manage to waste hours watching (or listening to) shows that I don't even care about. I have piles of books and magazines to be read, stories to write, a novel to finish, a book proposal to eek out and yet still, I turn on that television and stare into its glow.

But not this week. This week I will produce, I will resist, I will be strong. Anyone care to join me?

Sunday Scribbling: The Painter in Me

For this week's prompt, I thought I'd paint you some pictures.

Prompt #107: Compose

If I were a painter, I'd compose beautiful landscapes and detailed still lifes. Unfortunately, I am not a painter. I've tried to be, even taking art classes to train my shaky hands and my mind's eye, but all to no avail. I have what I like to believe is a painter's eye, though. Sometimes I see scenes and objects in such detail, with such beauty, that I wish I could translate those images onto a canvas. I have to settle, instead, for painting pictures with my words.

If I could compose some paintings for you, I would create a series of images from my hometown—a small village, nestled on the eastern shore of Lake Ontario.

I. The ground is covered in a bright white blanket of freshly fallen snow. The night sky is a deep shade of midnight blue, interrupted by millions of twinkling pin-prick stars. The street lamps of Main Street cast shadows on the sidewalk and the snow crackles beneath my boots. My breath is nearly frozen solid, a cloud of white as soon as it leaves my body. It feels good, the cold I capture as I inhale, warming it in my lungs and then releasing it again.

II. The maple trees are just beginning to show their buds, a welcome sight after seemingly endless months of snow and cold. School children laugh and scream on the playground. It's recess and you can hear them from just about any corner of this small town. The ground is still soft and spongy from the melt, and will be for a few weeks, but the grass is greening and getting longer. The scent of life hangs in the air, floating on the soft breeze that finally holds less chill than warmth.

III. The sun is hot and small American flags wave from every few telephone poles down all two of the main streets in town. Barrel planters along Main Street have taken the place of snow banks and overflow with bright colors declaring the season of summer celebrations. The tourists linger at storefronts and dine at outdoor tables. You can hear the clinking of silverware on plates and bowls. Music drifts on the air now, carried from backyard parties and Sunday concerts alike. The marina is filled with children feeding ducks and sail boats, bearing names like Serendipity and My Lady Love, heading in or out of town. The sun glows as it sets, reflected on the peaks of gentle waves in shades of pink and orange and red. I sit on the bench watching it disappear over the edge of my world.

IV. Leaves crackle beneath my feet as I stroll down the sidewalk of Main Street. The browns and oranges on the trees are beginning to find their way to the ground. One strong wind and they'll find themselves swept into piles for children to jump in and toss and enjoy. Everywhere you go, hints of the hibernation that will follow are beginning to appear. Chairs upturned on tabletops in restaurants no longer serving during the week; "Closed" signs in the windows of shops that just weeks ago would have been open well past five o'clock; empty benches and quiet streets even in the daylight hours. The tourists have all gone home and it is time to prepare for the winter that lies ahead.

Pictures for the Weekend

First, the garden. Now, when I planted these things, I definitely felt like it looked amazing. The tall stuff is irises. The floppy stuff in front is lamb's ear. And the cluster to the left in the back are daisies. I forgot to take a photo of the day lilies, which are further down in a different weeded patch.

This picture doesn't really do it justice, but you get the idea. When they flower, they'll be wonderful. Now, they're just a tiny patch of non-weeds among a much longer patch of weeds. I'll take more pictures as I make more progress and as they start to bloom.

Tada! The haircut! I finally decided to suck it up and post a picture of myself. I wasn't going to, but I just had to show off this great cut. I might even post a pic of it styled flipped under one of these days. It's very versatile and so easy to style.

Saying I'm Sorry

Ever since I first read about the Letter to My Body series at Blogher way back on Valentine's Day, I've been meaning to get around to writing a letter of my own. I knew it would be hard, and that it might not turn out to be a love letter so much as a plea for forgiveness. I'm sure that had a lot to do with me not getting around to it, but I know that it's something I need to do. And I'm finally going to tell my body exactly how I feel, for better or worse.

