Easy Low Carb Meals for One (Steak with Bearnaise and Mashed Loaded Cauliflower)

I've been trying to eat healthier and I joined the gym. Thanks to all my hard work of 5x a week, I have gained a whopping 4 lbs in 4 weeks AND my clothes feel tighter. I'm just going to keep on doing the right thing, and hope things turn around. I mean I was doing nothing and now I'm walking at least 8 miles a week and doing weights 4x a week. Urgh.

I also did a fitness assessment with a personal trainer. I never thought I was in that bad of shape and I'm in my government BMI range as normal. But yet, I scored below average or poor in every category for my age of 49. Well, I think the system is flawed. I know that I sure didn't want to do a fitness assessment at my age, but curiosity got the best of me. I think the numbers are skewed because the only people who agree to do assessments at 49 are those who do marathons and triathlons, which makes the somewhat normal people look really bad.

So I love Bearnaise sauce, but with my old recipe, there was a lot going on to make it including a reduction. Well, I found a much easier way for the lazy empty nester.

Microwave Bearnaise Sauce
Ingredients:

• Egg yolk
• Onion 1 tsp chopped
• White wine vinegar
• Tarragon
• Butter

Instructions

1. Plop some white wine vinegar into a microwave bowl with some butter and chopped onion. Heat it up a little to soften the butter and onion.
2. Add the egg yolk and tarragon. Stir it up and reheat.
3. DONE!

Steak

Having a grill is ideal, but since I moved to an apartment recently, I use the cast iron skillet method. Put steak on med-high for 4-5 minutes on each side so it is still a little bloody, but has quit mooing. Oh, and this sets off my fire alarm every single time. Drives me batty.

Mashed Loaded Cauliflower

Ingredients:

• Cauliflower
• Butter
• Coconut or Olive Oil
• Bacon bits 
• Cheese
• Chives

Instructions:

1. Chop up cauliflower in small pieces. (I only used about 1/4 of a head...cooking for one and still had leftovers.)
2. Boil for about 30-40 minutes until the cauliflower is easily pierced with a fork.
3. Drain water and add some butter, and a dab of oil.
4. Use a mixer to beat the cauliflower until smooth.
5. Serve and top with bacon bits, cheese, and chives.

Black and Decker Green Smoothies and The League TV Series

After a turbulent year....kids moving, me moving twice, commuting, etc., I joined a gym again. I went to visit several of them and due to traffic concerns (which might prevent me from ever showing up at the gym), I chose the closest gym to me which is LA Fitness. Previously, I was a member of 24-Hour Fitness for years in my old location. Well this weekend, I woke up and went to the gym at 7:30 am Saturday and realized, my gym is NOT open 24 hours a day. It opens at 8am on weekends.  I was forced to go to Walmart and kill 30 minutes. 

Before

So I'm making Green Smoothies every morning for breakfast. Not sure what got me on this health kick, but I guess it's a good thing. Some of my friends have those $400-500 blenders. Well that is not my style being that I am a cheapskate. I found a beautiful red Black and Decker for $29 at Walmart and I love it. I figured if you can make power tools, you can probably make a mighty fine blender. I was correct in my thinking. The Black and Decker rocks.

So here are my typical ingredients, but it varies on what is available in my house.

After

• Handful of spinach
• Handful of kale
• Cucumber
• Strawberries and/or 1/2 banana
• Lemon or lime juice
• Cinnamon
• Chia seeds
• Carrots/Avocado/Zucchini (maybe)
• 8 oz of Almond Milk unsweetened
• Handful of ice

It's not like I really enjoy this drink, but you don't really taste if because its cold and you chug it. At least, I'm getting a lot of healthy fruits and vegetables without having to eat yet another salad.

I watched a documentary years ago about curing diseases through juicing, but I prefer to have the entire veggies and fruit with the fiber. Gerson Therapy

I made a green smoothie for Nicky. He said he felt like he had been given some type of stimulant.  I don't seem to have that reaction.

So I'm back to doing weights and cardio.  I get so bored with cardio, but I found a way to make it happen for me. I watch Netflix on my phone. I have been watching The League. Each episode is about 21 minutes long. I watch two episodes while I do cardio. I have Nicky to thank for that find.

