Updates and a little gratitude

Checking in here even though my heart's not really in it today, or lately. It's good for me though so there will be a few updates and such and then I'll go.

I'm now deep into the Saga series and still digging it but (Whew!) it's starting to get a bit depressing. On top of that I recently found out that what I thought was a complete series of only six books is in actuality still running with the 9th (and not final) book being published this fall. I like to finish things. Sigh. I've recently finished book 3, 4, and 5 shown below. They get extra points for showing full frontal penis though and not in a "porn" way.  That doesn't happen often. Also, I think my favorite character so far is Lying Cat! It's a giant, blue, hairless cat that will say "Lying!" anytime it hears a lie. How precious is that?!

I'm also dabbling in a book I accidentally found in the library called Breasts: a natural and unatural history by Florence Williams. I dont know that I'll read it all but the hilarious description of her breastfeeding expectations versus reality in the first chapter has me hooked for the moment.

In other news, the planting beds for the garden have been built (so fun!) and are sitting in the backyard awaiting dirt.  Pictures will come along soon for that.
The kiddos are out of school and the whirlwind that is summer vacation has begun. I'm thinking a beach trip is in order this weekend and then my youngest turns eight on Monday. EIGHT!!! So I'll be baking a cake this weekend. :) White cake, white icing, and covered in sliced strawberries; same cake he orders from his mom every year. Awww.
I didn't get to do as much adventurous cooking as I would've liked to lately but I was able to make some homemade Ukranian garlic bread and borscht. Very fun cooking and though I'd never tasted anything like it, the soup grew on me over the several days I was eating it. I give borscht a thumbs up!

That's all for now so I'll leave you with...Hmm, what should I leave you with?...

Let's go with three things I'm grateful for today!

1. My kids; their lives, happiness, innocence, health, joy.
2. Best friends; because they make my world go 'round and make life sweeter.
3. Sunshine!!!! I love it and it makes me feel happy!

What are you grateful for today?

There's always a choice...

I'm frustrated at the moment...and a little angry, possibly due to frustration. Therefore, this post will be filled with only positive things that have happened; progress being made, fun that was had, and fun to come.

1. I had my first language exchange in over two years tonight and the next is already planned. I learned that Peru qualified for the World Cup in Russia, what the secret ingredient for good ceviche is, and did a bit of catching up in general (Fun! Progress! Future Fun!)
2. I finished the painful and wonderful book I was reading and watched the movie today. I give the book a full five stars. The movie was...meh. But movies based on books usually are. Doesn't kill the excitement of finally seeing what was in your head on the screen. I teared up on only one part of the movie because there was a moment between the characters that hit home a little forcefully today. Anyway, great book. Read it! (Fun! Progress!)
3. I spent a couple hours playing Witcher 3 today which is always a beautiful place to escape to. Completed some quests, got some XP, advanced the story, etc. (Fun! Progress!)
4. This coming week will be the first one in which I receive pay from two jobs instead of one. I know what I want to do with the money but not sure yet what is the right thing. More than likely I will sit on it until I do know. (Fun! Progress!)
5. I've officially gathered all of the supplies to build four new raised garden beds for the backyard and the very best part is...I'll have a building partner this time. (Future Fun! Progress!)
6. I'll be cooking two or three new things this week based on time. a) Homemade Syrian Tabbouleh b) something Ukrainian and c) a new grilled cheese from the book (Future Fun!)
7. I chose my next "book", a graphic novel series I started in grad school but never finished. The series is called Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and there are definitely some scenes that first caught my eye and piqued my curiosity...and then I just got sucked into the world. I've gathered them all and have three to go. (Future Fun!)

I'll leave you with a couple "special" scenes from Saga. ;)

I love the artwork and story, I love their blunt honesty and openness with each other, and I love watching them give everything they've got for each other and their little baby to survive.

There! Now wasn't that positive, dammit?! What have you been up to? Hmm?

Ugh...will be quick

Still don't want to talk to you.

I'll only share two things.

Grilled cheese #4 went down tonight; fresh(er) mozzerella, roasted red peppers, arugula, and a drizzle of olive oil on Italian bread. The family killed it and used marinara sauce for dipping. Success! Forty-six more to go.

This weekend I will officially start working two part-time jobs. Should be interesting. The last time I did something even close to this was when I was 18 years old. I walked from one job to the next, to the next each day...and then barely slept on purpose. If I could do that I can do this easy!

That's all. Bye!!

Not sharing but sharing...

I don't feel like sharing with you today dammit! So quit asking! ;)

I'll only share the MV/song of the day because it was a big part of my day. I was told to watch this video/listen to this song a couple days ago but it looked like it was going to be a "conscious rap song" which I have to be in the mood for and was not. So I let it sit. I finally, and begrudgingly, sat down to watch the video today while eating and was completely and unexpectedly sucked in by the MV. Bravo!! I love when people use their music videos as an extension of the art where they end up enhancing the song. He killed it in so many ways down to the tiny details, even of the way he made the song and lyrics! Strong message delivered in a nice little pill that's easier to swallow. In the end, it did end up being a "conscious rap song" but he brought it in a fresh and different way and I'm always down for that. After that, I just couldn't help but dance to the song the rest of the day; in the car, at home, I held it in at the gym...barely. You get the picture. Now, that's enough! Goodbye!!

To books, treats, and new beginnings!

Let's dive right in, shall we?

I finished Christmas Caramel Murder which turned out to be absolutely awful all the way to the end. At least it was consistent. Right?! It was so bad that I'm laughing as I write this. Wow. At least it was short but I can definitively say that I am not a fan of Joanne Fluke or cozy mysteries. The experience wouldn't be complete without making something from the book. Therefore, let me introduce the strangest cookies I've ever made, "Red Velvet Whippersnapper Cookies".

