Randomly Tuesday

Yep, let's get random:

• I think I've been a bit depressed the last month or so.  Winter blues, seasonal stuff or something.  I just can't find the motivation to do anything.  Everything seems to be a chore.  Well, except reading and snacking.  Those I can excel at.  However the fam would like it if I, you know, cooked dinner, did laundry, cleaned house, did dishes and stuff like that. I'm working on it.
• I worked out last night.  15 minutes on the elliptical.  Going to try for time tonight.  Might help with the whole motivation thing.  And help with wearing smaller pants. I do have incentive.  Nick suggested we take the kids to Florida, not this summer, but next.  I have a year and a half to be beach ready. I can do this.
• Totally true for both Nick and I:

• I am doing a bit better at the meal planning.  We are mostly making the meals I come up with. There hasn't been a Fend for yourself/chicken nugget night in over a week.  I've even been using the left overs so they aren't dying an ugly green death in the fridge (at least not so many of them).
• We do plan on going for new flooring for the basement this weekend.  It's time to get rid of the carpet and put in something a bit more cleanable.  We like the idea of cork, but will go with what we can find that will work with the tile we have around the wood stove. And lots of area rugs.

 I think that covers my random for this week.
Have a great week!
Join in on the random fun  with  Stacy.

Monday and MMMM

So, I averted a Monday morning disaster.  Bruiser lost his sock in bed while getting dressed and it was apparently a very big deal.  I found it for him and was able to cheer him up before tears, but Monday tried to strike.

Nick and I had a fantastic Friday night out with our cousins/friends.  We went to Laramie Laughs and saw Bengt Washburn perform. Then we went out for a couple drinks and all together had a fantastic time.  We were adults for the evening. We stayed out late. We had almost forgot what that felt like.
The rest of the weekend was pretty lazy. We did make plans to go get new flooring for the basement next week. And maybe a trip to Bed Bath and Beyond for a new roasting pan and new kitchen rugs.
I did manage to cook dinner both Saturday and Sunday.  That's a record for me recently.  Weekends have been having at least one fend for yourself/chicken nugget night.

Now for MMMM:  Motown Music.  Let's see:
The Marvelettes with Please Mr. Postman:

The Temptations with My Girl:

Stevie Wonder with Superstition:

Have a good week all!

Random Thoughts

Ack.  Just Ack!  We could have blown away in the winds yesterday.  It truly was a day when the Wyoming Wind Sock got a work out:

See, these were some of the gusts from yesterday:

We live in Laramie.  Most definitely not kite flying weather.  Relocating leaves to Nebraska, yes.

The wind makes me tense.  Being tense leads to insomnia.  Insomnia makes me tense too.  It's a vicious circle.

In other news, everyone needs a dragon name:

Introducing Wind Scar the Magnificent.  Works for me.

Have a great week!
Join in on the random fun  with  Stacy.

Winter Blahs and MMMM

Well, a bad case of the winter blahs has hit around our house.  We are trying to combat them but it's really slow going.
This weekend Brusier had a birthday party and Nick took the boys skiing, but really, there was a lot of couch sitting.  It was a grey sort of weekend and I'm really looking forward to going some where for Spring Break this year.  Somewhere, anywhere, just out and away. Go do something fun and frivolous.  The hard part is determining where to go and what to do. Spring Break in our part of the country is unpredictable on the weather front and we are kind of shying away from a lot of windshield time.  We shall see what comes up.
I did get laundry washed and dried.  Folding still needs to be accomplished.  I hate folding laundry. But it needs to be done and I'm the lucky nominee to do it.
Valentine's day was nice--we had crab legs and lobster.  Got my seafood fix in.  Not so much with the chocolate, but I can keep hoping chocolate will magically appear right?

So to recap, I need a beach:

Where I would love to be.

And here's to everyone on the lovely Monday:

Now for MMMM:

Alan Jackson with 5 O'clock Somewhere:

Kenny Chesney with No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problems:

Zac Brown Band with Toes:

May your week be warm and relaxed!

Simple Randoms

Yeah, so it's Tuesday and that means random time:

• It looks like the ice age outside--there's ice every where.  Comes from lots of snow and temperatures just warm enough to melt, but not totally melt. And then overnight freezes and ta-da skating rinks on the side walks.
• Geology is Awesome:

• I'm using the crock pot.  I like using the crock pot, but is it me or do lots of crock pot meals look the same?
• Bruiser has another birthday party to go to this weekend.  The kid has a more active social life right now than I do. At least he's well liked.
• This:

• Unless it's the dog puking...