If you don't know about The League, it is about a group of friends in a fantasy football league. It is a very raunchy, super raunchy, but hilarious. I'm sure people probably wonder why I'm laughing hysterically while on the treadmill or elliptical. My daughter who knows nothing about football or fantasy football is enjoying watching it. I only have 2 seasons left, so I need to find another comedy TV series for the gym.

My daughter has suggested I start the entire series of The Office. 

Melia Golf Resort in Cozumel September

First time to Mexico during Hurricane season and it turned out awesome for us in Cozumel. See the crowd in the picture. Not so much for the peeps in Cabo San Lucas. Yikes. Nicky and I used all our combined points to pay for the airfare and all-inclusive hotel. Yea! Several years ago, I had about 48K points and American expired them for me. Thanks AA.

First day was a day of swim up bar. Learned that a Margarita at this all-inclusive was about 3/4 cup of tequila, a splash of another liquor (Cointreu?), and a splash of margarita mix. Awesome....well, if you don't need to be anywhere early the next day. The hotel staff was super friendly and helpful the entire trip. We had a beach view room, but were upgraded to a beach suite for free with a walk out room to our own personal Jacuzzi and the beach. 

Second day was golf. The Cozumel golf club is awesome. The workers are so nice and accommodating. The course and the greens were amazing. We were warned multiple time about the crocodiles, but were disappointed to NOT see any of them. You are not allowed to retrieve lost balls that are not on the fairway or near water so we brought 50 refurbished balls with us. We were too embarrassed to count how many were left at end of the round. We both had to walk the walk of shame after our round and the score card was surely eaten by an invisible croc. The golf course is also a bird sanctuary so many colorful birds. Our hotel stay included green fees which are expensive there...at least $150 a person. We only paid $62 for the both of us....I think that was cart fee and club rental.They provided herb smelling moist towels at the end of the round. 

Third day, we rented a clown car to drive around the island. We stopped at the Money

Bar. It has a nice little beach and you can snorkel on a reef nearby. The food....meh. The prices..meh. We kept driving on a road that had a bicycle symbol, but so was everyone else. Later found out that it was a bike only lane for the Ironman that was taking place over the weekend. Oops to us and a lot of other people. We were looking for the lighthouse and couldn't find it because the sign said Point Sur. I told Nicky  "Let's pull over at 7-11 to get directions...said no one ever in Cozumel". Anyway, we finally figured it out.

We then did the snorkeling trip from hell. I am a certified scuba diver and have dove in

Cozumel in the past. They drop you in a reef and the current floats you down the reef until the boat picks you up at the end. Easy peasy. I  have also snorkeled in Chankkanaub right on the beach just floating around.

At the lighthouse, a guide said he'd help us. He told us we'd have to snorkel out to the buoy WAY out in the ocean. You can't even see the buoy in the picture. It seemed really far and we were skeptical. We decided we could swim that far. Bless our hearts. We get to the buoy and this was the START of our snorkel trip. We are almost 50 years old. We swam against currents for an hour or more. Then, it was time to swim ashore, we are against the current again. Our legs and feet are cramped by now. For every two strokes you take to shore, you are taken back by the current 1.5 strokes. We finally get to shore and now we have to walk a mile back to where we started. Oh, and after all that huffing and puffing, I joined the gym tonight. My gym has a pool. Told Nicky I would probably never swim again. 

After the snorkeling trip from  heck, we stopped at Coconuts on back of island. Coconuts dropped off the photo books at our table. Back in the day, it showed bad Polaroid photos of boobs. It now has clear photos of much more graphic images. Almost pornographic, but not quite. Also, bring cash. They still don't have electricity over there and do not take credit cards. We also had two friends join us for lunch.

Next day, fortunately, we had scheduled a couples massage on the beach. Awesome. They even massaged our faces. Aaaawwww. We ended up on the beach and at the swim up bar. Note to self.....love Nick when he is tipsy. He repeatedly told me that I was "smoking hot".

Speaking of only taking cash...you need it if you lose your customs paper. Gosh darnit. I'm the most organized person ever and my fancy paper disappeared. Had to go to immigration at airport and then go to ATM to get pesos to pay my $27 USD ($300 peso) lost paper fee. Ugh.  

So my Citibank lets me make purchases in Cozumel, but Saturday night, when I'm back to Arlington (where my credit card is registered), I order a pizza and my card is declined to credit card fraud. Really? It is fixed now, but REALLY?

Inexpensive low carb nachos

Go Cowboys! Nachos sounded awesome but I'm trying to keep my carbs low, so tortilla chips are out and bell pepper is in. This recipe as I made it serves one.

