Just Not Right

That's what I keep telling L I am: just not right. I don't think it's lingering from the bout of food poisoning last week, but it could be the fact that I've been staying up way too late recently and not getting enough sleep.

My mother-in-law is visiting tonight and I'm about to head off to bed, even though it's only 8:30. I was sitting next to her on the couch and was falling asleep so after I blog this I'm going to try and sleep.

I actually wonder if it might be the medication I've started taking, because some internet research tells me that flu-like symptoms are a possible side effect. As are crampiness and sore bre*sts. I really really really wish I could stay home from work tomorrow and snuggle on the couch with some books and the remote, but that's not going to be possible. Big seminar thing next week for which I need to do some more stuff to get ready. Yuck yuck yuck. Maybe I can leave early.

Thankful Tuesday

1. I love my Christmas tree - it's my first one ever and it's absolutely beautiful. I had a lot of fun decorating it with L Friday after Thanksgiving. We listed to Christmas music thanks to my ipod & just had a fantastic day.



2. Only a couple more weeks of work and then L & I go on vacation to DC. I haven't been since I was a kid, and he's never been. I'm not counting driving around it like we did a few years ago heading from Maryland to Georgia. We're already making tentative plans about what museums we want to see. I can't wait!



3. I am so grateful to be over the food poisoning that I had last week. Not from Thanksgiving, I had it before Thanksgiving to the point that I couldn't really eat anything on Thursday. It definitely wasn't the greatest Thanksgiving I've ever had but it's over and I'm feeling better now and yay for that.



4. I ordered myself a little something that I've been saving up for for quite awhile. L encouraged me to go ahead and buy the thing already. Here's a picture of it I stole from Amazon:

Menu Plan Monday

Monday - sandwiches

Tuesday - stovetop meatloaf

Wednesday - spaghetti

Thursday - orange chicken stir-fry

Friday - pizza

Saturday - black bean soup

Sunday - beef in the crock pot. specifics TBD.

Is it completely obvious that I'm unmotivated to cook and even thinking about things for the week ahead is unappealing?

Memory Verse

Hebrews 12:11, New International Version

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

This Week in Books

A day late, but it's a holiday weekend, so it shouldn't count against me, right? And anyway, it gave me more time to finish more... Oh, nevermind. I only finished one book all week. (Again, I blame the food poisoning incident. It left me uninterested in any books, which is always how I know I'm really sick.)


A.J. Jacobs
The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible.

Really enjoyed it. Of course, I also really enjoyed finding an error in his book when he wrote about what one group does that I know is wrong. I know I'm in the very small group who would have been able to catch it, so it made me smile - ha ha, he didn't check his facts completely!
Petty quibble aside, this was fascinating reading his account of what it was like spending 8 months trying to follow all the laws in the Old Testament, and 4 months the New Testament. I really appreciated that for the most part, he was really respectful of the customs and rules he was trying to follow - I think it would have been very easy to go into it in a mocking way, and he virtually always avoided that. One of my favorite parts are when his wife thwarts him by sitting in every seat in the house, leaving him with no places left to sit (since he can't sit anywhere she has while she is "unclean" a.k.a. having her period). The description of it is great - he keeps trying new chairs and she deadpans "sat there." "Sat there too." "Yeah, sat there." "And there, and there, and there." My other favorite part is where he manages to out-talk the Jehovah's Witness. I had no idea that was possible. ;)

Thanksgiving Weekend Continues

Considering that I've been pretty sick since Wednesday evening,* today was a really nice day. Out to lunch with my sweetie. Stopped by the store to buy ornament hangers, (because I'm the goofball who didn't know you needed to buy hangers to hang ornaments. I thought you just bought ornaments.) Watched some SEC football. Decorated my first tree (it's beautiful!). Drank tea. Ate cookies. Didn't throw up.

All in all, a good day.

*Food poisoning stinks. Especially before Thanksgiving so that you can't enjoy turkey and all the side dishes. And especially the desserts. Darn you tainted food!!!

Thanksgiving

I mentioned yesterday that I love Thanksgiving. And I do. Growing up, my family didn't celebrate Christmas so Thanksgiving took on either more importance. It's still the only real holiday I can celebrate with my parents (sorry, 4th of July just never was a big deal in my family so it doesn't feel like a holiday celebration for me). They live several states away however so we don't see them often.

