Pretty Pretty Bang Bang

While grocery shopping today I saw something that literally stopped me in my tracks. Powdered peanut butter. I’m not making this up. It is peanuts, sugar and salt ground into a fine powder. You mix 2T powder with 1T water, mix and voila, peanut butter! The jar claims to contain 85% less fat than regular peanut butter and much less sugar. Good news for those of us who love peanut butter but don’t need the extra fat and calories.

With a price tag of $4.99 I wasn’t sure if I wanted to take a chance on something that might be really gross, but curiosity got the best of me and I just had to buy it. I brought it home, opened the jar and took a big whiff. Hmm, smells like peanut butter, but I wondered how it would taste. I followed the directions and made up a little batch which looked like this:

Ok, it looks like peanut butter. Now for the taste test. Well, it tastes like…peanut butter with a little cardboard mixed in. I thought, perhaps, it would be better on bread so I made myself half a sandwich and took a bite. Not bad, but not fabulous either. I give it a 5 out of 10. I deducted an extra point because it only comes in creamy variety and I prefer crunchy. I say for shear kitsch value it’s pretty cool, but I’ll stick with regular peanut butter and just eat less of it.

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The new year got off to a relaxing start as Steve and I spent the day together drinking coffee, running errands and playing with his new toy - Rock Band 2. Our Dillard’s was having an additional 50% off sale so we decided to check out the bargains. A pair of boots I’d been eyeing all season were now almost 75% off so I snapped them up and Steve supplemented his work wardrobe with some $10 shirts and a new tie. Then I dropped Steve off at Best Buy while I went to Target for some exciting things like cat litter. We met up a little bit later and Steve surprised me with the season one DVD set of Mad Men. What a sweetie! We ended our exciting day at Sarah and Dennis’ with a few Old Fashioneds and some snacks. All in all, a good start to the year.

Today, however, will be a busy one. I have to get the house ready for our local paper, the News-Leader, to come over and take pictures for their Home of the Week profile. My mom and I are always griping about how ugly the profile homes are so she said once we were settled in the new house she was going to call the paper and suggest us. They called on Tuesday and will be here Monday.  I’m excited because this will force me to finish up the projects I started before Christmas. Today’s agenda is replacing dying plants inside, cleaning up clutter and arranging the office. Better get started! If you take the News-Leader, we’ll be in the Sunday, January 18 edition.

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It’s almost time to say goodbye to 2008 and I, for one, am happy to see it go. I’m not one to take the day to reflect on the past year but if I were, I would have had my fill just by watching the Today Show. It seemed like every half hour they were playing a “best of” montage of the previous year. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not being crabby about 2008 and the year had its moments (good and bad) but I prefer to look ahead.

So, what do I plan to do in 2009? Well, that’s a good question. I’m hoping to take charge of my finances and make better monetary decisions, take a glass blowing class, lose some weight (I’ll take any amount here), help my sister move and celebrate her new home, experiment with enamels, expand my granulation line, and just try to be a happier person. None of these are resolutions, but more like guidelines for the coming year. What do you want to accomplish next year?

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Our house has officially returned to normal. Steve and I took down the two aluminum trees last night and declared Christmas over. I used to love the season and love decorating my home, but the last few years have been stressful for me and I’ve had a hard time really enjoying Christmas. This year I didn’t feel like decorating the new home because we’d just arranged everything the way we wanted and I wasn’t in the mood to mess things up for Christmas. We put up about 1/4 of our normal decor which made taking it down much easier! Next year we’ll probably get out everything, reassess what we have and get rid of some extra stuff. One thing for sure is that our ornament collection won’t get any smaller! I still love collecting them.

We’re anticipating a quiet New Year celebration. I think the last time I actually got dressed up and celebrated was the year I was 21. New Year’s Eve has never been a big deal for me and I just enjoy a quiet evening at home with Steve and maybe another couple. I think we’ll end up doing dinner and movies with Valerie and Kevin - probably at their house since they have a huge tv! Today I have to work so I need to quit blogging and head to the shower. It’s supposed to be 60 degrees here today so I’ll be volunteering to run errands for the store!

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Merry Christmas everyone! It’s been a whirlwind of a day here at the Smith house. The day has been full of squeals of delight from two little girls who declared it was “the best Christmas ever.” I wish I could remember all of the funny things they said, but I can’t so I’ll just say that we spent most of the morning laughing hysterically.

Blair’s mom made an egg/cheese/sausage/hash brown casserole, Ralph picked up some huge cinnamon rolls for breakfast and we supplemented all the sugar and fat with some fresh fruit. Blair’s parents, Mary Kay and Everett, stayed most of the morning and enjoyed the entertainment, then bowed out to take a nap before their next round of family events.