My total cost of ingredients was $6, but I only used about $2 worth of them.

• Bell pepper $.99 (used entirely)
• Refried beans $.85 (used about 1/4 of a can)
• Cheddar cheese $3 (used about 1\6 of bag)
• Sliced jalapenos $1.50 (used just a few of them)

If you want to really low carb, nix the beans and replace with ground beef or shredded chicken. I was using what I had in my house today.

If you follow this recipe, it ends up being about:

204 calories, 11 fat, 15.5 carbs, 5 fiber, net carbs 10.5, and 11 protein.

1. Cut bellpepper into small pieces.
2. Top with beans or meat.
3. Add cheese and jalapenos.
4. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Personally I prefer tortilla chips, but lets just do a quick compare.

My new favorite website.

What I've Learned from Crime Shows

Ocassionally, I get insomnia. My eyes are too tired to watch TV so I listen to crime shows. Every word is broadcast with lots of drama so need to watch. I've learned a lot. Keep in mind that these helpful hints are based on true events.

How to get caught:

• Leave your cigarette butts at the scene.
• Leave your beer cans at the scene. (Side note: beer cans are tracked by 15 minute lots)
• Video tape your crime taking place.
• Talk to your incarcerated partner about the crime on a recorded phone line. 
• Go into a store that has video surveillance and buy duct tape and bleach.
• Return to the scene...especially to help locate a missing victim.
• Google "how to commit the perfect crime"
• Kill your spouse while you are on Match.com.
• Leave your cell phone on with its GPS capabilities when commiting crimes. 
• Drive your vehicle with a body in it across toll roads or bridges with surveillance.
• Burn victims remains in your back yard barbecue pit.
• Just happen to have replaced the carpet, washed the car, or cleaned the entire house with bleach when the cops show up.

Things to ensure you do not easily become a victim of a violent crime:

• Don't be a stripper.
• Don't have an 'estranged' husband.
• Make sure your bra and panties do not match.
• Never open the door to:
• strangers
• your stalker
• your troubled teen and their signficant other that just got kicked out of another home
• your troubled niece or nephew
• your own grown overly entitled children
• Never talk about:
• the money you have in the bank or the big check you just got
• the money you hide in your house.
• your big life insurance policy
• Never have enough life insurance that the beneficiary will never have to work again.
• Be wary of all your neighbors or anyone with a view of your living quarters.
• Never let any one in the house to use your phone.
• Do not walk up to talk to a stranger in a car, or especially a van. As a matter of fact, never associate with anyone that owns a van. 

Things to know about stalkers:

• NEVER, I mean never, agree to meet with your stalker to talk about the situation. You will be killed immediately.
• There is not much you can do when you have a stalker except be afraid the rest of your life.
• When a stalker questions your whereabouts, be afraid.  They have already installed a GPS tracking system on your car.
• The judge may provide you with a protective or restraining order. This just makes your stalker really mad.
• When your stalker breaks the restraining order, and you go to court, the judge will thoroughly peave your stalker by putting them in jail for 6-14 days. Then, your stalker will leave jail and kill you.

Happy Friday! Keep it safe.

Paleo breakfast casserole FAIL

My daughter told me she wanted to do the Paleo diet so I thought I would do it too. As a side note, she told me she cheated the other morning. She ate three donuts and two Kolaches. I was like "That is not a cheat. A cheat is one donut. That was an all out binge".

I have been looking at new recipes. Well I found a breakfast casserole that sounded awesome on www.paleogrubs.com. I bought coconut milk and almond flour (because I could not find the recommended coconut flour). You are supposed to create a crust and bake it on parchment paper. 

First, I accidentally spilled half of the egg/flour mix on the floor. I could not find parchment paper at the store so I just figured it was now called wax paper instead. I spread the mixture that did not land on the floor onto the wax paper and put it into the oven. Immediately, my oven started smoking, but a little smoke does not scare me. I quickly Googled "Can I bake on wax paper?" Ummmm. The answer was no. So now I have wax paper and have no idea what it is good for. I threw my burning paper and crust away.

My pizza cassserole has no pizza crust. So here is what I ended up making.

• I cooked the bacon.
• I wilted spinach in the bacon grease.
• I added onions and garlic to pan and cooked it.
• I put the bacon on a plate.
• I layered diced tomatoes and spinach mix.
• I then added sliced avocado, chives, black pepper, and a squeeze of lime.

