thanksgiving weekending ...

my 48 hours in Florida have come and gone ...

... and Thanksgiving Day was perfect in every way - bright and sunny, about 80 degrees, gentle breeze, gorgeous electric blue sky ... just as Thanksgiving should be if you're a Floridian ;-)

The day started with a little of this ...

And it ended with a little of this ...

The following morning we went to the the ladybugs' favorite 50's diner for a little of this ...

... and then as if in a breath of wind, we were gone again ... 

... seems like a dream now that we're back in our regular routine again, those precious hours just flew right by, but they were wonderful hours in every way ... more important than ever before for me to be "at home" with my family, toasting that for which we are most thankful ... especially for our sweet gigi and the gift of f.a.m.i.l.y. she left behind ...

Happy Thanksgiving 2011
✈

s.l.o.w. weekend ...

i had to laugh at each and every one of the comments on my previous post about the sizes and portions that have been shrinking on grocery store shelves ... i was so glad that not only do you guys feel my pain, but you actually jumped right on board - the 15-oz mayo (so frustrating to be an ounce short, nicolle!), the peanut butter jars, the half-empty bags of chips, the less-than-a-half-gallon breyer's, the outrage goes on and on ... on the one hand, incredibly irritating, but on that day I had to laugh at all of us - an angry mob of blog-moms with our pitchforks and torches ;-)  As always in blogland, it was nice to know I'm not alone ...

Sadly, shortly after I posted, I came down with some sort of crazy fever virus and I was down and out for Thursday thru Sunday trying to withstand waves of fever and all of the things that come with it (aches, chills, and strong nausea in my case).  The "phantom fever" (the strangest part was that I never actually had a fever?!) was my one and only symptom, but having fought whatever it was for so many days, it really slammed me and now that I'm finally feeling better I've never been so grateful for my overall good health - truly truly grateful.

Thanks to an oddly clear calendar (not even skating thanks to a hockey tournament at the rink), we missed nothing at all and the lazy downtime ended up being a well-needed rest for everyone ... the ladybugs kept busy, started projects, and played with one another like old times. I heard lots of laughter and happiness and that made lying around in misery just a little less miserable!  So now it's Monday and thankfully I'm feeling much better because I have only today and tomorrow to get ready for Thanksgiving ...

The ladybugs and I are flying to Florida to spend this year's holiday with my family!  Manbug will stay home to be with his family ... to make a long story short, both of our families need a little extra support this year, so we're dividing up.  I haven't been with my family for Thanksgiving in 8 years, so I'm pretty excited!

This will be it until I'm back next weekend ... I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!

In the name of Cindy's gratitude project ... this is what I'm grateful for this Thanksgiving:

1.  good health

2.  modern medicine

3. capable and independent daughters

4. sisters who love one another

5.  puppy kisses ...

so what's the deal with ...

... toilet paper these days?!

Anyone else noticing the huge difference in size here?  Last week, I inadvertently purchased a different brand of tp (Northern instead of Charmin), I was in a rush and was wooed by a promotional markdown ... but when I got home to put the rolls away with my existing rolls I noticed the huge size difference - so much smaller!  In fact, these newer rolls are so skinny from side to side they even look ridiculous on the fixture ... 

Not only do they look ridiculous, but I'm especially bothered by the fact that the folks at Northern think it's ok to quietly reduce the size (yet ask the same price) without anyone noticing ... what?!  And you know who else is guilty of the same?  Kraft mac and cheese ... okay, I know I shouldn't even admit to being familiar with this horrible chemical-laden brand of neon-orange "food", but that's beside the point ... they too have reduced the portion size of their boxes and significantly so with their "branded" boxes (Cars, Scooby Doo, Sponge Bob, etc) ... see for yourself ...

OK, I guess it's tough to see the fine print at the bottom, but what used to be a regular 8-oz package has been reduced to 7.25-oz and the one on the left with the special pasta shapes is down to a measly 5.5-oz ... this is ridiculous!  Not to mention a complete rip-off ... grrr ... i feel totally hoodwinked!  bamboozled!  These corporate games are so aggravating ... anyone remember the grocery store rant that Steve Martin went on in Father of the Bride over the hot dog packs vs. the bun packs?  yeah ... that's totally me right now ...