There we so many gifts under the tree that we didn’t get all of them open until way after noon. Of course, we had to take multiple breaks for the girls to play with all their new toys so that slowed up the festivities. After some mid-afternoon showers, we had a late lunch/early dinner of ham loaf, cheesy potatoes, fresh green beans and crescent rolls. Tonight’s festivities include giving the girls baths, putting them to bed then watching Monty Python movies and drinking some wine.

Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you had a blessed day!

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We survived quite a busy weekend and are now gearing up for Christmas in Des Moines. Last night mom and Burl came over and we had an early Christmas celebration.  It was beginning to feel like Christmas with a house full of family and a fire blazing in the fireplace. They brought Burl’s now-famous chili and Steve made cornbread so we had a delicious dinner before doing a little gift opening.Once again, mom and Burl gave us some great gifts and we had a lot of fun. My favorite gifts are always those things that I want but won’t buy for myself and books seem to fit into that category. While I love to read, I’m more prone to check out something from the library or borrow from friends before I buy a book. I received  Honor Thy Father by Gay Talese which I will be cracking open first, Thin is the New Happy, the latest Pearls Before Swine book and a cool book of album covers. I should be entertained for quite a while. The big gift I received that I’d wanted for a while but never bought myself was an air compressor. Yep, I wanted an air compressor and Burl found one specifically for air brushes. In enameling, an air brush is an important tool for prepping a piece for enamel sifting. This cute little air compressor is just the right size for my needs and is portable just in case I need to take it one the road! We also got a new firepit for our deck and some much-needed fireplace tools. Thanks mom and Burl for a great Christmas (of course, this blog post does not take the place of your handwritten note).

I’m currently sitting in the waiting room of Don Wessel Automotive waiting for my car to get an oil change. Luckily, Steve and I remembered we needed an oil change before tomorrow when we hit the road. I made it here bright and early so I could get it done and get home to finish some Christmas gifts. 

I’m always a bit nervous leaving my house during the holidays, but we have some great neighbors that will keep a watch on the house and the kitties. I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday and I hope you get everything you want!

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My mom tagged me with this so I thought I’d share. I’m not going to specifically tag anyone, but if you post, please let me know.

Lazy blogging again, folks!  Here’s how it works:

The rules of the game get posted at the beginning. Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

1) What was I doing 10 years ago?

I was working as the Marketing Manager for Ozarks Public Television. My main duties were print design, art director of the Program Guide and working on the special events. Steve and I had just moved into our first house and were settling in nicely. I had no idea I had any real artistic abilities and never dreamed I’d sacrifice my manicure to work with metal! Oh, and I weighed about 30 pounds more than I do now!

2)What are 5 things on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order):

1. Actually bake cookies. I’m going to make Pecan Drops.

2. Drink coffee and read the paper - done!

3. Finish laundry I started yesterday.

4. Finish my Christmas wrapping.
5. Attend two parties tonight.

3) Snacks I enjoy: Raw almonds, bananas with peanut butter, chips and salsa, crackers and cheese, carrots and hummus.

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire: Pay off my debts, completely restore the house (meaning fix the retro alarm system), buy my sister a house, put money in a trust for my nieces, give my mom and Burl a really nice trip (their choice, all expenses paid), give money to charity.

5) Places I have lived

Springfield, MO. That’s it. I tried to leave when I graduated from college, but I never quite did it.

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The week started out quite glum for me as my mood seemed to match the weather. Today is sunny and warmer and I think my mood is reflecting it as well. I’ve had a pretty good day and here are the highlights so far:

• I spent 40 minutes on the phone with Valerie this morning discussing how much we dislike Christmas. It was so nice to talk freely with someone who, not only understands my feelings, but doesn’t think I’m a horrible person for having them. Thank you, Valerie!

• I had a wonderful lunch with Mary and we exchanged our Christmas gifts. We’ve known each other most of our lives so finding the right gifts for each other is usually easy. As always, she didn’t disappoint. She got me a very cool retro chafing dish, some cedar boards for grilling salmon and some kleenex with a funny quote on it. I loved them all. I got her a t-shirt (she loves t-shirts) that says “Sometimes her tea time runs right into cocktail hour and there is nothing she can do about it.” Mary howled with laughter and said she was going to wear it tonight. I also got her a set of tea towels just like the ones she’d been admiring at my house. I love it when people appreciate the gifts I give them! Then she told me a hilarious story of how Doug was passing my gym this morning and saw a woman on the treadmill. He thought to himself, “Wow, she’s cute” then realized it was me and got grossed out (because we’re like siblings).  Mary and I laughed and laughed about it. Hey, I still have it!