 It was way yummy. So much for the pizza part.

Fort Lauderdale Review....meh

Hayley only gets two weeks the entire year off from school. For her summer break we decided on a beach trip. We didn't have enough time to get her a passport to go to Mexico...not entirely true. I wasn't going to spend $300 on an expedited passport. Typically, I do the Redneck Riveria.....Pensacola, Orange Beach, etc. The hotels were pricey this year. Flying to Fort Lauderdale and staying on beach was much less expensive than driving 12 hours and staying in the Redneck Riveria. Food was soooo expensive. Beach was nice, but no alcohol on beach, no frisbees and all kinds of rules. Lots of yachts and mansions. Will not go back unless someone gives me a free trip there.

We stayed at the Sheraton on the beach and I have to say that the staff were wonderful. Hayley and I had checked our luggage into guest services so we could run around while waiting on a beach view room to be available. Oh, and they upgraded us for free if we were willing to wait 2 hours..which we were.

We went to the pool and then went shopping. We got to the room and Hayley says we forgot our bags. "I'm like what are you talking about. We have our new stuff". She's like "No mom. We have no luggage." I called guest services and they immediately brought it up. They also brought me a bottle opener for my imported beer. Unfortunately, the hotel had no air pump, so we had to blow up our own air mattresses. 

We went fishing, we went on an airboat swamp tour with the Gator Boyz, and laid around on the beach. We were the only two people who had air mattresses. We did a lot of floating in the ocean. And yes, they cut up my huge Blue Runner to use for bait. 

Air travel was horrible. On our trip out early in the morning, I30 was shut down, and we were diverted off the highway. Got to airport and only ONE person working security. We wanted to get there early so we could have breakfast and buy magazines, but au contraire, we buckled in at 7:18 a.m. for 7:20 a.m. flight after RUNNING through airport and the plane pulled out at 7:24 a.m. We had no food and no magazines, but we made it. Whew. 

Way back was worse. AA flight was canceled for mechanical reasons and all later flights were booked. We located a US Airways flight with connection in Charlotte. We got to Charlotte. Our plane arrived but the crew was missing. Another flight canceled. 

So I've always heard that airlines put you up when you are stranded. Not true. I got a Desperate Traveler discount, so I paid a discounted rate of $75 to spend 6 hours in the Comfort Suites and I only had to wait on hold for 30 minutes with the Desperate Traveler program to find a hotel and shuttle. Blah.

We arrived at midnight and had to get back up at 6am for flight. See pic of hotel in Charlotte. We were waiting for the twins to appear. Very strange, but we immediately went into our room and turned on the TV. Deja vu. Family guy was on and immediately mentioned the Twins in the Shining. I got the chills. 

So we get up for the free breakfast and Hayley makes Belgian Waffles. She says "I could live here". I said "Where? Charlotte or Comfort Suites". She said "Comfort Suites....just for the free breakfast and waffles".

Hayley and I got last two seats on morning flight and I got first class. I gave it up to a young man in an Air Force uniform. How could I not? It was 4th of July and I didn't pay for that ticket and I didn't need free drinks at 10am. When I told him I'd trade seats, I was hoping he had 8A or something not too bad, but nooooooo, it was 28D with a stinky guy next to me and a baby behind me which made me feel better that I gave him my seat. I would have felt horrible if he was stuck in that seat. I received free wine (at 10am) and many thank yous from the young man and the airline attendants. 

We arrived home 4th of July. I asked Hayley if she wanted to stay the night at Nicks with us since her car was in Arlington already. She said "No". Nick asked "Why not?" The look on her face was priceless shen she said "If you spent 6 days with my mom, you'd go home too". She also said she wasn't flying or leaving Texas anytime soon. 

Did I mention how there is NO southern hospitality in Fort L? We talked to two nice ladies.....both from Texas...go figure. Another deja vu,  but one used to be a bartender at Blue Martini in Plano. I'm quite sure she waited on me before when I was that fun, single, Frisco girl that enjoyed half priced martinis in the Shops of Legacy. That, RA Sushi, and Gordon Biersch were regular hang outs for a few years.

Inexpensive Hair Coloring

I have not blogged in quite a while. Been super busy lately. Busy at work and playing quite a bit of golf and not really getting much better.  Blah. Shooting about 100 on most days. Me and my pitching wedge are at odds lately.