Dear Body,

I can't believe how much you've grown and changed over my lifetime. And despite the way I've treated you, you've always been there for me. I can't tell you how much I appreciate that. But I can tell you how sorry I am for hurting you, so I might as well start there.

You were so cute when you were little, all pudgy and round. When I was a teenager, you were strong and curvy, if only I could have seen it. The late high-school and college years were the worst, for you and for me. I apologize for poor diet choices and the frumpy way I dressed you because I was so ashamed of what you looked like. I'm sorry that I let my discomfort with your curves and excess weight lead me to do some crazy things, like alternately depriving you and stuffing you, beating you up with excessive exercise and insults, and hiding you from the sun. You deserved better than that.

Thank you for standing by me, for supporting me and keeping me going. You've been a good friend. You're strong and sexy and I'm sorry it took me so long to realize it. Those stretch marks are your battle wounds--evidence of years of yo-yo dieting. One day I hope to have more, though I never thought I would say that. I can't wait to see what you can do in the reproductive arena. If you're not up to that challenge, I'll totally understand, but I hope you'll find it in my heart to grow a baby or two before you give up on me.

You're an amazing machine. You heal bones and skin that I break or bruise during my klutzier moments. When I'm under the weather, you kick in with that amazing immune system and drive those infections out. Even as I get older, you handle it all with dignity, making me more and more beautiful every day. How do you do that?

Sure, I complain sometimes (although less and less often) about the size of my thighs, the tiny little wrinkles around my eyes or the pouch of my belly, but you quickly remind me that those thighs keep me walking, those eyes shine when I smile and that belly doesn't need to be flat. There are worse things in the world than a little bit of saggy flesh and a few extra pounds. So to thank you for sticking with me all this time, I've decided to do some things for you.

I'm exercising more and eating less, most of the time, but I'm not depriving you of that chocolate or ice cream when you tell me you really need it. I'm saying more kind things to you each morning in the hopes that I'll cancel out some of those awful things I've said and done in the past. I'll also try to do more relaxing, maybe get a massage or two--I know how much you like those.

Bubble baths? Sure, I can do that, too.

And a pedicure, you ask? Why not?

From now on, I'm supporting you. Multi-vitamins, more organic fruits and veggies, less caffeine (do I have to?) and less artificial everything. You mean the world to me, and I'm hoping to have you around for a really long time. We've got work to do and I need you to get it done. If you'll be there, I'll be kind. I promise.

With all my love,
Your other half

Thursday Thirteen #21

It's been a busy, and slightly stressful week, but a good week nonetheless. Here's a partial list of what made it semi-wonderful.

Thirteen Things That Kept Me Sane This Week

1. The sun shined every day, which means I smiled more.

2. The days are really starting to feel longer, like summer's just around the corner.

3. Green is more prevalent than brown in just about every landscape I see.

4. I'm one day away from finishing week four of my lunchtime workouts.

5. I've been consistent over the last four weeks in getting in at least 4 workouts a week.

6. I watched Ali become the first female Biggest Loser.

7. My first landscaping project got underway.

8. My boss complimented me on the quality a user manual I produced.

9. I cooked up a delicious dinner that used up some of those frozen veggies from last summer's farmers' market.

10. I realized that I need to finish up the last few packs of frozen veggies before the farmers' market opens up again in a few weeks.

11. I'm totally anticipating fresh fruits and vegetables, herbs grown in my own garden, and plenty of delicious recipes.

12. My cat has been sitting in the open living room window watching the birds and activity outside.

13. I finished another book on my TBR list (Citizen Girl, by Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus).

Hope you're having a week that makes you smile, too!

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Fresh Dirt and a New Project

I've mentioned in the past that I'm not much of a gardener. If you could see my yard (front and back) you'd agree whole-heartedly. There's stuff there, among the overgrown grass, clover covered ground and dandelions, but it's not exactly well-maintained. I get overwhelmed with the idea of gardening. I tend to kill things, and I don't like to put much time into maintaining them. If it's easy, like the azalea bushes I inherited (just watch them grow and trim them once a year) then I'm fine. But if it's high-maintenance like the weeds taking over my back yard, I'm not thrilled.