I ate one to taste it and my feelings about them are sort of...blah. They taste OK but I'd take my oatmeal chocolate-chip babies over these any day. Despite how they look, they are bursting with mini chocolate chips. The rest of my family devoured them and the remaining dough is in the freezer for another day. Despite all, I was mildly amused by this whole thing so thumbs up. Laying this little adventure to rest!

To catch you up on the grilled cheese spree, I've had to take a small break. To make a long story short, the book has been purchased instead of repeatedly checking it out from the library and should arrive on my doorstep any day. Recipe #3 contained cherries, basil, and ricotta cheese. I wouldn't say it tasted bad...but that's only because I made it. Unfortunately, the poor, unloved sandwiches didn't make it and found themselves in the trash a few days later when no one would eat anymore. We just couldn't get down with the cherry and basil mixture. Three recipes down, forty-seven more to go!

I started reading The Mountain Between Us by Charles Martin and it has been exactly what the doctor ordered.

It was made into a movie with Idris Elba (YAAAASSSS!!!!) and Kate Winslet and I've heard it does the book justice, which almost never happens. The book is wonderful and I'm excited for this ride.
I'll add a weird quirk here. In general, I like love stories but they aren't always easy to swallow. This one is good so its been especially painful. Sometimes I have to put it down for a minute or only read a couple pages at a time. I watch a lot of horror movies for this reason...because its too hard or I don't feel like handling the sometimes painful emotions that surface for me when I watch a love story. Pretty sure that's one of those previously damaged parts of me causing a little sting there. Very manageable though. Moving on!

I've moved up in the world of employment and have left one job for a bigger and better one. I'm still adjusting to this bigger and better job so I'll save that for another day. For now, I had an awesome last day at the old one where coworkers showered me with gifts and goodies and teased me about having no emotions about leaving. Oh, how little they know! :) I received one gift that was extra special though.

• A little history first. Growing up, my mom made all of our cakes and we were to request which kind we wanted each year for our birthdays. My favorite cake, hands down, was homemade chocolate mayonnaise cake and I'd simply switch up the icing each time. Until recently, I was under the impression that this was a top-secret family recipe that had been passed down through generations; at least since the generation that was first able to buy mayonnaise in a store. Hmm, I'll admit I didn't think that one through...lol

When I walked in the break room on my last day I saw this; homemade chocolate mayonnaise cake with homemade chocolate buttercream frosting! OMG!

My work mom had made it for me the night before and had no idea she had whipped up my favorite type of cake. It was a little eerie actually but tasted so good!!! It was the best kind of last day, as last days go.

Two people in my life are graduating this week! My sister will officially become a doctor on Tuesday and the friend who's been with me through thick and thin since middle school walks across the stage this morning to receive his masters degree. I'm streaming it live this morning so I can watch his big moment. Soooooo proud of both of them!

'Til next time!!

Good days sometimes get weird!

Hmm, its been an emotional day. Not very good at those. Good ones. Bad ones, Blah ones. I can't keep up! Maybe I'm just having one of those "girl" days in which case it sucks being a girl sometimes. ;)

It started with a bad dream that, to put it nicely, involved me offering to have some very bad things done to me in order to protect someone or something I loved. I don't always wake up when bad parts of dreams start happening and its sometimes hard to block out those images during the remainder of the day. Today is one of those days.

There's been some really great moments today as well and I'm bursting with gratitude for the good in my life!

As I'm going though the process of leaving one job to start another, people are saying their goodbyes and all sorts of nice things, my desk is slowly becoming as if I was never there, interviews are happening to replace me, and it was announced today that there will be an ice cream party in my name on my last day. Nice people I work with. Its a little sad and change isn't always easy but its a good change. I've noticed I'm hungry all over again to learn more and do more in my field. Maybe more on that another time.

I said some things I wish I hadn't today. I was beating myself up over it but decided to just chalk it up to this little emotional day I'm having, hope no one is paying me any attention anyway, and move on.

This next one threw me over the edge. I was home from a great time at the gym, drinking a protein shake, perfectly fine, and had a few minutes before picking up my kids. My kids have never been to church so I pulled a few up online to see what they were all about so I could maybe take them sometime. About two minutes of research in, I unexpectedly broke down in sobs at the computer. I cried and cried. lol. On one side, there is something in my mind that is rebelling at the thought of taking my kids to church. Or maybe its something about imagining myself in a church again. Maybe both. This isn't the first time this little instantaneous bout of tears has shown up in relation to the thought of church-going. There's something there, it hurts, and its from my time growing up. All I could think looking at the pictures on the church websites was, "Its too nice!" which only made me cry harder. I don't know what's wrong with me. Maybe I'm just emotional today and church threw me over the emotional edge. I'll think on that another day.

I was excited to get my kids from school so I could hang out with them but I've been cast away in pursuit of other, more exciting endeavors. Lol. They're cute little boogers. Therefore, I'm going to make some food for them and delve into the world of Witcher 3. I doubt I will cry over Witcher or damage any of my relationships by playing. Haha. Its a safe bet to finish out my day! :) Bye!!

Growing pains

You know how sometimes in life we have to do things that are a little (or a lot) scary but also good for us? I had one of those today.

That's all.

How's that for journaling?! Haha. I'm too tired to journal right now.

Actually, ONE of my favorite things about today was this song/video combo. It literally soothed me to listen and watch these two dance together and I loved the simplicity and warm colors of everything. Loved it. Still love it. Will continue to listen tomorrow while I'm in the gym.
Jidenna-Boomerang
Unfortunately, I can't include this particular video in this post but the link is there.

Ok. Bye! ;)