Hayley gets only one week off this summer, so I decided to  taking her to Fort Lauderdale for her break. I have never been to that side of Florida, but it was very inexpensive...well at least for airfair and hotel...the rest is yet to be seen. We may do an airboat tour, and a tour of the Intracoastal Waterway mansions.....depending on how we feel. We may lay on the beach with books. Hayley is easy going and spontaneous. We travel well together, so really looking forward to this trip.

Hayley has been coloring my hair for free for the past 6 months while in school at Aveda. She has done a really great job. Anyway, the 'free' part stops now. She has been there long enought that she can take appointments now. So if anyone, wants to book with her, please get in touch with me and I'll give you her information. Aveda is in Dallas off of 75 and Park. Half head highlights are $44, full is $50. Here is the full price list. 

Aveda Student Prices

She loves to color hair and is ready to do anyone we know. However, she has informed me that she wants to practice cutting hair on complete strangers.  I asked her to texturize my hair for me recently and she said if I had seen her mannequin after she tried texturizing, I would not have asked. Honesty is one of her endearing qualities.

It is amazing how many people go to Aveda Institute and get their hair done the day of their wedding. Hello, it is a school. 

I hope everyone is having a great summer. The weather has been pretty mild and just plain awesome.

2011 Camaro Review

In December I bought my car, Snowflake, off of a sheet of ice. I traded in my BMW Z4. I'd like to talk about the pros and cons of the Camaro SS.

Figures that my car pic has Nick in it and not me.

Snowflake is beautiful and so was the Z4. One of my favorites features of both cars is the heated seats. You can almost drive top down in any weather if your bootie is warm. I  now have a backseat which would be perfect for a gym bag, but I quit the gym. Not big enough for people, but works for golf clubs, laptops, etc.

I love the Heads Up display in the Camaro. I love the speed and the little growl it gives you when you start it up. The Cons: It is clunky and drinks gas like an alcoholic drinks free vodka. The visors are tiny. Never thought I'd have a complaint about a visor, but it is the worst sun visor ever. There is some kind of cover thingy to use when the top is down, but it looks like it is going to fly off so I don't use it.

I was visiting Hayley recently. We were going to lunch on Greenville. Hayley tells me I need to "Bust a Bitch".....aka do a u-turn. Well, the Camaro does not whip around like a Z4. I had to pull into a parking lot, turn around, and then go back out. I need several lanes to bust a bitch these days.

I STILL can't park and it's been four months now.  When the kids were little I had a string of SUVs. I don't understand why I cannot park this car.  Every day I pull into my parking spot. I open the door and look out to see where the line is. Then, I shut the door, put it in reverse and straighten myself back out. Nick laughs at my parking most days at the house.

With that being said, I love the car and get compliments on how pretty it is weekly. The commute from Arlington is killing me. I have a small dent already (????) and I already have a chip in the windshield. For some reason, it doesn't matter how far out in a parking lot I park, I will come back out of a store or restaurant and will be surrounded by big white pick up trucks. Urgh.

So Nick and I are going to the Meacum auction in Houston this week. Look for us on TV.

Thursday April 10
Esquire: 11:30 AM - 3:00 PM Live
NBCSN: 3:30 PM - 6:30 PM Live
MECUM.COM: 6:35 PM - 7:00 PM Live

Friday April 11
Esquire: 11:30 AM - 2:30 PM Live
NBCSN: 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM Live
MECUM.COM: 6:10 PM - 7:00 PM 

Summer is coming. Getting ready for some golf.

Feline Leukemia In Rememberance of Billie Jean

Hayley got a new kitten the same month Michael Jackson died and she decided to name her Billie Jean. She's the gray kittie in the picture. Peaches is the orange cat. 

Hayley took BJ to the vet for her shots and the vet told her BJ had feline leukemia and needed to be put down immediately. Hayley frantically called me crying. I told her that we would think about it and keep Billie Jean until she started feeling bad. We thought she wouldn't make it too long, but we wanted to make her happy while she was healthy.

The vet had a digital picture frame for client pet pictures. Billie Jean's photo was of her wearing a spiked collar, claws out, and yowling. We would laugh every time we saw it. 

Billie Jean almost made it 5 years. She was not the friendliest cat, but she liked Hayley. BJ had a great life til the end. She had many dog friends that she played with over the years.