Until tonight. I spent three hours in my back yard weeding up a storm thanks to the encouragement of my boss's wife. She cleaned out her own huge garden last week and had to divide up some of the plants that had spread a bit too much, and she asked if I'd be interested. When I hesitated, knowing I wouldn't know the first thing to do with lamb's ear and day lilies, she offered to come home with me and help me figure it out. Now I'm hooked.

She showed me what to keep (the tiny little rose bush just getting started, the daffodils, the curious "grasses") and what to get rid of (even some of the pretty stuff). And then we started weeding. Weeding is like a meditation. It doesn't take a lot of thought, but it takes just enough concentration to push out all the other stuff. We spend a good hour digging dandelions and clover out at the roots in a tiny little section of my yard's border, but it didn't seem that long. I can definitely see myself getting addicted. At least until it's 90 degrees outside.

I'm exhausted, my back and legs are going to be a bit sore, but the fresh air and company did me so much good. And now I'm not afraid to dig and plant and water. I've got wonderful ideas (thanks to the woman who gifted me with her time, knowledge and castaways), but I'm starting small. For now it's weeding the rest of the boarder and starting a little herb garden. After that, we'll see.

(I'm sure you're going to want to see pictures, and don't worry, I wouldn't miss documenting my first in-the-ground gardening project for the world. It was just too dark to take the pictures by the time I got everything cleaned up. I'll post pictures soon, I promise.)

Just a Few Things

There's a new post at the Going Green blog. And an older one that I forgot to mention.

Try a new recipe that I posted at Feed the Soul a few weeks ago. If you haven't heard about the cereal recall linked to salmonella poisoning, check out some info on that, too.

If you haven't heard about Jen's new adventure, head over there and read about it. Then, if you feel so inclined, help her help the girls of Rwanda out.

OK, that's all I have for now. Hope you had a great weekend!

Sunday Scribbling: Elixer

I'm not sure why, because I haven't written poetry since I was in elementary school, but this week's prompt immediately had me creating a poem.

Prompt #106: Fearless

His love, like elixer
fills me warm
and gentle.

Something new found
within his eyes,
brown and
beautiful.

Acceptance, kindness,
passion.
His love
for only me.

It fills me and
I am fearless,
gorgeous,
powerful.

Thursday Thirteen #20

Prompted by a little post by my friend nejyerf, I decided to list some things that have made me smile this week.

Thirteen Things That Brightened My Week

1. The beauty of cherry blossoms all over the place.

2. Compliments on my new hairstyle.

3. The sun shine of spring that's been blessing us the last two days.

4. Meeting my first weight loss goal when I stepped on the scale this morning.

5. Being tickled by My Love just because he was feeling playful.

6. Seeing Ali reach 99 lbs. lost on The Biggest Loser. (For some reason, she's got me hooked on this show.)

7. Finding out that my tax return is much bigger than I expected.

8. Also finding out that my fiscal stimulus check will be arriving around May 9th.

9. The possibility of going back to school for something that really excites me and will help me in so many ways.

10. Not feeling a single ounce of guilt before, during or after drinking a Caramel Light Frapuccino.

11. Planning a sushi dinner with a friend I haven't seen in more than a month.

12. Waiting expectantly for responses from a couple of queries I've submitted.

13. Having this unexplainable, yet undeniable, knowing in my soul that I'm reaching new levels with every step I take.

Hope you're having a week that makes you smile, too!

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A Bit of Wednesday Randomness

It seems like Wednesdays are often my days for playing catch-up and posting about the random, interesting (and sometimes mundane) things that I haven't gotten around to creating full posts for during the week.