• On to work where I had to stop by and see which photo my boss had chosen for our next ad. I was a bit nervous because she put me in charge of the photo shoot and I was hoping she liked what I’d done with the model. Score! She chose the picture I liked best and seemed pleased. Plus, I got a nice new camisole to wear under itchy sweaters and it was actually cheap!

• My final stop was Sam’s which I had mentally prepared myself for. I was irritated they were sold out of the item I’d specifically gone there to buy, but I figured I wouldn’t waste a trip so I got some wine for Doug and Mary’s wine tasting party tomorrow night. I gave the girl my membership card and she rang up my wine and asked for my ID. No biggie, I thought, they probably card everyone. Nope, she really didn’t think I was that old! She commented that I looked very young for my age. I said, “Really? I just thought you carded everyone.” No, she actually wanted to see my ID for age purposes.

Now I’m home and doing some laundry. Traffic was getting a bit crazy and I didn’t want to deal with it any more. Tonight is dinner with Duane and Prudy so it should be a good start to the weekend. Now I need to figure out what I’m going to wear.

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It’s been a weird week here and I haven’t felt much like writing so I took a little break. We’ve had five days of cloudy skies, mist, sleet, snow and rain which has done nothing to lighten my mood. However, today the sun is shining and I’m planning on being outside as much as possible to soak up some rays.

Monday night was my work party and it was fun. I liked the excuse to dress up a little (even in the bad weather) and go out. Steve drove me so I wouldn’t have to navigate the slippery parking lot in heels. Plus, I didn’t have to worry about a glass or two of wine before driving. We had chosen Secret Santa names and I wondered who’d received mine. I had my good friend Prudy so it was easy to buy for her. She got some stunning earrings from moi. Kelly D, one of my buddies, got my name and her gifts didn’t disappoint. She knows my favorite flea market is Charley’s Place so she got me a gift certificate to use there. She also bought me a handmade Kleenex box holder that I had looked at several times and almost bought. It’s so much fun to receive gifts from someone who actually know what you like! Kathi, my boss, let us choose our dinner off the menu so I enjoyed salmon and steamed broccoli along with a very nice Pinot Noir. Yum!

Wednesday and Thursday I worked at the store and we were actually pretty busy. I guess all the men finally started to realize that Christmas was right around the corner so they came in to get some shopping done. Yesterday I spent most of the afternoon helping with gift wrapping, which I actually like to do. My first job was gift wrapping for an upscale women’s clothing store so I enjoy the work. Plus, I get to see what everyone is getting for Christmas!

I just read in today’s paper that Burger King is introducing a men’s fragrance called, “Flame.” I’m not making this up. It will have notes of, wait for it, flame-broiled burgers. Wow honey, you smell like charred meat. What a turn on.

This weekend will be busy, but it will be fun. Tonight Steve and I will have dinner at Metropolitan Grill with Duane and Prudy, tomorrow night we’ll be party hopping between Sarah and Dennis’ and Doug and Mary’s and Sunday night is Christmas celebration with mom and Burl. Christmas Eve and day will be spent with my sister and her family which should be fun. I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas!

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I must like pain and humiliation. I mean, why else would I subject myself to a bra fitting at the mall during the Christmas season? I think it’s because I recently caught a glimpse of myself in the dressing room while shopping in St. Louis and realized I was in need of some new foundation garments. The elastic just can’t hold these babies up forever, you know.

I decided to try our local Dillard’s because 1) they were having a sale on Wacoal (which almost never happens) and 2) because their bra manager, Valeria, came highly recommended. She was there so I decided to take some time out of my day for a fitting. She measured me and determined I was actually wearing the correct size bra, but I wasn’t getting the lift I needed because my bras had stretched out. I told her what I was looking for as far as style and fit and she left to choose some bras for me. I wasn’t quite prepared for her to actually enter the dressing room with me as I tried them on, but she was very nice and I figured it was a bit like going to the doctor’s office so I left my modesty at the door. I was commenting that I wanted to make sure I had enough support for my, ahem, ample bosom when she asked how many kids I had. Uh, no kids this bod was built by nature. The boobs sag because they’re, well, large ‘k? I then immediately had to email Cindy and tell her of my adventures because we’d been having an amusing email conversation earlier. Then I called my sister on the way home to laugh about it. Yep, I’m pretty soft in the middle and I have large, saggy boobs. What can I say? I work out 5x a week and this is what I’m left with. Guess I should be glad I’m not larger!

I did find an everyday Wacoal bra I liked that wasn’t too matronly and didn’t break the bank (thanks to a 25% off sale). I bought one in nude and one in black. Oh baby, I’m stylin’ now! I’ll save the lacy, racy stuff for another time. Oh, who am I kidding? I don’t wear that crap!

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