Anyone with me on this?!  I wish I had the time to get all postal on these giant companies and complain, but instead I'll just rant here and try to let it go ... deep breath, momma ladybug ... deeeeep breath ...

my sugar demons ...

october 2011 was a low point for me.  a super duper low point.  stress seemed to dominate every aspect of my life - family, volunteer work, school, personal.  you name it, it was a challenge.  then we added a puppy into the mix.  a tiny, needy, 24/7 puppy.  oy.  then my grandmother's passing was the final blow.  by the end of the month, i was raiding the fun-size butterfingers and twix bars from our Halloween bowl by the fistful and by 5pm i was feeling woozy and completely devoid of energy.

my rock bottom was an afternoon when i had to lie down right on the kitchen floor, i didn't even have the energy to sit upright for puppy playtime.  isabel was nudging and licking my exhausted body begging me to play as i lay flat down and closed my eyes on the dirty floor.  it was not a shining moment.  in fact, it was downright ugly.  my sugar demons had won the battle that day.

one of the perks of blogland is that i've read that a few of you out there struggle with the very same sugar demons.  Jen D posted this story recently, Dana at Bungalow '56 recounted her sugar battle in detail last year, starting with this post, and I know that many others of you have offered similar stories ... in fact, Kerri just posted her 3-day diet a couple of days ago and Nicolle has long been the biggest champion of quinoa i know - she even has a whole sidebar dedicated to it!

by the end of last week, i was clearly in desperate need of some diet correction.  so on monday i took the first step and cooked an entire box of quinoa in my big 5-quart soup pot.  the beauty of quinoa, as evidenced by Nicolle's numerous ideas, is how incredibly versatile it is ... you can add anything to it and come up with a great meal.  so this week my afternoons experienced a dramatic change when my lunches went from candy bars to a healthy quinoa combo each day.  the difference in my afternoon focus and energy was incredible - and i never once had that unmistakable 4pm sugar crash.  the verdict was certain - sugar was the guilty party.

here was one of my favorite lunchtime combinations this week ...

after cooking up a mega-batch of quinoa on monday, i stored the cooked quinoa in a large fridge container and was able to have lunch ready in seconds each day ... this particular combo adds uncooked broccoli, aduki beans, and a dash of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  i have to admit that i added salt to this one - one demon at a time, folks.  just warm it in the microwave for one minute and it's ready to eat!  other yummy quinoa combos are: avocados & black beans, asparagus & goat cheese, scrambled eggs, cashews & scallions, raisins & pine nuts, green apple & cranberries ... the possibilities are truly endless ...

but alas, friends, my battle has only just begun.  the replacement of candy with quinoa at lunchtime was only the first step.  a single step in a very long path.  now the question is ... where does the path go from here?  The amount of information out there is totally overwhelming - and downright paralyzing.

Three things I'm considering ...

this one is only being sold as a $15 e-book (downside), but it includes a detailed 8-week program (upside)

is anyone familiar with any of these?  or do you have another recommendation altogether?  i'm open to any and all advice ... don't be shy ...

sophia grace and rosie ...

Anyone out there an Ellen Show viewer?  My ladybugs and I are crazy for her pranks, audience games, and generous giveaway stories - but we generally skip the interviews.  Until we heard about 8-year-old Sophia Grace and her 5-year old cousin Rosie.  Have you already heard of them?  Ellen 'discovered' (via YouTube) these two adorable British girls when their family posted a video of the girls dancing and singing to a Nicki Minaj song.  Ellen brought the girls to her show in California to perform their cover of "Super Bass" ... and to treat these girls to the surprise of their lives ... it still warms my heart to watch this clip, Sophia Grace has to be the most animated child I've ever seen ... so cute!





A week later, for her Halloween episode, Ellen dressed up like Sophia Grace ... hilarious!

Well, the real Sophia Grace and Rosie were invited back to the show yesterday and Ellen had one more huge surprise up her sleeve for these cuties ... they'll get to conduct interviews for The Ellen Show on the red carpet of the AMA's on November 20th ... in full tutus and crowns of course!

We're already excited to watch the highlight clips from their big red carpet night in a few weeks ...
Maybe they've got you charmed as well?

weekending ...

