Happy Thanksgiving.

Yeah…I cooked.  Cornbread dressing with gravy, sweet potatoes with brown sugar and pecans, and deviled eggs.  Fleur de lis made the ham and cranberry sauce.  The rolls were store bought.  Yes, I see that there are no green vegetables on the table.  I love green veggies, but today I didn’t miss them.   For me it was all about the cornbread dressing.  Mmmm..mmmm.

Then I made pie.  Well two pies.  Chocolate and Coconut.  I could have used a tad bit more meringue, but they were still yummy!

(Pay no attention to the bottle of tequila in this shot.  The tequila had nothing to do with the pie!  It did have everything to do with the margaritas though.)

My tummy is full and so is my fridge.  Thanksgiving leftovers…ahhh.

Toilet talk

Today I read this post over at Stacy’s Random Thoughts.  It’s one of those stories that’s been circulating the internet for several years.  It’s always funny though.  Always.  Reading it reminded me of the squatty potties I became so proficient at using in Turkey.  For those of you who haven’t ever seen a squatty…

Here you are.  A somewhat clean squatty…because you don’t want to see what a dirty one looks like!  You’re welcome.  

How to use: Stand on the foot treads and squat all the way down keeping your balance without holding on to anything or touching the nasty floor. At the same time you must hold on to the tissue that you brought with you since most squatty stalls don’t have any. If you are carrying a purse or have a jacket you must hold them as well since hooks are very few and far between.  If you are wearing pants you will want to roll them up a bit so that they don’t touch the floor which is always wet and could have actual running water flowing over it. To flush: Pour a small pitcher of water (located under the faucet that won’t turn off all the way…hence the wet floor… which is just outside of my picture near the stall door) in the toilet, or press a button on the wall making sure to stand at the extreme side of the stall so that your shoes don’t get wet with the spray coming from the two small holes at the back of the toilet. Fun times!

If you ever want to take a trip to a place with squatties I’ll gladly go with you.  I think everyone should try their hand at this extreme sport!  I’ll even hold your purse and coat for you although it will take away from the experience!

lots of firsts

The holidays are approaching…hell, they are on my doorstep, and I’m not sure what to do with them this year.

Thanksgiving is next week and for the first time ever I won’t be with a large group of family or semi-family to celebrate.  When we lived in the states we spent Thanksgiving with my family or my husband’s family.  I don’t think there were ever less than 12 people at any of our gatherings.  When we lived overseas Thanksgiving was my favorite holiday.  We never had blood relatives in town, but there were people who we considered family there to celebrate with us.  The kids usually had school that day so we planned to eat after they got home.  The adults would gather in the morning and go bowling.  Usually there was a baby or two to pass around as well.  There might be a few toddlers that had to have a turn rolling the ball, but it was tradition.  After bowling we would head back to the house hosting that year to finish cooking.  Most years our house hosted.  We had room, and I wasn’t the type that panicked when the hordes came over.  In fact I loved having people over.  I looked through recipe books and magazines to see what interesting things I could add to the normal Thanksgiving day fare for weeks ahead of time.  Lots of people, lots of food, lots of fun.  Our group grew to be so large that we eventually had to divide into two houses for dinner.  After dinner one group would drive to the other’s place for dessert.  It was always a great time.  In 2006 I was in the states with family for Thanksgiving, and I really missed the celebration I knew I was missing in Turkey.  Last year I had been back in the states for 4 days when Thanksgiving rolled around.  Between my own jetlag and dealing with 4 kids with jetlag I really don’t even remember much about the holiday.  

This year…well…this year is different.  My kids will be with their dad at his parents’ house for Thanksgiving.  Since my siblings and their families were at my parents’ for Thanksgiving last year they will be with their spouses’ families this year.  My parents are going to be out of town for the holiday.  That leaves me.  What will I do?

I’ve been talking to Fleur de lis about all of it.  She doesn’t have any close relatives so her Thanksgiving celebrations haven’t been traditional.  Some years she worked, some years she celebrated with friends, and some years she ate bologna sandwiches sitting in front of her TV.  This year she is spending Thanksgiving with me.  We’ve talked about what we want to do about food.  She suggested bologna sandwiches which just about made me gag.  I can’t imagine Thanksgiving without turkey, cornbread dressing, deviled eggs, cranberry sauce, and homemade rolls.  But I can’t imagine cooking all of that for just the two of us either.

thanks

Yesterday I blogged, and I chatted for a bit on twitter.  I was amazed at how supportive everyone was.  I was amazed at how much I needed to blog and chat.  There’s something about the support of this crazy online community.  It was a nice feeling.  Thanks to everyone who commented here and on twitter.  I appreciate all of you more than you know.

I also signed up to participate in The Great Interview Experiment sponsored by Neil over at Citizen of the Month.  I participated last year and had a great time meeting new bloggers.  Go check him out and sign up for an interview if you are so inclined.  You never know who you might meet!

alone

I’m alone.  I am sitting in my apartment all by myself.  Nobody is expecting me to be anywhere or do anything for them for the next six hours.  I have six hours of alone time.  Wow.  

