Produce Palooza

I'm not going to use that terrible d word that has four letters and ends with t, but I am going to tell you that I have never had so much fruit in my house (apples, pears, and bananas). Ever.

My refrigerator is full of fresh veggies--carrots, celery, spinach, salad greens, mushrooms, broccoli and beets--and perfect portions of chicken. (I'm not too proud to take short cuts. Plus they were on sale.) There's yogurt and mozzarella string cheese. Deli turkey and lean roast beef. None of these items are strangers to my fridge, of course, but I don't usually have a supply of all of these at once. Similar to the fruit.

I have little baggies with pistachios that I measured. (In case you're wondering, 45 shell-on pistachios weigh two ounces, and contain 150 calories.) I have 100 calorie packs of Goldfish and Special K 90 calorie bars. (I heart Goldfish but don't usually buy snack bars.) And I am loathe to admit that I bought protein shakes. (I predict I will try one, hate it, and give the rest to my sister Liz.)

I have spent the last few years decidedly and proudly anti-d word, and there certainly wasn't a single moment that precipitated this di change of heart effort, but a bunch of them. Waiting for an elevator in front of mirrors that showed no mercy and a stepping on a scale that doesn't lie come to mind as two such recent and devastating moments. So while I will forever remain profoundly troubled by the premium we place on thinness in this society, the time for me to start being more thoughtful and calculated about what I eat and drink has come.

Yep. It's time to reign it in...leaving enough slack, of course, for happy hours and well-deserved dinners out.

A girl's gotta have a little fun after all.

I Love It, I Love It Not… the Ticonderoga tri-write???

I’m afraid to ask the secretary who orders supplies if she inadvertently ordered the wrong pencils or if my tried and true, all time favorite pencil, the Dixon Ticonderoga has gone bye-bye to old school supply heaven and been replaced by a three-sided version. Yes, you read that correctly: a three-sided pencil. ?&?$!&!#%&!#!& The tri-write. About which there is nothing right.

So I’m on a mission. I’m in search of the favorite pencil brand of my youth and my adulthood. Should all I find is the tri-write, then I’ll be sad to say my love affair with D-T is over. If you—you know who you are, my fellow school supply geeks—feel my pain, my irrational anxiety, then take a moment to wish me a fruitful journey.

Photo Journal: Snowbound

That's my car under there!

No Power Outages, Please

Dear God,

Thanks for the snow day. When will superintendents figure out that we need our February vacations back? Winter is long. We're tired and need a break. And the schools need a scrub down. Ugh. School has been a Petri dish lately. Colds and stomach bugs going around and around and germs left behind, lurking on desks waiting to infect the next person. Ick. But anyway, I appreciate you trumping their decisions. Now at least we get two long weekends in a row.

So I'm all set for a couple days here. I have snacks (read: junk food) on hand, some good food too, a movie, good reading materials, and--should we lose power-- a full tank of gas and some cash on hand. (Thanks to Amy for urging me to go out and take care of that.)

And that's really what I want to talk to you about. Please please please let us enjoy the next couple of days with only shoveling out to worry about. Power outages put a wicked damper on being snowed in.  I worry about my parents, and people with young kids, and it really just zaps the joy out of some God-delivered down time.

And there is the matter of me having a 2lb. bag of lobster in the freezer...just saying'...and praying...

Thanks!

Photo Journal: Take Out Tonight



shrimp with mixed vegetables