Important side rant: Does anyone else out there rely on lists as heavily as I do to remember all that needs to get done?  If I don't have a written list with everything that needs to get done, I would n.e.v.e.r. remember even the most basic tasks.  This morning's list was big, as most Monday lists are ... phone calls that needed to be made, several different errand locations for today, a pretty long list of groceries, as well as some long-term projects and tasks - and clipped to the back of my list was an appointment reminder card from the vet and some grocery store coupons.  So it was beefy - and important.  Well somehow along the 2-hour route of my 7 stops between the dry cleaners and Trader Joe's, my list was lost - either dropped or forgotten as I rushed through my morning.  Drat!  And I have to tell you that I was completely paralyzed to arrive at Trader Joe's without that list - and beyond all of the groceries that were missed, I'm left to wonder about those phone calls that will never get made, the date of that vet appointment, and so many other mysteries ... I am completely adrift when it's not written down in front of me ... sigh ...

image from here

So while I try to strain my feeble memory and rebuild my weekly list, I'll do a Pam-style weekending post ... and I'll put a 10-on-10 style twist on it ...

not a huge fan of dogs in clothes, but this sweater is way too cute ...

yes indeed, my laptop and my pug bible ... never more than an arm's length away

soothing the pup before attempting our christmas card photo ...

with her typical little ladybug flair, she fashioned a pup-sized raincoat from orange duct tape

measuring for the matching booties ...

big fun for a puppy ...

does a patriots jersey for game day count as dog clothes?!  well too bad, it's staying ...

and everyone knows that a patriots jersey must be accompanied by a homemade helmet made from duct tape and paper clips ...

but will it fit?

success!  note: no animals were harmed in the making of this photo ...

what i've learned about puppies ...

before posting (this is the very post I was writing a week ago when the phone rang), I want to thank everyone for their kind comments following my gigi post ... I'm lucky as a ladybug in so many ways  - thank you!
so what have i learned about puppies? well ...

... they are so. so. SO. much. work!  i knew that already, but geez ... pam was right about everything - most notably the constant vigil that's necessary over these frisky curious little creatures ... for poop, for pee, for biting, for chewing, for getting into all the things they shouldn't - and, oh yeah, she was right about the $$ too.  dear lord, the $$.  and with our pup's tiny size, it's like having a preemie - so many special requirements re: food, warmth, sleep, water intake - they're all constant concerns.  in an effort to bulk her up, isabel has a special diet for at least the first month ... she eats mini meals 5x/day which are literally measured by the tablespoon and supplemented with a special high-calorie paste.  sheesh.  as if having a young puppy isn't high maintenance enough!

but a baby dog is what it is - a baby.  so i'm a new mom all over again.  exhausted to my core.  one eye always on the pup.  tied down to the house.  always wearing a grubby sweatshirt, slippers, and hair tied back in a bun.  awake until her 11pm pee run.  then settling my dog baby into her cozy crate for the night.  zzzzz ... and no matter how exhausted, i must stumble out of bed again by 6am.  in the dark.  and the cold.  and the wind.  for yet another poop/pee run.  then her breakfast.  and the cycle starts all over again.

but just as with my human babies, my dog baby is so very adored ... and at the same time so very needy.  and we've already covered that nurturer thing i've got going for me, so this little pup is a lucky lady in that somehow any resentment that might be gathering from my total loss of freedom is quickly melted away when i see her sweet face ...

... in short, i'm completely smitten with her.  and hoping that my puppy love will stick as the days turn into months.  gabe was so right when she wondered if getting this pup was a coping mechanism for that mom-tug i've been feeling lately as my growing ladybugs are turning another corner in their journey.  indeed, isabel has filled that ache in my heart.  she's that third daughter i always wanted.  did i mention how smitten i am?!  t.r.u.e. l.o.v.e.

♥

to answer some questions ... isabel is a pug.  pugs are typically a tan color called 'fawn', which shows off their tell-tale black mask ...

image via pinterest

we chose all-black since it's a bit more unusual.  isabel's tiny size is not the norm for a pug pup - her brothers were all about 3 1/2 pounds on adoption day, whereas isabel was 1lb, 14oz when we brought her home.  not quite the size of a webkinz, she was actually closer to the size of a lil'kinz ...

yes, this is an actual lil'kinz panda to give you some perspective

healthy and filled with pluck, but in an extra tiny package.  isabel was the runt of her litter by a longshot, but our girl fought her way past 4 brothers twice her size to survive the nursing stage - she has the heart of a lion for sure.  incredibly playful, loving, engaged, trusting ... we have not a complaint in the world about her personality - she's a perfect fit for us - phew!

just look at that sweet bug-eyed face above to see what i'm talking about ... a face only a mother could love ...