Hayley said she was going to get a new kitten after putting BJ down. In the meantime, she borrowed Peaches for a few days. I asked her this week about getting another cat. She said she "I can envision myself never cleaning a litter box again". So today, she said she's going to the animal shelter "Just to look". 

Billie Jean is missed.

Aveda Cosmetology School

So Hayley tells me she needs a 'model'. In reality, she needs a guinea pig to practice her hair stuff. A couple of weeks ago, I went in for a shampoo, conditioner, and blow dry. These are my before and after pictures. So how does this happen? According, to Hayley a boar's brush is key to smooth hair along with Aveda Smooth Infusion Style Prep.

So I'm going to "model" the next two weeks. After Saturday, I'm going to be a brunette for an entire week. Not too happy about that since it is time for my summer blonde. But, next weekend, I get a partial head coloring and will have blonde highlights. I've warned my coworkers in advance that my look will be changing weekly. 

So the crying and wanting to quit school has finally stopped. Hayley was not quite fitting in with some of the girls. FYI, Aveda is a stone's throw away from Highland Park. Frisco is a little uppity, but it is primarly Californians who sold their homes and could afford the so-called Texas McMansions----cookie cutter, but good-sized homes. Highland Park is wealth. No comparison.

She has since found her clique. They call themselves "the funny group that can't stand anyone else". Well alrighty then. As long as she stays in school, I'm good. Today, I tried to call her on her lunch break, but she was too busy "going to Chipotle with the girls".

Many people have asked if Hayley likes doing hair. Below are assorted pictures of Hayley's hair in the past year or two. Sometimes I don't recognize her myself. Sometimes people say she looks a lot like me....well that depends on the day.

This Texas weather has been horrible. Well maybe not horrible, but the weatherman told me it was going to be 70 today. I drove the convertible and put on high heel wedge sandals. Guess what? It is not convertible or sandal weather. I've since donned a UT hoodie over my work clothes and my toes are cold. Very professional....NOT.

I hope all my buddies with children enjoy spring break!

So I have been out of my house a couple of months now. It was funny, but the last time, I ran into my former neighbor, he said he was wondering what happened. He said "you were just gone". He thought maybe we packed up and moved in the middle of the night for some mysterious reason. Everything did happen suddenly, but it happned at 10am on a Sunday.

Fire Phil the Groundhog

I haven't blogged much lately. Not much going on in this cold, cold, Texas winter. I would officially like to fire Phil the groundhog. I am not enjoying our extra 6 weeks of cold weather. I'm ready to put the top down on my car and play golf. I had a sad moment today. I opened the passenger door to put some stuff in the front seat and I saw a golf towel and a cute pair of my flip flops in the back seat. Oh, how I miss Texas summers.


My renters put this cute Texas star above my garage in Frisco. They also put a new lamp on the front porch and cute chairs out front. I wish I would have thought of the star. Sigh.

So Hayley has almost quit Aveda hair school twice now, but then she calls hours later all excited about something at school.  She has been exhausted, but her frantic, crying phone calls are wearing me out. She has been working 39 hours a week and going to school 33 hours a week and to top it off, she got strep throat last week. And even though the clinic was right down the street from her apartment, she asked me to take her. I'm glad I could help. It's funny how 19-year olds turn 10 when they are sick....much like sick men. I took her to the doctor, picked her up some lunch, waited to pick up her prescriptions while we browsed the As-Seen-On-TV-aisle, and sent her home to bed.

She is very headstrong and wants to support herself; however, I have finally convinced her to cut her hours and let me help her out. School is only 12 months and we are almost a month down. So she took me up on the offer and will cut her hours starting in March back to 21 hours a week. I meant take Sundays off. I didn't mean cut her hours in half. Oh well, we will manage. Here she is with her lavendar hair. This was two weeks ago. This week she is blonde again.

So this coming Saturday, I'm going to be her model at school. Model doesn't mean you are gorgeous. In this case, it means that you are the only person to agree to put your hair into the hands of a student. I get a hand massage, shampoo with head massage, conditioner and then I get my hair blow dryed and styled. She was also able to buy me some new Aveda products at 50% off. Yippee. She said she also learned how to use a round brush to make your hair soft. Bring it on!

So Madi cheered her last ever Colt game, but that also means that graduation and new things are coming her way soon. These are exciting times for our girls. We love these girls of ours, but they also make us quite crazy at times. I guess that is just part of it. I'm sure we drive them crazy too.

