Thoughts on Tuesday

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WASHINGTON, DC—After running a thousand errands, working hours of overtime, and being stuck in seemingly endless gridlock traffic commuting to and from their jobs, millions of Americans were disheartened to learn that it was, in fact, only Tuesday.

Tuesday's arrival stunned a nation still recovering from the nightmarish slog that was Monday, leaving some to wonder if the week was ever going to end.

Fears that the week could actually be going backwards were also expressed.

"Not only do Americans have most of Tuesday morning to contend with, but all of Tuesday afternoon and then Tuesday night," National Labor Relations Board spokesman David Prynn said. "If our calculations are correct, there is a chance we are in effect closer to last weekend than the one coming up."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My thoughts exactly. Happy Tuesday!

Banana Bread Smoothies

These are actually called Banana Pecan Smoothies, but John and I decided that they taste like drinking a piece of banana bread. I got the recipe from Southern Living magazine. And since John's dad just gave us hundreds of pecans from his yard, I thought this was the perfect time to try it.

Banana Pecan Smoothies

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups low-fat vanilla yogurt
• 2 large ripe bananas, sliced and frozen
• 1 cup ice
• 1/2 cup finely chopped toasted pecans
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preparation

Process yogurt, bananas, ice, pecans, milk, honey, and cinnamon in a blender until smooth. Pour into glasses, and serve immediately.

These are awesome. Try it!

Suggestions?

I need a new book to read. Any suggestions?

The last book I read was Les Miserables which was over 1400 pages. Needless to say, my brain is a little mushy after that one...so maybe just a fun read.

If anyone has read anything good lately let me know! I always love reading what other people have recommended.

Let the Countdown Begin

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

It's been a while since I updated this thing! Things got busy all of the sudden. Holidays came up, I got a JOB!! And sadly my little blog fell to the wayside. But, hopefully I will start to update regularly again...that's my goal anyway.

John and I went to pick out our Christmas tree this weekend. We got a real tree which was very exciting to me because I have never had a real tree before. It's beautiful! I love it! We went to this cute lot we saw on the side of the road and picked one out.

This is a pretty terrible picture...but it was really cold and we couldn't get a good one, so we settled.

I stayed warm by the outdoor fireplace. I want one of these when I get a house!

The finished product. I strung popcorn and everything! It's kind of a little Charlie Brown Christmas tree.

Here is our 2009 Christmas ornament. It's a little tent to symbolize our camping trip we took in October. It's a constant reminder to me that I don't ever want to go camping again.

Christmas has always been my favorite time of year. And now I love it even more that John and I can start traditions together. My next goal is to throw a Christmas party. I have to show off my tree before I have to throw it away!

Missing Home

Today I am really missing home. And by home I mean Tulsa. I have been trying to get used to Texas, but I guess I just don't like change. Of course I love being close to my sister's and all my nieces and nephew. That part is pretty awesome...even the babysitting:) But I can't help feeling like I still want to go home. Or maybe I just want to go back to the familiar.

I miss my church, my friends, my parents. I miss my best friend who lives on the other side of the planet! I miss familiar streets, not needing a GPS, not sitting in traffic.

John and I went to a OSU football game this past weekend in Stillwater. I just had to laugh at my friends complaining about the game day traffic. I sit in that just to get to wal-mart!

I know things are going to get much better once John and I can actually find a church we like and get involved there. And a job would be nice too. It may give me a sense of purpose for leaving the house each day:) But until then I just wait and try to get adjusted. It's been five months...how much longer can it take?

Oops I Did It Again

Last October John and I decided to go on a little adventure and go camping. It was our first time to go together, and my first time to ever go camping. We packed up all the stuff we would need for a a night and drove out to Keystone Lake. We roasted hot dogs, toasted marshmallows and relaxed by the campfire. Then we went to bed. This is where the story turns unpleasant. The temperature dropped into the 30's. I had on six layers of clothing and still my teeth were chattering. I tossed and turned most of the night, while watching my husband sleep peacefully next to me...jerk. I woke up at 6 a.m. to a frosty 32 degree morning. I quickly jumped in the car, cranked on the heater, and watched my sweet husband pack up all the camping gear so we could get out of there!
Somehow, over the course of a year, I blocked out the memories of the cold weather, sleepless night and miserable morning. John and I went camping again this weekend. I will never forget again.

Oops I Did It Again (or I Kissed Camping Goodbye)

12:00 Pack up the car and head for Eisenhower State Park in Denison, TX.

2:00 After stopping at a local Wal-Mart after discovering we forgot a pillow, lighter, firewood and lighter fluid, we finally arrived at the park. The leaves are just starting to change color and the campgrounds were beautiful.

2:30 Setup camp. This tent is approximately 7' X 4'. John barely fit lengthwise.

4:00 After switching campsites, we finally got all of our stuff unloaded and decided to take a hike on the trail.

The scenery was beautiful, but it had just rained a ton the day before so the trails were really muddy. I'm not really sure it this is the proper use of a walking stick, but it helped keep my feet clean...sort of.

We hiked down to a little swimming beach. It was really cold down there!

6:00 Football Practice. Got to keep a leg up on the competition. Team Schaffner is looking pretty good!

7:00 Started up the fire and roasted some hotdogs with chips and coke for dinner, toasted marshmallows for smores, and even heated up some water over the fire for some hot chocololate.

John was really roughing it. He checked football scores every 30 minutes.

11:00 Our fire died out and it was time to go to bed. And then the real fun began.

12:00 Finally start drifting to sleep after realizing there is no comfortable way to sleep in a 7 X 4 tent.

12:15 I pay for the 2 hotdogs, chips, coke, smores and hot chocolate with a terrible stomach ache.

1:00 My illness subsides and I finally drift into a half sleep.

3:00 Wake up to the sound of rain on the roof of the tent. Softly sob into pillow.

4:00 Hear coyotes howling in the background.

4:15 Hear something rummaging outside tent. Assume it is coyote and become paralyzed with fear.

5:00 Remember that John has the internet on his phone. I'm such a wilderness girl. Find out it is in the upper 40's and the sun won't rise for another 2 hours.

6:30 Wake John up and tell him about the horrible sleepless night I have had. Convince him to get out of the tent even though it is still sprinkling so we can go home.

7:00 Say goodbye to Eisenhower State Park and head to the nearest McDonald's.

I write this all down for one reason. I can't forget...I must remember why I hate camping...why I can never go back. Maybe with a bigger tent and an air mattress and a little better weather it wouldn't be so bad. But I'm not sure I am willing to test that theory. For now I will stay indoor where I belong. Warm, dry and oh so happy.