• Jen Lemen has me all atwitter about her upcoming trip and a new collection of stories, among all of her other creative and inspiring goings-on.
• With so little time on my hands lately, and my limited access to the internet (which hopefully will be fixed today), I've been getting behind on my blog reading. Don't for one minute think this means I haven't found interesting and wonderful things all over the internet.
• It took me 5+ hours across two evenings to roast a chicken that was supposed to take 3 1/2 hours at 350 degrees. I had to turn my oven up to 450 degrees for the last 45 minutes just to finish it off before bed time. Does anyone else wonder if that oven might have needed a new seal instead of those hinges after all?
• My frivolity seems to be paying off, at least a little bit. I have had four spots of chronic dryness on my face for quite some time now. Two of them seem to have completely disappeared and the other two are much less flaky than last week and the months before. I'm not sure if my pores have gotten any more "refined" but I'll keep you posted on any progress.
• I'm on my third week of lunch-time workouts, and I have to say that it's really going well. Not only do I feel more energized, but it's also a great way to break up the work day. It's like working two half-days instead of one full day. The 7 to 11 "day" goes by quickly because I'm actually scheduling my projects more effectively because I know I want to leave for an hour and a half to get that cardio in. And staying until 5:00 is nothing when I start my afternoon "day" at 12:30. Another side-effect is that the scale's been treating me nicely.
• I got a fabulous hair cut and color over the weekend (which I mentioned on Sunday) and it's making me feel all confident and sexy. It's amazing what a good 'do can do for my attitude. I'm feistier than ever! I've been getting compliments galore, too, and who doesn't love that? But when My Love saw me for the first time since the cut, he wasn't exactly gushing about the great new style. I think his exact words were, "It's OK." (He's not usually a big fan of shorter hair, but by the time he left, I'm pretty sure he had come to grips with the change.) One of the only other comments he made was, "You're getting all sophisticated on me." While he said it with that hint of come-on in his voice that suggested he had ulterior motives, it occurred to me that "sophisticated" was exactly what I was going for. On the heals of the notification of my essay publication, and in anticipation of some other exciting changes that I feel brewing in my career and my life in general, I wanted a physical representation of what it seemed was going on inside. My confidence is growing, my career is blooming and my creativity is flowing. What better way to represent that than with an outward expression of change?
  

That's the Wednesday Round-up. Hope you're having a good week!

I'm a Winner!

I got some great news on Friday. One of my personal essays is going to be published in an anthology of work by local writers! I'm so excited!

Then I got some even better news. I've been named as a Blog of Distinction. Started by Working Mum on the Verge, this wonderful award is given to bloggers who make us "laugh, cry, think or sigh". And Reluctant Housewife thinks I'm a Blog of Distinction! I can't believe it! I'm so honored. Along with this award, comes the honor of passing it on to five wonderful bloggers that I think are distinct, five bloggers who make me laugh, cry, think or sigh. So, without further ado, here they are:

1. The ever-entertaining and thought-provoking Mocha Momma, who on various occasions has made me laugh, cry, think or sigh, sometimes at the same time.
2. My beloved Nejyerf at calling dr. bombay, who most recently starred in True Blogosphere Story, and is always making me laugh, often to the point of tears and ending with a big sigh of satisfaction.
3. A new favorite, Erin at Fully Alive...Ready to Smile, whose personal story made me cry, and who has managed to make me laugh, think and sigh ever since then. (Plus, she totally inspired me to get a new hairdo and I must say, it looks fantastic!)
   
4. The creative and inspirational Jen Lemen, who insists on making me laugh, think, cry and sigh at any given reading.
5. And last, but certainly not least, Belinda at Ninja Poodles, a wonderful mother who taught me all about Twitter and brings me the best in laughable, thoughtful, teary and sigh-worthy posts she possibly can amidst the whirlwind of her life.
   

Congratulations to the winners! Keep passing the distinctive blog-love.

Sunday Scribblings: My Buddy

I've been meaning to introduce you all to someone who holds a special place in my heart. This week's Sunday Scribblings prompt gave me just what I needed to get this story started.