I was thinking about the fact that I would have this unexpected alone time today.  One would think that my alone time would have multiplied since I moved out of my house.  Actually the opposite has happened.  I wake up alone most mornings.  I have about an hour by myself, but it is spent getting ready to go to work.  I don’t have time to just enjoy being alone.  After work I might go back to my apartment to change clothes, but it is just a quick in and out trip.  After changing clothes I go to the house to spend time with the kids.  When I lived there I could go to my room and close the door and be alone.  Since moving out I want to make sure that I’m spending time with them when I am there.  I cook dinner for them, watch TV with them, play games with them…whatever they want to do.  Sometimes I pick them up and bring them back to my place where I cook dinner for them, watch TV with them, play games with them…again…whatever they want to do.  They take turns spending the night at my apartment a few nights a week.  I don’t have enough beds for all 4 of them so they usually come in twos.  Sometimes I have a few minutes alone to get online or make a phone call when they are with me, either at their place or mine, but I am always with them.  That is what I choose to do.  When I am not with them or at work I spend time with Fleur de lis.  Sometimes she comes to my place and sometimes I go to hers.  We already don’t get to see each other nearly enough so any alone time I might have is completely reserved for her.  That is what I choose to do.  At the end of the day when I am finally back at my place and on the rare occasion that I am here alone all I want to do is sleep.   

Today circumstances were such that other than a quick trip to help get kids where they needed to be this morning and another one later this afternoon I have nothing.  A long extended period of nothing.  The kids are busy.  Fleur de lis is busy.  And I’m not.  

Wow.  I forgot what this felt like.

Back again.

Oh my…so much has happened since my last post here.  I’m not sure where I should even start.  

I guess I can start with the move.  I moved out.  I signed a lease on a 2 bedroom apartment about a mile from the house and moved.  I’ve been in my new place for 2 weeks now.  I can’t believe it.  It is so quiet here.  The first night my youngest slept over she complained about the lack of noise.  She was used to hearing hamster wheels, the washing machine or dryer, a tv…all background noise to her falling asleep.  I didn’t even have a tv, had only worn a couple days of clothes so I had no need to do laundry, and own no pets.  I finally hooked my ipod up to the speakers and turned some music on for her.  That seemed to do the trick.  When my oldest son spent the night he complained of the same thing the next morning at breakfast.  I thought it was funny that the lack of noise bothered them.  

I have spent so much money in the last 2 weeks.  I haven’t made many big purchases…a bed and a TV (totally for the kids), but there have been so many little things that have added up.  Drinking glasses, a vacuum cleaner, several trash cans, towels, shower curtains, a can opener, and various other small items.  Every time I go to Walmart I walk away with a $150 worth of merchandise.  I also signed up for cable and internet.  I wasn’t able to get online from the apartment so I was checking my email at work.  That was ok, but I wasn’t crazy about it.  I could have lived without the TV and cable, but I knew the kids would do better with it.  I want them to want to come to my house.  I know that an empty apartment isn’t much of a draw.  They are all beyond the age of toys, and the room they are sharing currently has a blow up mattress and a twin rollaway bed in it.  Not much for 4 kids ages 10 and up.  Having the TV and a donated Playstation 2 will help tremendously!  

The other day the kids were all there while we waited on the cable guy.  For fun they dumped the halloween candy out of the bowl I had put it in and spent the next 30 minutes trying to “make baskets” by tossing it all back in.  They also chased each other around the loop that runs through the living room, hallway, bathroom, bedroom and dining area.  There were smack down wrestling matches and finally a mom instigated card game of war.  And I hate that game.  At that point I was willing to do anything to get them to sit still for a few minutes.  The cable guy came and left and I watched my heretofore mentioned rambunctious kids sit quietly and watch a show on TV.   

 I hope to be blogging more.  I miss it.  I anticipate things settling down some now.  We’ll see.

Zzzzzz…

I have internet at home now. I’m sure I’ve lost quite a few readers in my blogging absence, but life has gotten in the way lately. And now it’s late and I’m tired and I just want to go to bed. Life has been hard today. I’ve taken an emotional beating. I asked for it though. I’ll be back with an actual update in the next couple of days. After I sleep.

blogging

Our internet at home has changed. Currently we only have one computer hooked up to the internet and no wireless modem. With 6 people vying to use the computer you can imagine how much internet time I’m getting. That’s why I’m sitting in my car in the parking lot at work blogging. BUT I’ve been here all day, and I’m tired so this is all the blogging I’m going to do! For now anyway.

the headaches explained

Lately I’ve been looking at my stuff with new eyes.  I guess new isn’t the right word exactly.  Aged eyes.  Knowing eyes.  Trying to picture this house without some of the stuff in it.  Trying to visualize the holes left by my taking things.  The desk in the corner of the living room will be gone.  Will that spot look strangely empty?  The fruit bowl and bamboo plant on the island will be gone as well.  What will go there to take their places?  Will the mantle seem lopsided without that pile of stones from the Black Sea?  I’ve also been trying to picture a new place with what’s missing from the old one.  Where will I hang my prints from France?  The candle stand and the buffet and my books will all need a new spot.  Should I take the house plants or leave them?  As I move through the rooms of this house my eyes dart back and forth causing the headache I had earlier today to return.   Tylenol and then to bed.

Insane

What an insane week I’ve had!  Over 40 hours of work, forcing my daughter to practice driving, as well as normal household chores have kept me away from the computer.  I’ve barely had time to check email!  I am so glad it’s the weekend.  Hopefully the stress pain in my right shoulder and neck will subside some now that I have time to rest.  And rest I plan to do.  I took some Tylenol pm tonight with plans to sleep in tomorrow.  I’ll believe that when I actually do it though.  I’ve gotten so used to getting up early that I can’t really sleep in.  Hopefully I’ll sleep later than 3:30am which is what time I had to get up this morning.  I’m aiming for 8am, but I’ll be happy if I hit 7am.  

I’ve had several moments this week when I wanted to blog, but there just wasn’t time.  I wish I could remember what was so important that I felt the need to write it down.  

Ok…my eyes are trying to close and I haven’t even really posted.  But I’m headed out.  Or at least to bed.