And that's it for this week!

Join in on the random fun  with  Stacy.

Post Superbowl Monday

OK, Ill admit it, I could have used more sleep this morning.  We had fun watching the Superbowl yesterday.  We had great snacks and company so it was a nice day.  Much nicer than the day before.

I spent most of Saturday going through all my mother's books and getting them moved out of her house.  Today Nick talks to the realtor about what we need to do to get it listed for sale.  Each step is just another affirmation that she is gone and it's tough. Saturday evening was so not easy. Some of those books she had and moved for the last 50 years. Books was one thing we always had in common.

Anyway, on to brighter stuff, Valentine's Day is coming.  I think ours will be done at home with the fam.  I am hoping that Nick will get me some chocolate--turtles and some truffles (hint, hint, Honey)--and then just watch a movie at home with him. Just keeping Valentine's day real...


ANd now on to MMMM.  THeme this week is A superbowl oriented song and then countryso here you go:

From the Halftime show Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars with Uptown Funk:

Granger Smith With Backroad Song:

Justin Moore with You look Like I Need a Drink:

Have a great week all!

Sensing Hodgepodge

1. Describe love using all five senses.

Love is the feeling of a warm hug, the taste of a home cooked meal, the smell of the pine in the mountains, the look in a child's eyes when you're being silly, and the sound of our excited dog when we come home.

2. February is Canned Food Month. What's your favorite food that comes straight from a can? 
Green beans. Not sure why, but I really like canned green beans.  It's nice now that they are making ones with less salt.

3. A principal in a UK school recently sent home a letter to parents requesting they (the parents!) dress appropriately when escorting their children to/from school (basically saying please don't wear your pajamas) You can read the letter here. It's gotten a lot of publicity, both positive and negative. Your thoughts? And do/did you ever make the school run (or hit Starbucks, Walmart, etc) in your pjs?
Not pajamas, but I have made the run in sweats.  Sweats are slightly more acceptable, but not by much.

4. Crew neck, V-neck, turtleneck, scoop neck...which is most prevalent in your wardrobe?
 It's a toss up between crew and scoop. 

5. I read here recently a list of four things to avoid so you wake up happier. They were late night snacks, hitting the snooze button, social media just before bed/upon waking, checking emails. 

Are you guilty of any of these behaviors? Which on that list do you need to work harder at avoiding?
I'm not really guilty of any of them.  I try to read before bed, it helps shut off my brain and get me in the mode for sleep.

6. Share something you remember about a house you lived in as a child? Of all the homes you lived in as a child, which did you love best? 
I remember three different houses that I lived in growing up. There was the one in California, small, but with a fabulous yard with an orange tree I could climb in.  There was the one in Buffalo, Wyoming that was in town.  we had a play room in the basement that we could do just about anything in and have a total disaster and it didn't matter. Then there was the one outside of Buffalo that was large and I had a balcony off my room.
I'm not sure I loved any of them, but I was happy with my mom in all of them.

7.Your favorite movie based on a true story? 
Would have to be Erin Brockovich. I like the story and really enjoy the way Julia Roberts protrayed Erin.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
I don't care if the groundhog saw it's shadow, winter will be here until the middle of April.  We have good chances for snow here until mid May.  Spring is always our shortest season.

Tuesday Stuff

OK, so this last weekend was crazy.  Bruiser had his 7 birthday party. We had 12 6 and 7 year olds running around our house.  The party was mostly successful, but loud.
Bruiser had a blast though having all his friends over. We really didn't do anything terribly fancy.  We let the kids play when they first got there and had Star Wars playing on the TV.  Then we gathered them sort of together and had them build small Lego City sets.  Then it was time for presents and Cake and ice cream.  Then they all had a Nerf war. Like I said, loud but fun for all.
Friday night we had Papa and Nana over for dinner and the family version of the birthday party.  Bruiser was thrilled with his presents.

We then had steak dinner green beans and tater tots.  Menu chosen by Bruiser of course.

Now on to the random:

• I am so not into the insomnia that has been plaguing me the last week or so. Not a fan of the migraines either.  So fun being me!
• The first movie Nick took me to see, 23 years ago, was Groundhog Day.  A movie that still works today.
• Evidently it's supposed to be an early spring this year.  We won't see spring like weather until mid April at least, so the groundhog doesn't matter to me one way or the other.
• Looking forward to the good food, hopefully fun commercials, and oh, yeah, football this weekend.

So have a great week all!
Join in on the random fun  with  Stacy.