Next year my mom has asked us to come visit for Thanksgiving, and by "us" I mean my whole family, the tiny amount of it there is - two brothers and their families, and an aunt. I'm not sure if my uncle and his family will be there or not. Probably not; we tend to only see them at weddings and we're weddinged-out for awhile. I realize compared to a lot of people that's not a bad sized group - even without my uncle, and counting all kids, no matter how small, it would be 12 people. But my husband's family is quite large, with seemingly endless numbers of aunts, uncles and cousins. Twelve is laughable for them. Just his immediate family (parents, siblings & spouses & nieces is 13+. The "plus" is dependent on whether or not some of his siblings have current significant others in attendance. Usually a yes with at least one of them. I think the size also seems different with his family because, how to put this nicely, well, they're a lot louder than mine. More talking, more loud talking, more hugging, just MORE.

It overwhelmed me at first. It still does occasionally, but it's starting to grow on me. Now if they'd only let me go hide in peace now and then when I need to. Hey, I'm an introvert.

I've really drifted with this post - started with Thanksgiving and it morphed into a description of my inlaws.

To bring it back onto the original topic, this Thanksgiving will not include any of my family, and none of his immediate family. But it will include some of his aunts and uncles and cousins and one grandmother. Total number of guests I believe will be about 13, with another 8 possibly dropping by for a brief visit. The loudness will be there.

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[Somehow I saved this as a draft and forgot to post it yesterday. But it was written! I blame it on the grossness that was taking over my digestive system (see Friday's footnote)]

Grocery Shopping

Yeah, so I went to Super Target yesterday. I knew better than to go today when everyone would be doing last minute panicked shopping. Must have green beans! And cream of mushroom soup! And fried onions!!!

Seriously people, that casserole is gross. My husband loves it however, especially made with canned beans and that to me is completely inedible.

Anyway, I wasn't really planning on writing about green bean casserole, just saw two separate endcap displays with all the fixins' for it. Apparently they're expecting a run on green bean casserole stuff.

Talking about green bean casserole reminds me of last Thanksgiving, where I was asked to bring it. So I made it with frozen green beans; then at least it's edible for me. But, even better, is that I made a separate dish of green beans almandine. Guess which ones went first? Yup, the version with almonds and no nasty soup. This year I wasn't asked to make it so I'm sure it's back to gross canned beans so no beans for me Thursday.

Back to Target, it was very busy but I eventually got all my stuff and then waited FOREVER in line because after I'd unloaded enough items to fill the conveyor belt, the computer crashed as the checkout person was processing the customer's payment. Well, crashed may not be exactly what happened, but they said it shut itself off, so that seems like a crash to me. So they had to wait for it to reboot, then ring all of her stuff again, then she paid and then finally my order could start being rung up. Ugh, did I pick the wrong line. Fortunately I was smart and had visited the bathroom before I started shopping so I was not desperate like I would have been otherwise.

Got home and fortunately hubs was home and helped me carry the bags inside. Then I made him take me out to dinner because I was worn out and starving. He's a good guy.

Thankful Tuesday - Thanksgiving Themed

1. It's Thanksgiving! My favorite holiday because it doesn't carry with it the expectations and family issues that Christmas does.



2. Turkey this week. I do love turkey, but never make it myself because it just makes too much and I don't want that much leftover turkey. Plus my husband and I don't like dark meat so it really gives too much of meat we'll never eat.



3. A three-day work week. Woo-hoo! Gotta love that. Thursday will be spent with my husband's family, then Friday we'll decorate our Christmas tree. I may do some baking. Over the weekend will be more decorating, baking, listening to music, reading, etc. Fabulous!
   

Menu Plan for Thanksgiving Week!

Last week didn't follow the plan very much - only made one meal that was on the original list. Maybe this week will follow it a little more, but even if not, it's good to have some ideas in advance, so with that: What I think I'll make this week:

Monday - Mexi-Mac Skillet (Light & Tasty, October/November 2007 pg. 26) [yup, from last week]

Tuesday - Orange Chicken Stir-Fry (Light & Tasty, October/November 2007 pg. 27) [yes, last week's again]

Wednesday - Sandwiches.

Thursday - TURKEY!!! And all I have to do for it is bring a dessert and drinks.

Friday - Black Bean Soup.

Saturday - Spaghetti. Yum yum.

Sunday - something in the crockpot that will provide leftovers.