Prompt #105: Photograph

There's a photograph of me taken in the parking lot of a mall near my home town. In it, I'm bundled in a winter coat and gloves. My hair is much shorter and darker than it's been in several years, and I'm a bit heavier, too. But I'm happy, at least in this moment, because I'm hugging to my side my favorite little boy. He's dressed in a bright yellow coat and a matching knit cap, wearing gloves that make his hands look as big as mine. He's only 6, maybe 7, in this picture, and he smiles widely beside me as his mother takes the picture.

This little boy holds a piece of my heart that will always be his. I haven't seen him in a few years, but I know he still remembers me, still thinks of me like I think of him. How could he not, after two years of long afternoons at a little table in his living room?

B was my introduction to the world of autism. We met when he was three, and he promptly stole my heart, and then bit me. He was adorable and challenging and I loved every minute I had with him. The worst tantrums weren't enough to chase me away. I watched him learn to speak his first words and phrases. Then I made him into a "burrito", wrapping him up tight in a blanket and squeezing him until he giggled.

I worked with B for a little more than 2 years, and in those two years I learned about unconditional love (on my part and his). I watched B blossom from an extremely aggressive three-year-old who could barely speak, to an almost-kindergartener speaking in complete phrases and controlling his impulses with much more regularity.

That picture of B and I sits on my desk, as a reminder that things aren't always as them seem. People can grow and change in ways you might never imagine. And sometimes bites are the best way a person can express their love for you.

Autobiographical Explorations

There’s nothing like not having the ability to post blog entries whenever you feel like it to give you the motivation, desire and inspiration to come up with all sorts of ideas for blog posts.

I’ve been typing a long lists of posts and post ideas in a Word document like a mad woman. You'd think that, suddenly, there's a whole lot more interesting stuff going on in the world. Really, I think it's just that I'm taking the time to "jot down" my ideas because I know I can only post while I'm at work right now.

Why haven’t I ever done this before? I’d have plenty of material for posts on those days when nothing seems to be of interest to me.

Now, on to my actual post for today...

---

I've been wanting to write a Six-word Autobiography for quite some time now. I kept seeing it all over the blogosphere and I thought it was a great idea, and most recently at Adventures of the Reluctant Housewife. I've now spent better than an hour and a half trying to craft something witty yet true...no luck. This is what I came up with:

Living, learning, loving through my writing.

Not so witty, but definitely true.

While I was at it, I decided to try an autobiographical Haiku as Housewife did. Here's the result:

Becoming myself
Is harder than expected.
Enjoying the journey.

What's your life story in 6 words (or 17 syllables)?

Thursday Thirteen #19

Some more randomness, in the vein of last week's Thursday Thirteen.

Thirteen Things I've Realized Accepted Recently

1. I'm a book-a-holic.

2. I'm becoming more and more like my mother every year.

3. Being like my mother isn't as bad as I thought it would be. In fact, it's got its good side.

4. I'm never going to have a perfect diet.

5. Being perfect is impossible.

6. Still wanting to be perfect despite its impossibility will drive me crazy.

7. Being too nice will get me in trouble.

8. I really should trust my gut.

9. Building a business takes work.

10. Work is hard.

11. The benefits of hard work to achieve something you've always wanted will far outweigh the effort it took to get there.

12. I'll still have to work hard to stay there, though.

13. Taking time to enjoy the beauty of cherry blossoms and sunrises and warm spring breezes is necessary for my sanity.

Have you made any realizations this week?

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Things I Would Have Posted Last Night if My Internet Was Working

Am I Thirteen Again?

Oh. My. God.

I just had a major adolescent moment, complete with flash backs.

Was that NKOTB (that’s New Kids on the Block for the youngsters) on TV? Did I just hear that they’re reuniting and set to perform on the Today Show this week? Am I seriously breathing hard at the thought of little Joey crooning to me from the television screen once again?

OK, moment is over. What ARE they thinking?

---

Verizon Sucks

I’m so pissed right now. Apparently my internet issues are NOT being caused by my security system. It is, in fact, being caused by the fact that I don’t have a dial tone. Yes, I had checked this, but the Verizon tech I spoke with said that this was also due to the security system interference.