Hayley's Quote of the Day

Hayley has only been moved out for three weeks, but she already seems more mature. Yesterday, she called to tell me that she had made her first grown-up executive decision. My mind was racing as I was pondering what important decision she had made. I don't know why I wasted brain cells on this. She made the decision to take her umbrella with her and the great decision paid off because it was raining when she got off work. 

I would think the fact that she went apartment shopping on her own and picked out her own apartment might have been more of an executive decision than the umbrella, but that's just me.

Hayley had the day off so she met me for sushi lunch. She was talking about some kids that her friend at work is trying to help out and how immature they were. Her quote of the day "If you are old enough to be tried as an adult, you are old enough to act like an adult". Well said.

She has been without cable and Internet for three weeks which is why she spent eight hours with us watching her tablet this past weekend. Nick felt bad for her and he ordered Internet for her and added it to his bill. Today, a package showed up at her apartment complex addressed to Nicholas with her address and this confused the mail room guys. Hayley told them that it was for her because "Nick had bought her the Internet". She was so excited when she called me. She told me she's not going to leave her apartment all weekend long. Unfortunately, for her, while the wireless modem is working, AT&T said the Internet will not be activated until 8pm tonight. She decided to nap until 8pm.

I'm currently a landlord again. It's always a crapshoot, but Joel Olsteen told me this week to change my mindset from the skinny goat to the fat cow....or something like that. Anyway, I think he meant expect more and have a positive attitude, so yeah that.

My neighbors are used to seeing Zena,my Rottie/Lab mix, in the yard. As of next week, they will be seeing Zepplin, a Collie/Lab mix, in the yard.

Almost Back to Normal and Broke Toilets

December was a super busy month. I traded cars. Hayley got moved out to her new apartment. I moved to Arlington. I did all my Xmas shopping on the 23rd. Found a handy man to fix up my house and got it listed for lease, and then followed all this up with a golf trip to Pensacola.  So back to 'real life' now.

Things found in an Exxon truck stop.

I have a new home, added some new family members, and a new gym. I also named the new car..... Snowflake. The car is white and I test drove it off a big slab of ice so this seems appropriate. Now, I need the weather to cooperate so I can put the top down. 

This weekend, I finally visited Hayley's apartment after 3 weeks of her living there. I'm shocked. It is clean and cute. I can't believe it. She was such a slob when she lived at my house. Figures.

Paradise Grill Polar Plunge 2014

So now back to cooking, focusing on work, and going to the gym. So I move in with Nick and he's had the same washing machine for 15 years. I put in my first load and the machine quits working. So we got a new washing machine for Xmas. Yawn. Well that and a golf trip to Pensacola...woohoo. 

Balcony View at Holiday Inn Resort

So on a new subject of leasing homes. My coworker said she didn't understand how one of her tenants broke a toilet. Well that brought back broke toilet memories.

Toilet 1: So back in 1994 (I remember the year because I was pregnant with Hayley), I wake up and hear water....sounds like a small babbling brook. My ex-step-son was 12 and was visiting. I thought maybe he was peeing in a closet or something by mistake. I guess pregnancy made me looney. Anyway, I got up and went to the bathroom and my feet splash on the floor. I turn on the light and I cannot see where this water is coming from. Finally, I spot what looks like a hair on the back of the commode. All that water from a small hairline crack. I turned off water and sopped it up with towels. Well, that afternoon, I come home from work and notice a shadow on the ceiling above my dining room. Oopsie. Had to file insurance for that one.

Toilet 2: I had just put a pool in at my old house. Obviously a man designed my house...hence the bathroom in the kitchen. However, it was convenient with the pool because you could walk in the back door from the pool right to my kitchen bathroom. So I come in from pool to use the bathroom. This in itself is odd as I often just peed in my own pool. I must have had company that day:)  I went back outside to swim. I come in the house an hour later and my kitchen is flooded. The ceramic had completely broken into pieces around the hinge that holds the toilet to the floor. I did not file insurance, but pulled up all my flooring and stained the concrete a nice terracota color. It looked like the patios of Mexican restaurants. Made me crave margaritas all the time.

Toilet 3: Next house with pool. I had friends over. One of my girlfriend comes in from pool to use the half bath. She slips on the ceramic tile and lands on the toilet and it just breaks into small pieces. That was pretty funny. Caught that one right away so no water damage.