I called the automated repair service tonight to report the problem and “she” told me it was likely a problem on Verizon’s end. Go figure. So now I have to wait for a technician from Verizon to make repairs to the line.

If cable wasn’t so expensive, I’d be calling Comcast right now to switch over to their high-speed service. Of course, that would make the $89 I just spent to have my security company install a DSL filter that I didn’t even need because the problem wasn’t with the system a complete waste!

Ugh!

Frivolity on a Tuesday

Last night I made a completely frivolous purchase based on my experience with a teeny, tiny little bottle. Several months ago I got a free sample of Estée Lauder's Idealist Pore Minimizing Skin Refinisher in the mail. I put it in my little sample box in my bathroom linen closet and promptly forgot about it. Then, over the weekend, when I didn't have internet access and didn't know what to do with myself, I decided to clean out this closet and purge it of all the things I'd been collecting. When I found the Idealist, I couldn't bring myself to throw away a sample of something that people probably pay lots of money for, so I decided to keep it and give it a try.

Bad move.

I fell in love at first silky smooth touch. This lotion made my face feel as soft as a baby's bottom. I kid you not. So, last night while I was out shopping for a birthday gift for My Love, I decided to stop by the Estée Lauder counter and see how much this wonderful product might set me back. While I wasn't completely surprised, I found that a 1 oz. jar--that's two measly little tablespoons, people!--cost $46.50. Of course, I could get the special limited edition Beautiful Skin Solutions: Prevention package that included the 1 oz. of Idealist plus a trial-sized tub of DayWear Plus Multi Protection Anti-Oxidant Creme SPF 15 and a trial-sized bottle of Advanced Night Repair Protective Recovery Complex for the same low price.

I hemmed and hawed over it. I went and found a gift for My Love. Did I consider whether Estée Lauder followed green business practices or tested on animals? No (but they don't test on animals; I just checked). Did I wonder what else I might be able to do with that almost-50 dollars? No. (OK, a little bit, but not much.) After purchasing a couple of things for My Love, I promptly returned to the counter and said, "OK, I'll take it." Famous last words, right?

Now I'm certain that I'm going to fall in love with the other two products and have to go back and buy them, too. What's an aging woman with tiny little laugh lines and some emerging crows' feet to do? Take before and after pictures and compare the difference, obviously. I may or may not post them, but I'll let you know how I'm feeling about these products after a week or so. As of today? I'm loving every silky, cucumber-scented, dry-patch eliminating bit of my $46.50 + tax purchase.

I'm Trying to Keep Up

It's tough to read blogs, and comment, and write posts, and respond to comments, plus perform required online research and write content for those clients who pay me when I have absolutely NO internet connection at home. I'm doing by best during my breaks at work, but that's just not good enough for me.

Thankfully, the technician for my security system, which is apparently interfering with my DSL signal, will be coming tomorrow to resolve the issue. At a charge of approximately many, many dollars that I can't believe I have to fork over for a situation that shouldn't have happened in the first place. (Why exactly didn't that installation tech ask me if I had DSL or warn me that the security system might interfere with my phone line and DSL signal?)

The appliance repair person will also be visiting to install new hinges on my oven door. Hopefully that will resolve the oven-not-holding-heat-well issue I've been having. I still think it's a seal issue and not a hinge issue, but what do I know?

And to top it all off, I think I might need to start looking for a new computer. My dear laptop is having overheating issues and shuts off randomly if it gets too hot. At least that's what I'm assuming is causing the random shut-offs. It's not all that old, either. Maybe I haven't been a very good tech-mommy. I've never "dusted" it and I do actually hold it on my lap much of the time, which I hear is not good for the temperature of its insides. Maybe I'll have to get one of those cooling pad thingies that I saw at Best Buy. Still, I'd like to just use this as an excuse to get a brand new top-of-the-line middle-of-the-road completely affordable model. We are getting those rebate checks soon, right?